Thanks for the memories

There was a massive turn-out in Glasgow City Centre on Friday for the parade by the Team Scotland athletes who had represented the nation so well at the recent Commonwealth Games. It was hard to determine whether the athletes were saying "Thank-you" to the people who had supported them, or the other way round. In truth, the feeling either way was pretty mutual.

I started off watching the crowds gather in Blythswood Square, and the atmosphere there was quite incredible. There was a pipe band from New Zealand tuning up - the World Pipe Band Championships are being held in Glasgow this weekend - and people just kept on arriving. Finally the band formed up in parade order, police motor-cycles with blue flashing lights drew up and then the murmur turned to a roar as the first of the lorries carrying the floats on which the athletes were standing started to approach. There was much cheering and waving and clapping as the convoy of lorries passed on their route through the city.

The parade of floats moved on into West George Street and then down onto Argyle Street, giving me (and several thousand others it seemed) to head off towards the final leg of their route up Queen Street before the ticketed-only event at George Square. If Blythswood Square was busy, then it was nothing compared to the crowds in Queen Street. Pity the poor people trying to get home from work on that particular Friday rush-hour! Once more, as the convoy of lorries passed by, the shouting and clapping was something to experience. I hope the athletes enjoyed their moment of glory - they deserved it. Happy days!