WHEN a group of Drumchapel residents living with long-term health conditions were asked what helped them cope, the answers they gave helped create the area's first "puzzle of positivity."

From “grandkids” and “walking and talking together as a group” to simply “heavy metal”, the replies were drawn or written on cards in the shape of jigsaw pieces.

Now, the pieces have been gathered and framed and the resulting picture is on show in the Phoenix Centre gallery.

The artwork is part of a project by Versus Arthritis, which supports people with arthritis and other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. One in three people in Scotland live with these disorders.

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The Puzzle of Positivity arose from the charity’s Arthritis Community Health Engagement (ACHE) project, which recently launched its Putting the Pieces Together in Drumchapel report.

The report highlights that “softer services”, such as peer support groups, matter greatly, and that alternatives to formal care which support wellbeing are important in living well with arthritis.

The artwork acts as a physical reminder that it is not always the formal medical interventions which make the most difference to people, but rather things like exercise classes, nature and local support workers, explains Melissa Hannah, regional officer for Versus Arthritis and lead on the Drumchapel ACHE work.

“While our report highlighted the issues and challenges facing people living with a condition like arthritis in Drumchapel, we also wanted to focus on, and celebrate, the positive things that local groups were telling us about,” she said.

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“Whether it’s music, a favourite meal, time with friends, or being able to sit and talk to people going through the same challenges, these are the things that matter and need to be put at the centre of how we care for people.

“The more formal healthcare services – such as GPs and hospitals – are only one small piece of the puzzle. It is only when these services are understood in the context of community members’ needs that we can start to see the full picture.”

Leanne McBride, who grew up in Drumchapel and works for a third sector organisation supporting people with long-term health conditions, was one of the contributors to the artwork.

She means so much to the people she supports, however, that her name was also written down on some of the jigsaw pieces, with many describing her as “a pillar of the community.”

Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, said: "A staggering one in three people in Scotland have arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions.

“I welcome the focused community engagement undertaken by Versus Arthritis to understand lived experiences in Drumchapel.

“Our community's Puzzle of Positivity ACHE artwork will proudly be displayed in the Phoenix Centre, and I look forward to visiting soon."