We championed voice of youth
Paisley was a disaster area when it came to giving teenagers a good time.
The worst hit in the entertainment wilderness were the 14 to 18-year-olds, we told in March 1977.
Who said so? The young.
But now they were bouncing back, demanding at least a disco to end the constant expensive hauls to Glasgow, the trek to friends’houses – or street corners.
And the Express aimed to be the‘voice of youth’.
We believed more should be done to help them – that’s why we were on their side.
The story for Paisley’s youth was one of vandalism, boredom and frustration – and underage drinking.
And the problem of glue sniffing in the Paisley area, a killer habit among the young, was raised in the Commons.
A local boy had died the previous month after inhaling gas from a cigarette canister.
Strathclyde Police statistics showed how teenage crime regionwide was soaring.
And what about Paisley’s growing dole queues?
Latest figures for January 1977 showed 300 boys and 228 girls were out of work, almost double the October total.
Paisley had hundreds of youth clubs, uniformed organisations, church groups.
The police, schools and Strathclyde’s youth and community service also played big parts in promoting activities.
Bur older teenagers wanted more ... freedom.
They could only take so much establishment control of their leisure time.
They wanted to let their hair down and feel natural.
The young were on the march – and the Express was right behind them.