South Lanarkshire Council has celebrated the 75 th anniversary of East Kilbride by creating a film which stars TV's Lorraine Kelly
The town turned 75 on May 6, and a film, ‘EK@75’ has been created to mark the occasion, and it features TV personality Lorraine Kelly who lived in the town.
Lorraine shared her memories of when she first moved to the area, and she said: “Going to East Kilbride was – oh my goodness – it couldn’t have been more different. I had my own room.
“We had a downstairs loo, we had a bath, we had a tiny little garden. The change was extraordinary.
“We had a phone for the first time, but I didn’t know anybody else with the phone so I couldn’t phone anybody. I used to pick up the phone and listen to the speaking clock.”
The film also features South Lanarkshire Council’s Chief Executive, Cleland Sneddon, who said: “East Kilbride is a terrific place to come – to work, live, invest, to visit.
“It has an amazing amount of attractions and a load of natural advantages. It’s a fantastic place to put your business.
“It’s a place that people feel an affinity to, it’s a place that people associate themselves with. We have many of the descendants of the original people who arrived in East Kilbride – their children, their grandchildren – who have forged a life in a terrific environment in Scotland’s first new town.”
He also paid tribute to the work of the original development corporation, saying: “The importance of East Kilbride Development Corporation can’t be overstated. They planned, designed, and built the town. They attracted the new residents to come to the town.
“They attracted the businesses that would employ the residents, built the schools that would educate future generations within the town. They were absolutely central to making East Kilbride the premier new town in Scotland.”
Locals also appear on the film, including retired doctor and long-term resident Harry Gray, who said: “My father moved here in 1947 because he became the first incoming general practitioner for the new town.
"We lived in Thorntonhall, which I have fond memories of. We used to play cricket underneath the trees. The environment was just wonderful for a child to be brought up.”
The full video can be viewed on the council’s YouTube channel.
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did yo u know Lanarkshir e Live is on Facebook? Head over to our page to give us a like and share.
