I’d like to say ‘Merry Christmas’ and thank you to over 15,000 people following this popular page who follow Blantyre Project articles so avidly here each day. I hope you’re all enjoying the history!
I’ll admit, I had another difficult year, well certainly the first half with a further two large invasive operations. However, Summer saw me turn a corner and I’ve been on a long slow path to recovery. I’m feeling better right now than I have done in several years and it’s been great get back on my feet in the second half of the year. I’ve definitely come through it! Blantyre Project has kept me sane. Keeping me motivated and focused and pulled me through personal, difficult times. NHS staff and the service they work in, is just wonderful.
How are YOU?! Hope you’ve had a good year. As always, I’ve learned plenty these last 12 months reading your comments and appreciate all your input, photos and interesting messages. With so much queued up to look at in my ‘spare time’, I can confidently say, I’ll be scheduling posts right through 2024.
Blantyre Project is approaching its thirteenth year of daily posts. That’s now a whopping quarter of my life faithfully writing up….. every single day about Blantyre! I hope it’s making a difference in getting history out to everybody. I’m extremely proud of that commitment and have some exciting things around the corner in 2024.
As the website expands further with daily content, I’m hoping to launch a children’s section, something for a younger audience and that schools can utilise. And something different…..you may recall, I’ve been writing my very first novel, something I’d started during the pandemic? It’s about an Irish family immigrating into Scotland during Victorian times. It’s not got too far to go and I’m confident and excited to be publishing that interesting story in 2024. Straight from my imagination!
I’ve SO enjoyed meeting so many new contacts this year, especially interesting new friendships I’ve struck up with people abroad. What a reach this page continues to have all over the world. Who would have thought this little town could attract SO much attention not just in Lanarkshire, but from further afield and from ex-pats all over the world!? It warms my heart to read messages every week from people interested in what’s being shown.
From Blantyre Project, (that’s me…Paul Veverka), no matter where you are in the world, I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas. Peace, warmth and happiness to you all over the festive season.
Merry Christmas Paul to you and yours. Hope you go from strength to strength. I love reading your articles. I left Blantyre 32 years ago due to my husband’s work and after I lost my parents I feel I lost touch with Blantyre even although I’m only an hour or so away. Keep up the good work, it’s just unbelievable what you do!
Merry merry Christmas Paul and your family, well done for all your achievement, commitment and passion in your recovery and ongoing history capturing of our beloved Blantyre. A very prosperous new year too. Thankyou!!
Merry Christmas Paul and to all your family.and all the best for 2024.
Wishing you health and happiness in 2024.
You have done an outstanding job of showcasing Blantyre,its people and events,past and present.Blantyre owes you an enormous debt of gratitude. No thanks can be enough for all your efforts.
Happy Christmas to you Paul and to Paula and to wee Annalily. Hope 2024 is better for you and me both. My wife lost 2 of her brothers in the last 5 months here in New York and I lost one of my brothers last month.
Merry Christmas Paul. I am sorry to learn you have not been well. Having recently recovered from lung cancer I can very much appreciate the challenges you have been experiencing with the serious health issues that you have been going through. Heres hoping you have a much better year in 2024. Your efforts and accomplishments with this Blantyre Project over the years are simply amazing. I very much appreciated your assistance in the past with my own Blantyre Livingston research and you were most helpful in the past sharing your insight and research regarding the old Blantyre Works Cemetery for the Monteith Cotton Mill workers and the discovery of some gravestones possibly connected to the Blantyre Livingstones. It is very clear from the Blantyre Parish Church records from the early 1800’s that some of the children of Dr. Livingstone’s grandfather Neil Livingstone and his wife Mary Morrison were residing with their spouses and their children in the early years in Blantyre besides the better known Neil Livingstone and his wife Agnes Hunter, parents of Dr. David Livingstone and their family. It is not surprising then that you found that very worn and broken gravestone some years ago now which seems to be that of Neil Livingstone Sr’s daughter Catharine (Mrs Mckinnon) given the Livingstone families connection to Blantyre. It was great discovering that old photograph of the Blantyre Mill Workers Cemetery on this website but I was very sorry to learn that the old cemetery is long gone. Keep on doing what you do.
Donald Clink from across the pond
Merry Christmas Paul to you and your family