FAMILIES of the 10 people who died in the Clutha tragedy will be invited to the re-opening of the pub later this month.

Owner Alan Crossan is hopeful the bar can open on Friday May 29 - exactly 18 months after a helicopter crashed through the roof of the Clutha.

He wants to invite loved ones of victims, as well as survivors and emergency service workers to a special reception before it is opened to members of the public.

Pilot David Traill and his passengers, police officers Kirsty Nelis and Tony Collins, lost their lives in the crash, which happened just before 10.25pm on November 29, 2013.

Those killed in the pub were John McGarrigle, Mark O'Prey, Gary Arthur, Colin Gibson, Robert Jenkins and Samuel McGhee.

Joe Cusker was pulled from the wreckage but later died in hospital.

Rose Room, the band that was due to play in the pub the day after the crash, will perform on the opening night.

The Evening Times was given access to the pub as work continues to renovate the building in Stockwell Street.

Alan, who had wanted to open the new Clutha on May 1, is waiting for planning permission to place a large sound-proof roof over the beer garden to create a live music and socialising space.

He has repeatedly said that the bar will never be exactly what it was before the crash - and the part of the building where the helicopter crashed through remains largely untouched.

The focus has instead been on the adjoining Victoria bar and the outdoor space.

The refurbishment - around £300,000 - has included building new toilets, remodelling the kitchen, installing a pizza oven and transforming the decor.

Alan said: "We've renewed the toilet area in the Clutha - we're not doing anything else there. These are the first steps.

"It's not the complete answer, it's the first steps to get people back into the pub. "Maybe then we'll work on everything else."

Alan said the new Clutha will be heavily influenced by its past. A wall featuring photographs of people who drank in the bar, from Stan Laurel, Woody Guthrie and Johnny Ramensky to Spike Milligan and Billy Connelly.

A mural designed by Art Pistolwill be wrapped around the pub.

The wall leading to the toilets, where the old Clutha bar was, will be mounted with artwork. Another wall will feature the old photos that were not destroyed in the crash.

Alan said: "I'm trying to bring wee bits of the Clutha back that are relevant.

"It's whether people come back and like it.

"It won't be like the Clutha, it never will, it couldn't be.

"But the Clutha was never about the building, it's the people."

There are no plans for a memorial spot inside the pub because Alan wants to "get it right".

He said: "I'd hope to submit plans to get a memorial garden next to the Clyde. We might even call it the Clutha Garden, because Clutha means the Clyde.

"It's got to be a place people can go and reflect.

"It could be for Glasgow."

Alan is still close with the people affected by the tragedy. The family of Colin Gibson donated £400 to the Clutha Trust charity, which was set up to support young people and get them playing music.

A gesture, Alan said, was overwhelming.

He was also visited by the father of Gary Arthur at the pub recently.

Alan called for the families to be given answers so they can come to terms with the tragedy.

A report said the aircraft suffered engine failure. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is due to release its final conclusions later this year.

Alan said: "They (families) should know because not knowing is harder than knowing.

"Why are they not telling the families all the truth? It's not fair to people."