Writer is backing the bid
Paisley writer Karen Campbell is backing Paisley’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2021.
Karen, who has penned six books, is proudly claiming to be a Buddie as Paisley is where she breathed her first breath.
She explains: “Can you be a Buddie, yet never have lived in Paisley? Can you remain a Weegie when you’re now a Gallovidian?
“Identity – as Scotland knows only too well, is a shifting, layered creation.
“But one thing’s for sure, Paisley is the very first place on earth I gulped the air or saw the light.
“As a Glasgow sou’sider, my expectant mum was sent to the Ross Hospital, and it was there I made my entrance to the world.
“Long since gone, I believe the Ross was part of the old Hawkhead Estate, and my mum says she remembers it looked onto both a psychiatric hospital and a cemetery.
“We stayed there four nights; her watchful, me content – a Paisley Buddy from the outset.
“Living in Glasgow, Paisley was always there, on the periphery, and it kept winding itself back into my life.”
Growing up, Karen spent a lot of time in and around Paisley.
She told the Paisley 2021 website: “We’d commute between Clarkston and Paisley, building friendships and romance, and every time I walked past the splendid, soaring Anchor Mill, a wee bit of me would think ‘I’m a Buddie.’
“Years later, when I had kids of my own, I spent five years of Saturdays pounding Paisley’s pavements, while my daughter enjoyed herself at PACE.
“Having that time to explore the place of my birth was a delight.
“Wandering down cobbled wynds, up hidden stairs, going inside the wonderful greenroofed abbey and finding the tomb of Marjorie Bruce – what a revelation. Paisley is so rich with history – and I started wondering – why do we not shout about this place more? Why don’t we tell Paisley’s story to the world?
“I wish your bid for City of Culture every success.”
Paisley is bidding to be UK City of Culture 2021.
The entry aims to use the town’s unique heritage and cultural story to transform its future and attract investment.
For more information, see www.paisley2021.co.uk