A number of Greencity members have been to all sorts of events at Glasgow Autonomous Space over the years. When Hannah from our QC department heard that they do a community meal she suggested that we give them our February donation. We asked Alice from GAS community meal to tell us a bit more about what goes on there...
1. Tell us about how it all started at GAS community meal.
Glasgow Autonomous Space (GAS) was established in 2016 as a multifunctional social centre. Its original home was in a warehouse in Tradeston. Although after rent increases forced its closure in 2022, a new space was finally secured in 2024. We now have a lovely warm, cosy space in Govanhill. GAS Community Meal has since been set up to provide weekly meals and a social gathering for diverse members of the local community. The meal takes place every Thursday at 7pm (follow our instagram to find out more @glasgow.autonomous.space). In January 2026, we celebrated our 1 year anniversary of hosting weekly community meals in the new space! The ‘Pay What You Can’ meal we offer provides a nutritional and accessible warm meal each week. We operate a non-hierarchical structure, and are entirely run by volunteers. Volunteers sign up each week, offering their time and talents to create a friendly, safe and welcoming space. We aim to be as inclusive as possible. All meals are vegan, Halal, and made without gluten or nuts. We also offer people on low-or-no income the bus fare to cover their travel to and from the meal each week. This iteration of GAS is still in its infancy, so it is changing and evolving all the time, but the community has grown so much this year and we are now consistently feeding 30-50 people each week!
2. Can you tell us a little bit about what will be done with the food donation provided by Greencity?
We have a very small budget of about £40 per week to provide meals for 30-50 people. The capacity we have to provide these meals is subject to funding and we are always in need of donations and additional funding. The donation from Greencity means we will be able to continue to provide weekly nutritious meals by enabling us to have a bulk stock of store cupboard ingredients. This means our weekly budget can be stretched further and increase our future capacity to continue/ expand the community meal. We can also divert money we would spend on bulk ingredients to other crucial items that support the running of the meal such as bus fares, cleaning products, gas, and electricity bills.
3. What other interesting things are going on at GAS?
As well as our weekly community meal, GAS is a bookable space for events and to host groups and meetings. GAS aims to provide space for groups that are fighting oppression and capitalism, and for groups that may struggle to access other spaces. There is a regular timetable of events/ group meetings which can be found here and the space can be booked here. Regular groups or events include Language Exchange, Glasgow Prisoner Solidarity, and ‘Pay What You Can’ barbering. Events held at GAS are always accessed on a free or ‘Pay What You Can’ basis. No one is ever turned away due to lack of funds.
4. Tell us a bit more about any other things you do to support the people of Glasgow.
GAS serves as a vital organising home for movements working toward migrant justice, climate justice, disability justice, anti-racism, queer and trans liberation, and community care. Over the past year, thousands of people have used GAS for community meals, political organising, cultural events, skill-sharing workshops, and solidarity networks. We support more than 40 grassroots organisations, including migrant-led groups, anti-deportation campaigns, climate organisers, tenants' unions, queer collectives, and mutual-aid networks. As well as the community meal, we offer space to migrant and refugee groups for language exchange, food support, advocacy, and peer organising. Other groups include Climate, anti-racist, and abolitionist organising; Queer sober social spaces, DIY cultural events, and political education; Herbal medicine workshops and community health activities.
5. Is there anything members of the public can do to help support your organisation?
We run solely on the success of funding bids and donations as well as the time and skills of our volunteers. If you are willing and able to offer financial support you can set up one-off or regular donations here. We are also looking for practical support and solidarity. This could be in many forms; whether this means you have a specific idea for an activity or event,you have skills in applying for funding, or you would like to just come along and help with some maintenance, cooking, or cleaning! We also have a loose group of people known as the 'GAS crew' who share responsibilities of keeping the email running, keeping the space functioning, and managing all of the nitty gritty tasks like sorting out the bins! Anyone is also welcome to become part of the GAS crew. Drop us an email if you would like any more information or encouragement: bookingglasgowautonomousspace@gmail.com If you would like to talk to someone in-person about getting involved/ supporting the project, there are always friendly volunteers at the community meal who will happily have a chat with you over a delicious meal!
6. If you could invite 6 people, living or dead, to one of your community meals who would you invite and why?
This was a difficult question for us as we are not for putting people on pedestals. So we would probably just invite our lovely neighbours and friends from around Govanhill.
Many thanks to Alice for answering our questions and @alexjarvieproductions for providing the photos!
