Isn’t it great when people in communities get together?  Magic really starts to happen.

Community Connections is an Outside The Box project based in Eaglesham and Brechin. It works towards improving social connections, information and communication for people living in and around these areas.

From simply being out and about in the community and having conversations with people and networking on Facebook, little seeds are planted from which bigger things will start to grow.

A great example is having met a lovely gentleman at Age Concern who told me his personal situation which he found himself in since his wife moved into a care home.  He visits her once a week but her dementia is sadly advancing and he feels less connected emotionally.

The same week I met him, I was chatting with another Eaglesham resident who told me that her friend was in semi-retirement and felt she would like to do something meaningful and worthwhile with her extra time.

As it turned out, the gentleman and the woman’s friend live a stone’s throw from one another.

He was delighted to invite us to his home for an initial meeting.  It turned out that amongst his many hobbies and interests, cycling used to be a passion.  The woman explained that her husband is a mad keen cyclist and has a collection of bikes at home and she offered him an open invite to pop along and visit them at his leisure.

He took up this kind offer and dropped by one afternoon.  The woman herself wasn’t in, but her hubby knew of her visit and invited him in to show him his bikes.  They chatted for an hour or so and the gentleman said he felt delighted to have met them and is looking forward to arranging more visits.

The gentleman now also visits the Chatty Café on a Wednesday morning at Ian’s Kitchen and attends the Community Links Club at  Eaglesham Primary, providing the much anticipated box of Maltesers which the pupils eagerly expect every week now!