We want to give our Glasgow community a 'wee lift'

The two women won the prestigious Editor’s Award at this year’s Glasgow Community Champion Awards, after triumphing in the health and wellbeing category in the South heat.

Their action-packed, fun-filled events, including Cmilk’s Got Talent, a Curry Karaoke fundraiser and summer and winter festivals, have given a much-needed boost to a community struggling, like many around Glasgow, in the wake of the pandemic and ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Natali, Cath and Bridget (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)

Now, with the help of Cath’s niece Natali, they also run weekly community sessions delivering fresh soup packs, crusty bread and fresh fruit.

Storage is a problem, however, so the women are hoping to raise £2000 for a shipping container to allow them to distribute more non-perishable goods to families and individuals who need it most.

“Having a permanent base would be so beneficial, because we could store and share out much more than we already do,” says Bridget.

“It would also allow us to provide a safe space for members of the community to pop in and have a cuppa and a chat when they pass by – a wellbeing space, where they could also get information on how to access support .”

READ NEXT: 'Honour and privilege': School near Glasgow celebrates its 150th anniversary

There is more to their plans, however, as Bridget explains.

“After winning our award, we spoke about the people of Castlemilk who help their neighbours, and do things for their community, without getting any recognition,” she explains,

 “So we started a Soup-er Saturday Unsung Hero initiative, where folk nominate people and we feature one on our social media pages each week.

“Natali is amazing at putting blurbs together, and it’s been really popular – a good wee lift for people.”

The idea, adds Bridget, who created the Castlemilk Cooks Up Memories recipe book, is to turn all the stories into a book, dedicated to the community.

Cath and Bridget with Glasgow Times Editor Stacey Mullen, left and event host Michelle McManus (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)

Recently, Bridget, Cath and Natali, who go by the name Castlemilk Soup-erheroes, received funding from the Celtic FC Foundation.

"We were really fortunate to receive this funding, which means we can purchase and distribute 100 soup packs a week, which we intend to circulate around local schools to reach more families,” says Bridget.

“We are also in talks with the council and Glasgow Life to hopefully secure a space to site our container, and it will take us some time to get it ready and painted.”

The three women are also planning more events, including a Curry Karaoke and the summer festival.

To support the Castlemilk Soup-erheroes, visit their Just Giving page here.