Fairfield is fair bloomin’

During Glasgow Fair 2010, young Govanites opened a new chapter in local history. They ceremoniously took off protective covers to reveal the refurbished windows of Fairfield Shipyard offices in Govan Road, which have been boarded up for nine years.
This completes the first phase of a £4.5m restoration project led by Govan Workspace Ltd. Said Pat Cassidy, Managing Director of Govan Workspace: ‘The young people have done a fantastic job. They’ve been out since early morning picking up litter and planting window boxes and tubs with flowers. This is an important day for this community. This historic space will become offices with the community heavily involved. This is a celebration of what Govan has achieved particularly through shipbuilding. And it is about time these achievements were celebrated.’
Already £3.6m has been found and the Fairfield development partners are confident the remaining £.9m can be secured to allow the second phase of the refurbishment to start by Christmas this year.
Added Pat: ‘We’ve been able to make the place wind proof and watertight. Now we need to finish the job to transform these historic offices into usable, quality, workspace.’
Part of the plan is to dedicate an area within Fairfield House to the history of shipbuilding.
Commented Tommy McMahon, secretary of the Govan Youth Information Project (GYIP) management committee: ‘ You could say the young people who had the job of taking off the window covers today, are the latest generation to be working at Fairfield offices!’ They were all part of the summer programme run by GYIP for several hundred local youngsters during the school holidays.