Scots given chance to sail on historic TS Queen Mary after restoration

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Waverley paddle steamer will set sail to mark the TS Queen Mary’s 90th anniversary year and 10 lucky Sunday Mail readers can go to the event.The TS Queen Mary’s milestone will be marked with a special cruise aboard her ex-fleetmate with celebrity guest Still Game star Greg Hemphill on board.The steamship, undergoing a £6million revamp, is expected to be back in service next year after a campaign for repairs –spearheaded by the late actor Robbie Coltrane.Friends of TS Queen Mary, the charity charged with her restoration, has already raised more than £3.8million and the vessel, brought back from Tilbury Docks in Essex, is now berthed at a dock in Pacific Quay.

Hemphill, 53, said: “I’m looking forward to cutting the cake to celebrate the ship and it will also be a chance to pay tribute to the very talented Robbie Coltrane, who was a dear friend and dedicated his life to the restoration of his beloved TS Queen Mary.” Iain Sim, the Chairman of Friends of TS Queen Mary, said:“We are delighted that Greg has agreed to be our special guest.“It is fantastic to have his support for the 90th anniversary cruise on board the Waverley.

It is shaping up to be a truly memorable occasion”.Built in 1933, the five-deck TS Queen Mary ferried thousands of holidaymakers to resorts such as Rothesay and Dunoon.The Sunday Mail revealed in September that Coltrane raised £75,000 before his death in October last year to help restore the steamship by selling personalised videos and “shout-out” messages on the celebrity video site Cameo.Built in 1946, the Waverley has already undergone a three-year £7 million heritage which restored the ship to her original 1947 condition.Known as “Britain’s finest pleasure steamer”, the Waverley sailed from