Former mill girls urged not to let stories die out
Family of Threads project needs your help
Former mill workers are being asked to share their memories as part of a yearlong project.
Paisley’s Thread Mill Museum is celebrating the town’s rich textile legacy through its A Family of Threads project.
Throughout 2017, the museum has been fundraising to continue its project telling the story of the thread industry in Paisley from 1722 onwards.
Now the museum’s oral historian wants to talk to former Clarks and Coats mill workers about their time in the mills.
Stephen Clancy, museum vice- chairman and historian, said: “The story of the mill workers is the story of Paisley.
“With the last threads being produced in Paisley in 1992, the worker’s stories and memories are slowly disappearing.
“Can you imagine working for the same company for 50 years today? The amount of changes the five dyers would have seen from the 1920s through to the 1970s is unimaginable.
“The growth of mills in the early 20th century through to their demise saw mill buildings come and go, but the main processes remained fundamentally the same.
“We want to hear from as many former mill girls and men as possible so that we can preserve these memories and continue to tell them for the future.”
The museum’s A Family of Threads project is part of Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.
It secured £ 5,000 from Renfrewshire Council’s Culture, Heritage and Events Fund earlier this year to add to the £ 10,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Stories, Stones and Bones fund and the £330 from its Crowdfunding appeal.
It has created a travelling exhibition that has taken on visits to schools and care homes across Renfrewshire.
The museum is based in Abbey Mill Business Centre, in Seedhill Road – one of only four mills standing today.
It opened in 2003 and has established itself as one of Paisley’s top tourist attractions.
It provides an exciting visitor experience, has excellent research facilities and offers an opportunity to learn more about Paisley’s industrial and social past.
The museum is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays between noon and 4pm.
● If you worked for Coats at Anchor, Ferguslie or Crofthead Mills or with any other part of the Coats group in the UK and would like to share your story, contact the Family of Threads team by email at info@afamilyofthreads.info or call the museum on 0141 847 1111 and leave a message.
To find out more about the project, go to www. afamilyofthreads.info