Volunteers

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Charlie Eleftheriades-Sherry

– one of our founder volunteers. Charlie has taken photos, written articles, helped with advertising and distribution – and in 2017 he even volunteered to marry our editor! –

“I love how the Clydesider brings a smile to people’s faces when they see it and start reading. It’s given a community, that for far too long has been subdued, a new sense of confidence and togetherness.”

Johnny Dale

– was also with us from the beginning. He brings a wealth of knowledge about the natural world learned first-hand on his family croft in the Highlands. His ability to hear and share the voices of trees and wildlife is awesome and his resilience in a world which lacks an understanding of disability is inspirational –

“I was there at the very first meeting and I am so grateful to Clydesider for allowing me space to express my challenges in life and how I’ve not let these challenges bring me down, I’ve kept going, no matter what.”

Katie Kennedy

– one of our longest-serving volunteers. Katie has contributed photo essays and images for a wide range of features and our front cover plus photographing our community events. She also helps with distribution and, after attending our media training workshops, is keen to try her hand at writing –

“It’s connected me back to my community and you realise we’re all the same. We’re all struggling with different things and society tends to focus on the negative but it’s so much more beneficial to me to look at the positive. There are so many people in our community doing amazing things and through Clydesider I feel part of it.”

Steven Hastings

– joined us online during the pandemic. He started by contributing a poem and then a cartoon and is now our regular cartoonist, quiz compiler and shares his perspective from a powered wheelchair to contribute insightful articles to the magazine. He’s also a top Tik Tok star! –

“Clydesider has given me opportunities to do things I might not have normally done. I enjoyed the media training sessions and learned a lot about digital drawing with Susan. It was good to write about the Brittle Bone Society that I’m a member of, and it’s good to highlight things about access, disability, and mental health.”

Emily Fraser

– got involved after we wrote a feature about her. She’s an extremely gifted creative who writes prose, poetry, and lyrics, has the most amazing voice and is a talented musician! She has generously shared most of these talents with us, as well as sharing her struggles with anxiety and mental health to support others facing similar experiences –

“Clydesider has meant a lot to me over the last three years. They’ve done a lot to support and encourage me. I think it’s a fantastic organisation and it really enriches the local community.”

Patricia

– Started volunteering with Clydesider after attending our Out and About Creative Café during the pandemic. Her passion for people’s stories translates into beautiful reflections of the inspirational individuals she meets, so you feel you’re in the room interviewing them with her –

“I could go on about the benefits such as collaboration, confidence building, development of creativity, not to mention the real possibility of making a wee difference in that amazing publication that is Clydesider magazine… Nothing is too much trouble for the Clydesider team.”

Mary Irvine

– has been involved since Clydesider’s early days. An author herself, she champions local poets, authors, and storytellers with reviews in the magazine and by organising community events including the Balloch Open Mic and Storytelling for Adults –

“All the events and meetings organised by Clydesider are welcoming and inclusive events for the local community to gather, to talk, to share and to know that the organisers really care.”

Leanne McBride

– sneaked over the border from Drumchapel. She brings with her a powerful insight into the challenges poverty can wreak and the solutions communities can develop when working together –

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Peter Robinson

– an adopted Son of the Rock, Peter volunteered to help with our deliveries back in 2019 and has helped with most Dumbarton deliveries since. Earlier this year he joined our volunteer Board of directors bringing with him a passion for his new hometown –

“Finding the Clydesider was a bit of fresh air, focusing on the positive stories in the local area and the positive work people do. It has been good to get to know people in the local area.”

Elspeth Crocket

– one of our first volunteer Board members. Elspeth is passionate about the area’s heritage and what she doesn’t know about Dumbarton’s past is probably not worth knowing! She has contributed to the magazine, volunteered to lead our Dumbarton Walkin Talkin events and is also our Dumbarton East distributor –

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Rose Harvie

– local community activist and gardening enthusiast. Rose started contributing the Let’s Grow WD column to the magazine last year and has continued to share inspiration and advice for each season –

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James Duncan

– local naturalist, photographer, and writer. Early last year Jim emailed to ask if we would be interested in an article and photos about nuthatches. I said yes and since then he has kindly emailed in exquisite nature photos and articles for every issue. We finally met in person for the first time this summer! –

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Ben Pryde

– one of our newest and youngest volunteers, Ben is a sporting enthusiast, studying for his next set of exams in high school. Keen to get more volunteering experience and learn new skills, Ben reached out to us in early 2023 after Clydesider attended his school Careers Fayre. Curious about journalism and how a community magazine works, Ben wrote his first piece on the past and present of Clydebank FC. He enjoyed the process so much, he plans to write more for us in the future –

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Layla Blackwell

– first featured in Issue 25 with a powerful piece highlighting the challenges people with disabilities can face finding their own voice, Layla worked hard to remove the labels and opinions of others that were placed on her throughout her life. Now she wants to use her voice to help others in similar situations –

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Chris McCaughey

– after being diagnosed with MS he discovered photography helped him get out of the house. He started volunteering with us after taking part in a photography project run by our community partner Inclusive Images and it was clear he was a talented photographer. He has covered several events, created photo essays and produced front cover images for the magazine and is now in his second year studying photography at West College Scotland –

“I’d had no experience of the media before and I never expected to. I never dreamed I’d go to college at my age. If it hadn’t been for you and the other volunteers I would have been a photo hobbyist, now who knows what lies ahead.”

John Donnelly

– joined our Community Newsroom in 2022, passionate to share his experiences of recovery from brain cancer to help inform and inspire others facing similar life challenges. He contributed several pieces to our Claim What’s Yours campaign and ideas for our Access for All theme before returning to work earlier this year –

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