by Mike Ritchie GLASGOW’S parks are a natural treasure and have been a major part of life for the Dear Green Place’s citizens down the years. During the current pandemic they have been used as places to escape lockdown, to enjoy fresh air and a sense of freedom. There are more than 90 parks or green spaces in Glasgow – the smallest is Festival Park and the largest, and most dramatic, is Pollok Country Park on the southside of the city, home to a photogenic herd of Highland cattle and a range of wildlife. Nearby, Bellahouston Park has hosted two papal visits – Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in front of 300,000 in 1982 and Pope Benedict who did the same to 60,000 in 2013 – and several top music acts such as Eminem, The Cure, Paulo Nutini and Calvin Harris, as well as the World Pipe Band Championships, while Rouken Glen Park, a few miles away, has hosted sell-out Electric Glen winter light show.