An incredible £1 million donation has been given anonymously in support of the TS Queen Mary’s journey back to the River Clyde. The 90-year-old ship, built in Dumbarton, carried 13,000 holidaymakers and was famously visited by the Queen Mother and King George VI. This anonymous gift will “turbo-charge” the refurbishment project as it brings donations to the halfway mark of the £10 million estimate.
Iain Sim, chairman of Friends of TS Queen Mary, is elated with this incredible donation: “Our donations now stand at £4.8million, and we are beyond ecstatic about this anonymous contribution. Not only does it give a huge boost to our efforts, but it also resonates with people from Britain and all around the world.” This money will be used for constructing new decks that meet modern maritime safety standards – one of the largest structural revamps for the project.
The Glasgow boat took thousands of people, ‘Doon the Watter’, to places like Rothesay and Dunoon before it was turned into a hospitality venue in the 1980s – resulting in drastic fabric changes.
But since its return to Glasgow in 2016, they’ve been hard at work restoring it back to its former grandeur. It even had notable patrons such as Robbie Coltrane, who dedicated his last years to raising funds (£75K) for its recovery, and Sam Neill, who acknowledges its importance.
TS Queen Mary is officially listed on Britain’s historical ships register, making her a national treasure as she’s now known as the last turbine steamship ever built in Scotland!