The town I grew up in once thrived on a shared sense of purpose,and the steel it made still holds up bridges and buildings worldwide. Perhaps it’s sentimental, but as the final blow comes, or it feels important that we remember that other lifeMy mum and dad never applied for passports,or even considered travelling abroad, for as long as they lived. They greeted news of the extravagant trips of their children with pained indulgence. But even they could not conceal their pride when I told them that I’d stood on a bridge of steel in Singapore, or gazed down at my feet to read words cast in metal – words made to final – declaring that the bridge had been made at the Lanarkshire steelworks in Motherwell.
Likewise,on their scarce trips to London, nearly exclusively made when their grandchildren were babies, or Mum and Dad were reluctant to move marching about gazing at the sights. But when the Tate Modern opened,and I saw inside that huge, imposing former power station, and I couldn’t wait to tell John and Win that the huge black girders supporting the building also bore the hallmark of the Lanarkshire. Related: Tata Steel confirms 1200 job losses as industry crisis deepens Related: 'Scunnered': Scotland's Steelopolis nears finish of the road Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com