Emotions running high in a year full of drama
SIX days a week, 52 weeks a year the Evening Times brings you the best in Glasgow news coverage, from the courts, council, community groups, schools and streets. We report the good and bad of the city and hope the stories we tell encourage and inspire the public bodies and citizens of the city to do the best they can. Here MAXINE McARTHUR looks back through their cuttings file over the past 12 months
THE new year is officially upon us with 2018 fast becoming a distant memory.
It was a jam-packed time for all of us here at the Evening Times but, for myself, it’s been a whirlwind 10-months adjusting to life at the newspaper.
Despite being a born-and-bred Glasgow girl – and completing my training at the Evening Times as a student – moving over from our small-town weekly titles was a completely new experience.
In March, a mere couple of weeks into the job, tragedy struck the city when, what would soon become the first of two, fires hit the beloved Sauchiehall Street.
A blaze which broke out in the former Victoria’s Nightclub quickly spread to premises across the popular shopping stretch.
Hundreds of firefighters swarmed the area and closed off the street as the days-long battle to stop the flames began.
Dozens of Glasgow businesses, such as the famous Pavilion Theatre and Lauder’s Pub, were forced to close for months as the demolition process began, wiping out historical city buildings which didn’t survive the blaze.
Firefighters confirmed the source of the inferno may never be known.
In April, I attended the sombre first annual charity ball for Paige’s Promise, in honour of what should have been the 18th birthday of murdered teenager Paige Doherty.
The 15-year-old, who was killed in Clydebank in 2016, was celebrated at an event in Glasgow’s Hilton Hotel on April 14.
Her mum, Pamela Munro, shared a video of the family’s memories of the teenager, which included a moving musical tribute performed by the 35-year-old.
She sang a touching rendition of Faith Hill’s There You’ll Be. The money raised from the event will go towards the charity, which helps families deal with the sudden loss of a loved one.
By the time May rolled around, rumours were swirling former Liverpool football player Steven Gerrard would be taking over the management position at Rangers.
Streets surrounding the famous Ibrox stadium were packed with tens of thousands of excited fans desperate to catch a glimpse of the star as I arrived at the Gers’ home ground.
The stadium doors were opened as photographer Kirsty Anderson and I stood on the pitch to take in the electric atmosphere around us before the crowd erupted into cheers as the man himself emerged from the tunnel to greet the fans.
In June, tragedy struck Sauchiehall Street yet again as the Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh Building was engulfed in flames.
The late-night fire – the second the school has faced in less than five years – left dozens of businesses in peril as an exclusion zone was set up around the famous school.
I spoke with one business owner, Paul Evangelista, who was forced to fork out thousands to find a temporary home for his companies, Absolut Hair and Beauty and Sauchiehall Street Barbers.
He called on more help from the Scottish Government – which later came in the form of relief said – saying: “The Art School was on fire, it’s been put out but the local economy has been left to burn and it’s still
burning. It’s on fire.”
In July, the blaze remained at the forefront of Glasgow minds as devastated residents were told it would be months before they were able to return to their city centre homes.
During a meeting for displaced tenants and homeowners, Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken confirmed it could take up to three months to return residents to their homes as the site was “too dangerous” for members of the public to enter.
The atmosphere in the city was much different by the time August arrived.
Glasgow hosted the first ever multi-sport European Championships, bringing thousands of athletes and visitors to cultural and sporting venues including George Square and Glasgow Green.
Councillor Aitken declared the 11-day event, run in partnership with German capital Berlin, a smash success.
As we said goodbye to the summer and winter rolled around, it was my own experience which made the pages of the Evening Times.
My involvement in reporting the murder case of Paige Doherty featured in a Channel 5 documentary the Murder Next Door.
Readers were able to hear my account of opening the doors to the Delicious Deli for the first time since the teenager’s brutal murder.
It was one of the most difficult parts of a very varied year.
While in December, I met with dozens of animals looking for their forever homes in 2019. Here’s hoping they find them. All the best for the new year!