The Bishopbriggs Runner

There used to be a statue on the canopy of the Bishopbriggs Sports Centre of a running man. It often had a traffic cone on its head and at Christmas and New Year a scarf inevitably appeared round its neck. The runner was modelled on a Clydesdale Harrier called Bobby Gray in 1933 and created by John Longden (a Baillie in Clydebank and an employee of Tullis's in Livingston Street). It was unique in that it was cast in a new aluminium alloy called Sindal and only three were ever cast. Two were destroyed and the one at Bishopbriggs was the only one remaining when it was given to Bishopbriggs in 1973. There was a plaster version in the Clydebank Public Library for decades and the last we heard of the Bishopbriggs one was that it was in an office being used as a coat and hat stand. In the 1980's and 1990's the Cowan family were clubv members - Lunn was a coach and Colin a competitor in the Young Athletes League who did the javelin and filled in in the steeplechase!

Has anybody seen it lately?

So now you know!