Culture Minister Michael Russell has thanked the hard working team, coordinated by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, that ensure the doors of Glasgow’s most intriguing buildings remain open.

The Minister met the organisers and building owners who make the annual Doors Open Day event such a huge success.

Michael Russell, Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, said: "Doors Open Days has grown into a well recognised event with a dedicated audience, and that is in no small part down to the dedication and enthusiasm of the people who organise it.

"It takes an incredible amount of work to be able to offer so many behind the scenes glimpses and once in a blue moon opportunities to see inside so many of the city’s buildings.

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"Growing up in Ayrshire, a trip to Glasgow was always a day out for me. Even for people who visit this city regularly or live in it, will still be struck by the new things you realise. It can be architecture you have missed, lanes and streets you may not have noticed before, remnants of the tobacco merchants, the industrial age, the shipyards and beyond – it is a city with plenty of hidden gems waiting to be discovered."

John Entwistle, Chair of Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, said: "We would like to thank all the volunteers that made this popular civic event such a huge success. We are particularly appreciative of the partnership with Glasgow City Council, who were the principal funder of the event this year."

Nationally, more than 800 buildings are opened to over 200,000 visitors as part of Doors Open Days which run throughout September. Glasgow buildings opened on September 19 and 20 in 2009 and had more than 60,000 visits. In 2010 the Glasgow event will take place on September 18 and 19.

Co-ordinated nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust and locally by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, Doors Open Days is part of Scotland’s contribution to European Heritage Days.

More than 4,000 volunteers give their time to run tours, act as stewards and provide activities for visitors at an array of sites.

(GK/KMcA)