“Mill Memories” Re-Launch 27 March 24 at Paisley Central Library

I am delighted to share with you that I presented a talk at the Paisley Central Library on 27th March 2024. 

This was a soft-launch to celebrate the reissue of Evelyn’s 2003 publication of the “Mill Memories”, which is a collection of photographs and interviews of over 40 people who actually worked in the mills.  

At its original publication in 2003, “Mill Memories” proceeds went entirely to the Paisley Thread Mill Museum, and with the reprint of the book, we will also ensure that all proceeds go to the museum. Copies are available through Abbey Books, Paisley (www.abbeybookspaisley.co.uk) and through the Paisley Thread Mill Museum (paisleythreadmill.co.uk).

There are currently some 32 titles Evelyn Hood available through Paisley Central Library, and those titles will be shared with the audience so that a new generation of readers will be introduced to a large portion of Evelyn’s work.  

I shared some of the interesting and amusing stories that I read from the “Mill Memories”, and it was wonderful to have some former mill workers in the audience who were able to elaborate and share additional information. We all were reminded of the importance of holding on to that past, as Evelyn said once in an interview, ‘you can’t go into the future without knowing about your past’.

I went on to introduce one of Evelyn’s novels set in Paisley, “A Procession of One”; the main character in this book works in the mills and her story was based on the life of one of the workers that Evelyn interviewed for “Mill Memories”, so the books were strongly connected. Both books- factual and fiction alike, the history of Paisley was alive and well at this event.

The Paisley Library has recently re-opened after a few years; the old library building was situated in the same building as the Paisley Museum. The new library is in a different location, nearer to the centre of the town and it is an important asset to the community, so it was a real joy to be able to present in the new library to celebrate its recent opening. It was also special to share an aspect of Paisley’s past through the re-launch of “Mill Memories”, and remind the Paisley community of Evelyn as a best-selling author from the town, and an ardent supporter of its rich history.

Councillor Lorraine Cameron, Provost of Renfrewshire, awarded Evelyn with a posthumous award for her significant contribution towards literary arts in Renfrewshire.

Simon Hood