A NEW centre celebrating the heroes of Helensburgh has been given the seal of approval – by a close relative of arguably the greatest local hero of them all.

Laura Conley, John Logie Baird’s great-niece, cut the ribbon to officially open the Helensburgh Heroes Centre in Sinclair Street on Saturday morning – and declared herself thrilled at the facility as a whole and the part her family’s story plays in it.

The tale of Miss Conley’s great-uncle, and his central role in the early days of television, sits alongside the stories of other members of the Baird family at the new centre, which was kept under wraps until just ten days before the official opening.

After the ceremony, Miss Conley said: “It’s absolutely wonderful. I was so taken aback on seeing my grandmother’s wedding dress – it was as if she was there, but in a lovely way.

“I’m really pleased to see the family remembered in this way.

“It was about time something was done to commemorate John Logie Baird and the other people from the town who have achieved such great things.

“It’s a lovely way for people to remember, and a lovely way for youngsters to learn.”

The facility has been in the planning by a small board of charity trustees since 2008, but took a major leap forward only a few months ago after an anonymous benefactor offered the charity two years’ rent-free use of the Sinclair Street premises which previously housed Belle Interiors.

And the stories of Helensburgh’s heroes don’t represent the end of the project. The premises also houses a shop, with Helensburgh-branded clothing and souvenirs, while a 1950s-style cafe, Hucksters – named after Burgh-born actress Deborah Kerr’s breakthrough Hollywood film – is expected to be open within the next two weeks.

And more announcements about the second phase of the Helensburgh Heroes project – which will focus on training for young people, in the hope of inspiring them to become a future “Helensburgh Hero”, and development opportunities for start-up businesses – are expected early in the new year.

A preview evening for invited guests on Thursday evening attracted a packed crowd of Burgh residents, business owners and community group representatives eager for a sneak peek at what the centre offers.

Speaking at last Thursday’s preview, Helensburgh Heroes’ chairman, Professor Michael Baker, said: “We’ve been going at this idea for more than a decade now, and we’d actually started to get a little bit fed up with being asked ‘what’s Helensburgh Heroes doing now?’.

“The answer was always ‘trying hard, but not very successfully’. But now, thanks to a piece of good luck, we have these premises to give people an image of what we might be able to achieve in phase two.”

In an echo of one of the project’s most eye-catching initiatives before the last few weeks – a cover of David Bowie’s classic song Heroes, recorded by more than 100 local singers and musicians and released in 2009 – Prof Baker added: “We are all about celebrating Helensburgh’s past and inspiring the future.

“We want to show that anybody from Helensburgh can be a hero – even if only for a day.”

As well as the famous names mentioned above, other local heroes featured at the centre, next door to Greggs on Sinclair Street, include women’s suffrage campaigner Eunice Guthrie Murray, Britain’s first major stage and screen star Jack Buchanan, poet WH Auden, who taught at the town’s Larchfield School, and animator Laura Grieve, whose credits include the smash his Shrek film series.

And Logie Baird’s great-niece isn’t the only one impressed at what the centre offers: both the preview and the first official day in operation saw no shortage of visitors who expressed their delight at what they saw.

One visitor on Thursday, Jeannette Scobie, chair of the Arts Society Lomond and Argyll, said: “I was impressed by the premises in Sinclair Street – bright, lively but not garish.

“I found the speeches by Phil Worms and Professor Michael Baker persuasive, interesting and moving – this was obviously a most significant event and achievement for Phil Worms.

“I thought the memorabilia was well displayed even in such a small area and enjoyed, especially Miss Baird’s wedding dress and photograph, perhaps because I am a seasoned wedding guest!

“I have ordered some copies of the book Inspiring Lives for the younger members of my family and lastly I was pleased to meet the girls serving the Prosecco etc – very charming, enthusiastic and articulate. I wish them, their generation and the project well.”

After the dust had settled on Thursday’s preview and Saturday morning’s official opening, Helensburgh Heroes trustee Phil Worms, who originally had the idea of a project honouring those from Helensburgh who made their mark on the wider world, told the Advertiser: “The reaction we’ve had has been really, really good – the comment we’ve had most often was ‘wow, I didn’t expect this’.

“When you have a vision for something it’s very difficult to judge how it will go down with the wider public, but the general feeling seems to be that it could be a real boost for Helensburgh.

“We have quite a few things lined up to be announced soon, and some of them really have the power to put Helensburgh on the map.

“The display in the front section of the premises was always going to be of interest, but that’s not ultimately what we set out seeking to achieve.”