Award-winning photographer Gary Chittick will be regularly sharing his spectacular pictures with you on his Paisley.is blog.

Gary marks the start of springtime by showing off some of his favourite images captured in Renfrewshire at this time of year.

March is the month of the Vernal/ Spring Equinox when the equator is the closest point of Earth to the sun.

It is also the month of the Equilux when day and night are of equal lengths. This is quickly followed by the start of British Summer Time on Sunday 31 March, unfortunately meaning an hour less in bed. Booooo!

I thought I’d share a few images from Renfrewshire from this time of year. I hope you enjoy them.

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park

The change from winter to spring is a good time to explore local gem, Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park in Lochwinnoch. There are a number of great walks around the park, including a popular local hike up Windy Hill. I have spent a great deal of time walking around the park at all times of the day and night (not for the feint hearted or those scared of unusual noises in the dark!) and the longer days make the park more accessible for those looking to stretch their legs in daylight after work.

This image was taken on the walk up to Windy Hill with the changing colours and low cloud making for a moody scene. I’m looking forward to taking a lot more images here this year.

Paisley sunsets

Paisley certainly has an amazing skyline for sunsets and March into April has the sun in a good position over the horizon (depending on your viewpoint) for sunset images. Seeing a colourful sunset is often a a mix of luck, timing and a little help from mother nature but it’s the sort of event to sit, watch and enjoy. You can really admire the unique skyline from all around the town and Paisley has some great viewpoints for sunset, including Saucel Hill, Barshaw Park and here, Barshaw Golf Course. Here’s hoping for many more.

A Wee Calf

Who can resist a cute baby, whether human or animal? The change from winter into spring obviously means that the thoughts of many of Renfrewshire’s resident wildlife turns to creating new life. The next few weeks and months will see a range of baby animals join our world. Whilst this is a time to be extra careful around animals with young – especially if you have a pet of your own – it is also a time to enjoy the sights and sounds this new life gives us.

For this image, a young calf and it’s siblings enjoy some spring sunshine up near Hartfield Farm on the Glennifer Braes.

Renfrewshire Aurora

The equinoxes (Spring and Autumn) have typically resulted in an increased chance of aurora. NASA’s research suggests that this is because of the Earth’s “tilt” towards the sun at these times of year which makes it easier for our magnetic field to connect with the charged particles in the solar wind. As you may have seen with some of my previous images, I’ve observed the aurora many times from Renfrewshire and there is always an extra hope at this time of year for increased activity.

To show you what a “good” aurora can look like from the area, here is one from Lochwinnoch. Remember that the camera enhances what you can see by eye and most people see the aurora as a greyish, greenish glow, until you have movement which is much easier to see. The moral here is, if the aurora is on your bucket list, it IS possible to see it from Renfrewshire!

Remember that the Spring Equinox traditionally marks a time for new beginnings, birth and fresh starts, so be positive and get out there and find something fresh and exciting to do in Renfrewshire!

Gary’s pictures are not available for use without his permission.

Liz Connolly joined West College Scotland in 2013 and took over the reins as Principal and Chief Executive in September 2018.

Here, Liz, a member of Renfrewshire’s Economic Leadership Panel, outlines her ambitions for the college, which is home to 22,000 students and 1,200 staff across its three campuses in Paisley, Greenock and Clydebank, together with the importance she places on contributing to the region’s future economic success.

“Every day, I think how lucky I am to have a role in an organisation that’s helping to transform people’s lives.

“We are in a great place already as we are a great college with fabulous staff who are really committed to changing people’s lives and making a difference. We’ve got a really significant role to play in supporting inclusive growth, which is a key government priority.

“I want us to be an organisation that offers everyone who comes through our doors the opportunity to fulfil their potential, to help raise their aspirations and help them to think about the contribution they can make to society and to the economies in which they live and work, to the companies they are going to work for or the companies they are going to create themselves.

“It’s about providing an environment where people thrive on learning and recognise learning is something they have to do throughout life. Learning is an investment in ourselves that allows us to make an important contribution to our communities.

“Being part of our communities is such an important thing for the college and ideally we’d like each of our campuses to be hubs for community activity.

“We are keen to see development of our Paisley campus and have been working on an outline business case for funding for the redevelopment of the campus.

“It’s about making sure that we have a campus that’s fit for 21^st century learning and is an asset that can be used by the community in Renfrewshire and by the business base.

“I love the idea we’ll have a campus where people feel they can come in, have a coffee, discuss things with our teams, a campus that is a gathering place and a real asset for the community.

“We work with a whole range of partners across our communities and we have a great relationship with Renfrewshire Council.

“The relationship with the Council works at so many different levels, from the work we do with Renfrewshire schools to playing a key role in the bid for UK City of Culture, to now helping ensure we deliver on the aims of the bid.

“I’m also very proud that the college is part of Renfrewshire’s Economic Leadership Panel. We live in a very fast moving and challenging economic situation and no one single person or organisation can have the answers to everything, but the power of getting leaders from across industry and public-sector agencies together to share their thinking and insights and to collectively think about what the future is going to look like in Renfrewshire and how do we shape that future is so is important.

“It’s about not being passive, but saying what kind of economy do we want and how do we make that happen? I think that’s incredibly exciting and immensely powerful.

“I believe anything is possible. You have to start with the vision, you have to know where you want to get to. Renfrewshire is in a unique position just now with the significant investment that’s been identified in projects like the manufacturing district and the work to make the area a popular visitor destination.

“West College Scotland has a key role to play in supporting this, helping to develop the workforce that will be needed to deliver our future economic growth whether that’s through the development of our young workforce or supporting the upskilling and reskilling of our existing workforce.

“You can achieve so much more when you work in partnership. It is important to recognise that different partners will have different drivers and pressures, but when you look beyond that and identify your shared priorities and common goals and set out to achieve them, that’s when you can make great things happen and have a real impact.”

Culture has the power to transform towns, lives and communities, defining who we are, opening up new opportunities and shaping our civic centres, neighbourhoods and communities.

It is such a powerful force and it is driving our plans for the transformation of Paisley and its town centre.

From its buildings to its music, its creative, radical and entrepreneurial spirit, its industrial heritage and its people, Paisley is unlike any other town in Scotland. Walking through the town centre the quality of Paisley’s culture, architecture and heritage is there for all to see. That’s exactly what we want, for people to see Paisley for what it is, and for what it can be; a thriving and connected town with culture at its heart.

We are investing £100million in Paisley’s cultural venues in a bold programme that will reimagine the High Street and turn the town centre into a place where residents and visitors are drawn to explore, gather and shop, creating jobs and benefiting the whole of Renfrewshire.

The programme will invest £42million transforming Paisley Museum into a world-class museum that will showcase Paisley’s unique heritage, collections and iconic Paisley Pattern to the world. It is expected to attract around 125,000 visitors a year.

Paisley Town Hall will become a flagship performance venue after its £22million investment, bringing approximately 100,000 visitors to the town each year, and Paisley Library will move into a new cultural and learning hub on the High Street, creating a town centre that offers places and spaces to be curious, to connect and to participate in and enjoy culture in a range of ways.

These are bold plans, especially when high streets up and down the country are facing such challenging times, but we believe that Paisley’s time is now.

This investment will transform the town not only culturally but socially, economically and physically.

There are challenges, culture alone cannot bring about social change and transformation, but by working with partners, communities and artists and creative and cultural organisations we can make changes that will benefit everyone in Renfrewshire.

I have worked in culture for over 20 years in a range of roles from Programme Director of The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design & the City to leading Scotland’s cultural programme for London 2012 and Glasgow 2014 and more recently as the lead on the Scottish Government’s Culture Strategy and Director of Arts at Creative Scotland. Paisley has such great ambitions and ideas and I hope I can use my experience to support Paisley’s ongoing transformation.

The 2021 UK City of Culture bid was inspiring and impressive in its ambition, its commitment and the way it was community driven. It captured peoples’ imaginations and gave them a sense of the possible back. It also showed that culture is for everyone and is in everything we do. The visual arts, architecture and design, craft, theatre, dance, music, books, cinema, festivals, fun fairs and pantomimes, all of this is part of Paisley’s culture, it’s what has shaped the town and its people.

People are looking at what Paisley is doing and we have an opportunity for the town to be a lead the way in culture led regeneration. Paisley’s story goes beyond the bid. We want to build on the possibilities it set out, transforming Paisley into a thriving 21st century town.

We all love a random fact, don’t we? So, let’s take a look at some quirky things about Paisley which you may, or may not, have already known…

Paisley is home to a rich heritage and a vast range of striking architecture which makes for a fascinating story around every corner of the town.

You might be familiar with the town’s famous names, such as Paolo Nutini, Gerrard Butler, David Tennant, John Byrne or Pam Hogg – but did you know that the town is the birthplace of a number of ground-breaking inventions? Or that you can even see an Alien at Paisley Abbey?

Find out all about these fun facts and more below…

Architecture galore

Did you know that Paisley town centre has 110 listed buildings? That’s a higher concentration than anywhere in Scotland outside of Edinburgh. It’s definitely worth paying a visit to the historic Paisley Abbey, the Anchor Mill and many more!

An alien gargoyle

Speaking of Paisley Abbey, have you seen the alien gargoyle among the intricate statues outside the striking building? The design is believed to have been carved by a rogue sci-fi loving stonemason in the early 1990s in ode to the 1979 cult film.

The threads that bind us

Did you know that at one point a Paisley-based company was responsible for making 90 per cent of the world’s sewing thread? Paisley’s thread exports and patterned shawls saw the town establish itself as a global manufacturing and textile powerhouse through local business J&P Coats Ltd.

All aboard!

To many people’s surprise, Paisley Gilmour Street is actually the fourth-busiest station in Scotland with more than five million passengers per year. This is more than Haymarket in Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Dundee!

Bringing whisky to the world

Did you know around 30 per cent of the world’s Scotch is bottled in Renfrewshire? World-famous drinks manufacturer Diageo’s packaging plant at Shieldhall bottles more than 25 million cases of Scotch whisky annually.

Fancy a game?

Did you know the world’s first commercial five-a-side football pitch centre opened in Paisley? Keith Rogers opened the pitches at the town’s Anchor recreational centre in 1987 under the name Pitz.

First European trophy

It’d be rude to talk about football in Paisley without mentioning St Mirren – so, did you know that the Buddies were the first Scottish team to win a European trophy? In 1922, St Mirren were invited to play in a tournament to mark the opening of Barcelona’s new stadium, Les Corts. The Buddies won it and brought home the Barcelona Cup.

Substitute me for him

While he may be remembered mostly for THAT goal against Holland at the 1978 World Cup (see video above), Archie Gemmill was also famous for being the first official substitute in Scottish domestic football. Gemmill replaced St Mirren’s Jim Clunie in a League Cup tie against Clyde at Shawfield on August 13, 1966 – the first time new substituting rules for competitive games was in operation.

CHIP and PIN

You might use it almost every day, but did you know the CHIP and PIN system was invented by a Paisley Buddie? James Goodfellow OBE created the first Personal Identification Number (PIN) and Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) technology in 1966.

Paisley punks

For a time The Bungalow Bar on Renfrew Road was the main punk venue in the Glasgow area as punk bands were once banned in Glasgow. Top acts to play the venue included: The Rezillos, The Skids, The Clash, The Jam, Orange Juice, Echo and the Bunnymen and Souxsie and the Banshees.

A new project in Paisley will support start-up businesses looking to make the leap into their first commercial premises.

The town’s George Street will become Start-Up Street as vacant Renfrewshire Council-owned units are adapted into a range of low-cost, high-quality digitally-connected workspaces for up to 20 businesses.

Businesses based here will benefit from an on-site business advisor, training space and a shared reception.

Each company can rent the space for up to two years, with lease costs incrementally increased until they are ready to move to an alternative commercial space in Renfrewshire.

Interested businesses can contact InCube Start-Up on 0300 300 1180 or email incube@renfrewshire.gov.uk

But first, find out why Laura Provan – the buddie behind Paisley Pins – feels the opportunity is a “no-brainer” for new businesses.

Laura took on her own workspace in her hometown this summer and has not looked back as her popular product continues to build a local, and international customer base.

“It’s amazing the amount of people with connections to Paisley that I meet, I even get orders from Paisley in Oregon in the USA. The acrylic pins continue to fly off the shelves and now there’s a much more diverse product range on offer, with ear-rings and necklaces, tie pins and cuff links.

“I’d been looking for premises for a while as I just didn’t have the space I needed to keep working from home and it was a lonely experience being there, with no opportunities to meet people or collaborate and lots of distractions like tidying up after my kids.

“Having a dedicated workspace has been fantastic, having somewhere where people can find me has definitely improved my business-to-business relationships. Upstairs there’s workspaces for other jewellers to rent out and downstairs we’ve space to run workshops.

“The emotional connection people have with jewellery is very important and people want to know the provenance of a product so it was so important to me that my Paisley product is made here in Paisley.

“Start-Up Street is a fantastic idea and it’s the one thing myself and other creative businesses have always said was sorely missing. It is definitely something people should go for if they’re looking for space, advice and being able to move their business forward – it’s a no-brainer and can only be a positive move.”

Industry leaders have praised Paisley: The Secret Collection after it just missed out on the Cultural Project of the Year Award at the 2018 Architects’ Journal Architecture Awards

The project was ‘Highly Commended’ by the judges for the inventive nature of its aim to revitalise Paisley’s High Street by bringing the area’s historic collections to life.

Paisley: The Secret Collection is the first publicly accessible museum store on a UK High Street and contains thousands of objects which reflect Renfrewshire’s amazing heritage and culture.

The state-of-the-art storage facility is a space where everyone can explore, learn, research and discover hidden treasures in the collection.

Brought to life by Collective Architecture, the project was a key highlight of the work they have carried out transforming buildings using modest budgets to achieve maximum impact.

Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, Convener of Renfrewshire Leisure, said: “The Secret Collection has been a fantastic addition to Paisley as we aim to transform our High Street and bring people into the area.

“The collection includes some of Paisley’s world-famous textiles, plus a mix of ceramics, world cultures, social history, art and sculpture, natural history and local archives – with many of those items unseen by the general public in decades or longer.

“It’s fantastic that everyone involved with this wonderful project has received industry recognition as it really is one of Renfrewshire’s hidden gems and I would encourage everyone to take the time to visit and see the outstanding exhibits.”

Ewan Imrie, Project Architect, said: “We are absolutely delighted that this project has gained national recognition through the Architects’ Journal Awards.

“The judges recognised the vision and bravery of the client in placing this precious facility within a very difficult central site, so that it is both accessible and a catalyst for regeneration.

“They were also very impressed by the creative and collaborative working relationship that developed between ourselves and Renfrewshire Council which allowed a bleak former shop unit to be converted into a hidden jewel on the High Street.”

The Secret Collection is open to the public and free guided tours should be booked in advance.

Find out more about Paisley: The Secret Collection by clicking the link below.

It’s one of Renfrewshire’s most iconic landmarks and now the Erskine Bridge has been awarded Category A status by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

The crossing, which is one of only three bridges in Scotland with a main span exceeding 300 metres,  was recognised as being of special architectural interest by HES.

The Erskine Bridge, which opened in 1972, has the longest cable-stayed span of its type in the world.

The decision follows on from a consultation launched by HES, Renfrewshire Council, West Dunbartonshire Council and Transport Scotland, where members of the public were invited to express their views on the bridge being awarded listed status.

Elizabeth McCrone, Head of Designations at HES, said: “The Erskine Bridge is a state-of-the-art infrastructure landmark in Scotland for its time and is recognised for its structural simplicity, economy of materials and slender appearance.

“Spanning the River Clyde, the Bridge was part of a strategic and highly ambitious expansion of the new motorway network in Scotland, and is directly associated with the period of ambitious transformation of Scotland’s modern infrastructure in the 1960s.

“Its minimalistic single-cable design – which is exceptionally rare for a large-scale road bridge – combined with its largely unchanged appearance makes it one of the country’s most innovative bridges of the 20th century, and we’re delighted to recognise its national importance with this Category A status.”

“My name is Amanda Levete. I am the principal for A_LA and we’re extraordinarily privileged to have won the competition to re-imagine Paisley Museum.

To really sum up for me what this project is about…it’s about being brave, being radical and being innovative. To really re-imagine Paisley Museum and to tell the untold story of Paisley.

When I read the brief for the project, I was astounded. It was one of the most radical briefs I’ve ever read.

And what fascinates me is that Paisley is a town, it’s not even a city, but the ambition of this project is greater than many national museums. And I live ambition!

What’s radical about the brief is, almost in a sense what’s radical about Paisley.

Paisley has a very radical past. It has a proud industrial history. It has a history of innovation.

It’s a community with great resilience. It’s as though radicalism is built into the community of Paisley. And I think it’s our task as architects to try and express that. Through the narrative that runs through the museum, but also through the design and through the way that we negotiate the relationship between the High Street and the museum.”

Amanda Levete is a a former winner of UK architecture’s top honour, the RIBA Stirling Prize.

Paisley Museum is the first Scottish commission for the London-based practice A_LA, who have designed landmark projects including the Victoria & Albert Museum Exhibition Road Quarter – which this year won the prestigious RIBA London Building of the Year 2018. They are also shortlisted for the competition to redesign the visitor experience at Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower.

Current AL_A projects include the revitalisation of the historic Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris; a new centre for the cancer care charity Maggie’s in Southampton; and two new buildings for Wadham College at the University of Oxford. Completed projects include Central Embassy, a 1.5m sq ft luxury shopping mall and hotel in Bangkok, and Sky TV’s new London media campus.

If you’ve already heard of Paisley’s twin town Fürth in Germany, then you might want to know a few funny and interesting facts about this place, just as our 50th anniversary year approaches in 2019.

1. Fürth is also called “the city of the cloverleaf”

Photo owned by Norbert Mittelsdorf

There’s a few explanations behind this name. Some say the trefoil represents the three authorities which ruled the town between 1303 and 1314; the Bishopric of Bamberg, the Principality of Ansbach and the City of Nuremberg. Others claim that it’s a symbol for the peaceful cohabitation of the three religious groups Protestants, Catholics and Jews. Due to the clerical domination its origins could also lie in the trinity of God. However, it became quite famous through our local football team SpVgg Gruether Fürth, who have worn the trefoil emblem since they were established in 1903. 

2. Playmobil originates in Fürth’s rural dirstrict

My guess is many of you loved playing with Playmobil toys as a child. The company that produces these toys is headquarted in Zirndorf, which is part of the region district of Fürth.

What’s more, Fürth is located in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region – one of the strongest metropolitan areas in Germany which is home to big companies like the Adidas Group, Puma SE and Siemens.

3. Germany’s first railway track was built between Nuremberg and Fürth

In May 1835 the customized steam locomotive Adler (German for “Eagle”) was ordered from Stephenson’s locomotive works in Newcastle upon Tyne. In November 1835 the first run was accomplished with the help of a British engineer, who had travelled with the locomotive from Fürth to Nuremberg. In 1972, Germany’s newest metro started operating between Fürth and Nuremberg. It is partly driverless and fully automatic since 2008.  Fürth really benefits from being linked with the large city of Nuremberg, because it would never be able to afford a subway on its own.

4. Fürth has got a twin theatre in the Ukraine

Photo owned by Alena Rögner

The Viennese architects who designed our theatre building were originally commissioned to build a theatre in Chernivtsi (now Ukraine). However, the construction was postponed due to funding problems. In the mean time, the architects used the plans for Fürth’s municipal theatre. Between 1904 and 1905, the construction was also executed in Chernivtsi. So it happened that the two city theatres look almost identical.

5. The tower of our town hall is Fürth Council’s new mascot

Photo owned by Hannes Link/Alena Rögner

Yeah that’s right. Since this tower is the most crucial landmark of our hometown it represents the common public identity of Fürth and its town council. The mascot supports our tourism and recruitment team at trade fairs like the Consumenta (Germany’s largest goods fair) and other marketing events.

6. Wee hippo on the run

In the 90s, the Swiss circus Fliegenpilz (German for “toadstool“) happened to perform in Fürth. Due to carelessness of an animal keeper a pygmy hippo called Elsbeth escaped to the nearby River Pegnitz. All attempts to recapture the way too nimble Elsbeth failed, and the fire brigade were alerted hastily by the circus. But it was only after one long week that the wee hippopotamus was recaptured. All the trouble attracted hundreds of onlookers and nationwide media coverage. In Elsbeth’s honour a bronze statue of her was built by a local artist.