A young TikTok star from Paisley has set off on a journey to big up all of the brilliant businesses in town as well as raising money for charity in the process.
Craig Ferguson, whose TikTok profile has more than 17,000 followers, has become low-key famous for his travel vlogs on the popular social media app.
The 19-year-old is now planning on using that profile to show his support for his community with a trip that will take him from Vienna’s nightclub to the Austrian capital, Vienna.
On his journey, Craig will share images and videos with his followers showcasing merchandise from Paisley firms.
It started out with Craig approaching the nightclub team, telling them he planned a Vienna’s to Vienna trip for his profile and asked if they’d share it on their social media channels. This led to a great opportunity to develop Craig’s journey to promote the hard work of local traders.
The marketing team and management at Vienna’s put their heads together and came up with the plan to sponsor Craig’s trip, with the hope of getting other local businesses on board as well.
Their idea went down a storm with the following businesses currently involved: Vienna’s, The Cave, Northern Way, Roasters, Pro-Life Gym, Print Studio Scotland, Bee Unique Design and Printing, Barga, The Ugly Duck, De Beers, and The Bungalow.
Stephen Adams, manager at Vienna’s, said: “We like to think outside the box, and when this idea was suggested, we knew we could use this opportunity to promote ourselves and other Paisley businesses, whilst raising money for a local charity.
“We have a great relationship with other local venues and businesses, we knew we could reach out to them; and in true Paisley style, they all jumped at the chance to help out and support. This is a tough time economically for a lot of businesses, so it shows the community spirit that Paisley has.”
Craig set off today, on International Women’s Day, and all monies raised from his trip will be going to Renfrewshire Women’s Aid.
“I’ve always grown up with such amazing female role models around me so helping a charity like Renfrewshire Women’s Aid is a very proud moment for myself,” said Craig.
Craig, has a love of travelling and set up his profile with the purpose of sharing that passion with others.
He added: “I believe travelling can be a crucial experience – and if I can help promote Paisley businesses as much as possible along the way, I’ll be happy.
"I think it’s such a good idea, especially to promote a bit of Paisley pride in the younger generation. It’s crucial that Paisley keeps a sense of togetherness and I feel like this story highlights how everyone still comes together for a silly, fun idea.”
Colin Barber of Bee Unique Printers provided some of the merchandise Craig will be using on his trip. He said: “When I heard the reasoning behind it, I was more than happy to provide the T-shirt, travel bottle and cup free, to help raise money for a wonderful charity.”
And a spokesperson from Northern Way added: “We are proud to support a local man in doing his bit to support the women of Renfrewshire who are assisted by Renfrewshire Woman’s Aid along with other local businesses.”
Jen Sloan, manager at The Cave, Paisley, said: “The team at Vienna’s reached out to us late last week with the idea, and we thought it was a great one. We regularly support Renfrewshire Women’s Aid, and we saw this as another way to help raise money, and also shine a light on Paisley businesses.”
And a spokesperson from The Bungalow said: “This is important to The Bungalow as it sits within our ethos as a community interest company.
“We work with local suppliers and spend locally as much as possible.
“We give back to the community and run charity events too, to ensure everyone In Renfrewshire has the best possible opportunities.”
Those wanting to support Craig in his aim to raise money for Renfrewshire Women's aid can do so via their donation page here: http://bit.ly/3F5Fl8f
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