Fears Glasgow's tall ship could be sunk by COP26 closure

Trustees had high hopes that with their close proximity to the Scottish Event Campus, where the COP26 climate summit will be held in November, that given their green credentials – it could be argued she is one of the oldest wind turbines in the world – they would have a part to play.

The Glenlee will be closed for the duration of COP26

However, now the tourist attraction will be closed for four weeks before and during the summit, and it is feared that the loss of income from the closure and no guidance on how much compensation they are likely to be offered, the Glenlee could be facing her biggest threat of going under in her history.

Read more: Glasgow's tall ship Glenlee in battle to secure future as she marks 125th year

Despite several emails to the Cabinet Office, the department which has responsibility for the summit, trustees have been given no indication of how much and when they will receive compensation or even what criteria it will be based on.

“We are just weeks away from being closed for the duration of COP26. We stand to lose in the region of £90,000 in income and this could just be the biggest threat we have faced to literally being sunk,” said Trust chairman Colin Botfield.

“We’ve gone from offering the use of the ship and the hope of us being involved as a venue for a COP26 event to being closed for four weeks. Despite repeated attempts we don’t know how much we are likely to receive in compensation. We are a charity trying to run a business and this uncertainty is very difficult for us.”

Glenlee Tall Ship lies in the COP26 closure zone

Found abandoned in a Spanish port in the early 1990s and destined to be scrapped, the Glenlee spent her earlier years as a Spanish navy sail training ship, but had been languishing for decades and when she was found she was in poor shape from the glory days of her launch in 1896 in Port Glasgow.

Owned by the Clyde Maritime Trust and run by a board of volunteer trustees and staff who man the shop, café and event spaces, they receive support from Glasgow City Council but are facing a funding battle.

It was in 1993 that a now 92-year-old founder trustee Hamish Hardie, an Olympian yachtsman, began a mission to save her and bring her home. The trust managed to get £40,000 together and paid the sum of money she was worth as scrap.

And for a vessel which is 125 years old there is constant maintenance work required and it had been hoped that enough funds could be raised for her to go into dry dock for long over due essential checks to be made.

Mr Botfield added: “We have been told there might be access to allow for maintenance to be carried out, but what do I tell my staff about when they will be working. We just don’t have the answers just now. It sounds like we will be closed by October 21 at the latest to November 18.

“Glasgow City Council compensated city centre business closed due to recent Indiana Jones filming and in Cornwall businesses affected by the G7 summit appeared to be compensated yet we, a charity, are being treated abysmally with empty promises. We’ve been in communication with the Cabinet Office and even helping them and police for more than three months and still getting vague undefined indications.

"If the compensation comes after the summit, well it might just be too late for us”

Glasgow MP Carol Monaghan raised the issue in the trustees behalf with the Cabinet Office and also asked a question in the House of Commons.

Ms Monaghan said: “With the COP26 Conference just around the corner, this is Glasgow’s opportunity to showcase its culture and heritage on the world stage. Our city is full of historical landmarks, and hosting a global forum is the perfect chance to showcase our history to the rest of the world."

She said when she last visited the Tall Ship she was concerned and disappointed to learn that Glasgow businesses and cultural venues within the conference security perimeter would be so financially disadvantaged.

Ms Monaghan added: "It is understandable that, with world leaders and political figureheads descending upon the city, stringent safety and security is crucial. However, Glasgow’s venues should not be punished because of this. Rather, they should be financially compensated to offset lost revenue. The Tall Ship regularly hosts tours, workshops, parties, and weddings – all of which are essential for keeping the ship in business."

The Glasgow MP has submitted Written Questions to the Cabinet Office to ask what funding will be made available to businesses and cultural venues forced to close during international conferences, including COP26.

A COP26 spokesperson said: "The UK Government will provide compensation to businesses within the restricted security perimeter for whom we will not be able to facilitate staff and client access. We will be able to provide these businesses with more details soon."