From the late 19th century, through to the 1960s, the area of Greater Govan and the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow was a hard working, bustling collection of communities whose residents were renowned for their world-class expertise in shipbuilding and heavy engineering.

In the two decades from 1965-1985 the area fell into sharp decline and the shipyards closed followed by the demise of many sub contractors.  An immediate consequence of this was a huge increase in unemployment, a high crime rate, blighted, toxic and derelict land and a decimated business community.  A series of ineffective and piecemeal interventions by central, regional and local organisations failed to stem the area's decline.

The last decade has seen a grass roots kick-back against that decline. Roots in the Community, a network of local cultural social enterprises and agencies interested in supporting their work, has emerged as the key champion of local creative initiatives. The Gal Gael Trust, Linthouse Urban Village, Govan Portal, the Kinning Park complex and many more have turned the tide of despair to locally led activism and aspiration. The key opportunities (and threats) for the future are the transformation of the area into the creative industries/media heart of Scotland. On the one hand, there is optimism, jobs, training and employment. On the other, there is a danger that the roots and heritage of the past will be swept away in the process. By building on existing projects which are enabling local people to learn about their roots and their heritage in a creative way, Spàrr aims to increase the general self esteem of the Govan community, increase social cohesion and provide opportunities for local people to profile their talent and creativity experiences, learn new skills or revisit old ones, and develop new possibilities for the future.