Alan Crossan says he has been overwhelmed by offers of help and feels compelled to rebuild the Glasgow pub
The owner of the Clutha Vaults pub crushed in the Glasgow helicopter disaster has said he plans to rebuild it "in the same way it was before".
Alan Crossan visited the scene on Monday morning just as the Eurocopter EC135 T2, wrapped in a protective tarpaulin, was lifted slowly from the roof of the pub he has owned for 12 years.
"Just seeing the helicopter coming out of there was a bit surreal," he said. "There was a silence about the place … just awful. It's very hard to describe seeing how big it was, as it's coming out just hanging in the air, the damage it has caused, the lives it has taken."
Crossan, who also owns the neighbouring Victoria bar in the same block and a hotel in Millport on the island of Cumbrae, says he feels compelled to rebuild the Clutha once it has been returned to him.
"It wouldn't be accepted if I didn't do that. It has to be rebuilt, the same way it was before."
That would include a memorial to the nine people known to have been killed there. "We've obviously got to be sensitive about what we do – some sort of memorial. Got to be sensitive about that," Crossan said. "It's the people who matter. We can fix things [in the bar], no bother about that."
He said he had been overwhelmed by offers of help and generosity, revealing that the brewers Tennent's, who supply his beer, had just offered to pay the wages of his 12 staff until it reopened and to help pay to rebuild the premises. A neighbour at his home in Crossmyloof had given him four bags of shopping, while other people had been "pushing biscuits" through the fence around the pub for the emergency crews working at the crash site. "This is Glasgow, isn't it?" he said.
He said the pub's Facebook page had had 1.5m visitors, and he had been inundated with offers from electricians, joiners and plumbers with promises of help to rebuild it.
Crossan had had plans to build a roof terrace on the pub: those plans were with Glasgow city council. He was considering returning to that proposal.
Crossan said he had been at home on Friday when he was told about the crash by phone minutes after it happened. Asked how he now felt, he said: "Just numb. I'm just trying to keep as strong as I can to help our customers, to help our staff and deal with people like that." Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 days ago.
The owner of the Clutha Vaults pub crushed in the Glasgow helicopter disaster has said he plans to rebuild it "in the same way it was before".
Alan Crossan visited the scene on Monday morning just as the Eurocopter EC135 T2, wrapped in a protective tarpaulin, was lifted slowly from the roof of the pub he has owned for 12 years.
"Just seeing the helicopter coming out of there was a bit surreal," he said. "There was a silence about the place … just awful. It's very hard to describe seeing how big it was, as it's coming out just hanging in the air, the damage it has caused, the lives it has taken."
Crossan, who also owns the neighbouring Victoria bar in the same block and a hotel in Millport on the island of Cumbrae, says he feels compelled to rebuild the Clutha once it has been returned to him.
"It wouldn't be accepted if I didn't do that. It has to be rebuilt, the same way it was before."
That would include a memorial to the nine people known to have been killed there. "We've obviously got to be sensitive about what we do – some sort of memorial. Got to be sensitive about that," Crossan said. "It's the people who matter. We can fix things [in the bar], no bother about that."
He said he had been overwhelmed by offers of help and generosity, revealing that the brewers Tennent's, who supply his beer, had just offered to pay the wages of his 12 staff until it reopened and to help pay to rebuild the premises. A neighbour at his home in Crossmyloof had given him four bags of shopping, while other people had been "pushing biscuits" through the fence around the pub for the emergency crews working at the crash site. "This is Glasgow, isn't it?" he said.
He said the pub's Facebook page had had 1.5m visitors, and he had been inundated with offers from electricians, joiners and plumbers with promises of help to rebuild it.
Crossan had had plans to build a roof terrace on the pub: those plans were with Glasgow city council. He was considering returning to that proposal.
Crossan said he had been at home on Friday when he was told about the crash by phone minutes after it happened. Asked how he now felt, he said: "Just numb. I'm just trying to keep as strong as I can to help our customers, to help our staff and deal with people like that." Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 days ago.