IN MY VIEW
I HAVE such fond memories of Paisley, where I grew up living with my mum, dad and brother, Ian.
It’s a town that has a tremendous history and the people have a strong sense of identity.
As kids, we used to take ourselves off to Paisley Museum to study the town’s industrial past as part of our schoolwork.
The magnificent Abbey also featured prominently in my youth, as my brother was in the choir and the family never missed the annual Watchnight Service.
Paisley Town Hall was important, too, and that’s where I saw The Corries belting out Flower Of Scotland, long before it was adopted as our unofficial national anthem.
Today, Paisley is a curious melting pot.
It has some of the most deprived communities in Scotland with 30% of children living in poverty, but it also has a growing cultural scene ignited by the likes of the PACE Theatre Company.
I believe it is now Paisley’s time.
It would just take a bit of alchemy – such as a national culture title – to bring about a transformation that we Buddies could be proud of.
Inclusiveness and diversity are extremely important to me and the Paisley bid has that in spades.
The ability for everyone to easily access and experience cultural activity, irrespective of background, is at the heart of Paisley’s bid.
I’ll raise a glass to that!