Handing power back to women harmed by gambling

Hey there,

There’s been a lot of talk inside the media industry in recent years about the collapse of local media. More and more local newsrooms have closed their doors, creating news deserts – places where important community issues may never be exposed and people’s voices are less likely to be heard.

However, new local media models are rising from the ashes. Some of these alternatives are not only replacing traditional local journalism, but creating something new and maybe even better.

One brilliant example is Greater Govanhill from Glasgow’s Southside. Founded in 2020 by local residents, the magazine provides a platform for underrepresented voices and supports community members in telling their own stories. In 2022 the magazine – working alongside the Scottish investigative newsroom The Ferret –  created the UK’s first community newsroom. (Long-time readers may remember one of my first ever issues included a story from The Ferret.)

The community newsroom is a high street hub where local people can walk in, share stories, access information, as well as join training, workshops and events. Greater Govanhill also publishes a free print and online magazine and hosts a community noticeboard.

Govanhill is the most multicultural neighbourhood in Scotland, and also one of the most economically disadvantaged. In the UK, news deserts tend to be in the most deprived areas. Greater Govanhill’s work is an antidote to this, serving and representing the community with multi-award-winning local journalism. 

The team proactively works with diverse groups within the community to find untold or overlooked stories. The one I want to tell you about today is about the local women who’d been affected by gambling.

Gambling harm is an issue of national importance in the UK, and one which is particularly pertinent for Govanhill. Greater Govanhill had previously uncovered that Glasgow has more bookies per person than any other city in the UK. There are more betting places in Govanhill than there are newsagents or even supermarkets.

Much of the previous research on gambling harms has focused on men, but women are increasingly suffering. Which is why Greater Govanhill, with the support of GambleAware, the UK’s leading independent charity tackling gambling harms, took action.

The magazine developed a community reporter training programme for women who’d been harmed by gambling, giving them the tools to report on these issues and advocate for change. The journalist who delivered the eight-week training, Eve Livingston, is a longtime friend of TBIJ – she’s worked on several projects here, including the Trans+ Voices work last year. She told me that “within the first couple of weeks, really quickly, there became a strong bond between the women. It was a really special space.”

The programme was open to any woman who’d been negatively affected by gambling, whether that was personal gambling issues or through a person close to them. All were paid a stipend and expenses to support participation.

The different experiences and backgrounds of those who took part was impressive. The youngest woman was in her 20s, while the oldest was in her 70s. Most had never engaged with Greater Govanhill before.

The women were not pressured to share their personal experiences, and instead had the option to do varied kinds of writing, from first person perspectives to interviews and reporting. Their hugely compelling stories can be read in Issue 17 here and they continue to take part in advocacy work to create change.

One of the eight participants even told the group that taking part was a turning point in her life and helped her find her community.

Part of what was so special, Eve told me, was that the women had full control over the final outcomes. That’s not something you’d find in traditional journalism. There was also time to build trust between the women and those facilitating the work – much more than with your average reporting job.

Eve emphasised that this wasn’t just about creating something for the participants, or even just for the local community. “What they produced at the end was really powerful, important journalism that shed light on topics that people wouldn't otherwise know about. It did all the jobs that journalism is meant to do, but was also such a powerful experience for the women to be part of.”

“I’d been looking for an opportunity to get back on the horse with journalism and I came across the callout. My friends and family were worried that taking part could be triggering. I had to take that into consideration, but as soon as I walked in the room with Eve and Rhiannon [J Davies, the founder and editor of Greater Govanhill] and all the other women, I knew it was the right place to be.

For me, it was really powerful because there were women who were affected by gambling in different ways. Some were affected by gambling addiction in their family, and were really open about that. It felt so important to have those other perspectives in front of me. It held a mirror up to me, in a really safe space. That ended up actually being part of my recovery. I didn’t expect that but it was a bonus. I came to get back into my journalism and it ended up as so much more.

This project was an opportunity to become a little cog in the wheel of fighting back the industry, which I feel so passionate about. It’s also about warning people, busting myths and challenging the stigma for women specifically. There was a lot of empowerment for me to think: ‘I've been through this addiction so how can I now use that to do good?’

We created the Greater Govanhill magazine that has reached the community and had a really big response. At the launch we had charities and an MSP and lots of different people who are working on responding to gambling harms. That created more of a discussion around women’s experiences. 

Since the project I’ve been invited to the Scottish parliament where I was able to speak to people about my experiences and they held a really well attended debate on gambling harms. The conversations are shifting inside and outside of parliament. Gambling addiction is being seen as a distinct thing, not just lumped in with drugs and alcohol. It’s being seen now by the Scottish Government as a public health issue, which is really good. And the specific experiences of women are being made visible more and more.

Some of the women involved with Greater Govanhill had never spoken to anyone about their experiences. I really want to keep some of the conversations going and share those perspectives with other people who could be helped by that as well. So my next project is creating a podcast [working with a charity called RCA Trust] about women and gambling addiction called No Dice. Recording starts tomorrow.”

You can read Cat’s article on her experience as a female gambling addict here. Follow her upcoming podcast No Dice on Instagram.

I really love publications like Greater Govanhill that open up the newsroom and give people the power to tell their own stories. Community-based journalism where local people get to both build the story and lead the change afterwards – that’s what it’s all about.

Here at TBIJ, we try to shine a spotlight on stories or initiatives that you may not have heard of. That’s one of the many things I love about this newsletter — I can bring you news from communities up and down the country and beyond. If you enjoyed reading this edition of The Spark, then please support The Bureau by becoming a part of our community of Insiders today:

Take care,