When Billy Connolly played football for Radio Clyde

Thanks mainly to its phenomenally successful Cash for Kids fundraising campaign, big names in the worlds of showbiz, music and sport have all thrown their weight behind what was considered Britain’s first “truly local” radio station when it started broadcasting on Hogmanay, 1973.

McFly (Image: Newsquest)

The official opening of Radio Clyde’s £600,000 headquarters in the Anderston Centre took place on December 14 of that year, with Lord Aylestone, chairman of the Independent Broadcasting Authority, describing the launch team as “local people with local knowledge….a group of lively and responsible men and women who seem capable of running an effective, self-supporting radio company – self-supporting through thick and thin.”

Girls Aloud (Image: Newsquest)

Hollywood star Sean Connery and famous racing driver Jackie Stewart contributed guest spots to Clyde’s special Hogmanay programme on its opening night.

In our archives, we have a fantastic picture of the 1974 Radio Clyde select, pulled together for a charity match in aid of a local football team.

The station is celebrating its 50th anniversary (Image: Newsquest)

Look closely at the team picture, and you will spot legendary Glasgow comedian Billy Connolly (back row, seventh from left).

In an interview with the Daily Mail many years later, he recalled taking part in the match.

“The last organised game I played in was in the mid-70s when I guested for a Radio Clyde select team in a charity match,” he said.

“I think Jimmy Gordon, who later became Lord Gordon, was the driving force behind that one. We played at Blanefield and I think the cash we raised was to build changing facilities for the local team. Didn’t disgrace myself but the best part was half-time when I could get a quick cigarette. Always the athlete.”

Lulu (Image: Newsquest)

Everyone from Sir Tom Hunter to Paolo Nutini, Girls Aloud and Lionel Richie has supported Cash for Kids.

Glamorous lunches in aid of the charity have attracted the likes of Girls Aloud, Westlife, McFly, Geri Halliwell and Dannii Minogue.

Geri Halliwell (Image: Newsquest)

Big names such as Lulu and George Michael have also shared their stories in interviews for the station.

George Michael (Image: Newsquest)

There was even a rash of celebrity support for the station – at least, for its retro 261 t-shirt – in 2009 when American Idol judge Randy Jackson wore one on the popular series, leading it to be dubbed the most sought-after fashion accessory of the year.

Radio Clyde 261 t-shirt (Image: Newsquest)

Rock legend Frank Zappa had previously worn it at a show in 1979 in Paris (he had received it as a present from the station, when he appeared to promote his gig at the Apollo the same year.)

Fran Healy in the famous t-shirt (Image: Newsquest)

Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, Desperate Housewives star Doug Savant, Kaiser Chiefs' Ricky Wilson, Travis singer Fran Healy, KT Tunstall and Marti Pellow have also been spotted over the years wearing 261 t-shirts.