Hundreds log-on to Leven ‘labour of love’

Sep 5 2008 by Tina Kemp, Lennox Herald (main ed)

A WEBSITE charting the life and times of the Vale of Leven is attracting worldwide interest.

Hundreds of amateur historians and ex-pats have been logging on to www.valeofleven.org.uk to resurrect links with the past and share their memories.

Website creators, Vale men Bryan Weir and Harry Summers, are amazed at the response to the site, which contains information about everything from sport and leisure to industry and place names and focuses on towns and villages in the Vale of Leven and Loch Lomondside.

The duo, both enthusiastic about their local heritage, describe the non-commercial site as a “labour of love”.

Said Bryan, who stays in Dalvait: “Harry, in particular, is passionate about preserving the Vale’s history. We were talking about it and decided to create the website. Harry writes most of the material and I do the site maintenance.

“Its purpose is to act as a repository of information about the Vale of Leven’s history, which we hope will attract contributions from many local people. Our intention is to make it the first and best reference point for anyone looking for information about the Vale and its towns and villages, and also to ensure that this information is not lost in the mists of time.”

The website includes contributions from Graham Lappin, a former Bonhill man who now lives in the USA. Graham, now chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. wrote the book Old Alexandria, Bonhill and Renton, published in 1999.

Bryan and Harry, who are both active members of Alexandria Burns Club, have had hits from Vale enthusiasts from all over the world.

And a recently added discussion page has attracted numerous posts from people keen to share their memories.

Last week, Bryan launched a page asking ex-pats who has lost contact with Vale friends to get in touch so the details can be posted on the site – and hopefully bring about some happy reunions.

Bryan and Harry, 65, want the website to be a living link with the past, which is why they are keen to encourage contributions from people at home and abroad.

“People from all over the world who have a connection with the Vale of Leven have been in touch already,” said Bryan. “I got a series of e-mails from a woman whose husband, John Santos, used to be the managing director of Westclox. She said she got all nostalgic when she saw the website.”

Visit the website at ww.valeofleven.org.uk