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Robbie Armstrong

@robbiejourno.bsky.social
301 followers 170 following 95 posts

• Co-founder/all-rounder @glasgowbell.bsky.social 🔔 • Audio producer: BBC 📻 • Bylines: Vittles, Nat Geo, Noble Rot, Pellicle, Guardian, The Fence 🗞️ • linktr.ee/robbiearmstrong • robbiearmstrong.com

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Reposted by Robbie Armstrong
Charlie Lynch @charlielynch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I’m posting this again bacause I think it’s an amazing piece of journalism, a narrative that tracks an addled world of addiction, minds warped by social media, small Scottish villages and chaos in Mexican hostels. www.glasgowbell.co.uk/packet-conno...
glasgowbell.co.uk
First the cocaine influencer went viral. Then came the death threats
Drug dealers, doxxing and a train station stabbing: has the Packet Connoisseur reached the end of the line?
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
When Clydeside Containers was first announced in December 2024, it was billed as a seismic deal. The duo behind it, Dario Bernardi and Nathan Sparling, promised to transform a scrubby patch of dirt down on the Broomielaw into a “first-of-its-kind” venue, bringing the best of Glasgow’s street food.
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
The IAL launched in Glasgow with a promise to create a more stable version of American football that fans could rely on for generations. Less than three months later, they folded after only two games. How did it all go tits up for the Glasgow Tartans? www.glasgowbell.co.uk/what-happene...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Touchdown and out with the Glasgow Tartans
How it all went disastrously wrong for Scotland’s newest American football team
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Gordon Hart's approach to tour guiding is on the nose, shall we say. "Nice tour, but he called my mother a prostitute" read one review Hart remembers from a friendly Costa Rican family. He didn't really. He was joking. That's part of the deal when you book on a tour in the city centre of Glasgow.
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Who are the winners and losers in Glasgow’s equal pay dispute - and has the case finally been settled once and for all? www.glasgowbell.co.uk/the-winners-...
glasgowbell.co.uk
The winners and losers in Glasgow’s equal pay dispute
Plus, the BBC takes aim at Glasgow city centre
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Scotland's oldest tabloid has been targeted by far right protesters standing in formation with a spear-tipped flag. We've uncovered posts from the group using racial, homophobic and sectarian slurs. But why were they targeting the paper in the first place? www.glasgowbell.co.uk/daily-record...
glasgowbell.co.uk
The Daily Record has a far right problem
The tabloid exposed the people behind Scotland’s anti-immigrant protests. So they showed up at their door
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
The Bell has received a threatening email from DF Concerts, demanding we take down our article from last week about King Tut's. The meltdown of its CEO Geoff Ellis continues at pace. We've got an update for you all on the DF director's soaring pay packet 🤑 www.glasgowbell.co.uk/df-concerts-...
glasgowbell.co.uk
The Bell versus the most important man in Scottish music
Plus, what the weekend’s far right protests actually looked like on the ground and does Team Australia have 'the sh*ts'?
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Imagine for a moment you are a rednecked wallaby, nestled happily on an island on Loch Lomond. You and your family have been here since the 1940s. You’re all a bit out of your comfort zone, sure, but the place has grown on you over the years.
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Robbie Armstrong @robbiejourno.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Honestly one of the whackiest stories I’ve ever reported on. Why can’t every story involve wallabies, kayaking and wild swimming? Come with me to Inchconnanchan 🚣 www.glasgowbell.co.uk/inchconnacha...
glasgowbell.co.uk
The billionaire, the BBC broadcaster and the wallabies of Loch Lomond
Will Inchconnachan’s next owner cull its beloved marsupials?
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
We have extended our summer deal for another 24 hours in hopes to reach our target.. We have only 40 members to go🤞Subscribe now and geet 22% off your first six months. Get a birds eye view of Glasgow with The Bell. Sign up now at www.glasgowbell.co.uk
glasgowbell.co.uk
The Bell
Glasgow's new quality newspaper. Join our free mailing list.
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
It might finally be game over for the Mackintosh building. We've got an update on its future. Plus, why the sale of Martyrs Public School fell through, and more pews news in this CRM special www.glasgowbell.co.uk/glasgow-scho...
glasgowbell.co.uk
‘Scotland loses the Mack at its peril’: is it game over for Glasgow’s greatest building?
Plus, where to watch The Odyssey and will the Clyde get a floating swimming pool?
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Why was one of Britain's finest churches sold to a secretive religious sect with links to dodgy billionaires? You've probably never heard of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, but they're one of the UK's biggest charities. Many call them a cult.
glasgowbell.co.uk
Why was one of Scotland’s finest churches sold to a secretive religious sect?
Saints and sinners at St Andrew’s in the Square
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
🏘️ Where did a £720-a-month one-bed flat jump to £1300 in just 18 months? And where is gentrifying more quickly, Govan or Govanhill? We've made an interactive map of rental costs in Glasgow.
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
I’m in the belly of one of Glasgow’s oldest and most architecturally significant churches. For reasons which will become clear, I’ve just been asked to rip up several pages of my notes on their activities in Glasgow... Read for free here🔗 www.glasgowbell.co.uk/rssb-radha-s...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Why was one of Scotland’s finest churches sold to a secretive religious sect?
Saints and sinners at St Andrew’s in the Square
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Sheffield Tribune @sheffieldtribune.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
We’re so close now, and yet still so far! 853 down, 147 to go. Join The Tribune today (for free if you want to) and help make Sheffield a better place. www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/help-make-sh...
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
It’s a drizzly Tuesday at Glasgow’s High Court. On the docket is a youth murder trial and an organised crime case, but the real drama is happening outside, where a drunk man is fighting with the police. A day in the life of Glasgow's last court reporters www.glasgowbell.co.uk/glasgow-cour...
glasgowbell.co.uk
A hectic day with Glasgow’s last court reporters
Thirty courtrooms, endless case loads and two dogged journalists
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
We're not the kind of paper that lets petty accusations better us! So, Robbie devoted all his digging skills to answering this one question: what is it called? www.glasgowbell.co.uk/union-corner...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Union Corner or Forsyth House: what was the building really called?
Settling the debate once and for all
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
What did you call the part of Union Street that burned down in March? It turns, us calling it "Union Corner" caused a bit of a stir. But who's right? And is it just, "that Irn Bru sign building?" Well... we've got an answer.
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Ed Caesar @edcaesar.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Daniel Kinahan was arrested this evening in Dubai. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
newyorker.com
The Cocaine Kingpin Living Large in Dubai
Daniel Kinahan, an Irish drug dealer, commands a billion-dollar empire from the U.A.E. Why isn’t he in prison?
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
🍞 The city’s 10 best breads and pastries: our arbitrary but absolutely authoritative guide 🥐 Read our rankings below, from the best focaccia and sourdough to the top viennoiserie in the city. There are a few surprises 👇 www.glasgowbell.co.uk/glasgows-bes...
glasgowbell.co.uk
The bakery rankings Glasgow didn't ask for
The city's 10 best breads and pastries: an arbitrary but absolutely authoritative guide
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Which of Glasgow's bougie bakeries is this? It's number one on our list. "The sourdough is stupendously good, operating at a level above anything else you can find in the Kingdom of Strathclyde." Read our rankings to find out 🍞 www.glasgowbell.co.uk/glasgows-bes... 🥐
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Mairi Damer @marzid.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Turns out the writer in me is alive and kicking. The hopeless romantic, not so much. Most honoured to have had a piece about dating when you’re ancient published in @glasgowbell.bsky.social today. www.glasgowbell.co.uk/the-down-and...
glasgowbell.co.uk
The down and dirty of dating in your 60s
When her 20 year marriage ends, Mairi Damer finds herself single in Glasgow. How much has romance in the city changed?
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
This story is one of the more unusual we've covered. Texts calling Ukrainian women 'prostitut[es]', an alleged fight in a basement office & a 14 month course case that the presiding judge deemed a "disgrace". The cakes are beautiful though. Read here.
glasgowbell.co.uk
Staff walkouts and ‘stolen’ recipes: the bizarre case of SugarFall Patisserie
Influencers love this Byres Road bakery. Why did employees resign en masse?
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Sheffield Tribune @sheffieldtribune.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
BREAKING: Andrew Milne has been arrested. A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police told The Tribune: "Detectives investigating allegations linked to the purchase and sale of freeholds in Sheffield have arrested a man on suspicion of fraud and blackmail."
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
📰 There's a lot of bakery beef in Glasgow but it usually involves customers and a business. Today's story is about the bizarre events at a West End bakery, that ended with allegations of assault, coercion into signing ChatGPT, NDAs and staff on trial for 'stealing' recipes.
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Anita Chaudhuri @anitachaudhuri.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
For background on the devastating rent increases hitting artists at Trongate 103 and closures of other vital arts spaces in Glasgow, see this brilliant piece by @libbybrooks.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Is Glasgow losing the spaces that made it an arts powerhouse?
The closing of a cluster of leading creative venues has led to dismay and intensified fears the hubs that fostered Glasgow’s celebrated arts scene are disappearing
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
The UK's spud scene has well and truly come to Glasgow. What's it all about? www.glasgowbell.co.uk/glasgow-mad-...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Two hour queues for tatties: why is Glasgow going mad for spuds?
A southern food craze is coming for us too
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
🥔 Five years ago, Jordan McMurrough found God. Then he found spuds. His faith was discovered while living in Tartan Lodge, a hotel for the homeless. This led him to baked potatoes. His shop, Spuddies, is so popular a woman in labour pulled over for one on her way to hospital.
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Sheffield Tribune @sheffieldtribune.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
BREAKING: South Yorkshire Police have confirmed detectives have now formally launched a criminal investigation into Andrew Milne. The solicitor bought hundreds of freeholds, then begun a campaign of “very aggressive” letters to pressure homeowners into buying them for more than their true worth.
sheffieldtribune.co.uk
Andrew Milne: criminal investigation launched by South Yorkshire Police
Plus, sex offender nicknamed ‘killer’ worked at Sheffield youth charity
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calumgrewar.bsky.social @calumgrewar.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
I believe the industry term "impact journalism" was invented for stories like this.
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Rev Peter W Nimmo @peternimmo.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
"Debunking Dumbarton’s doggy suicide bridge". The bridge is right next to the stately home where I was born. It's an over-egged internet phenomenon. I didn't know Captain Kirk had been there! www.glasgowbell.co.uk/overtoun-hou...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Debunking Dumbarton’s doggy suicide bridge
Canines can’t throw themselves off a bridge, or can they?
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LiberalDespot @druidic.org · 19/03/2026
Nicely written - and a good plug for @glasgowbell.bsky.social which has been great on this and goes from strength to strength.
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Dave @davemck.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
The Bell: Moving the overtoun window as always. Err bridge.
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
Anywhere between 5–500 dogs have tried to end it at the suicide bridge of Overtoun House. Or have they? After weeks of barking up the wrong tree, we finally found the man who started it all and arrived at the truth. It’s not what you think. www.glasgowbell.co.uk/overtoun-hou...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Debunking Dumbarton’s doggy suicide bridge
Since the 1950s, 500 dogs have died on Overtoun Bridge. Or have they?
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Robbie Armstrong @robbiejourno.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
500 dogs have tried to kill themselves at Overtoun House’s suicide bridge. Or have they? After weeks barking up the wrong tree, I tracked down the man who started it all. The @glasgowbell.bsky.social story involves hauntings, Satanic infaticide & David Byrne www.glasgowbell.co.uk/overtoun-hou...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Debunking Dumbarton’s doggy suicide bridge
Since the 1950s, 500 dogs have died on Overtoun Bridge. Or have they?
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
www.glasgowbell.co.uk/overtoun-hou...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Debunking Dumbarton’s doggy suicide bridge
Canines can’t throw themselves to their deaths, or can they?
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
In 2004, Kenneth Meikle told a local reporter his dog had jumped off the infamous Overtoun Bridge. A decade later, an international media circus put the figure at over 500 dogs leaping from the gothic structure. What's the truth? It's time to debunk some myths about the doggy suicide bridge
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
🗞️ Good news only this Monday 😀 🏚️ A breakthrough for Langside Halls, finally ❤️‍🔥 Funding boost for Union Corner 🦅 A new home for the Glasgow Uni peregrines Read it for free: www.glasgowbell.co.uk/langside-hal...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Langside Halls set to reopen at last
A Bell exclusive. Plus, Glasgow’s peregrines have moved house and a funding boost for Union Corner
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Peter Ross @peteralanross.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
This is excellent reporting by The Bell. I don’t know how that small team does it. Must be exhausting writing so much and trying to keep the quality high. Hats off to them.
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Mitchell Library Carpet Beetle @karaspita.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
The Bell smashing it again by taking the time to bring out the human stories and local history that bigger news headlines are rooted in.
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
🧵The oldest building on Union Street isn't Forsyth House/Union Corner (1851), which burned down last Sunday, or the ornate Egyptian Halls (1871) It's the Rennie Mackintosh Station Hotel, which now houses homeless people.
glasgowbell.co.uk
Outsider lives on Union Street
Forced out by fire, the city’s fringe people are trying to regroup
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Libby Brooks @libbybrooks.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
More brilliant reporting on the Union Street fire from @glasgowbell.bsky.social
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The Exchange @theexchangeleeds.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
500 pledges. It’s official. West Yorkshire has spoken. A new independent local newspaper for the area is moving forward. We’re officially launching. 🚀
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
This week, we investigated the ownership of 105 Union Street, where a huge fire is believed to have started on 8 March. There's two stories here. One is about tenant small businesses like the one in 105 Union Street. Another is about landlords and councils not monitoring them.
glasgowbell.co.uk
Chain of mystery: We found the ghost owner of 105 Union Street
As the smoke subsides, a complex picture of poorly regulated businesses emerges
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Juliet Swann @muteswann.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
This is excellent reporting which deftly demonstrates the weaknesses and loopholes in Companies House, before you even get to opaque trusts in overseas territories!
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
🪢 What we know of 105 Union Street's ownership, to help you untangle the knot of people and companies in our latest story.
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Joshi Herrmann @joshih.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Fantastic reporting from Moya and @robbiejourno.bsky.social on the Glasgow fire.
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The Glasgow Bell @glasgowbell.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Attempting to track down the owner of 105 Union Street - where Sunday's city centre fire is believed to have started - has taken The Bell from Pollokshaws to South Lanarkshire, and given us insight into a retail sector regulated in the loosest sense of the word. But we think we've done it anyway.
glasgowbell.co.uk
Who owns 105 Union Street? A journey into the rabbit warren
As the smoke subsides, a complex picture of poorly regulated businesses emerges
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Robbie Armstrong @robbiejourno.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Who owns the shop at 105 Union Street that caught fire? It sounds like a simple question, but the bewilderingly Byzantine web of businesses selling vapes and tat on that stretch took some untangling. Read @glasgowbell.bsky.social investigation for free👇 www.glasgowbell.co.uk/who-owns-105...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Who owns 105 Union Street? A journey into the rabbit warren
As the smoke subsides, a complex picture of poorly regulated businesses emerges
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Anita Chaudhuri @anitachaudhuri.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
My feed is already awash with Glasgow fire conspiracy theorists talking mince. For some actual facts about the prevalence of conflagrations in the city, it’s well worth reading this brilliant, long-in-the-making analysis with map from @glasgowbell.bsky.social www.glasgowbell.co.uk/tinderbox-fi...
glasgowbell.co.uk
Tinderbox: The Bell launches a new map of Glasgow's many fires
The propensity for so many buildings to catch fire has stoked conspiracy theories galore. Is there anything to them?
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