A HISTORY researcher at the University of Glasgow is looking to interview former Singer workers as part of his research into the health and wellbeing in Scottish post-industrial communities.

James Dougan is keen to speak to former workers of Clydebank’s sewing machine factory who are willing to discuss their memories of the time of the closure and the years subsequent.

James explained that research has been carried out on the effects of industrial closure on the health and wellbeing of former industrial communities and the research until now has mostly focused on the male experience and a gap in the history exists concerning the female experience.

He hopes to provide a historical understanding of the male and female working-class experiences of social change against the background of factory closure.

James told the Post: “I will be conducting a series of ‘life history’ interviews with former employees of Singer, to explore their background, their experience of work and life prior to the closure, as well as their observations of the changes to the community in the years after the closure.

“Extracts from these interviews will be used in my doctoral thesis, and the audio recordings will be deposited with the Scottish Oral History Centre at the University of Strathclyde as a resource for future research in the field.

“Although Singer closed almost 40 years ago, it is notable how prominent it remains in the popular imagination, and I hope to speak with residents, or former residents, of Clydebank who are keen to share their experiences of the years following the Singer closure and reflect on the changes they witnessed.

“These testimonies will help to gain insight into the Clydebank experience after 1980 from the perspective of the people that lived and worked there during that time.”

To get involved or for more information contact j.dougan.1@research.gla.ac.uk or call 07759 517 765.