A little festive message from me, Paul Veverka (Admin of Blantyre Project). As I settle down to enjoy Christmas Eve, I’d like to say ‘Merry Christmas’ and thank you to the 17,000 people following this popular page who take the time to read and engage in Blantyre Project articles so avidly here each day. I hope you’re all enjoying the history!
I’ve had a good year even though I underwent further operations. However, I had the excellent news from hospital earlier this week that my kidneys and heart are now functioning fine. An all clear from NHS after 6 long years of health issues. It was a wonderful Christmas gift to be told that and it’s put me in great spirits this holiday season.
I’ve had a busy year at work and offline too with the building of a beautiful house for my mother and father in law. It has meant however, time spent on new research for Blantyre Project has been a little less than usual, but I hope you’ll agree I’ve still managed to post often in a motivated and interesting manner. There never seems to be enough time for writing books these days, but hopefully it’s something I’ll come back to in 2026. I miss doing that and not finished with publications!
Blantyre Project is entering its 15th year of daily posts. I’m extremely proud of that commitment and focus, which even I admit at times is “borderline obsessive”. 2025 saw me post more content than ever, and exploring the 1890s prior to photographs being readily available, I’ve sometimes embraced the help of AI software to help illustrate some articles. BUT of course, I’ve posted often from the Blantyre Photographic archives with actual photos. I’ve made new international friends and without a doubt, learned plenty these last 12 months reading your comments. More towards New year about what I’ve got planned for the page in 2026.
It warms my heart to read messages every week from people from all over the world, interested in what’s being shown and discussed here. Hope you’ve had a good year too.
I leave you this photo of Blantyre Old Parish Church, taken by myself earlier this week after a lovely carol service. No matter where you are in the world, I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. Peace, warmth and happiness to you all over the festive season.
Good news on your health 👍🏻