TONIGHT The Clutha Vaults pub will fall silent to remember those who lost their lives in the tragic helicopter crash five years on.
Owner Alan Crossan closes the pub as a mark of respect to the 10 people who tragically died on November 29, 2013.
“The Clutha belongs to the people of Glasgow, it doesn’t belong to me,” Alan says as he confirms the accident is still as raw as ever, no matter how much time passes.
He added: “It is theirs, that accident was part of them – and it ripped a bit of their heart out.
“They feel for it and if someone does something against the Clutha, people go mental.”
The moment the police helicopter crashed into the Stockwell Street pub is etched in the city’s history. The heroic images of the emergency services effort to rescue those trapped offered Glaswegians comfort and pride.
The fight for answers, led by the brave families who lost their loved ones, can only attract admiration.
A fatal accident inquiry is due to be held next year
Alan said: “The families need some answers as to what happened, if they get that then we have done right by them.”
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Five years ago, the story of the Clutha was focused on the events which unfolded on that night as a police helicopter crashed down onto the pub while 120 people gathered to enjoy ska band Esperanza’s performance.
The city will never forget the victims: Gary Arthur, 48; Samuel McGhee, 56; Colin Gibson, 33; Robert Jenkins, 61; John McGarrigle, 57; Mark O’Prey, 44 and Joe Cusker, 59; and the helicopter crew who lost their lives, pilot David Traill, 51 and PCs Kirsty Nelis, 36 and Tony Collins, 43.
Today, however, something positive has emerged from the tragedy in The Clutha Trust, which helps some of the city’s most disadvantaged children through the arts.
Alan set up the charity three years ago after realising he had the power to raise money through a fundraising album recorded in the aftermath of the accident.
Since then the charity has grown, and now yards from the pub itself lies the Clutha Trust’s first shop which provides a new home to raise those funds.
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The idea for the shop, which opened in September, came after volunteer and Barrowland stagehand Billy Coyle asked several artists to sign guitars to raise money for the charity.
Those guitars, signed by the likes of Van Morrison, Paul Weller and Coldplay, are displayed proudly on the walls of the shop to be auctioned off for as little as £1 a month through a lottery-style auction.
Alan said: “When Billy asked Madness to sign the first guitar everyone started talking about it.
“Now artists came to Glasgow and asked ‘what is it I need to do for the Clutha’?
“Van Morrison asked, ‘What do I need to do for the Clutha?’
“It’s amazing to know word is getting out amongst that industry.”
Alan is keen to stress the shop is different from most charity retailers. Items are often sold on behalf of people, with commission going to The Clutha Trust.
He added: “We never really thought about having a shop.
“We just tried to raise money to help disadvantaged kids through the arts and that is what our aim is.
“We want to give kids a chance so that they don’t fall into a trap of homelessness or drugs. We are giving them a chance to explore whatever talents they have.”
A space upstairs in the shop is reserved for the Clutha Kids who play their music in the pub once a month on a Sunday.
They can use the space for rehearsals and perhaps take inspiration from the Aladdin’s cave of musical goodies which have been given by major recording artists for The Clutha Trust to sell.
Alan said: “The memory of what happened that night will always be there through the Clutha Trust, and how we helped and why we helped kids. It is the legacy of it really.
“It is not me who has created this, it is the people of the Clutha who have.”
He continued: “I am only looking after it just now, but it will always drive forward with the families.
“The families are positive about, it is something positive that came out of that horrible night.
“There is a legacy in that we are helping kids through the music and arts – that is what the Clutha is all about. That is something that is going forward.”
The faces who once stood at the bar of The Clutha, including Benny Lynch and Billy Connolly, now adorn its facade. And although the mural created through an Art Pistol project is now a popular city site, the lasting look of The Clutha is still to be decided. Alan explained the pub’s current state is a temporary solution, although the area where the helicopter crashed will always be closed off.
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He said: “On the night of the anniversary we always close. We just shut at 8pm and some people put a candle outside. The long-term (future) of the Clutha is still to be decided and what we will do with it.”
He added: “The Clutha itself will always be there for Glasgow in whatever form.”
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