Ready Steady Grow (RSG) is a biennial event held in a variety of Pollokshields’ greenspaces (usually) on the first Saturday in June.

 

In 2008, a group of Pollokshields residents, supported by Pollokshields Community Council, became concerned that without actively encouraging residents to use all of our greenspaces in the area, over time, these spaces could be lost to inappropriate development or simple decay. Residents and community groups decided that the best way to protect our greenspaces was the celebrate them, and Ready Steady Grow was born.

 

The first event was held simultaneously in seven greenspaces, across both East and West Pollokshields. At this first event, RSG gave away hundreds of planters, pots and hanging baskets filled with bedding plants which residents were able to refill on subsequent years. RSG also gave fruit to all attendees and over the years both the planting and the fruit have been the bedrock of the event.

 

Pollokshields is hugely diverse in terms of ethnicity, religion and age, but RSG recognised from that first event that the greatest, sometimes hidden divide in Pollokshields is economic. That is why one fundamental rule of RSG is that every event is free to attend- there is no “pay to play” or commercial selling allowed. This has enabled the event to be financially accessible to all and remain a truly community event.

 

RSG has run ten events and been such a success mainly because its focus on plants, flowers and growing transcends any of the other barriers in the community.

 

The success of RSG has been the collaboration which takes place between the overarching organising team (Lucy, Ann and Lisa) and the many community groups, artists, organisations and strategic bodies who come together to deliver the events. Additionally, we have only been able to keep this event free and accessible by being supported by a number of agencies, most often Glasgow City Council through its Area Partnership and Southside Housing Association through its community fund.

 

Our event planned for 2020 has been cancelled, but we are not stopping. We are just doing things differently!