THE Glasgow Times is featuring the six candidates hoping to be voted Glasgow's Favourite Business for 2024. 

This year's nominees are Boveda Hair & Beauty, Café Gandolfi, Clyde 1, Glasgow Film Theatre, Nursery Story and Waverley Excursions Ltd. 

The award, sponsored by this paper, is part of the Glasgow Business Awards organised by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.  

"Clyde-built meant something and Waverley is the last reminder of that", Paul Semple says of the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer.  

Paul, general manager and director of Waverley Excursions Ltd, says it was "very exciting" to find out they have been nominated for Glasgow’s Favourite Business and says he believes it is recognition of Waverley "being part of the fabric of the city".   

He said: "She sits on the river at the Science Centre and she sails from Glasgow through the summer months, so I think it's real recognition of her being part of the city and history.  

"Most people that go on Waverley, they’ve got an affection for her so there’s a warmness to the ship."

(Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

Waverley, the last paddle steamer to be built for Clyde services, was launched on October 2, 1946, with her maiden voyage taking place the following June operating the route she was primarily intended – the cruise up Loch Long and Loch Goil to the villages of Lochgoilhead and Arrochar.  

By 1973, she was the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world with 2023 seeing her undertake her most ambitious season in more than a decade with more than 60 ports and piers around the UK visited.  

The nomination for Glasgow’s Favourite Business comes in the same year Waverley also has the status of the National Flagship of the Year 2024 in recognition of her ambitious cruising programme around the UK. 

(Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

Paul says he believes Waverley is so important to people in Glasgow because of their memories associated with the ship.  

He said: "She was launched nearly 78 years ago and was built on the site of what is now the Riverside Museum.  

"Through the last 50 years almost of preservation, Glasgow has been Waverley’s home base, so I think the city’s taken her into their hearts and Glasgow support the ship very well in terms of the number of passengers that board to sail ‘doon the watter’.  

"There’s a lot of nostalgia for Waverley with Glaswegians because they remember when their parents or grandparents took them on the ship and there’s a lot of that family connections and memories."

(Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

While many people now like to travel further afield than ‘doon the watter’ for their summer holidays, Paul says trips on Waverley are still popular and the number of people sailing on her has increased in recent years.  

He explained: "Waverley offers now a unique experience because there’s no other ship like her operating the day trips and excursions Waverley offers anywhere in the world. 

"Even though she is from the past, she still gives people a very good experience, a day out, and days out are still as popular as they ever were."

(Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)   

While Waverley had some "dark days" during the Covid-19 pandemic when the ship wasn’t sailing, there have been record numbers sailing on the ship over the last two seasons, with 2023’s numbers being up 55% on the previous year.  

A recent impact assessment of the ship and her value to Scotland also found she has a £6million economic benefit to the country, with many coastal communities she visits cashing in on visitors coming ashore and spending money.   

Paul first started working for Waverley in the mid-1990s when he was a student before starting his career as a teacher.  

He then became director of the charity and has been general manager for around five years.  

He said: "I remember sailing on Waverley as a child, I was taken on by my grandparents, so I have memories with the ship. 

"What really motivates me is seeing passengers queuing up on the quayside, families having a good day out and excitement as the Waverley approaches our pier because you can hear the sound of the paddles from the distance. 

"It feels like we’re trying to keep a little bit of history alive and she’s just as relevant today as she always has been."

The winner of The Glasgow Times Award for Glasgow's Favourite Business will be revealed at the annual Glasgow Business Awards at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central on Thursday, October 3, 2024. Voting closes at midnight on August 30, 2024. 

Place your vote for The Glasgow Times Award for Glasgow's Favourite Business HERE or www.glasgowbusinessawards.com/glasgows-favourite-business-poll/.