The owner of Paisley’s biggest Facebook group has launched a new online shop to help promote and preserve the town’s rich heritage, marking the occasion with a historic performance.
Gavin Divers set up the group Paisley Heritage in 2012, inspired by his own interest in the town’s past, which he felt was not being properly archived and celebrated.
“Our town is bursting with heritage,” he said. “Paisley has had a big influence on education and law around the world. There’s the Coats and the Clarks who revolutionised the textiles industry. And John Witherspoon, a former Paisley minister who was a signatory to America’s Bill of Independence.
“But people aren’t aware of the history. Paisley doesn’t know the importance of what Paisley’s done. And we’re at threat of losing all that - we’re a couple of generations away from all that being gone, because this has not been documented properly.”
Spurred on by the success of the Paisley Heritage group, which currently has 36,000 followers across all channels, Gavin began speaking about local history at residential homes. But with grand ambitions to “put Paisley back on the tourism map,” Gavin decided to launch the online Paisley Shop to help expand his activities.
“I go to care homes on a weekly basis to give talks. But we’re aiming to go to schools, and to have our own venue space to do talks, and invite historical people to speak. I’m also planning to roll out some tourist attractions in the town in three to five years’ time.
“And these will all be free, because we’ll have the store to enable us to do that. It’s not really about financial gain, it’s about enabling us to keep fighting the good fight as we have been over the past 10 years.”
The shop is now live, selling a range of t-shirts, artworks, historical prints, cups and books - all with a Paisley connection. Gavin launched the store with a video featuring words of encouragement from a number of well known Paisley locals.
Speaking in the video, Renfrewshire's Provost Lorraine Cameron said: “It’s about time we had a one-stop shop where people can go to buy their Paisley items. So good luck Paisley Heritage!”
Keith Lasley, Chief Operating Officer of St Mirren FC, added: “I’d like to wish Paisley Heritage all the best and good luck with their fantastic new online shop.
“Everyone at St Mirren is very proud to represent this great town, and hopefully we can play our part along with Paisley Heritage in promoting all things Paisley.”
The launch video also included footage of an unprecedented event - a bagpiper playing on top of the Thomas Coats Memorial Church tower for the first time in its history.
Gavin was stood alongside the piper, and described it as “a really emotional moment.”
“It was such an epic experience,” he said. “I was quite emotional, looking off at the hills, the drone rotating round, the bagpipe player a metre away from me. I thought ‘how did I get here?'
“And I had to make a wee promise to myself - ‘you’ve come this far, you really need to make sure you follow through with your words.’ It’s an amazing journey that we’ve been on over the past 12 years, but it’s really just the beginning.”
The Paisley Shop is now live, and can be found at: PaisleyShop.co.uk
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