The Glasgow Botanic Garden is a treasure grove of abandoned Victorian buildings, rose gardens, playing grounds, medicinal plant beds, squirrels chasing squirrels and big glasshouses filled to the brim with exotic plants.
For some unfathomable reason, a property developer has decided that it would be a really fantastic idea to put a nightclub in the middle of this. And for an even more unfathomable reason, the idea has actually made it to the City Council.
Quite apart from the fact that the Botanics provide a wonderful gateway to the River Kelvin, that they are a real haven in the midst of the very busy West End and that you already have numerous nightclubs in the area, the suggested site is the abandoned railway station dating back to the late 19th century.
The railway station lies underground and its platforms are only visible in glimpses - magical, wildly absurd glimpses - and in order to redevelop it, a large portion of the Botanics would need to be disturbed. A protected species of bats live in the rail way tunnels. They will lose their habitat.
So, today we went to the Botanics, were handed small flags staking a claim to the Botanics and planted our flags in the wet, muddy place that might just turn into a nightclub. The organisers had managed to gather a huge crowd, the sun came out just in time for the news cameras and children played among the daffodils. I'm a firm believer in ordinary people being able to use our voice to change things. I hope our voice will be heard.
Save Our Botanics // More than 1,000 people gather in the Botanics // Botanics protest held in West End