Phase 3, Ward 1, Castlemilk Food Pantry

As part of Glasgow Life’s Creative Communities Artists in Residence programme for Ward 1, Linn, Deirdre Nelson delivered Castlemilk Food Pantry. The project aimed to raise awareness about food waste and address social inequality around food access.

This work was delivered as part of Create 4 Glasgow, a participatory art project that built on the legacy of COP26 and gave voice to Glasgow’s young people and their environmental priorities.

Working with P6 pupils at Castleton Primary School, Deirdre led a multimedia campaign that challenged social stereotypes about food pantries and promoted their use locally. Pupils were divided into specialist teams to contribute to the campaign. The Research team gathered facts about food waste, which the marketing team translated into powerful messages, including the slogan “Save Your Money, Methane Ain’t Funny” and the idea to display campaign posters on the local 75 bus.

The Art Department created bold visuals and green screen backdrops, while the Music team composed a protest anthem using the marketing slogans. The Film Production team combined all these elements to produce a final campaign film.

Alongside the media campaign, Deirdre ran creative workshops with pupils to further develop their ideas and confidence. During the second session, teams presented their work-in-progress, including the campaign soundtrack, bus ad mock-ups, and a letter to local stakeholders encouraging support for the pantry.

The residency sparked wider community conversations around access to food and sustainability. The campaign materials, developed entirely by young people, reflected their vision, creativity and commitment to positive environmental action.

A special thanks to community partners, supporters and contributors: Croftfoot Primary School | Friends Of Kings Park | Castleton Primary School | Friends Of Castlemilk Park | Castlemilk Food Pantry | Castlemilk Food Memories | Urban Roots Food And Climate Programme | Cassiltoun Housing |  Ardenglen Housing | Carmunnock Primary School | Carmunnock Gala | Cathcart Church | Karen Gorman GCC Partnership and Development Officers.