Living Laboratory

09/04/2026

We had such a fun first day at the Govan Youth Information Project Spring Camp! 🎉

The team loved delivering a mix of hands-on STEAM activities, starting with “Model Your Blood Flow” led by Jessica Brackenridge where things got a little scientific (in a fun way!). Then it was time to get creative with some Marbel-style art, bringing cells, molecules and even DNA to life… plus a few brilliant health superheroes thrown in for good measure 🦸‍♂️🧬

It was a busy and energetic day with 33 amazing young people joining us, learning all about their bodies and what helps keep us healthy, all while having lots of laughs along the way.

A big thank you to everyone who took part and Man Sao Lo for your support. you made it such a great day 💛

02/04/2026

A lovely start to the day as we welcomed our very first visitors into the café at the Health Innovation Hub (HiH)this morning ☕️

A big thank you to the Meet me in Govan walking group staff (with Invisible Cities) for popping in, saying hello and bringing such a warm, friendly atmosphere with them.
The café is now open and we’re ready to welcome you!

If you’re in the Govan area today, please pop in for a cuppa and a chat, refreshments are FREE this afternoon. 😊

We’ll also be officially launching the café on Tuesday 7th April, so we’d love to see you there too!

31/03/2026

👣 Join us for something special in Govan…

We’re excited to launch Living Lab on Foot – a new series of free community walks exploring health, wellbeing, and connection 💚

Delivered as part of our Meet me in Govan project, these guided walks will take you through the local area, sharing stories and starting conversations about what health means in our community.

Each walk finishes at the Health Innovation Hub, where you can enjoy:
☕ Tea & coffee
💬 A relaxed session and short talk

🕥 Starting from The Pearce Institute at 10:30am
📅 Upcoming dates: 23 April | 7 May | 28 May | 25 June | 16 July

Whether you are a regular walker or joining us for the first time, everyone is welcome. Come along, meet others, and be part of something meaningful.

Free to attend! Book your spot via the link or scan the QR code on the poster

https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Finvisible-cities.org%2Fblog%2Fliving-lab-on-foot-free-community-health-walks-launched-in-govan%2F&data=05%7C02%7CGeorgina.Aitchison%40glasgow.ac.uk%7C8174d94f850e49b4b52408de8f11a604%7C6e725c29763a4f5081f22e254f0133c8%7C1%7C0%7C639105503126651067%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Z79hT67502C33uoPk5pwDxoc2utbFrSBSQDoZjGNR9Y%3D&reserved=0

Don't forget to share around!

We are delighted to introduce Living Lab on Foot, a new series of free guided health walks in Govan. in 2026. This project is delivered in partnership with the University of Glasgow and the Health Innovation Hub, and is organised alongside our regular Meet Me in Govan walking group with the Living L...

27/03/2026

An amazing tour to the Health Innovation Hub (HiH) by Meet me in Govan with shared information about historical Health Innovation in Govan and brilliant discussion over a tea and coffee to heat everyone up. Thank you to all that participated. Thank you so much to the amazing guides

24/03/2026

Join Meet me in Govan and the Living Laboratory Team for a walk to the Health Innovation Hub. All details below. 😁

Our first walk is here!

We are excited to kick off our brand new series of Meet Me in Govan health walks this Thursday in partnership with Living Laboratory.

This first walk will focus on community health and belonging: exploring how Govan’s places, people, and stories shape how we feel and connect with each other.

🕥 Meeting at 10:30am
📍 The Pearce Institute (reception)

We will head out on a relaxed guided walk together, and then finish at the Health Innovation Hub, where there will be:

☕ Tea & coffee
💬 A short talk to continue the conversation

This is a great chance to walk, chat, learn something new, and spend time together in a welcoming space.

Free to attend, just come along on Thursday!

We would love to see some familiar faces and new ones too!

The Pearce Institute
Glasgow Riverside Innovation District
Invisible Cities
Govan Out and About
Gallant Community Hub - Glasgow
Out of Doors
Sunny Govan Community Radio
University of Glasgow
Community Veterans Support
Florence House

24/03/2026

We loved being back in the Sunny Govan Community Radio studio for such an uplifting chat about health, creativity, and community here in Govan.

Our Director Ruth was joined by Heather from Gilded Lily and Jon from Elderpark Housing Association Limited to share the story behind our Mosaic and Woven Together Tapestry projects.

It was brilliant hearing Jon reflect on helping shape the Mosaic project from the very beginning, and just as inspiring to hear Heather talk about supporting the tapestry sessions week after week, working alongside local women as the artwork slowly came to life 🧵✨

We explored some simple but powerful questions:

🔹 How can creative projects help people feel more connected to ideas like health and innovation?
🔹 What does it take to create spaces where people feel comfortable sharing their stories and creating something together?

Their reflections were such a reminder of how important these spaces are, for storytelling, connection, and building confidence. It’s been amazing to see how the Health Innovation Hub has been shaped with the community, not just for it.

If you get the chance, we'd really encourage you to have a listen, or even better, come and see the artworks in person. They’re a powerful reflection of the people, stories, and creativity that make Govan so special 🎨

📻 Listen in this week on Sunny Govan:
🗓️ Wed 25th @ 10:00am
🗓️ Thu 26th @ 9:00am
🗓️ Sat 28th @ 9:30am

📡 103.5 FM (Glasgow)
🎧 Listen online: https://www.sunnyg.org/

20/03/2026

What a very busy but amazing day we had yesterday!

We loved welcoming pupils from St Constantines, Govan, Riverside Primary School and Govan High School into the Health Innovation Hub (HiH). .

It was fantastic to see them explore the space, take part in activities and step into the Simulation Suite for an ultrasound demonstration with Mindray, alongside fun, hands-on health activities from Glasgow Science Centre.

They also enjoyed a brilliant tour of the building with Ned from Kadans Science Partner and even got to see a helicopter land and take off from the windows!

We finished the day at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards, where we were delighted to be named joint winners of the Place-Based Impact Award.

20/03/2026

Amazing new opportunity to see the Health Innovation Hub with Meet me in Govan

Something new is coming to Govan…

We’re excited to be launching a special series of walks exploring health, community, and connection right here in Govan.

Over the next few months, we’ll be walking together, sharing stories, and discovering how places, people, and everyday life shape our wellbeing.

These walks are part of our Meet Me in Govan project, created in partnership with the University of Glasgow, Living Laboratory and the new Health Innovation Hub.

❤️ Free to join
❤️ Based in Govan
❤️ Starting Thursday 26th March

More details and booking info coming soon… stay tuned!

The Pearce Institute
Invisible Cities
Govan Out and About
Glasgow Riverside Innovation District
Gallant Community Hub - Glasgow
Out of Doors
Glasgow Science Centre
Sunny Govan Community Radio
Fairfield Heritage - the story of Glasgow's greatest shipyard

17/03/2026

Please read this lovely post.

16/03/2026

Amazing pictures.

12/03/2026

Another amazing day at the Health Innovation Hub, welcoming even more wonderful community members into the building to celebrate their creativity, collaboration and contributions.

It was fantastic to be joined by the amazing women from TEA in the POT - Women's Support Service, members of Meet me in Govan who have supported the project throughout, Charlotte CraftCafe Govan 60+, Govan Community Project, the supportive design team from Impact Arts, and last but certainly not least the wonderful women of Gilded Lily.

What an incredible group of community members and representatives to bring together, celebrating their involvement with the Living Laboratory and the beautiful artwork they helped create, which now has a home within the building.

We also had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Dugald Cameron in the morning. Dugald was the artist who created the first designs of the ultrasound scanner developed in Glasgow. He later went on to become Director of the Glasgow School of Art and is the last remaining member of the original group who created the ultrasound scanner.

Thank you to Ned at Kadans Science Partner for the fabulous tours, Canon for supporting discussions and sharing videos, and to Mindray for the use of the modern handheld ultrasound scanner, with demonstrations by Katie Christie (NHS) and Nicky Carmichael from the Digital Health Validation Lab.

A second big thank you to The Glasgow Barons for the amazing music, which created such a lovely atmosphere.

Seeing the building filled with the people and communities who helped shape parts of the journey has been truly meaningful, and a wonderful way to celebrate

11/03/2026

What a truly special day welcoming community members and representatives from across Govan into the Health Innovation Hub for the very first day of activities in the new building.

It was wonderful to spend time together exploring the space, with fantastic tours of the building from Ned at Kadans Science Partner, who did an amazing job bringing the vision of the building to life.

Visitors also had the chance to take part in simulation lab activities with the team at the Living Laboratory, along with demonstrations of the ultrasound scanner from Mindray, giving everyone a glimpse into the types of technologies that will be part of the space.

Guests also enjoyed a tour of the incredible artwork created by local community organisations that now has a home in the building.

The day was made even more special with some brilliant music from The Glasgow Barons, which brought such a lovely atmosphere to the space.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the day so memorable, especially our wonderful community partners from Gilded Lily, Men's Shed Govan , GalGael and Linthouse Housing Association.

And a big thank you as well to Kadans Science Partner and the staff from the Living Laboratory for all their support on the day.
It was a fantastic way to begin bringing community, creativity and innovation together in this new space.

Seeing the building come to life with the people, organisations and creativity of the local community made the day even more special, and we look forward to many more opportunities to learn, create and collaborate together in the months and years ahead.