BRAND new road signs welcoming motorists to Helensburgh have been approved by members of the town’s community council – and now the job of raising money to pay for them is under way.
Members of Helensburgh Community Council (HCC) discussed, and voted on, two sets of proposals for new signs to be situated on the A814 at the eastern and western edges of the town, and on the A818 at the top of Sinclair Street.
The debate comes after concerns were raised that the existing red-painted signs needed repair, repainting or replacement.
The two options put before HCC members at their latest monthly meeting featured the choice of a ‘transport’ style font or a Charles Rennie Mackintosh-inspired typeface, and the choice of paintings or line drawings of two Helensburgh landmarks - the Clock Tower and the Hill House.
Both versions replicate the existing signs’ message proclaiming Helensburgh as the “birthplace of John Logie Baird, the inventor of television”.
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Missing from both versions of the new sign is mention of the town’s twinning link with Thouars in France.
By a show-of-hands vote, the ‘transport’ font and the ‘line drawings’ art option, pictured right, won the day.
The new signs will be attached to the legs of the existing signs.
The new sign ideas were created jointly by HCC secretary Roger Ferdinand and John Macpherson from Helensburgh Garelochside Rotary Club, whose logo will appear on the new sign alongside that of HCC, and follow meetings of a working group comprising members of both organisations.
HCC member Nigel Millar told the meeting: “Congratulations on the two signs, which are a damn sight better than what’s there. They both show exactly what Helensburgh is about.”
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Tariq Durrani, who is a member of both HCC and the Rotary Club, said afterwards: “The existing signs are badly faded and somewhat dilapidated.
“The project group had in mind producing signs that were modern, representative of the town, included iconic structures and easily identifiable.
“The next steps are to establish a campaign to raise funds to construct and install the new signs at the locations indicated above.”
More details of the fund-raising campaign have yet to be revealed.
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