Shouts of “Times! Final Times!” echoed around the precinct as Wullie Walker, Hugh Mallaney and Charlie McLaren relived their days as city centre newspaper vendors for the Glasgow Times.
Hugh, 70, has worked as a vendor for 20 years, firstly for the then Evening Times, and now for our sister title the Greenock Telegraph.
He worked on pitches all over the city, but Central Station was always his favourite.
Former Glasgow Times (Evening Times) newspaper vendor Hugh Mallaney (Image: Colin Mearns)
“Outside Debenhams on Argyle Street was my main pitch but because I worked the overtime pitches, I was everywhere,” says Hugh.
“You got a lot of regulars buying the Times and it’s funny, because I did the station so often, now that I’m working in Greenock I still see a lot of the same faces I used to see getting off the trains.”
Former Glasgow Times (Evening Times) newspaper vendors Hugh Mallaney, Wullie Walker and Charlie McLaren (Image: Colin Mearns)
Hugh was born in Kinning Park, moved to the Red Road flats when he was 10, and for the last 50 years has stayed in Balornock. He worked as a pasteuriser in a local dairy before joining the newspaper team in 2007.
“The city centre has changed a lot,” he agrees. “The Times vendors are part of Glasgow’s history.”
Charlie, 71, and Wullie, 69, started on the same day in 2006.
Charlie McLaren (Image: Colin Mearns)
Former milkman Charlie, who is from Possilpark, also enjoyed the Central Station pitch.
“You were left alone to get on with it,” he says, with a laugh. “It was always busy. Working all over the city centre, you ended up being a tourist guide and an information service as well.
“Quite often the tourist guides, who you used to see about the place in their red jackets, would send people over to us if they couldn’t answer their questions.”
Charlie McLaren was a vendor for more than a decade (Image: Newsquest)
He laughs: “And I was always getting asked for directions.”
Wullie agrees. “We were supposed to know absolutely everything about Glasgow,” he says, smiling. “And we did know a lot.”
Wullie Walker (Image: Colin Mearns)
Wullie is from Easterhouse and still works for the Glasgow Times, now as a driver.
“I’ve had many good years with the Times,” he says.
Former Glasgow Times (Evening Times) newspaper vendors pictured reminiscing in the offices of the Glasgow Times. They are, from left- Hugh Mallaney, Wullie Walker and Charlie McLaren (Image: Colin Mearns)
The Glasgow Times is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, and the three men have been an important part of our story.
Back at the office, it doesn’t take long for the tales to spill out, as the three men reminisce about the characters they worked alongside and the readers they met.
There was the vendor, christened Mr Evening Times, who wore a suit decorated with copies of the newspaper – “glad we didn’t have to wear one,” jokes Charlie; the man christened Grumpy by his customers who were always glad when he had a week off – “that is true,” insists Hugh, with a laugh; and the time the managing director had to intervene because of a noise complaint.
“Sometimes people did get upset about how loud we shouted,” nods Wullie. “They recorded the vendor outside BHS at 101 decibels.”
He pauses. “That is very loud, right enough.”
Their day started at the office – for Hugh, Wullie and Charlie, that was Renfield Street, but for the earlier vendors, it would have been Albion Street, the newspaper’s home for many years until its move in 2000.
“We’d pick up the newspapers, and head to our pitch,” says Hugh. “Back then, there were three editions, so at around 10am, we’d get the ‘Late News Extra’ edition delivered to our pitches, and then the ‘Late Night Special’ at around 4pm.”
Vendors were also regularly sent out to big events to sell the Evening Times and our sister title The Herald.
“The Kirkintilloch Canal Festival, the Glasgow Show, the big air shows down the coast – those were great days to be part of,” says Hugh.
“We’d always sell out of the Times.”
One of Wullie’s favourite moments was selling newspapers at the 2007 UEFA Cup Final between Sevilla and Espanyol, held at Hampden.
“They gave us the football shirts to wear,” he says. “That was an amazing day.”
Likewise, Charlie has fond memories of travelling to Manchester to sell newspapers at the UEFA Cup final between Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg in 2008.
There were sad moments too – for example, Hugh was working on Argyle Street on the night of the Clutha bar helicopter crash.
“That was a terrible night,” he says, with a shake of his head. “The whole city changes when something like that happens. You can feel it in the air.”
When Charlie, Hugh and Wullie started, the vendor service had more than 60 members of staff, but by the time it closed in 2018, there were just six.
“I was one of the last to sell the Times on Glasgow’s streets,” says Hugh. “I’m proud of that. We were part of the city.”
