You can phone us on +44 (0)1555 665 051 or +44 (0)7877 935 254 (don's mobile).

You can email don@clydevalley.net or joanne@clydevalley.net.

We are retired teachers, one from primary schools, the other from a computing background and we work on clydevalley.net as a labour of love. We hope that this website will put back a little of the enrichment of our lives which we have received through our joint 100+ years. In our view, music, art, writing, theatre, dance and craft are not add-on 'extras' but are vital expressions of the health of any society. As Yann Martell puts it, in the final sentence of his introduction to 'Life of Pi':-

'If we citizens do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams'

We believe that the Clyde Valley has a strong cultural identity and that it is rich in cultural talent, professional and amateur. We feel that, especially in rural areas, folk tend to work in isolation with limited opportunities for self-publicity. This website is intended to celebrate their work and to help share it. We want also to make it easier for people to find out what's going on - a concert, a group to join or an exhibition and about how to contact those involved in these activities. There are several fine websites in the valley of the River Clyde but we think that there's a niche for one which is totally focussed on local culture.

We hope that visitors will look at our Showcase and enjoy the featured works. We do not see ourselves as editors. We make no quality decisions regarding artistic 'merit' but aim to present all that we receive on a 'first come first served' basis.

We receive no financial support from governments in Brussels, London, Edinburgh, Lanark or Hamilton or from any of the quangos and agencies attached thereto.

The Clyde valley is as much an attitude of mind as a well-defined geographical area. In our view it covers approximately the area south of Hamilton, stretching down the River Clyde to Abington, swinging round by Strathaven and Lesmahagow in the west, and Broughton and Carnwath in the east. Our site does not try to exclude the larger towns, but we are not looking so actively for entries there. We mainly want to target those living and working in the more rural areas, because we believe that the larger towns and cities are already well catered for. But we are not drawing firm boundary lines.

Clydevalley.net will serve its purpose well only if it is truly representative of all the cultural activity of the valley. We know that there are more people and groups out there and we aim to add them to our listings gradually. We are also keen to find innovations which will make our website more interesting and useful to visitors and those listed on it.

Joanne Grant and Don Dougall,

January 2007