The new Paisley Museum is set to tell the story of a forgotten Scottish athletics star who was “the Mo Farah of his time”.
William Cummings was born in 1858 in Paisley and would go on to become a world-champion distance runner – beating England’s best athlete in the process.
Opening in 2024, the museum’s £45 million refurbishment will include a display of Cumming’s ten-mile world champion belt.
The belt will be displayed alongside donations from the Scottish marathon record holder, Callum Hawkins.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games star visited the Secret Collection – Paisley’s Museum store - to donate his New Balance running shoes and Team GB vest from competing in the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019, where he ran fourth in the marathon.
Last night, Callum Hawkins finished 4th in the brutal heat of Doha desert World Champs! Incredible redemption after collapsing with heat exhaustion in Gold Coast Games last year. He did most of his training this summer in his shed with stacks of Aldi heaters. There are no excuses pic.twitter.com/m759UR69nL
— Russell Bentley (@russell_runner) October 6, 2019
The Elderslie distance runner also donated a European Championships Cross Country bronze medal that he won in 2016, where he helped Team GB to win a gold medal.
Hawkins said: It’s an honour to be part of the museum. I remember going as a kid and it’s amazing to think I’m going to be part of it when it reopens.
“This area has produced some amazing athletes over the years, from Kilbarchan Amateur Athletics Club providing great coaching, to the brilliant local facilities, it means that Renfrewshire has a great track record in supporting elite athletes.”
Back in the 1800s, George Cummings turned professional to take part in a series of head-to-heads over a three-race challenge, over one mile, four miles and ten miles – with one of these stages taking part in Edinburgh.
The Paisley local was pitted against the leading amateur of the day, an Englishman called Walter George.
Archie Henderson, social history researcher at OneRen, said: “It really captured the imagination of the public at the time. There were thousands of people coming just to see these two race around a track.
“You had the perfect recipe for competition and the public wanted to know who was best.
“Paisley and Renfrewshire has a legacy of producing elite athletes and we want to reflect that in our new display.”
One of the stadiums used to host the event had at least 25,000 people inside – although once it reached capacity, the race was so popular that crowds tore down barriers to gain entry.
The museum refurbishment’s main funder is Renfrewshire Council, with additional funding from the Scottish Government, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic Environment Scotland.
