Exploring volunteer and community-led creativity in Southside Central and Canal Wards

This new report from Creative Lives aims to understand the current assets as well as the strengths and barriers impacting the community and volunteer-led creative sector in each ward. 

Between December 2024 and May 2025, Creative Lives carried out work on behalf of Glasgow Life to research volunteer and community-led creative activity in Glasgow. Glasgow Life asked us to explore two wards in order to identify groups and explore what support might be needed.

To deliver this work we carried out:

• Field and desk-based research to find evidence of local groups and activity
• Data capture to review local demographics
• In-person and online focus groups attended by creative groups, participants, and professionals
• Interviews with creative group leaders

The report highlights the rich yet challenged landscape of community and volunteer-led creative activity in Glasgow’s Southside Central and Canal wards.

You can download the report Mapping Creative Activity in Glasgow here.