Share your memories and be part of the new Paisley Museum project

The team behind Scotland’s biggest cultural heritage project is calling on the people of Renfrewshire to share their memories of the places and people that make the local area so special. The contributions may be included within a digital, interactive map which will feature in one of the galleries of the new museum.  From sports-related adventures to childhood memories, from the place of your first job or date to the best gig or music event you ever attended, the team is looking for the stories of people’s day-to-day life connected to the places they love or that inspire them.

Aileen Strachan, the project’s content delivery manager, said the memories collected will show the local area through the ‘lens of people sharing stories and memories’. She added: “This is a great opportunity for people with connections to Paisley and Renfrewshire to be part of our fantastic new museum. The stories will help rediscover the local community, and hidden histories, as well as giving space to local voices that haven’t been heard before.

“We are looking for the stories of people’s day-to-day life, connected to the places they love or that inspire them.”

The refurbished museum is due to open in 2024 and has community at its heart. The museum has been hearing from more than 70 community groups to bring new insight and life to the museum’s civic collection, shaping how stories will be told in the attraction. On this line, the team is currently working on a new project to rediscover the local area through memories, and that is why we are looking for stories that can tell hidden histories of local places and open spaces to local voices and knowledge.

Aileen wants to add to that work. She said: “We want to hear from local groups and people about stories of places and memories of Paisley and Renfrewshire, a place that you would like to be included in the museum, and a story that can tell us why it is special for you. We want to know the memory that you have there, the event that happened there, the feelings, the connections.”

If you have some memories of Paisley and Renfrewshire and would like to share them, along with a story, please get in touch with us. We want to know the places that are important to you, the memories you have there, the feelings, the connections.

If you want to submit your story, please send us :

–          The name of the place in Renfrewshire and where it is

–          The story of the place and your memories of it in 100 words

–          A contact detail in case the team need more information/permission

The project team is also planning a series of open drop-in sessions to gather stories and memories at The Lagoon leisure centre, retails spaces in Paisley and other locations across Renfrewshire.

If you want to share your memories of people and places in Paisley and Renfrewshire, then you can contact paisleymuseum@renfrewshire.gov.uk