'A heartbreaking final page has been written into the story of a remarkable year for Glasgow'

The tragedy that unfolded so quickly on Monday afternoon means that, for too many in our community, the festive season will have been a time of great sadness and pain.

However, it is in weeks such as this one that a great quality becomes clear and apparent. In the most testing of circumstances, Glasgow reacts with courage, compassion and generosity.

And, as we look ahead to a new year, I know that Glasgow will throw its arms around those who have lost someone they love; those who have been injured; and those who were unharmed but who carry the memory of that unimaginable scene with them.

I also hope, as we offer them all our love and support, the city can afford to reflect on happier times in 2014. Glasgow is, after all, Scotland's big success story - an overachiever.

This year, we hosted the best-ever Commonwealth Games - on time and on budget. We also hosted BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, the UK and Commonwealth's principal commemorations of the start of the First World War, the MTV European Music Awards and, a fortnight ago, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

It was a joy to be in Glasgow this summer. The atmosphere was amazing. Our hotels and shops were full, our restaurants and bars enjoyed record takings; everywhere you looked there were smiling faces. Even the weather joined the party.

Team Scotland won a record medal haul and Glasgow - and Glaswegians - won the hearts of millions. It turns out people really do make Glasgow.

And, of course, I was very proud.

After 11 days of world-class sport and culture, the consensus was that Glasgow's games had been the best ever - the standout event in the history of the movement.

It had been the biggest sporting and cultural celebration Scotland had ever seen. And, while the athletes were taking centre stage, I was thinking about how Glaswegians would enjoy the long-term benefits the Games leave behind.

Over £200 million worth of Commonwealth Games related contracts were awarded to Glasgow firms and the ­council's Glasgow Guarantee helped 5000 people secure a job or an apprenticeship.

We invested £198m in new and improved sports facilities in Glasgow and all council-owned venues were in use by the public for at least a year before the Games, before they went on loan to some of the world's greatest athletes.

Already, this investment is inspiring the next generation of sports stars here in Glasgow and encouraging people to live more active lives.

Attendances at our sports venues have increased to a record high of 6.6 million in the past year while membership of the Glasgow Club gym network now stands at close to 40,000 - an increase of over 60% since the London 2012 Olympic Games.

At a grass-roots level the number of people who are part of a sports club in Glasgow has trebled to 16,500 in the past five years.

And, while those numbers are great, here is what it really means - a young swimmer in the east end of Glasgow can walk up to their local pool and dive into a lane in which world records have been set.

A gymnast or a boxer, training hard and enjoying their sport, can dream of ­competing at the SSE Hydro; winning at one of the best arenas in the world, in front of the greatest supporters. And we can all wince at the thought of cycling up Montrose Street 14 times.

Even without those moments, however, 2014 would have been a crucial year. We secured the Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Deal; the first outside England and, at £1.13 billion, the biggest in the UK. It is an economic and political game-changer - enhancing our infrastructure and ­creating tens of thousands of permanent and construction jobs.

It will also fund and foster innovation and grant us new opportunities to tackle youth unemployment and build valuable careers in traditionally lower-paid sectors.

Glasgow also took its rightful place in the Core Cities Group, comprising Britain's largest conurbation cities including Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, and now Cardiff too.

Together, we are promoting the transfer of powers away from centralising governments in Whitehall, Holyrood and Cardiff Bay towards city regions, the powerhouses of the national economy.

So, instead of asking me if I'm nervous about the Games, as people did this time last year, people now ask me simply: "What next? How does Glasgow follow 2014?"

The answer: another year packed full of activity and major events, the World Gymnastics Championships, the World IPC Swimming Championships, ­European Judo Championships and Davis Cup Tennis for starters.

There will be a kind of homecoming for The Turner Prize - a world-famous event that has become synonymous with Glasgow and Glasgow's wonderful School of Art, which itself witnessed both triumph and despair in 2014, but which endures and will continue to flourish and inspire our city.

Europe's research hospital will open in the south of the city, as will the £90m Technology & Innovation Centre at Strathclyde University and new college campuses at Cathedral Street and Thistle Street.

And as a centrepiece of our Green Year 2015, and a reflection of our status as the renewables capital of Scotland, we will host for the first time the All-Energy conference.

So, even in a time of sadness, I have great belief in our city's resilience and in its future. 2014 is Glasgow's new base-camp. It's not the summit of our ambition.