Ship shape for the summer season

It’s a tall order to spruce up The Tall Ship for the summer season but 16 people from Hewlett Packard’s Glasgow office in Brown Street have volunteered to dust the deckhouse and paint the portholes of the floating museum which is moored on the River Clyde outside the Riverside building.

Volunteer Coordinator at the historic vessel, Marlene Anderson, said: ‘We are very grateful for their enthusiasm, participation and commitment in giving something back to a Glasgow based charity.  We look forward to a busy summer… in pristine surroundings!’

Since re-opening at the new location a year ago, The Tall Ship has welcomed 70,000 visitors aboard. This figure was not expected to be reached until June this year.

Claire Rowlands, Visitor Attraction Manager for The Tall Ship said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to have received so many visitors in that time.  The public’s reaction to the ship in her new home has been extremely encouraging and we are now looking forward to welcoming the next 70,000 visitors!’

Run by the Clyde Maritime Trust, The Tall Ship is a three masted barque named SV Glenlee, which attracted half a million people in the 12 years it was at its previous moorings at Yorkhill quay. The ship traded between Glasgow and Australia from 1896 and is an independent museum committed to preserving and interpreting the Glenlee, its story and the maritime history of the area for the benefit of local people and visitors alike.  It is open to the public

and can be hired for events. For more information see the website: www.thetallship.com

 

Women create Commonwealth garden

Glasgow’s first Commonwealth Garden was formally opened this week when Councillor Archie Graham attended the event at North West Women’s Centre in Maryhill and helped plant heather to represent Scotland.

Created by women of the centre following a design by Jane Gibb, the garden was funded by a £10,000 grant from the National Lottery’s Awards For All Fund.

Plants represent the main countries of the Commonwealth and their continents.

On one side Asia blooms with bamboo, rhododendron and irises. India is represented with a herb tea plant section and Europe’s space uses beautiful geraniums, roses and other plants.

Flora from the Americas, Africa and Australasia includes a maple tree for Canada, large spiky bushes for New Zealand and America, grasses from Africa and a plethora of colourful flowers from all three areas.

Over the next two years the Women’s Commonwealth Garden will have a project for local children to help them learn more about Commonwealth countries and the Commonwealth Games which will be held in Glasgow in 2014. The children will make gold and silver ‘medals’ on sticks to put into the garden next to the plants or flowers of the countries which win them.

Scotland to meet Wales down at Old Anniesland

by Stuart Maxwell

This Sunday 10 October Scotland ‘s Rugby League team will square up against Wales, in a Europen Cup match at Old Anniesland, and legend Gareth Thomas has thrown down the gauntlet to the public.

Thomas won 100 caps for his country in rugby union, before switching to the 13 a side rugby league, plying his trade for the Welsh Crusaders. Of the match on Sunday, Thomas has spoken of his desire for ‘ a hostile enviroment for us Welsh’, hoping that a large crowd turnout for the clash.

He added:’The crowd is important to the atmosphere of the game. It’s important when a national team plays any sport.’ Thomas believes that Rugby League would entertain anybody who loves Rugby, saying: ‘Rugby League is different to Union in some ways but similar and others. The more people who go there the more popular the game will get, the more kids will want to play it and more will come through to make Rugby League stronger.’

Sunday’s winner will qualify for the Four Nations 2011, where heavyweights England, Australia and New Zealand lie waiting. Kick off at Old Anniesland, Glasgow is 2.30pm, Sunday 10 October.