Community Links Scotland - Sponsored Editorial

The overarching role of Community Links Scotland (CLS) is to work with individuals from fragile deprived communities, developing partnership projects to: support the transition into further employment; develop new skills and opportunities; create social connections; increase income; sustain homes.

We do this through a combination of consultancy work across the west of Scotland and the delivery of three targeted programmes within Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire.

We have been based in Clydebank for 23 years and our local programmes engage with the most isolated and vulnerable households.

Our programmes aim to support individuals and households to develop knowledge, skills and confidence, to build their social connections reducing isolation and loneliness and to take greater control of their household, their energy and their finances.

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, our heritage project Threads of Time…Stories of People, Place and Pride is drawing to a close after two years delivery.

Through this project we have aimed to bring stories about local history and heritage narratives of Clydebank and the surrounding areas to life through creating a graphic novel, creating a series of film reels capturing memories, learning about individualsʼ lives and how they came to live in Clydebank and bringing all these groups together to design and create a new Clydebank fabric that celebrates the rich heritage of our community.

Working with young people from Y Sort It and Magic Torch Comics, a graphic novel was created, sharing a series of vibrant stories drawing on the heritage narrative of Clydebank and the surrounding areas.

The Clydebank Asbestos Group made a series of short narrative reels that provided personal accounts of the human cost of industrialisation and that celebrate community resilience.

Members of Kilbowie St Andrew’s Church created a series of reels commemorating Clydebankʼs history, specially relating to The Blitz.

The Women’s Guild Group was one of three craft groups involved in creating a heritage textile linked to Clydebankʼs Singer sewing machine and textile trade. This initiative aimed to celebrate industrial legacy through creative workshops led by artist Chloe Patience.

Mindful Moments, a local peer-support and social group were supported to research and develop their family trees and create a series of stories about their family lives and how they came to live in Clydebank.

We have an official launch of the project on Friday 9th January in the Community Gallery Space in Clydebank Town Hall and the exhibition of work will be available to view until the end of January 2026.