Last men standing – the people who live in almost empty demolition-targeted Glasgow tower blocks

By Darren Hercher, Director / Producer

The very first time I visited Sighthill in Glasgow was about a decade ago. The estate had just began a long regeneration project, which involved demolishing all the blocks and eventually rebuilding the community.

I spent almost two years making Sighthill Stories, focussing on a few of the children who attended a small primary school on the front line of the demolition. The film ended as the first two towers fell.

Several years later – and with only the last two blocks remaining – it was time to return. The place had changed beyond recognition and all the people I knew from my previous film had left.

The biggest challenge was to try and gain the trust of a very small but tight-knit community comprising an intriguing mixture of characters who refused to leave and were determined to stay.

I’d been coming to Sighthill regularly for a couple of months and never seen this striking-yet-slightly-aggressive-looking character before. The first thing he said to me was that nobody ever stopped to speak to him; I knew immediately I wanted to tell his story. I didn't see him on the estate again for another three months.

11 year old Robert is part of a very large family of eight sisters, an older brother, mum and dad. He shares a bedroom with four of his sisters since his own became damp and infested with mould. The move into the new house and Roberts own room can't come quick enough for everyone.

Larry and his wife Ellen moved to Sighthill when it was built over 40 years ago, it was a very desirable place to live. Since then things have changed immeasurably, Ellen suddenly passed away and Larry has had to move around the estate as the tower blocks have been systematically demolished.

I first encountered Yonan when sitting in the concierge office and he came to the window for a chat with the staff who were working that day. I was struck by how relentlessly positive this guy was and he seemed to be so pleased to be living in Sighthill. The estate had such a negative reputation in the latter years but compared to the Iranian jail where he spent the previous 13 years, Sighthill was a paradise.