People Make Glasgow

by Michael Weadock, August 2026

There’s a saying in Scotland that ‘People Make Glasgow’. Visit the city and you will see that phrase on various buildings and landmarks. It’s a very accurate description of the place.

Josh Kerr, Emma Finucane, Reuben Ward, Georgia Hunter Bell, Filip Nowacki and others helped make the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow a success, but it’s two people whose names I don’t even know who made our Commonwealth Games in Glasgow a success.

You can hear all our thoughts about the sporting action by listening to our daily 15-minute round up which we recorded each morning. Every episode of The Daily Braw is available to hear as well as The Final Braw which we recorded once we were back at home.

Away from the field of play, Glasgow 2026 was one of the most enjoyable sporting events we’ve ever been part of. It all started on the Monday evening after the first night of athletics. This was the first time we had carried out our new roles for talkSPORT – John interviewing trackside and Michael commentating from the stands. Keen for an end of night de-brief and a thirst-quenching pint, we ventured into Partick near our accommodation.

The first pub we tried had already called time. The second pub told us they were closing in ten minutes, but we had time for one drink. It wasn’t the warmest of welcomes. Pints purchased, we sat at a table in the front window. No sooner had we taken our seats than someone we identified as a regular asked us to move.

Uh-oh, was the first thought.

Fearing we had inadvertently sat in someone’s seat, we hurriedly began to move away only for the gentleman to explain that where we had sat meant we were in the firing line for the game of darts that was taking place. This started one of those conversations that only seems to happen when cities host these big events. Hearing we were working at The Commonwealth Games, he told us how he had worked on the 2014 edition in Glasgow. His role was security. Looking at him, of course his role was security!

Pint drank and ten minutes up, we left thinking that after an inauspicious start, we had been really welcomed. We returned the following night and found ourselves chatting to more of the regulars about the athletics and their general views of the Games. Too often, as journalists, you spend these events in a bubble where only the media hotel, the media bus and the venue media centre exist. By stumbling across a local pub, we were getting a different perspective.

By night three, our drinks were waiting for us by the time we had walked from the front door to the bar. We now felt part of the community. Our friend from the first evening came over and chatted each evening. He told us he was putting on a disco on Saturday night and invited us along. It would have been rude to have turned the invite down.

Although our podcast is called Anything but Footy, we often find ourselves talking about football. Sport generally is a great conversation opener. John and our darts playing, record spinning, pint drinking, security operative friend were discussing footballers when the name of John Fleck cropped up. He had played for Scotland and was the nephew of former Norwich striker Robert Fleck. For the record, John is a Norwich fan. Our friend, and I wish now we had found out his name, explained that at home he had a signed ‘Fleck’ shirt.

Saturday night was to be our last night in our new local. As anticipated, the disco lights were set up and the speakers vibrated to an eclectic playlist which included both Neil Diamond and the Macarena. When the Macarena started, the staff stood on top of the bar and did the full dance routine.

Then the signed ‘Fleck’ shirt was produced from behind the DJ console. John admired it only to discover that when he went to hand it back, he was being gifted it by a man who we had only met less than a week before.

At the opposite end of the day, we would meet each morning in the same café. To say the welcome on day one was ‘unsmiling’ is an understatement. You got the distinct feeling the person running the place was not entirely happy in their work. But, the tea was on tap, and the breakfast portion size was plentiful so we persevered in visiting the café we now christened ‘Smiles’.

And, as each day passed the same process happened in the café as had happened at the pub. A pot of tea was waiting on the table by the time we had sat down, Michael realized the Mega Breakfast was just a bit too mega and John soon discovered he particularly enjoyed the way they did his eggs! Hugs were even exchanged between patrons and staff following the final breakfast.

That Glasgow 2026 even happened is a miracle in itself. Glaswegians may not have initially embraced the event in quite the same way they did in 2014, but for us, The Commonwealth Games meant connections were made and perceptions were enhanced just by getting out there and talking to our hosts.

People make Glasgow.