AFTER taking time out from a fact-finding mission on the political situation in Catalonia, Paisley and Renfrewshire North MP Gavin Newlands tells us about a small village in the region and its links to his home town.

AS many of you will know – particularly if you’ve been reading my colleague Ronnie Cowan’s Catalan diary over last few days – politicians, civic leaders and regular citizens have been thrown in jail for attempting to discharge a mandate given to the government in the Catalan elections.

I will not opine on the merits of Catalan independence itself, as that is for the people of Catalonia. However, the sight of voters being attacked without provocation and non-politicians jailed – some locked up for nearly a year without trial – is something that should shame Europe and belongs in another time. It is for this reason that I was pleased to accompany the All Party Parliamentary Group On Catalonia on a packed fact-finding trip to find out the latest situation on the ground. We met some truly inspirational people and heard some humbling stories. It’s pretty clear that, if anything, the Catalan resolve and strength of support for independence, and their jailed or exiled leaders, has grown in the last year despite the treatment meted out by Madrid.

As shameful as the crackdown on democracy is, the trip also gave me the opportunity to visit a village in the foothills of the Pyrenees called Borgonyà that has very close historical links to Paisley, the town of my birth and part of my constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire North.

Back in 1893, Coats, the famous Paisley textile company, which at one time was the biggest company in the world, bought the land near a waterfall on the River Ter to set up a new mill in Catalonia. They set about establishing what the Catalans call a “worker’s colony” based around the mill. They took inspiration from Robert Owen’s New Lanark mill that ensured workers and their families were well looked after with regard to housing, healthcare and education. This was not only the right and ethical thing to do but makes good business sense as happy and healthy workers are more productive.

With a similar ethos, Coats set about building Borgonyà to incorporate a nursery, school, a doctor’s surgery, town hall, theatre, housing and churches, including a Church of Scotland Kirk built on the factory site. This was important as some 200 plus workers from Scotland were tempted over to Catalonia to provide experience alongside the Catalan workforce which, at its peak, would number more than 1000. It was also the first factory site in Spain to give workers sick leave and a 40-hour working week established just after the First World War.

The mill would go on to become known for the quality of its thread, producing some 60 tonnes a week from 80,000 spinning wheels at the factory’s peak. As we well know from bitter experience textiles, and in particular, traditional mills were becoming outdated and towards the end of the century many were being closed. Borgonyà‘s mill was to last seven years longer than Paisley’s and finally ceased production in 2000.

What has been left behind is a fantastic legacy for Paisley and Scotland. The village may be small but it has been well maintained and is very pleasing on the eye. The local community are rightly proud of it, as they are of its links with Paisley and Scotland. It is the Saltire, not the Catalan flag, which is flown high above the factory. The football team Club Deportivo Borgonyà, play in St Mirren style strips – including a Saltire – and the clubhouse is also decorated with black and white stripes.

I was very lucky to have been given a guided tour around Borgonyà by the local Mayor Eric Sibina, alongside a group including local councillors, football club historian and interpreter.

The village is guarded by a railway line to the front, with hillsides at the rear, and there are only two road tunnels to access the village. When you enter, you notice the huge number of flags, yellow ribbons and streamers hanging from lampposts in solidarity with the political prisoners. I walked down Scotland Street, Coats Street and Paisley Street and was struck by the fantastic condition of the former workers cottages, the vast majority of which still remain in use.

Indeed, I was shown inside a cottage that has been maintained in its original condition including family photographs on display. We then walked to the factory itself which sits just outside the town across the main road and viewed the giant turbines that were turned by the water of the River Ter. On entering the site you pass the colony doctor’s house which the local council hope to renovate to become a tourist information/reception centre and museum. Beyond this is the giant factory chimney which dominates the skyline of the whole area.

My final destination was the football club which sits in a lovely secluded setting between the canal and the river, surrounded by trees. While visiting the club I was delighted to present a Quaich, a symbol of friendship, to the Mayor on behalf of Provost Lorraine Cameron. It is the town and the club’s 125th anniversary in 2020 and they would love to mark it in association with Paisley, and Renfrewshire. I hope the Mayor’s plan to attract more tourists to the area is successful as I found the visit utterly fascinating. It is only about one hour’s drive from Barcelona, which makes it a very worthwhile day trip from the Costa Brava.

The people of Borgonyà are proud of their Paisley and Scottish heritage. It would be fantastic to see this relatively unknown bond between Paisley and Catalonia become much stronger. I will certainly be working to that end. Borgonyà is another reminder that we should be proud of our heritage and of what Paisley, and Scotland, has given to Catalonia and the world.