It is a shocking record: of the 25 poorest and unhealthiest areas in the UK, 22 are in Scotland. But what are these places really like? Here we speak to the people who live or work in them. Many talk of familiar problems - gangs, drugs, crime, vandalism - but they also speak about new jobs, training, new hope. These are 22 stories of 22 ordinary lives. Many are as inspiring as they are fascinating.

St James, Paisley

Ann Marie Miller, 50, lives with her husband, William, and her sons, Alan, 23, and Ian, 21, who has cerebral palsy.

"There are massive problems with drugs and alcohol here. There's a whole generation of young people in their twenties hooked on heroin and valium. Right now I've got great neighbours and there's a great community, but what's going to happen in 10 years' time?

"I don't see these people as all bad - just the ones who sell the drugs. They are selling misery. I know people who got off alcohol but I don't know anybody who has managed to come off drugs.

"I've got great neighbours, really nice people, and I'm never alone. I used to take people's rent books down and cash their giros and pay their rent for them so they don't fall behind. I still pay people's gas and electricity bills for them.

"My sister lives in a big bought house in Dykebar and she can't even chap her neighbours' doors. If I won the lottery I wouldn't actually move too far away. I'd build a bungalow nearby and I'd take all my neighbours with me.

"There is definitely crime. People get mugged and people steal things and break in - but they're desperate people. My worries are more about disability. My son Ian goes to a centre in Linwood that hasn't got enough funding or staff or a modern building.

"Some people live their lives in a way which I think is stupid; they just keep working, working, working but they don't have any life. If you have a son who is disabled it makes you think: you've only got one set of feet, so you only need one pair of shoes. I used to work as a hospital cleaner at the weekends, but I decided I didn't need to do it because I could do without a lot of things and live off what I'd got. But I carried on going to work so I could meet other people and have a wee night out with the girls. They thought it was a hell-hole, but for me it was a wee break, and they used to laugh."

Seaton, Aberdeen

Fraser Turnbull, 21, is a final-year civil engineering student at Aberdeen University.

"It's okay here. I live with my girlfriend in a block of flats. There are a lot of pensioners and foreigners; not so many students. It's not the worst - there are lots of decent cars parked outside.

"I've been here since September 2004 and everybody knows everybody. They're mostly council tenants, but there's talk of demolishing a lot of Seaton to build private housing. The residents are up in arms because they'll be chucked wherever. My girlfriend and I are moving to London after graduation, so we're not really involved.

"Two other blocks of flats near here are supposed to be full of drug-dealers and junkies. There are always police cars outside and fire engines coming. I know Seaton is one of the worst areas for health: I think it's heart disease. My girlfriend doesn't like walking through Seaton at night, but I've done it and it's been all right.

"I used to live in the west end of Aberdeen, which is wealthier, but nobody knows anybody. Here, everyone knows you."

Dawson, Falkirk

Jim Johnston, 69, publican and provost of Falkirk.

"There is no doubt this area has had its problems. I've lived here for more than 40 years. It was a thriving area, but the problems began when the British Aluminium factory closed five years ago. People couldn't get another job and just sat in the house.

"There was a problem with youngsters who didn't have enough to do. Yes, there were drugs and crime, but since the police put a local office in a former council house, they have had a lot of support from local people. In the past four years crimes of dishonesty have dropped by 27per cent and vandalism by 18per cent.

"There's a lot of regeneration going on. People don't want flats, so we are demolishing the remaining blocks and building cottagestyle houses, but you've got to do more than just provide houses. The community centre has got groups for everything: disabled keep fit, boxercise and they've just started a breastfeeding group. The internet cafe attracts young people, but it also has smoking cessation groups and sexual health sessions.

"The dental practice burned down a few years ago and never re-opened, but we're turning a block of derelict houses into a practice which Glasgow University will use for training and it will offer free treatment to local people.

"People in Dawson don't drink more than elsewhere, but there is a problem with young people and alcohol, which other countries don't have."

Seedhill, Paisley

Julie Perrie, 24, an audiologist, lives with her husband, Thomas, a part-time student who works in a garage. They moved from Greenock in 2004.

"To be honest, I knew absolutely nothing about this area before I moved here. We were first-time buyers, we were about to get married and we were desperate to find a place of our own.

"It was pure chance that we came across an advert for this block of new flats. It was really late on a Sunday night and we decided to come to see what it was like. We were surprised because even though it was the weekend there was hardly anybody about. So we queued up overnight, in February, to buy one. The people either side of us in the queue bought the flats either side of us in the building, which is lovely. The flats ranged in price from GBP47,000 to GBP84,000.

"We love our flat. It has a great view over the playing fields and we can watch the planes coming in to the airport. But they're planning to sell half the playing fields outside our back window for building, which we're not happy about. All the neighbours are protesting.

"Sometimes there are youngsters hanging about drinking but they don't actually cause trouble. You're going to get that anywhere. At night in the dark I wouldn't walk outside alone, but Thomas doesn't think anything of it, and together I wouldn't think anything of it. There are flats across the road that are virtually all empty and boarded up, and I think they're being demolished and rebuilt, which will improve the look of the street. I'm not in a rush to get out of the area. We'd be happy to start a family here. The only reason we'd move would be to a house with a garden."

South Inch, Perth

Paula Lowther, 18, is a volunteer youth worker.

"South Inch does have problems. There are a lot of young people drinking and there's vandalism, but it is getting better. I think it's okay as a place to live. I was brought up here and now I share a flat with other youth workers. We all cook - I make pasta quite a lot. But I do eat junk food too. I eat quite a lot of fruit, but I need to eat more veg.

"I want to carry on working with young people and I'd really like to work in a developing country. Last year I was a delegate to the World Youth Congress and I met people from South America, India and Pakistan. We all went to Kinloch Rannoch and built a sort of outdoor classroom. It was hard work, but good. We learned a lot about each other's cultures and different beliefs.

"At the moment I'm part of a group that's training to cycle to Aschaffenburg in Germany to celebrate the 50th anniversary of it being twinned with Perth, so I'm going to the gym four times a week."

Sheddocksley, Aberdeen

John Cruickshank is retired and a member of the community council.

"We've been up here for close on 30 years. Sheddocksley was built for oil personnel to live in, but most of it has been taken over by the housing association and most places are owner-occupied - I'd say 75per cent. We have a small community centre run by a trust: the city council funds bigger ones where there's an education side of things.

"We have a great community council that takes care of all the bits and pieces. There's little vandalism, very few break-ins and quite a few neighbourhood watches, so it all helps. It's very tight-knit and friendly. Where we are it's all cul-de-sacs and it's ideal for keeping an eye on each other's property. I've no complaints about the area at all - except it could do with more parking."

Bridgeton/ Dalmarnock, Glasgow

Ellen Rose Wilkinson, 55, is a member of a travelling family.

"When I was a child we all had different families travelling with us, like the Codonas and the Whites, but it wasn't just the ones with the big rides. There were others with the kids' rides, side stalls and candyfloss stalls. My dad had a fish and chip van. We used to go to Glasgow Green for a month, Newcastle for two weeks, and all over the Borders - the amount of places we used to go to, I can't remember them all. We used to travel all over the country.

"I got married when I was coming up to my 25th birthday. We still lived in a caravan but settled in one place. Four and a half years ago we left the caravan and moved into a chalet in the east end of Glasgow. There's no money in fairs any more. Everything's so expensive now. You've got your ground rent, your diesel for running the machines and getting from place to place, plus insurance and wages to pay.

"Over the past 10 years I got stuck in a rut. I wouldn't go out except to go to the shops, and then I'd come back and just sit. It was like I was stuck in a hole. But then two years ago I started going to the Bridgeton community centre. I needed help with my spelling and my writing. To admit I needed help was the hardest thing, and I've never looked back. Now I've got a new lease of life. We've started our own business and I feel like we're doing something with our lives."

Fairmuir, Dundee

Christine Birnie, 68, is the Fairmuir representative for the Community Regeneration Forum (CRF) in Dundee and the treasurer of the local residents' and tenants' association.

"I moved here 20 years ago when I took the post of senior warden in the sheltered housing. The place itself was nice but the tenants needed a lot of support. But the area has improved immensely in the past few years.

"It's beautiful. The Fleming Trust (a charitable organisation) has helped renovate the houses, and the CRF has been marvellous for the community. The housing improvements helped socially, and the CRF has helped bring the community together by funding a sensory garden with the residents' and tenants' association, which opens on Sunday. We're having a charity gala day on Sunday as well, which will help the new diabetic unit at Ninewells Hospital.

"I'd say 90per cent of people in Fairmuir are elderly and quite a lot of them are in sheltered housing. We have Discovery Awards, which are kind of like Duke of Edinburgh Awards, for people over 50 who push themselves in the community. I've got my gold."

'Sweet Sixteen was very accurate'

Greenock Central

Liz Compston, 49, office clerk and mother of Martin Compston, star of the film Sweet Sixteen "Greenock has never been rich; it's always been working class but there was work. The sense of community has gone because people aren't working.

"At one time Greenock had sugar refineries and heavy industry and boys could learn trades. Nowadays, the biggest employers are call centres. Some people have made a life of it but it's not a real job, it's not a skill. They could be replaced tomorrow. When my son Barry got paid off, we went to the Jobcentre. I was horrified; it was like a cattle market and the staff we met had terrible attitudes. It's bad enough being unemployed without being treated like that.

"Kids have got no jobs to look forward to; the council is the worst run in Scotland; they are trying to downgrade the hospital and there is a fiasco about schools closing. All these things drag the place down. Anyone I speak to sees it going down because nobody is tackling it. I am thinking about leaving.

"The strange thing about Greenock is that it is probably an area where the majority of people are on minimum wage but the houses getting built are in a higher bracket for commuters. They'll have people who don't contribute to the area, who go into Glasgow for their social life and work, and there is no housing for poor people.

"At any chemist in the morning, you'll see queues of people waiting for methadone and the health centre is becoming like that too. Crime isn't something I'm aware of on a daily basis but there are gangs that roam the streets, which makes a lot of people apprehensive. But then there's nothing for them to do.

"Sweet Sixteen (the Ken Loach film in which Martin starred) was a very accurate portrayal of someone brought up in those circumstances in Greenock. It's not an average family in Greenock but you know weans that are brought up like that. The council isn't doing enough to help people who are trapped in that situation.

"Luckily, both my boys were crazy about football and played every night. Martin also worked hard at school. People will speak to him as if they've known him all his life and say, 'What are you up to now, son?' and 'that's great'. He is always away working but this is his home. He loves it. No matter where he stays and how high class it is, he's glad to be on that flight home. All his pals are here."

Bowbridge, Dundee

Caroline Pettigrew, 43, is a school dinner lady. She lives with her husband, Jim, and two sons, James, 14, and Mark,12.

"This is quite a nice place to live. These houses were built by the Hillcrest Housing Association on the site of the former Bowbridge jute works and there's a mix of rented and shared-ownership properties. Like everywhere else, it's had a few problems with kids and vandalism, but I think we're keeping on top of it. A lot of nice people live on this street and a lot of people are making an effort. If everybody sticks together, you can get things sorted. If there's a few of you, you can get things done. I've become a sort of spokesperson for the area.

"It's definitely not one of the poorest places in the UK. I drive around some areas in Dundee that are awful - there are really deprived areas up the road. I wouldn't live here if it was like that.

"When you've got children, you make an effort to have a healthy family lifestyle. You hear so many things about fat and unhealthy children sitting in front of computer games. You have to make an effort to bring your children up properly. I try my best, anyway. We have occasional junk food like everybody else - we have a McDonald's on a Saturday - but we have home-cooked meals the rest of the week. Today we're having pasta and steak with peppers and mushrooms.

"James and Mark are very sporty. They're both in football teams and also play golf. Jim gave up smoking a few years ago and has gained some weight as a result, but he's determined to get fitter. He plays golf with the boys as well as in competitions. I get my exercise walking the dog three times a day, including an hour every afternoon after I've finished work.

Sometimes I work in the evenings as a taxi driver: with two growing boys a bit of extra income is very useful."

Mastrick, Aberdeen

Rosemary Hutchison is a dentist and dental manager.

"I've been here nine years and obviously see it from a dentist's perspective. The patients we have are very loyal and have been coming here for a long time. The patients we had originally, who were poor attenders, probably substance abusers, gradually fell by the wayside so we struck them off our books. I suppose we've ended up with the good ones.

"There's a strong community spirit in Mastrick and everybody looks after everybody else. It's very family-oriented as well - generations have lived here.

"Ours was the first salaried general dental practice in Grampian. There weren't enough NHS practices at the time. It was originally going to be somewhere else, but there happened to be room available here. The people of Mastrick were delighted, and we've always been really appreciated.

"I've worked in wealthier areas. When we first came here, dental neglect was rife. But over the years people have listened to us, and I'm very happy about the improvement in dental awareness and the standard of oral hygiene. We've had a lot of patients stop smoking as well, so it's improved a lot."

Wyndford, Glasgow

Myles Joyce, 16, spent time in the scandal-hit Kerelaw residential centre in Ayrshire.

"There was a time when I just didn't want to listen to anybody; I was arguing with people, telling them I didn't want to talk to them. I was picking up so many charges - fighting, weapons and stuff - and running away so much I had to get put into care.

"I went into Kerelaw. You had to be good to get home leave so I just kept running away. Then I started to do better and they let me go home. A group called Includem came to see me. They take you out, talk to you, try to solve all your stuff.

"I was back with my mum and being good, but then I started going awol again. I just started going mad. My mum was trying to keep me in so I started running through the house smashing windows and smashing the house up. Then I had to go to a secure unit in Dundee.

"That probably changed me because I don't want to go back in there. It was well dodgy. You had to do what you were told. You couldn't play with your pals or anything. You can't see your ma or play football.

"They had a school in there, inside the building. I got access one, two and three in English, geography and maths. I got out in December. I've got a lot better mates now.

"I'm going to Spain in four weeks with my ma and my uncles. It'll be good. I'm paranoid about the plane, though. I haven't been on one since I was a wean."

North Muirton, Perth

Muriel Miller, 69, is chair of the Federation of Residents' Associations in Perth and Kinross.

"I've lived in North Muirton for 33 years. I became involved in the local tenants' association when I retired from running a hostel for single homeless people. I do regard it as a good place to live: it's easy to get about, and there's a good bus service, which takes 10 minutes to get into town. There's always a difficulty with keeping the environment tidy, and there are spasms of vandalism, but the community police keep in touch with the tenants' association.

"This was originally a council estate, but several tenants have bought their houses. We brought up three daughters here and there were a lot of families with children at the time, which gave a community spirit. There is a community centre which has various youth groups, and a lot of groups meet in the church building.

"I am very fortunate to have no health problems, although I could be fitter. I don't do any formal exercise, but I try to concentrate on eating healthily. I enjoy fruit and veg and I like cooking too. If we have meat, we have vegetables with it, but we often have a salad or a vegetarian dish.

"My husband, Allister, 76, has recently had replacement knee joints and his walking is now limited, but he has no major health problems."

Fraserburgh North, Aberdeenshire

Kenny McDonald, 40, is a business analyst and the secretary of Fraserburgh FC Supporters' Club.

"I live in Broadsea, an area in Fraserburgh North. I lived on Marconi Road for 20 years and have recently moved back to just around the corner from where my parents lived.

"The Broch, as it's more affectionately known, has picked up a lot of bad publicity, but I've found it a nice place to live. The things it's known for, such as drugs, aren't immediately visible, though you see locals you know have problems.

"It seems such a shame that so many of the good-quality granite houses have been earmarked for demolition under the new Fraserburgh regeneration programme, but I dare say something had to be done. The master plan, as it's called, seems to be well under way with the recent demolition of the old Macfisheries factory, which used to be one of the town's biggest companies. But it's not all bad. In my spare time I follow Fraserburgh football club and in May we won the Highland League Cup final 4-1. It's the first time we've won the cup in 47 years."

Hutchesontown, Glasgow

Nicola Smith, 24, is an ex-high rise tenant.

"My family - my sister, my brother, my mum and my dad - lived on the eighth floor of a high-rise, in a twobedroom flat. Ten years ago we moved into a town house literally five minutes'walk away. For us it was fantastic - even better because we moved within the same area, so it wasn't a massive life-changing experience. We still went to the same school and had the same friends and surroundings - but we just moved from the high-rise to a bright, new town house.

"My mum and dad were ecstatic, not having to worry about being up in the flats and who was hanging around. It was wonderful when we got that house. Now we all have our own space. The house is on three floors and we each have our own bedroom.

"My wee brother was just five months old when we moved. I didn't have the opportunities and the freedom he's got. Now we've got a front and a back door with gardens on either side and a massive communal garden he can go out and play in. Because the town houses have quite a few rooms they're all family-oriented so there are a lot of children growing up together at the same time. In the high-rises you didn't know who you were going to get as a neighbour.

"The regeneration has given me great opportunities. I work in the local development company. After school they helped me find my first job, which I was in for seven years. I'd been trying to get in with them for a couple of years, keeping my eye on the posts coming up. Now I've got my ideal job - working in my local area and helping the people who live here get into employment. I've built up a lot of confidence since I started here and at the end of the year I'm going backpacking for six months in Australia and Asia. I've got a good career just now but I want to broaden my horizons a wee bit. But I'll be coming back. I'm a Gorbals lassie."

Stobswell, Dundee

Ina Brown, 59, is vicechairperson of the Stobswell forum. She has lived in the area for 30 years with her husband, Ian, 61. Their daughter, Jennifer, 23, is a law student.

"The area did go down for quite a while, but I can see it coming up again. I got involved with the forum because things needed to be done. A lot of money has been spent and we need to see what the results will be, but I wouldn't class it as one of the poorest areas in Britain.

"There are many new houses, some inside the shell of old factories, where it's been possible to retain the exterior: some are for sale and some for rent. It's a definite improvement. There are one-parent families and there are some people with drug problems, but it's not throughout the area.

"My husband has been diabetic for more than 50 years and had to give up work as an electrician after a heart attack 14 years ago, but I regard myself as very healthy. I eat fairly sensibly. I love my sweeties, but I'm fit and I get quite a lot of exercise by walking to and from meetings. I used to go to fitness classes. Maybe one thing we lack is a community centre, although a lot of different things happen in different places.

"We have an international sports centre, but not everyone can afford to pay for activities there. We also have a beautiful park which has just been restored with Lottery funding."

Greenock East

Caroline Kane, 20, an administrator at James Watt college, lives with her mother.

"Our first house was knocked down and the council offered us a new-build a couple of streets away. It's just me and my mum and my dog.

"Working at the college, I know a lot of people who live in nice houses in Glasgow who think that where I live is a bit of a no-go area. Because I've lived there all my life, I just don't see it that way; it's just home. I know everybody in my street. When it's sunny everyone sits out in their garden and my mum pops over to see the neighbours.

"When people talk about deprived areas I think of people sitting eating bread and water, but everybody has got a fancy living room and people take real pride in their gardens. There are gangs of teenagers who hang about at night - a lot of the guys are in gangs, and everybody knows which gang everyone else belongs to - but there are community wardens out from 6pm onwards, and then the police start to come out too. There is a constant police presence, especially over the weekend, so we feel really safe.

"I couldn't wait to leave school - but I had to wait until Christmas, which was awful. Then, after I left, I was told by a youth trainer in the area that my results were better than everyone else's and I had potential. She suggested I apply for the 16-19 programme for people from Social Inclusion Partnership areas. I went for an interview and was accepted for the year-long course. I went on a placement in the European Unit at James Watt college and was offered a modern apprenticeship which lasted two years. Now I'm on a contract.

"All my friends went straight into jobs from school; quite a few work in call centres in Greenock and one had a baby. No-one else I know went into training. I think training is the key, and being able to do it while doing the job is a real bonus. People tell me I'm a different girl now. I'm proud of myself."

Dennistoun, Glasgow

Robert Winters, 43, is the owner of an organic bakery and cafe.

"My wife and I are New Zealanders. We took a year out from our careers to do a round-the-world tour, got as far as the UK and decided to stay.

"When we were thinking about where we wanted to live, Glasgow came out on top. But we realised it was really hard to get a decent cup of coffee, so we decided to set up a business making it.

"We did a bit of research into the Dennistoun area and there was an obvious group of people - professionals, students, artists - who were not being served by existing businesses. You'd see them leaving for work in the morning and coming back in the evening, but in between they were going elsewhere. So we thought, well, the customers are around, they're just not being catered for. And although we realised it might take a bit of time for the locals shopping at the more greasy-spoon places to give us a go, eventually they would.

"We've been open for two years now and 90per cent of our custom is local. Then there is a small, dedicated foodie group who travel. We get people from all walks of life. One of the things our customers say is you can sit in here and see anyone. But there's still a hard core of people we are just not getting to. We've got food they've probably never seen before - our gourmet tarts look a bit funny and we do things like toasted focaccia with spinach, egg and parmesan. We don't do hot rolls and we don't have a deep-fat fryer.

"We find it difficult to get teenagers into our shop. We've got the largest school in Scotland two blocks away but a procession of kids leave the school and head down to get chips and curry sauce or rice and curry sauce. We tell them when they do come in that anyone in a uniform gets a discount, but they've only been in four or five times. They're setting themselves up for a life of ill health."

Carntyne, Glasgow

Peter Screen, 47, is stage manager at the Tron Theatre.

"I've always been proud to say where I come from. Any company, anywhere in the world, I'm always proud to be an east-ender.

"A lot of people think that if you live in the east end of Glasgow you're not worthy of much. The reputation the area has, it's as if we're all on the buroo and on drugs. But east-enders are real. They know what it is to have worked hard to get where they are, and some of us do make quite good.

"I moved to Carntyne when I was 18. We lived in a flat in Barlanark, and then that place started to go down the tubes so we moved to a two-up, two-down semi. It was a thrilling thing to be moving to a house. I felt dead posh.

"My mother wasn't going to take it. She said, 'Look at the size of that garden - it's like a jungle.' Now she's like the Percy Thrower of Carntyne. At the age of 82 she'll still drag out plants and tend to her garden.

"I moved away for about eight years and lived in the south of Glasgow. I didn't see any difference, really, between the two areas. I moved back after my father died, to be with my mother.

"It's all good, clean-living people round by us. A lot of older people and a lot of families. My father worked for British Steel and my mother was a housewife and a cleaner in the mornings. All my brothers - I've got four - had trades. I was the first to go down the more office-job type path. I think they're proud of me."

Garthdee, Aberdeen

Dr Adrian Graves is the university secretary of Robert Gordon University.

"Being Australian, I've been amazed that, although this is an area of social deprivation, the community is amazingly well-organised. I know this because I have regular meetings with local groups. It's an interesting community; although it has difficulties, it's not a wasteland.

"The university is opposite the housing scheme, on the banks of the River Dee. We're there because it's a piece of beautiful land in a wonderful location. Until recently the university was divided around the city in seven or eight sites, but what we're trying to do is bring it on to one location, and Garthdee is the best.

"There's been an amazing impact on the area. We've built a state-ofthe-art health centre, where there was previously no provision of healthcare in the area; we've also built Scotland's biggest purposebuilt nursery, which can be used by members of the local community. We've built a fabulous new sports centre, also open to the local community, and an all-weather football pitch too. We run a street football programme in Garthdee and other poorer areas of Aberdeen, plus other programmes during the school holidays.

"Paradoxically, what's happened, I understand, is that property prices have gone up. That will significantly change the character of the community in the longer-term."

Stockethill, Aberdeen

The Rev Ian M Aitken, Church of Scotland "I'm surprised we've come out on the list of the 22 unhealthiest wards in the UK. We are mainly council housing, something like 70per cent, but, even then, I'd say that Stockethill would be one of the council housing areas people would be requesting to move to. In fact, I know that's true.

"There is, of course, a degree of hidden poverty in Stockethill. We have the issues of drug abuse, which are in any community, and the uptake of free meals in our school is among the highest in Aberdeen.

"It's a very mixed community in terms of age range; a lot of young families, a lot of people who have lived here since the community was established 50 years ago.

"There are a couple of community centres and a sense of people owning the place, if you like, and a lot of green spaces around. There's a bit of vandalism and graffiti, but I was speaking to the local community policeman the other day and he said it's nothing compared with other areas. Gangs of young people occasionally collect at the shops, but, again, it's nowhere near other places.

"We decided not to have a church building. We use the community centres, the schools and people's homes. It puts us at the heart of the community."

Govan, Glasgow

Mary Barbour, 74, is the granddaughter of a local hero who organised the rent strikes of 1915.

"I love Govan. My family moved to this house when I was two - that was 72 years ago - and my grandmother lived round the corner. She worked so hard for Govan. She was the city's first female Labour councillor and the first female bailie. And she organised the rent strikes in 1915.

"In those days on Govan Road there were a lot of private rented houses. When the men went to war the landlords took their chance and banged the rent up so my Gran and her followers (nicknamed Mary Barbour's army) got everything organised and every time the sheriff officers tried to come round a bell was rung and all the women would come out and cover them in flour and put them in the back bins. It got to the stage where the sheriff officers wouldn't come round - they were too frightened.

"Women thought my gran was marvellous. She wouldn't let anybody stand on her foot, she would just tell them off. Now it seems that people can't be bothered.

"I think Govan has gone downhill. If you walk down Govan or go to Govan Cross there are only one or two shops there; there's nothing else. They have forgotten all about Govan. It needs modernising. I'm not talking about making it a hoity-toity place but to modernise it so there are more things for people to do and more places to go.