大象传媒

Mark Stephen hears about the Pollok Free State, a protest camp against the M77 motorway development on the south side of Glasgow which separated the local community from the green lung of Pollok Park.

The Pollok Estate had been bequeathed to the people of Glasgow by Sir John Stirling Maxwell, yet the motorway would cut through its woodlands. Locals and environmentalists joined forces to object to the destruction of the natural site but also the noise and pollution that would come with a new road.

Their leader was Colin Macleod, a local man who became known as the Birdman of Pollok for protesting from the top of a beech tree for nine days. Then they declared a 'free state' and issued passports!

Mark speaks to his widow Gehan and others who took part in the protest and lived at the camp.

Together, despite their failure to prevent the motorway going through, they created a new sense of community which they would put into practice when they founded the GalGael Trust in Govan.