On a Wednesday afternoon, the laughter and camaraderie can be heard outside the Phoenix Community Centre in Easterhouse as the centre plays host to their Men@Phoenix activity group.
Men@Phoenix is a social programme to support male adults (18+) who may be isolated or disenfranchised from the wider community. The concept is simple and involves creating social connections through the hook of mild physical activity, games and tea/coffee.
Richard McShane, Director of the Easterhouse Phoenix Community Centre explains: “I was brought up in Easterhouse and over the years I noticed there was starting to be a real lack of opportunities for local people to connect and socialise. The last pub closed its door in the area, a place synonymous with bringing local communities together, and so there has been a real need for activities to get people out their houses and active again.
“Since opening the centre, I worked hard to identify the needs and wants of the community. Gangs were rife as there were no opportunities for people to do anything. Lots of people don’t leave their homes as they don’t have the money so there was a massive need to offer something to entice people out.”
Men@Phoenix was then created to overcome the loneliness and isolation as well as the mental wellbeing of local males. The sessions are unstructured and welcome up to 30 men from across the area taking part in activities such as table tennis, snooker, pool, carpet bowls and dominoes, with cycling and fishing soon to be added to the list.
Liam Baird, sport development officer for Glasgow Life said: “The primary goal is to promote social cohesion whilst using physical activity as a method to engage with the target group.
"By providing low-cost, low-impact and accessible activities, this has been attractive to the club’s participants who are reaping the benefits from being more socially engaged within their community."
Easterhouse community sport hub, part of the sportscotland national community sport hub network, with local support from Glasgow Life, has been set up to bring sports clubs and community organisations together to improve the contribution sport and physical activity has within the local Easterhouse area.
Liam continues: “Easterhouse Phoenix is part of the community sport hub, and the hub through Glasgow Life's support, has helped to facilitate and develop Men@Phoenix by sourcing equipment and providing ongoing support that will ensure the club continues to meet the needs of the target audience.”
Neil (60) is a participant of the project and has hugely benefitted from the weekly sessions. As a fulltime carer for his mum and suffering from depression for a number of years to the point he wanted to end it all, the sessions have been hugely beneficial in making him feel better and get active again.
He said: “The sessions have been brilliant for me. Everyone has been really friendly and welcoming. I suffer from depression and mood swings and I felt I had nothing to live for. I was stuck in the house with nothing to do.
“Now these sessions have brought a structure to my week and a motivation.
"I forget about my worries, even if it’s for a couple of hours and the activities help me feel better about myself and clear my head.
"Off the back of the sessions, I now have something on everyday day of the week. I joined the walking group through the local health centre and also do swimming.”
Another participant who has been supported by the sessions is William (76). A retired painter and decorator, the centre has been a godsend in bringing some stability back into William’s life.
William said: “There wasn’t a lot of excitement in my life. I am now retired and I would just be sitting in the house watching TV. Before, it felt as if I got up out of bed and was just waiting to go back to bed.
“Men@Phoenix has been fantastic. I look forward to the sessions every week. They are a great bunch of guys, we all have a laugh, and we tell each other our life stories over a game of table tennis or snooker. I have since joined the walking club and started doing chair aerobics through the centre too.”
Projects like this are hugely important to many, as Richard sums up: “The weekly sessions help to give the men a different way of life and give them that buzz. With the low-impact activities there are elements of stretching, bending and concentration.
"Subconsciously they don’t know they are doing exercise but it helps them with their aches and pains, all the while meeting new people and having a laugh."
Find out more
- Learn more about the programmes ran at Phoenix Community Centre
- What are community sport hubs?
