We welcomed Elena Whitham, MSP, Minister for Drug and Alcohol Policy in the Scottish Government to Bridgeton Bus Garage on 22nd August to show her the work being done by GVVT’s ‘Back on the Road’ programme which helps those in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.
The Minister’s visit coincided with the release of the latest statistics on Scottish drug addiction deaths. This meant that a large press pack witnessed the Minister’s tour and they then used the garage as a backdrop for interviews. Some 15 different media outlets were represented ranging from BBC, ITV, STV, Channel 5, Sky News plus radio stations and newspapers.
The visit was highly important for ‘Back on the Road’ as recognition of the tremendous work they do which often passes below the radar for many GVVT members. The Trust has also benefitted from the coverage with the garage and our buses being shown nationally. The visit has also enhanced our reputation with CORRA (Back on the Road’s principal funder, who’s Chief Executive also visited the garage) and the Scottish Government.
If you would like to find out more about the Back on the Road programme or help with its activities in some way then we’d like to hear from you. Please get in touch with our Project Coordinator, Vince Ho, at vince.ho@gvvt.org to find out more.
In the meantime, please click this link which will take you to a short film made by the Scottish Government to mark the visit.
Steven Booth
Chair, Back on the Road (Glasgow) CIC
Chair, Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust