New bridge offers great chance to bring folk together
WELL, what a weekend that was.
The weather on Saturday was fantastic and we had Open Doors Day events to enjoy in Renfrewshire.
Lamont Gardens held their annual welcome day and the Gryffe Book Festival was launched too.
Not too far from here, the Govan Bridge Festival was celebrated.
It all meant the roads in and around Erskine were choked. Sometimes it feels like nothing changes.
With so many events taking place on Saturday and Sunday, it was difficult to get to all of them but, for those who did manage to get out and about, it certainly was a super weekend.
The star of the show surely had to be the opening of the new pedestrian and cycle bridge between Govan and Partick, with thousands of people turning up to mark the occasion.
There were performances from musicians such as Horse McDonald and the Red Hot Chilli Pipers on the Partick side of the bridge, with a very special cheer reserved for the appearance of the Govan Community Pipe Band.
They played during the day and also appeared on stage with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.
The bridge was opened to accommodate a small flotilla of boats which sailed up the River Clyde to be part of the occasion.
It was a happy, family-friendly day out in the sun, although a timetable seemed to be almost impossible to get hold of and, even if you did manage this, the performances didn’t take place at the times being advertised.
I’m also sorry to say that not everyone got into the spirit of the occasion, with one trader selling icecreams for £5 each, which seemed very expensive.
However, the organisers had tried to accommodate just about everyone and it was really encouraging to see representatives from local churches and the foodbank handing out free food, tea and coffee to those who would have found it difficult to pay for a cuppa or a snack.
The event may have been a oneoff but, given how successful it was, perhaps the organisers might stage something similar next year, when the bridge celebrates its first birthday?
I have always thought we should make more use of our local resources and I can see the Govan-Partick Bridge inspiring more festival-type activities in the future, as it seems people are happy to support these.
Of course, it costs money to put on events and it remains to be seen if sponsorship could be secured in the future.