I don't often find myself lost for words, but today came close.
This morning at Mile End Mill in Paisley, I was presented with a motion lodged in the Scottish Parliament by Neil Bibby MSP, commending Paisley on the Web and the work we've been doing here since 1998. To have all these years of local news, event listings and food and drink recommendations recognised in this way is something I never expected when I first started out, and I'm still trying to take it in.
The motion — S7M-00672 — recognises the site's service to the community, our commitment to keeping folk well-informed at a time when misinformation is everywhere, and the way things have grown across our social media pages to almost 80,000 followers between them. It was also kindly supported by Joe Fagan MSP and Paul Sweeney MSP, and I'm grateful to them too.
I want to say a genuine thank you to Neil for taking the time to do this. It means an enormous amount. An award like this really isn't about one person, though — it belongs to everyone who reads the site, sends in a story, shares a post, or stops me in the street to tell me what's going on in the town. Paisley on the Web has only ever been possible because of you.
Nearly thirty years on, I'm as proud of Paisley and Renfrewshire as I've ever been, and just as determined to keep bringing you the news that matters to our community.
Thank you, Neil. And thank you, Paisley.
— Brian McGuire