This might be something that some of you have heard about, in the news, or online. Paisley is bidding to become UK City of Culture in 2021. Yes, Paisley is a town, rather than a city, but the title is open to large towns, which Paisleys is. I know that there are also people out there who have poured scorn on Paisley even going for this, claiming that there is nothing in the town, that it is essentially a shithole that has nothing going for it. Looking at it sort of defeats the purpose, as the title is often given to towns and cities that aren't perfect, but show promise.
Paisley is going up against Perth. Perth is somewhere else that I love dearly. If they had been going up against anyone else, I would have wanted Perth to win, but this time, I definitly want Paisley to walk away with the title.
I remember when Glasgow was awarded City of Culture status in 1991, the town was more than just rough around the edges, but having City of Culture status worked wonders for the city. That is what is being hoped will happen with Paisley. It is hoped that it will attract more investment and visitors. Because of the bid, it has been announced that about £50million is going to be spent on the town's museum and art gallery, which will see the town's Central Library moving to a location on the High Street.
As well as Paisley being home to the Spree Festival and Sma' Shot Day, over the past year, I have noticed an increase in cultural events in the town. Local cafes and pubs are holding open mic events, which have seen musicians, artists and poets/writers presenting their work. In October this year, there is even going to be another festival running alongside the Spree Festival. It is called the Spree for All, or simply, the Paisley Fringe. This will see musical and literary events taking place throughout the town, in a number of different venues.
I will be taking part in one, in the Library Bar and Kitchen on Causeyside Street, on the 17th October. It will be starting at 8pm and I will be launching my new poetry collection, The Winter Queen at that event. Paisley is a creative town and there is definitly a buzz about the town at the moment.
Recently, there has been a public art event in the town, called the Pride of Paisley. This involved a number of painted fibre glass lions being placed all over the town, from the Cross, to outside the Abbey, town hall and museum and art gallery. The reason why there were all of these lions all over Paisley, is because there is an old stuffed lion on display in the museum. He's called Buddy the Lion and he is something that everyone from Paisley remembers, from when they visited the museum as a child.
Even some of the shops had small versions of the lions in their shops. I have seen a number of people stopping to take photographs and actually going on the trail, in order to find them all. The run for this event has come to an end and the lions have all been removed, but they are going to be auctioned off to the highest bidders.
As a local writer, I am proud to pin my flag to the mast and say that I support Paisley's bid to become City of Culture in 2021.
