July 2023

31 July 2023 - Staff Offer - 2 for 1 tickets for 2023 Cycling Worlds Championships : selected sessions

The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships are taking place in Scotland from 3-13 August this year!

It is the first time that 13 different UCI World Championships will be held at the same place at the same time, and we'll be welcoming over 8000 elite and amateur athletes from over 120 countries!

As a special thank you to all staff for their hard work in supporting the Cycling World Championships, 2 for 1 tickets are being made available for selected sessions.  

Use promotional code 2023UCI on the links below to benefit from this special offer - there's a limited number of tickets available so make sure you don't miss out!

Track Cycling at Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome - morning sessions on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 August

Don't miss out on the unique atmosphere of the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome as riders reach warp speeds battling it out across a range of events. For the first time in a World Championships, para track and track will take place in the same session, as the planets best cyclists vie to take the prize. Find out more about track and para-cycling track.

• Track Cycling Thursday 3 August: morning session (bands b & c only)
• Track Cycling Friday 4 August: morning session (bands b & c only)

Mountain Bike Downhill at Nevis Range, Fort William - Thursday 3 August

Tickets are selling like hot cakes for the Mountain Bike Downhill - so grab your opportunity to experience the immense atmosphere of Nevis Range and the UCI Downhill World Championships. Thursday 3 August is the perfect chance to get to grips with the stunning Fort William course, and up close and personal with the best riders in the world in the all-access pit lane. The day also features the highly competitive Junior riders attempting to qualify for the Finals. Find out more about Mountain Bike Downhill.

• Mountain Bike Downhill: Thursday 3 August (excluding Gondola)

Mountain Bike Cross-Country at Glentress Forest, Tweed Valley - Wednesday 9 to Friday 11 August

Mountain Bike Cross-Country is fast and furious. Choose from Cross-Country Short Track, lasting an intense 20 minutes, whilst riders tackle a quick 1.5km course that allows for overtaking, sprinting and stunning viewing; or the gruelling hour-long cross-country race, where riders complete a set number of laps on a brand-new course. After an elbow-to-elbow brawl at the start line sorts the strongest riders from the rest, it's a test of endurance, stamina and tactics.Find out more about Mountain Bike Cross-Country.

• Glentress Cross Country: Wednesday 9 August
• Glentress Cross Country: Thursday10 August
• Glentress Cross Country: Friday 11 August
• Glentress Cross Country: 4-day ticket

5 July 2023 - Self-compassion free webinar: Able Futures mental health support

Hosted by an Able Futures Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant, this session will run on International Self-Care Day and cover how being compassionate to ourselves is an important way to support our mental wellbeing.

Join Able Futures on the day to learn ways to practice self-compassion and how Able Futures can help support people with many things that may be playing on their mind that are affecting their time at work, so they can discover new ways to feel better.

This webinar is run by Able Futures, who deliver the Access To Work Mental Health Support Service in England, Scotland and Wales on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Register Online Now

5 July 2023 - The true cost - alcohol awareness week

During the week, Alcohol Change UK will be sharing tips on how to drink less alcohol, improve your health and your bank balance too.

Find out what you can do if you think you are drinking too much alcohol, how to have a conversation with a friend or family member about their drinking, and how to get support if you are affected by a loved one's drinking.

Get involved:

• Use the free app Try Dry to help you keep track and set personalised goals to help you cut down
• Visit the Alcohol Change UK website and sign up for free resources to share across the week.
• Use the Alcohol Change UK resources to highlight the issues and drive a conversation in your community.

Support for staff:

• See our Alcohol and Drugs Support Policy
• Visit our workforce wellbeing support pages

5 July 2023 - Summer of Fun programme for families - Glasgow Life

Last week Glasgow Life launched their Summer of Fun programme, which is aimed at families and young people during the holidays.

Families in Glasgow can enjoy a wide range of exciting free and low-cost activities at our museums, libraries, community centres, and sport venues this summer.

Game Time sessions are available at Glasgow Club Donald Dewar, Glasgow Club Springburn, Penilee Community Centre, and Govanhill Neighbourhood Centre. Children aged 5 to 11 can enjoy games, sports, and creative activities.

From Monday 26 June, families can also swim together for free at selected sessions at Glasgow Club pools during the summer. Full details of when these family sessions will take place and at which swimming pools, can be found on the Glasgow Club website. Also from this date, Glasgow Life is removing the need to book swimming sessions. People will be able to turn up on the day and enjoy a swim without booking.

Mini Museum Explorer classes allow 3 to 5-year-olds to play, sing and be creative while discovering museum collections. Alternatively, families can go on behind-the-scenes tours at the Glasgow Museum Resource Centre. There are also autism-friendly museum sessions, including quiet openings and family workshops.

The Summer Reading Challenge is back at libraries across the city, which this year is sports themed. Ready, Set, Read! encourages children aged 4 to 12 to keep reading in the summer. They can be in with a chance of earning prizes and winning a medal. Free story time and craft club events are also taking place at the Mitchell Library.

Visit the Glasgow Life website to find out more about the full Summer of Fun programme.

5 July 2023 - Join Prism at Glasgow's Pride MardiGla: free tshirt and goodies for first 50 staff who sign up!

We are thrilled to announce that the council is taking part in the Glasgow's Pride MardiGla parade on Saturday 15 July 2023, and we would love for you to join us!

This is a fantastic opportunity to show your support for the LGBTQ+ community and celebrate diversity and inclusion in our city. The parade will start at 12pm from Glasgow Green and end at George Square, where there will be live music, stalls, speeches and more!

If you are interested in walking with us, please register on Eventbrite using this link: gccatmardigla2023.eventbrite.co.uk

The first 50 colleagues who sign up will get a FREE Prism t-shirt as well as a lanyard and whistle, so register quickly!

We encourage you to wear bright coloured clothes and bring facepaints, glitter and whatever else makes you glow! We want to make a splash and show the world how proud we are of our LGBTQ+ colleagues, friends and family!

We'll provide more info to people who sign up pretty soon, but in the meantime if you have any questions, just email prism@glasgow.gov.uk or join our Prism LGBTQ+ Team on Microsoft Teams!

We hope to see you there. 

5 July 2023 - Have your say - quick staff survey

In line with our Equality Outcomes, becoming accredited as an Equally Safe at Work Employer will help support us to improve our employment practice to advance gender equality at work and prevent violence against women.  We are committed to progressing gender equality in the workplace, and this programme provides the tools to take this forward to help make meaningful change within the council.

Gender equality is good for everyone and we all have a role to play in creating an inclusive and supportive workplace, to ensure men and women have equal opportunities and outcomes and that all employees are treated fairly. 

Have your say

We'd like to invite you to share your views by completing a survey here  The survey will take around 15 minutes to complete. It is completely anonymous and will be collated by our Equally Safe at Work partner organisation, Close the Gap.

The survey is open until 14 July 2023.

If you would like this in an alternative format or another language, then you can email equalityanddiversity@glasgow.gov.uk

Equally Safe at Work is an innovative employer accreditation programme developed by Close the Gap, Scotland's expert policy advocacy organisation working on women's labour market equality.  Further information on the programme and Close the Gap can also be found here.

Support resources available:

• Supporting employees subjected to Gender based violence
• Scottish Women's Rights Centre - Support available for women experiencing abuse.
• Your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a free and confidential health and wellbeing support resource.  It is provided by PAM Assist, and is available to you 24 hours a day, any day of the year by phone 0800 247 1100, or via the PAM Assist Portal or App, using code GCC. 

5 July 2023 - Make your donations go further this summer

Make Giving Back Even Bigger this Summer with Payroll Giving - with an extra £250 for your chosen charity!

Did you know you can make your donations go further this Summer with Payroll Giving? 

How? I hear you asking! It's so easy - the tax man does it all for you! For every £1 you donate it only costs you 80p if you are a basic rate taxpayer and if you are a higher rate taxpayer it only costs you 60p. Simply, choose an amount you wish to donate each month to your favourite causes but spend less money. Find out more here

We are so passionate about Payroll Giving that in July and August 2023, we are going to select one new Payroll Giving donor's donation at random and add a one-off donation of £250 to supersize your generous donation. This is applicable to anyone making a new or additional donation, it doesn't apply if you are already making a donation.

Feel good this summer by giving back and helping those that need it most.

To donate visit our dedicated council Payroll Giving page.

5 July - Just half an hour of your time can change a life: join us to find out how

MCR Pathways are hosting 'mentor recruitment information sessions' for staff who are interested in finding out more about becoming a mentor.

You are invited to come along to one of the following sessions and see if you would like to get involved and help change a young person's life:

• 12 July 9:30-10:00am at Parkhead Social Work Offices, 871 Springfield Rd, G31 4HZ.  
• 24 July 3:30-4:00pm at City Chambers East, 40 John St, G1 1JL,  report to Reception (please email donna.cunningham@glasgow.gov.uk to book into this session as room size is capped).
• 9 August 9:30-10:00am at Gorbals HSCP, C&F Reception, 1st Floor, 2 Sandiefield Road, G5 9AB.