233 February 2014 - Gryffe Advertizer

February 2014 No.233 No.233

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February 2014

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NUTECH CLEANING EXPERT JET-WASHING Nutech Cleaning have nearly 30 years experience in the pressure washing field and have built up a vast knowledge and experience of exterior cleaning systems and solutions that can keep your property smart and looking like new.

From a roof down to a driveway and everything in between, we can clean your property to the highest standard and protect it from damage by weathering and growths. Patios, Driveways, walls etc., can all be rejuvenated with our professional cleaning systems.

Please feel free to give us a call to discuss our services or for a free quote and advice.

01505 863 863 www.nutechcleaning.co.uk

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Please Donate Blood

St Mirin’s Cathedral House, Incle Street, Paisley PA1 1HR Tuesday 4th February 2pm - 3.45pm & 5.15pm - 7.30pm K i r k l a n d n e u k Community Centre, Ness Road, Renfrew PA4 9DE Thursday, 20th February 2pm - 3.45pm & 5.15pm - 7.30pm Visit the Scotblood website at www. scotblood.co.uk The only thing you will feel is good about yourself!

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NEWS & FEATURES business news church listings dental health financial blog it blog local history local news on the road outdoors pet blog pets schools news sports & clubs news sporting blog travel blog village news what’s on

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VILLAGES

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Bishopton, Bridge of Weir & Langbank 30-33 Brookfield, Crosslee & Houston 36-37 Howwood & Elderslie 32 Kilbarchan & Lochwinnoch 32-35 Kilmacolm & Quarriers 38-39

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this month....

There’s news of the development, at last, of the former library building in Kilmacolm. A planning application has been submitted to the Council for the demolition and clearance of the existing vacant redundant community building and shops, and erection of a new building comprising two ground floor retail units, thirteen residential apartments above and ten ancillary basement car parking spaces. The design is a mix of modern and traditional, and appears to reflect the style of the Cargill Centre across the road. Plans are available on the Inverclyde Council website Ref. No.13/0379/IC. On the roads, hopefully by the time you are reading this, essential road surface repairs will have been completed on the A761 section between Bridge of Weir and Kilmacolm. On the other side of Bridge of Weir, towards Brookfield, improved road-side drainage works have been undertaken; white-lining and installation of cats-eyes is due to commence within the next couple of months.

And, following yet another accident on the A737 near Howwood, safety improvements are to be made which include improved signage, road markings and junction bollards, scheduled to start in March 2014. Councillors hope all these infrastructure improvements will prevent further accidents from happening in future.

You can keep up to date with proposed roadworks by visiting the website www.roadworksscotland.org or via our two local council websites, www. renfrewshire.gov.uk and www.inverclyde.gov.uk. Another site you can register with for regular updates for your area is www.tellmescotland.gov. uk/notices/renfrewshire/traffic.

We’ll try to keep you updated too on Facebook and Twitter - please follow us for regular updates. The Advertizer is the ideal platform to tell the community your news as we reach over 14,000 homes and businesses in the Gryffe area.

Send in your news and photos to: info@advertizer.co.uk or by post to The Advertizer, Kilmacolm PA13 4QF.

Rona

Next deadline Friday 14th February!

List of outlets to pick up a copy

Bishopton: Post Office, Woodrow’s Store, Keystore, Library.

Bridge of Weir: Gibb Stuart, Bernie’s Cafe/Deli, Lochnagar, The Bridge, Prieston Store, Library.

Erskine: Garden Centre, Petrol Station, Library.

Houston: Carrick Centre, Co-op, Post Office, Newsagent.

Howwood: Village Store, St Vincent’s Hospice Johnstone: Henderson Kilts, Papa Mac’s, Library.

Kilbarchan: Post Office, Sheridan’s Store, Campbell’s Newsagents, Bobbins, Old Library Centre, Chiropody Clinic.

Kilmacolm: Market Place Newsagent, Village Newsagent, Pieri’s, Cross Café, Gibb Stuart, KNCC, Library, Post Office & Store.

Langbank: Village Store, Finlaystone Visitor Centre.

Lochwinnoch: Keystore, Newsagent, Post Office,

McKillop Centre, Library.

Quarriers: Three Sisters Bake.

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your LOCAL community No.224 magazine

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local History

by Renfrewshire Local History Forum

Renfrewshire Local History Forum has introduced a new series of archaeology fieldtrips in the ‘Old Renfrewshire’. Our first archaeology walk in the series took place in Eaglesham and was led by Susan Hunter, a member of the Forum and of the Association of Certificated Field Archaeologists.

Susan started the walk at Glasgow Street at the bottom of the Orry, an A-shaped green area in the centre of the Eaglesham village covering 15 acres, bordered on the north by Montgomery Street and on the south by Polnoon Street. The Orry was gifted to the inhabitants of Eaglesham in the late 18th century by the 10th Earl of Eglinton as part of his planned village.

Susan pointed out areas of archaeological and historic interest as we made our way up the length of the Orry - the sites of old lades, tunnels and reservoirs on the Kikton Burn, old field boundaries , Moat Hill which was an early meeting place for judicial and other assemblies, Mid Road Bridge which was rebuilt by the feuars in 1835, and sites recently identified by geo-phys surveys where old buildings formerly stood.

However, the highlight of the day was the site and archaeological remains of the New Orry Cotton Mill built in the middle of the Orry, probably in 1791. The mill was the principal employer in Eaglesham for more than seventy years with as many as 200 employees in 1845.

The main building was an impressive five storeys high. The mill’s history ended when it was destroyed by fire in 1876.

The walk up the Orry ended at the site of the Earl of Eglinton’s dog kennels. We then visited the site of an of an older cotton mill built in the late eighteenth century at Townhead at the top of the old village. Finally, we walked down Montgomery Street to visit the churchyard to see the Covenanter Memorial, commemorating the killing of martyrs Robert Lochkhart and Gabriel Thomson, who were put to death by the Highland Dragoons after attending a conventicle meeting in 1685.

Everyone attending the fieldtrip found this a most interesting and enjoyable day. We hope over the coming months to continue this series of walks in the local Strathgryffe area.

Adopt-a-Monument Kilallan Kirk and Graveyard - “Still Under Wraps”

Anyone who has been in the vicinity of the old Kirk recently will have seen that it is “still under wraps”. Thanks to the effectiveness of the encapsulation tent, the Preservation Contractor, CBC Stone, has been able to continue with the preservation works, despite the gales and horrendously wet winter experienced over the past eight weeks.

Encapsulation tents not only allow the contractor to work in wet weather, but also help control the temperature required for the lime mortar pointing to set, if temperatures drop.

Marie-Clare, who is directing and producing our film, and I, took a trip up to the site early January just after the first flurries of snow and sleet had fallen to capture work in progress and were very impressed with how the old Kirk looks in its new “bib and tucker.” The works to the inside of the building are now almost complete and work is progressing well on the exterior. Graciella Ainsworth, Sculptor and Carved Stone Conservator, has also been on site, working on the preservation of the carved stone monuments, embedded into the walls of the old Kirk or displayed within.

By the end of February, all that should remain to be done is the covering of the wallhead coping with Turf and it won’t be long now folks before, all can be revealed.

We are also still working on setting up our Young Archaeologist Club and are looking for volunteers and participants who may be interested in joining us. In particular we are looking for a young adult over the age of 17 years who may be interested in filling the role of a Young Archaeology

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Travel blog

by Maureen Horton of Travel a la Carte

Sunshine For Sale

Thank goodness this dull, damp and dreary month of January is over. It has not helped that many of us have been trying to avoid that essential glass of wine to sip during the long lugubrious evenings!

Well the good news is Travel a la Carte is selling sunshine…..you just have to get on a plane to find it.

We are awash at the moment with special offers :- free child places, low deposits, complimentary half board, free upgrades, two for the price of one and no single supplements on selected cruises and many more.

Theses incentives to book early will last only a short time as tour operators and airlines aim to sell as much of their inventories as possible in the early months.

The most unusual is from the cruise company Fred Olsen who are promising that if you have never cruised with them before and find within a day or two of stepping on board that it is not for you they will arrange and pay for return flights home and refund your cruise fare.

So from watching the sunset in Lake Garda, big cat safaris in Kenya, face to face with the terracotta warrior in China, cruising leisurely round the world, a romantic stroll in Paris, to just flopping on the nearest Sunny beach………..we can help get you there.

Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow - 212th Lecture Series Wednesday 5th February - Lord Paddy Ashdown - Writer and Politician. Why the world will never be the same again - and what we should do about it.

Wednesday 19th February - Prof Andrew Morris - Dean and Professor of Medicine, University of Dundee. Health science research in Scotland.

All meetings take place on Wednesdays at 7.30pm in the Main Lecture Theatre (3.25), John Anderson Building, Strathclyde University, Rottenrow East, Glasgow, G4 0NG. Non-members welcome. Disabled access.

Club Leader. If anyone is interested please feel free to contact Lynn Rew by email at lynn.rew@live.co.uk or by phone on 01505 874193 / 07595 461550.

We are also making changes to our website over the next couple of months so please keep a look out for these changes and/or, keep up to date with KKPT and everything that’s going on, by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KilallanKirk or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter. com/KKPT1

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local news KDS news Scarcely have we recovered from the Hogmanay hangover than we’re straight back into preparations for our Spring production.

This will be ‘Play On’ by Rick Abbott, directed by Alison Holliman, who made such a good job of ‘Calendar Girls’ last spring.

The play is described as... ‘..... the hilarious story of a theatre group trying desperately to put on a play in spite of maddening interference from a haughty authoress who keeps revising the script. Act I is a rehearsal of the dreadful show, Act II is the near disastrous dress rehearsal, and the final act is the actual performance in which anything that can go wrong does. When the authoress decides to give a speech on the state of the modern theatre during the curtain calls, the audience is treated to a madcap climax to a thoroughly hilarious romp.

Even the sound effects reap their share of laughter.’

I believe that any resemblance between the aforementioned theatre group & Kilmacolm Dramatic Society is purely coincidental! I know that KDS will put on their usual polished performance & that any mishaps on stage will be carefully scripted & assiduously rehearsed!! By the time you read this, we will be well into rehearsal, so I hope to bring you up to date in my next piece, with further details as they emerge. Angus Black, President

132ft Bungee Jump for Yorkhill Family House The Ronald McDonald House at Yorkhill Hospital is looking for 50 brave souls to set their adrenaline pumping and take part in our Highland Fling Bungee at Killiecrankie, Perthshire on Saturday 22nd March 2014!

The House provides free accommodation to over 600 families each year, whilst their child is treated at the Hospital – please come along and help us raise vital funds for this facility.

You must be 14 years or older, and under 18.9 stone in weight to take part.

Please call Allison at the House on 0141 201 0782 or email allisonmckillop@ btconnect.com. Minimum Sponsorship £140

The Ronald McDonald House Annual Ball On Saturday 22nd February at The Crowne Plaza, Glasgow Drinks reception, 3 course meal, midnight snack. Dance the night away and help raise funds for the parent’s accommodation at Yorkhill. Tickets £68.

Call Helen at the House on 0141 201 0782.

Coats Observatory acquires Commemoration Medal Coats Observatory has recently acquired a medal which was struck to commemorate the opening of Coats Observatory in 1883. Only a few of these medals were made and were given out to local dignitaries that attended the opening ceremony. This is the first medal of its kind to be displayed in the Observatory.

The medal was acquired from a medal dealer in America, so Renfrewshire Arts & Museums are delighted to ‘repatriate’ a piece of Paisley’s history back to its home town.

A grand ceremony had been planned to mark the opening of Coats Observatory, but in the end this had to be scaled down due to Thomas Coat’s deteriorating health. Although he had paid for the building, he only managed to visit the completed building once, and died only 2 weeks after the Observatory had opened.

Coats observatory is only one of 5 public observatories in the UK.

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Renfrewshire - Events Wednesday 5th February - Lunchtime Talks

Paisley Museum, 12.30pm. Tickets: FREE, no need to book.

Fashion Design Classes - Suitable for Ages 8-14 Every Thurs from 6th February - 27th March

An 8 week course for children with an interest in design and an eye for style!

Paisley Museum, 6.30pm - 8.30pm. Tickets: £45 (£40 conc) for 8 week session (fabrics and materials included).

Friday 7th February Watt Nicoll

A folk legend, Watt Nicoll was one of Transatlantic Record’s Great Scots alongside Gerry Rafferty and Billy Connolly. Paisley Arts Centre, 7.30pm.

Tickets: £10 (£8 conc).

Saturday 8th February Glasgow Youth Film Festival at Paisley Arts Centre.

A day of film screenings for children with a zombie theme! Tickets: FREE, but seats should still be reserved. Presented by Glasgow Youth Film Festival, enjoy a day of free screenings suitable for all the family at Paisley Arts Centre.

12th February - Club Animate

A series of classes for children focused on animation and filmmaking.

Paisley Museum, 6pm - 7.45pm (entry via side entrance to Paisley Museum) Tickets: £30 (£25 conc) for 6 week session. Suitable for ages 10 - 15

Choir Of Paisley Abbey Sunday 2nd March at 7.30pm in Paisley Abbey Directed by George McPhee. Organ - David Gerrard French Choral Music: Cantique de Jean Racine Op.11 - Fauré, Messe “Cum Jubilo” Op.11 - Duruflé, Litanies à la Vierge Noire Op.9 - Poulenc, Laudate Dominum Op.9 - Dupré, Requiem Op.9 - Duruflé Tickets: £10 (Nave) £12 (Gallery) available at the Abbey Shop; Abbey Office - 0141 889 7654; at the door. Information at www.paisleyabbey.org.uk Charity Number – SCO 07633

Paisley Abbey Saturday Recitals Saturday 15th February

12th & 24th February - Tea Dances @ Paisley Town Hall

Enjoy an afternoon of dancing, music and chatting with friends. Paisley Town Hall, 1pm - 3.30pm. Tickets: £2.

13th February - Baby Disco

Join in the fun and dancing at a Baby Disco designed for ages 0 - 5. Cost: £2 (children go free) (Max 40 adults)

Tuesday 18th February The Worm

Join nature lovers Wilma and William on a journey underground to meet the Worm.

Paisley Arts Centre, 10.30am & 1.30pm.

Tickets: £4. Suitable for ages 3 - 7

Thursday 20th February - A Buddy Good Laugh

Comedy night from Renfrewshire Arts & Museums and Dead Sheep Comedy.

Paisley Arts Centre, Doors 8.15pm, show starts 8.30pm. Tickets: £10 (£8 conc) Next show £6 if booked immediately after this show. Suitable for ages 18+

Thursday 20th February Swan Lake

12.30pm: Ingrid Sawyers – piano, Ena McKenzie – saxophone Saturday 15th March

The dancers of Ballet West present the classic tale composed by Tchaikovsky.

Venue: Paisley Town Hall, 7.30pm. Tickets: £12 (£10 conc).

3pm: St Andrews University Chapel Choir Tickets: £5 at the door

Saturday 22nd February - Glasgow Film Festival at Paisley Arts Centre

Celebrating its tenth year, Glasgow Film Festival presents a rare screening of the classic ‘Of Mice and Men’ and the hilarious warts-and-all chronicle ‘Mistaken for Strangers’. Venue: Paisley Arts Centre.

28th February - Kan

PERFORMANCE CANCELLED. A union of four of the finest, awardwinning, in demand artists of the 21st century traditional music world.

Booking for all events: 0300 300 1210.

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Beacon Arts Centre

- Events Rantin’

A retired American steps off the plane at Prestwick, hoping to discover the land of his fathers.

Date: 1st Feb - 7:30pm Prices: £8 to £10

JIMEOIN – YES, YES, WHATEVER…?!

Hilarious world-class stand-up from one of live comedy’s internationally acclaimed masters!

Jimeoin returns in 2014 with his ever-evolving live show Date: 6th Feb - 7:30pm Prices: £15.50

Kiki Dee & Carmelo Luggeri

2013 brought a new chapter in the musical relationship between Kiki and Carmelo.

Date: 8th Feb - 7:30pm Prices: £14 to £16

Swan Lake

Using Tchaikovsky’s stirring score and a moving adaptation of the original choreography, the dancers of Ballet West will tell the story of the love of a young man for the cursed Odette.

Book now Date: 9th Feb - 7:30pm Prices: £12 to £16

SCDA - One Act Play Festival

Come along and support your local drama clubs as they present a variety of plays including comedy, drama and thrillers.

Date: 20th Feb - 22nd Feb Prices: £10

The Comet - The paddle steamer that made history

A drama with music tracing the controversial life of Scottish steamship pioneer Henry Bell.

Date: 26 Feb - 7:30pm Prices: £8 to £10

TELEPHONE: 01475 723723 info@beaconartscentre.co.uk THE BEACON ARTS CENTRE, CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY, GREENOCK 233_FEB14_08-13 LOCAL NEWS.ind.indd 11

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Beith Arts Sunday Concerts Our January concert was very different from usual, and very suitable for the New Year, with the Alastair Savage Trio playing traditional Scottish music on fiddle, guitar and double bass, with occasional help from the piano. The music, played by skilled musicians, was wonderful - sometimes bright and cheerful, sometimes sad and haunting, and Alastair talked us through a brief history of Scottish music since the 18th century. The audience were delighted with the afternoon’s entertainment, and very appreciative of the high standard of musicianship.

Our next concert, on 23rd February, is quite different. We will have Heather Corbett, well-known and respected percussionist, playing and explaining the large variety of instruments which she will bring to show and play for us. The last time she visited us she gave an enthralling and very entertaining concert, which the audience still remember with admiration. So make a note of the date, and come if you can!

Natural History Talk

Paisley Natural History Society is continuing its winter programme of evening talks with an illustrated talk

by Chris Cathrine, South Scotland Area Organiser for the British Arachnological Society Spider Recording Scheme, on Thursday 6th February at 7.30pm in Paisley Museum.

Spiders are a fascinating but often misunderstood group of animals. Over 440 species are known to live in Scotland, a number of which are endangered. Come along and learn about spider biology, ecology and life strategies and find out why Scotland is so important for many species of conservation concern.

All our Sunday afternoon concerts are held at 2.30pm in Beith Community Centre, Kings Road, Beith. Prices are £9 for adults, £7 concessions, children and students £2.

Refreshments are available in the interval.

Everyone is very welcome to our concerts, which are great social events as well as entertainment. We look forward to seeing you.

This talk is free and open to everyone, just come along.

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Diaporama Adrian and Sue started the evening with a report about the Great Northern AV Weekend the had gone to in December. Two sequences had been very kindly leant for us to look at. The first “Cambridge re-visited”

by Malcolm and Jenny Gee was a look back at their time in Cambridge in the late 60s fantastic photography and audio track. Next we saw “I Tech” by Howard Bagshaw. This was looking at where the next generation of AV workers could be coming from - photos on I phones etc and you can even make phone calls!! We then travelled to China - Beijing’s beautiful monuments, retail therapy etc and down to Xian for the “Terracotta Warriors”.

We went into the Arctic, to Norway and home for the Bridge of Weir Embroiderers’ Guild Exhibition.

LOCAL BUSINESS ACHIEVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION The next meeting is Monday 10th February, 7.30pm in Carrick Centre, Houston for “The Gerry and Hugh Shows”. Come along and see what we do.

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Howe Joinery & Building Services, a local company employing local labour, has recently been awarded membership of The Guild of Master Craftsmen.

Membership was granted by The Guild’s Council of Management in recognition of the company’s commitment to work with skill and integrity and its agreement to abide by The Guild’s publicly declared aims and objectives. This follows approval of references submitted by a number of Howe Joinery & Building Services satisfied customers under their strict selection criteria.

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portland st Suspension bridge by norma mcdowall of pcpc

Until Sun 16 February

Brick City - Lego Exhibition Paisley Museum - daily Entry is £4 (£3 conc), family ticket £12 (2 adults and 2 children), children under 3 FREE. A must-see exhibition for fans of LEGO® young and old - the world’s most iconic buildings and landmarks by LEGO artist Warren Elsmore

Until Sat 22 February

St Vincent’s Hospice Art Exhibition The Bridge, Main St, Bridge of Weir Following the success of our previous art exhibition at The Bridge, we are having a follow-up for this year.

regular events every monday Baby and Toddler Soft Play Kidston Hall, Kilmacolm 1.15pm to 2.15pm All wee ones welcome.

Strathgryffe Motorcycle Club The Trust Inn, Kilbarchan 9pm-10.30pm Visit www.strathgryffe.org for details.

every Tuesday Bridge of Weir Walking Group Outside the Co-op, BoW 10.30am

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1 hour walks. Call Senga on 0141 842 3000.

MAGAZINE

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Sat 1 February

Annual Coffee Morning

every Wednesday Knitting Group Three Sisters Bake, Quarriers 10am - 12noon Knitters of all levels welcome!

Kilbarchan East Church 10am to 12noon

Line Dancing

Kilbarchan East Church Guild - Tickets: Adults £2, Children 50p On sale from Committee members or at the door.

Bishopton Primary School 7pm - 8.30pm

Wed 5 February

every Thursday Kilmacolm Walkers

Self Healing Workshops Kilmacolm Cargill Centre 7pm to 9pm Chakra Healing using universal energy; Brain Waves; Cellular Memories; Angel Healing; Soul Healing; Meditation & Visualisation; Healing. Call Reiki Master Teacher Liz McMahon on 01505 872975 / 07855 129809 or email liz@healingrefuge.co.uk

All abilities welcome. Call Mellissa on 07970 396212.

Birkmyre Park Pavilion, Kilmacolm 10am Walk in and around Kilmacolm. Tel: David Goddard 01505 874192 or email kilmacolmwalkers@talktalk.net

1st tuesday monthly

Scotland West Business Networking Three Sisters Bake, Quarriers 9.30am - 11am Share ideas, listen to our speakers and meet new people.

1st & 3rd thurs monthly Thu 6 February

Singer/songwriter, Jimmy Livingstone Plays Kilbarchan Old Library Centre, Kilbarchan 8pm Details at www.jimmylivingstone.com All welcome.

Paisley Natural History Talk Paisley Museum, 7.30pm An illustrated talk by Chris Cathrine, South Scotland Area Organiser for the British Arachnological Society Spider Recording Scheme.

This talk is free and open to everyone, just come along.

Kidston Hall, Kilmacolm 2pm-4pm A social group for the community of Kilmacolm. Varied programme aimed at the active over 60’s, but everyone is welcome!

2nd Wednesday monthly

Inverclyde Carers Outreach Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm 11am-2pm Email enquiries@inverclydecarerscentre.org.uk or call: 01475 735180.

3rd Friday

Fri 7 February

monthly Hearing Aid Clinic

McMaster Centre Donaldson Dr, Renfrew 7.30pm

Personnel are at The Bridge for the issue of hearing aid batteries and hearing aid checks.

Renfrewshire Local Group RSPB Illustrated talk by Chas Moonie on Bird Photography.

SHA Red Hot Firewalk Inchyra Hotel, Polmont, Falkirk 6pm to 9pm

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‘Outlook’

The Bridge, Bridge of Weir 1-2pm

2nd Saturday monthly

‘Brunch & Browse’

If you have a burning desire to take part, please call 0141 848 0308 or email linda.byars@hdscotland.org to register and receive a fundraising pack. .

St Fillan’s Hall, Kilmacolm

10am-2pm

Kilbarchan Agricultural Show Whist Drive

1st Sunday monthly

Home made soups, home baking, tea, coffee, books & lots of stalls. Great value! Disabled access. £4.

The Guide Hut, Kilbarchan 7.30pm

Messy Church®

Price £3 including refreshments. Contact Secretary, Aileen on 07766 221369. Everyone welcome.

Hot meal provided, along with a warm welcome.

Freeland Church Hall, Br of Weir 4.30pm-6.30pm

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farmers markets

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Singer/songwriter, Jimmy Livingstone plays Kilbarchan Come along to the Old Library Centre in Kilbarchan on Thursday 6th February. Details at www.jimmylivingstone.com

1st Saturday

Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm 10am-2pm (“The Square”)

1st & 3rd Sunday

Loch Lomond Shores 10am-3pm Tel: 07977 179 861

2nd Thur &

last Paisley Cross

Sat

10am-2pm Tel: 01655 770217

“It’s only going to take a smidgen of good luck for a major record label to pick up on Jimmy Livingstone and he will become an overnight success.”

NoDepression.com

Thank You to the River Inn! Kidston Kids in Kilmacolm would like to thank Jason and Fiona Andrews and the Staff at the River Inn, Houston for all their help and support with our recent Ceilidh Night. A great time was had by all and we raised over £800 for our group. Thanks also to everyone who supported the event.

Bus Services retained Greenock bus operators, McGill’s, have taken over the axed 317 Kilmacolm to Johnstone route. The route, operated by Gillen’s coaches was making a loss. McGill’s have stepped in for the present time, and the route will go back out to tender in May for a longer period. McGill’s have also taken over the 530 Greenock to Kilmacolm service which runs in the evenings and Sundays.

The X7A route will now operate from Kilmacolm to Quarriers Village and Bridge of Weir to Johnstone and villagers are urged to make good use of the service to maintain its viability. More information is available on the website at www.mcgillsbuses.co.uk

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Mon 10 February

Fri 21 Feb - Sun 2 March

The Fox & Hounds, Houston 8pm

Sky Parks building Elliot Square Glasgow

If you fancy joining us to try a walk over or among the hills come along to our next club meeting.

All proceeds from sales will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust. There will be works on display by art students and local artists as well as Jewellery and Crafts. www.facebook.com/TCTexhibitionglasgow . If you are interested in donating a piece to the exhibition, please contact us though the Facebook link above.

Gryffe Hillwalking Club

Thu 13 February

Horticultural Lecture - Bridge of Weir Royal British Legion, Bridge of Weir 8pm Bridge of Weir Horticultural Society - ELMER WALLACE MEMORIAL LECTURE - Plants for our Area - speaker John West.

Art Exhibition and Sale

Sat 22 February

The Ronald McDonald House Annual Ball The Crowne Plaza, Glasgow Drinks reception, 3 course meal, midnight snack. Dance the night away and help raise funds for the parent’s accommodation at Yorkhill. Tickets £68. Call Helen at the House on 0141 201 0782.

Kilbarchan Fairtrade Steering Group Coffee Morning Steeple Hall, Kilbarchan 10am to 12noon

Fri 14 February

Advertizer Deadline Deadline for our March 2014 issue - please make sure we get your news and ad bookings by this date!

St Valentine’s Day Go on . . . . . Do something nice for the one you love today!

Sat 15 February

Valentine Charity Dinner & Ceilidh Food Train is a vital grocery shopping and delivery service for people aged 65 and over living in Renfrewshire.

Our aim is to help older people who, through age related ill health, frailty or disability, are unable to manage their grocery shopping, by providing a shopping delivery service. We also aim to provide a range of supported volunteering opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.

Ingrid Sawyers – piano Ena McKenzie – saxophone

Tue 25 February

Annual Coffee Morning Kilbarchan East Church Kilbarchan East Church Guild - Talk/Lecture - speaker Brian Adair with talk on “Stories from the court”.

Ardgowan Estate, Nr Inverkip 2pm to 5pm

For many Food Train customers the two visits per week from our volunteers can be the only social contact they have. This contact not only helps to improve their mental health and wellbeing, but can be a means of monitoring the most vulnerable older people in our society and signposting on to other services. Our volunteers are offered on going support and training in a range of areas and are able to identify any changes in an older person’s health or behaviour and raise this with Food Train staff who can take appropriate action.

If someone does need the service, referrals are very simple and can be made by contacting Marri Welsh, Regional Manager on 0141 887 2557. To become a volunteer you should call and speak to Marri for further information.

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Prices are £9 for adults, £7 concessions, children and students £2. Refreshments are available in the interval. We look forward to seeing you.

Paisley Abbey 12.30pm

• Shopping is carried out either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and the order is packed into a box.

• Customers can use Food Train on a weekly, fortnightly or 4 weekly basis (or less if that is preferred).

Beith Community Centre, Kings, Road, Beith 2.30pm

Paisley Abbey Saturday Recitals

Sun 16 February

• Shopping can be paid for by cash or cheque.

Beith Arts Sunday Concerts

In aid of The Haven, Kilmacolm. Ticket cost £35 pp.

• The volunteers visit the customer at home to collect shopping lists on a Monday, or phones them if this is preferable.

• On receipt of the shopping the customer pays for the cost of the shopping plus a small delivery charge of £3.

Sun 23 February

Castle Suite, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow 7pm

How the service works

• The shopping is then delivered to the customer’s home, where it is unpacked and checked off with the customer. Volunteers will help to put shopping away (in fridges, freezers, cupboards etc.) if necessary.

There will be a banana theme as this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight will be focussing on the working conditions and exploitation of banana producers who are not Fairtrade producers. Fairtrade Fortnight covers the last week of February and the first week on March.

Ardgowan Garden Opening Opened by The Hon Mrs Christopher Chetwode. Strong waterproof footwear is advised. Wheelchair access limited in bad weather.

Homemade teas available for a small extra charge. Plant stall selling snowdrops and other produce. Entry £2 each,

Gryffe Hillwalking Club outing Outing to Tyndrum. Details from John Maclean 01505 326887 johnalexmaclean@hotmail.co.uk or from the club website www. gryffehillwalkers.co.uk

Wed 19 February

Horticultural Winter Lecture Kilmacolm

Wed 26 February

Public Meeting - Scottish Independence Gryffe High School 7.30pm This is your opportunity to have any questions you may have about Scottish Independence answered face to face Speakers include; Blair Jenkins, Chief Executive of Yes Scotland and representatives from business for Scotland, Labour for Independence and Women for Independence.

Sat 1 March

Coffee Morning Kilmacolm New Community Centre 10am to 12noon Supporting M N D (motor neurone disease) Ticket £3.

Kidston Hall, Kilmacolm 7.30pm Kilmacolm Horticultural Society - Joanna Gough, head gardener at the NTS Geilston Gardens will talk us through a year in the life of the Geilston Kitchen Garden, in Victorian times, and the present day.

Refreshments served at end of lecture. Everyone welcome.

Fri 21 February Whist Drive

New Community Centre, Kilmacolm 7.30pm

Sun 2 March

Kilmacolm+ Port Glasgow Agricultural Society Whist Drive. Tickets £3 including light supper.

Choir Of Paisley Abbey

Houston Friends of Accord Quiz Night

Paisley Abbey 7.30pm

JG Fleming Bowling Club, South Street, Houston 8pm Tickets for the event cost £8 and this includes a light supper.

They can be obtained from Joan Andrew (tel: 690463 email: joanerandrew@hotmail.com) or any member of the committee.

Tickets: £10 (Nave) £12 (Gallery) available at the Abbey Shop; Abbey Office - 0141 889 7654; at the door. Information at www. paisleyabbey.org.uk

Tue 4 March

Shrove Tuesday Coffee Morning St. Fillan’s Church Moss Road, Kilmacolm 10am to 12noon All welcome.

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Energy Healing At some point in our lives we all have to deal with issues physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual that affects our health and wellbeing. Complimentary theta and/or reiki healing can help you cope with these issues and heal their effects, often in a profound way.

The successful use of energy healing methods have come a long way over the years and now are being taken far more seriously by conventional medicine and the scientific community. As our understanding of things like cellular memory increases and the positive effects focused energetic healing can have on damaging energy frequencies within the body, the more we realise how much we can do to heal ourselves. After all as Professor William Tiller, Stanford University has stated “future medicine will be based on controlling energy within the body.” While Nobel Prize winner Albert Szent-Gyorgyi said that “treating humans without the concept of energy is like treating dead matter”.

Our minds are incredibly powerful and can affect our health and wellbeing immensely; in particular it can increase our experience of stress to intolerable levels.

It has been suggested that only 10% of our memories and beliefs are conscious and 90% are unconscious. The unconscious material although not in our awareness can be having a major impact upon our health and daily life. Energy healing can help track these underlying issues that impact upon our health helping to clear, clean and remove them, resulting in a positive healing. Moreover experiences like being able to receive unconditional love can be energetically downloaded to help heal gaps in your life experience.

For further information call Liz on either 01505 872975 or 07855 129809 or you can email to liz@healingrefuge.co.uk

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‘Autumn Reflections’ by Gryffe Camera Club

iT blog

with Colin Fyfe of Colcom Here are some ideas to take forward through the New Year, these promise to greatly increase productivity, to free up some time for things you enjoy or what better to do than simply ease your worries.

1. Increase your productivity - Give up Facebook! Perhaps a little unrealistic for some, but there are tools available that can manage the amount of time spent on social media. One such, FBLimiter is free to download and could help you manage your time in a more structured way online. For families, a more comprehensive solution is a hardware option, some routers come with these tools inbuilt. Worth a look.

2. Free up some time - unsubscribe from that Junk Mail once and for all! It is so easy yet so few of us bother nipping the rubbish in the bud! Amazon has gone from bad to worse recently with ‘Local’. Log in to your Amazon account then go to ‘Your Account’, then ‘ E-mail Preferences & Notifications’ and the ‘Do not send me marketing mail’, followed swiftly by the ‘Local’ junk too. Pah

concern being that they may have bought another sliver of my soul but heyho. An external USB 3.0 hard drive will do the job too.

3. Ease your worries - Backup your Data! We all know we should get round to it, some of us think iCloud passes for it (it doesn’t) and some of us think we have it inbuilt magically. But certainly, we all would miss our data if it went up the spout. I recently uploaded all 50 Gigs of my photos (albeit at a reduced resolution) free of charge to Google’s backup facility. My only

4. Get these tech problems sorted once and for all. If you get this hot off the press or perhaps get the Email version, you are on time for my Tech Clinic at ‘The Bridge’ community centre in Bridge of Weir on Monday the 3rd of February, all morning from 9.30am. Bring in any kit that you are struggling with and I will answer what I can.

Gryffe Camera Club

Langbank Camera Club

As promised Charlie Moore, from Queen’s Park Camera Club, came to our first meeting after Christmas to give us his take on the images we had judged ourselves before the break. He agreed with some of our judging - and disagreed with some of it as well, which just goes to show that you shouldn’t be disheartened when someone doesn’t ‘get’ your favourite image.

The competition theme for January 2014 was ‘Christmas Lights’. We had diverse entries submitted with images of Glasgow, Paisley, Edinburgh and Berlin. Gary Ramanathan’s image of George Square, Glasgow took first place with Richard Meridith’s image of the hanging lights display inside Fraser’s, Glasgow taking second spot. David Robb’s image of Paisley’s lights tied with Richard Meridith’s image of the shopping centre at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin for third place.

Hearing his opinion and the way he went about making his judgements was as important as his final choice ….I think.

He placed Clare McCormick first in the Digital A group with Gulls on a Boat (above right) and Robert Milne first in the Digital B group with Gold Spot (below left).

Please visit the club’s website to get all the news and also to view the many wonderful images produced by the Langbank Camera club members. Website address: www. langbankcameraclub.weebly.com.

On 22nd February we have a presentation from Michael Brown on Underwater Photography and on 29th we have an evening learning about famous photographers.

The AGM was held on January 13th with current office bearers being re-elected.

Looking further ahead we are lucky enough to have persuaded Simon Butterworth, 2012 Landscape Photographer of the Year, to come to Gryffe Camera Club on March 12th. This is a ticketed event. Tickets available at £3 from:- secretary@gryffecameraclub.co.uk Good news for photographers: a smart phone app is being released in February which will play sad music if the picture you are framing is bad, and a happier tune as you improve the shot. The app is programmed to follow the rule of thirds and to recognise good exposure and composition (www.psfk.com).

And this month’s photographic quote: I don’t get wrapped up in technique and the like. Fay Godwin

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If you live within the Langbank and surrounding area and have just received a new camera for Christmas and need help in understanding what those menus and dials do, then now would be a good time to join our club.

Whether it is a dSLR, a camera with interchangeable lenses, or a compact camera, then we are here to help and provide you with the knowledge to get more from the camera as well as advising on how to edit, manipulate and manage those images on your computer.

Next month’s presentation topic is about restoring old damaged photographs.

Everyone is welcome to come along to our meetings which take place on the second Monday of each month.

The February meeting will be held on Monday the 10th at 7:30pm in the Langbank Church halls. Competition subject will be ‘Winter Scenes’.

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Love in the air?

Things to think about if you’re moving in together

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Calculate how much you can afford. It might not be romantic, but it’s important to have a long, hard think about how much you can afford to pay for your love-nest every month. Work out a budget.

Be aware of all the costs. Take into account all the costs, not just the rent. There will be Council Tax as well as the usual bills. You will need to insure your possessions too. Your letting agent will be able to advise on what to expect.

Act quickly. Popular properties get snapped up fast, so, if you see somewhere you like the look of, make that call to the agent soon.

Hearts, flowers and chocolates are the stuff of Valentine’s Day, but for many couples this most romantic time can be the start of something much more concrete.

A candle-lit dinner can easily lead to something more… like a plan to set up home together.

If this is you, then congratulations – but there are a few things to bear in mind before you can turn the key in your own front door.

Here is a list of important points to consider as you take this big step together:-

Furnished or unfurnished? While it’s fun to buy new things for your new life together, in many cases, avoiding the extra cost of buying sofas and beds is wise at first.

Think of the chores. Your new home – and garden – will need to be kept clean and neat.

Can you agree on how you share the work?

Take advice. Good letting agents will be happy to talk you through the whole process to make sure you make wise choices and can settle into a contented tenancy.

For more advice contact Kate or Barry at Lind Letting on 01505 610444 or pop into the shop at 1 Kirkinner Place, Bridge of Weir.

dental health So how do you become a dentist?

by Sheila Macintyre, Practice Owner, Kilbarchan Dental Practice

I am often asked about what is involved in becoming a dentist.

There is no point in beating about the bush - it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become a good dentist, but there is nothing quite like helping to make a positive difference to people’s lives. There are only a relatively small number of universities in the UK that have dental schools so competition for places is fierce for the 5 year undergraduate courses.

A good academic background is therefore important and high grades are expected in sciences, maths and English. Budding dentists are also expected to give evidence to support a keen interest in the field and this is where work experience placements come in.

Once qualified, there are a number of career routes: some stay within the hospital environment and go on to post graduate study to become specialist registrar or consultant, whilst others work in salaried services such as a community post working mainly with special needs and vulnerable groups.

The majority, however, work within a practice with NHS or private patients, or like myself and the team in Kilbarchan, a mix of the two. Within the practice environment it is common for dentists to continue to build their areas of specialism and I myself have undertaken post-graduate courses in sedation and dealing with nervous patients. Dentistry is constantly evolving as new and improved equipment and materials come to the fore so a modern dentist

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will have a continuous stream of training and learning to keep up to speed with new developments and deliver the best possible service.

Dentistry is a hugely rewarding career offering the opportunity to work directly with people, benefit communities and offers real variety on a day-today basis.

Personally I wouldn’t want to do anything else and love what I do which is why here at Kilbarchan Dental Practice we hope to help inspire the next generation of dentists by offering work experience opportunities. Each year we hope to provide some 4th and 5th year students with work experience placements, however, as demand is always high we do give priority to those who are either patients themselves or whose family are patients.

If you have any questions about this please do not hesitate to contact us on 01505 704969 or email us at info@kilbarchandental.co.uk

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2014 Nuffield Scholarship Award Picture of Rob Drysdale receiving his Nuffield Scholarship tie from Carwyn Jones the First Minister of Wales.

Robert Drysdale, a formal pupil of Kilmacolm Primary and Greenock Academy who graduated at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh has been awarded one of twenty-one Nuffield Scholarships for 2014.

His study topic is “The future of beef production from the dairy herd: Is Integration a model that will work?” The international scholarship entails him visiting farmers in the USA, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Australia and New Zealand to look at how these countries produce beef efficiently and the extent to which they utilise dairy bred animals. He will also look at agri-businesses in the UK and EU where some integration of beef, dairy and other agricultural produce sees end-users linked to the farmers.

In July 2000, Robert founded Westpoint Veterinary Services which is now a leading national large animal veterinary Group. He now lives in West Sussex.

Robert was a former member of Greenock Wanderers and played rugby for Edinburgh University and Boroughmuir. His mother, Mrs Janet Wood, still lives in Kilmacolm.

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Stella & Dot A lot of you might remember Val Lawrence from Redress in Bridge of Weir. She now works as a stylist with Stella & Dot, a jewellery and accessories company.

She started in March 2012 and is nearing her 2 year anniversary. In that time she has been promoted to Assistant Director with 28 girls in her team. The job entails setting up a ‘pop up’ boutiques in peoples living rooms/events and showing her vast collection of designer accessories. It is the ultimate personal styling experience.

If you are interested in finding out more about buying, hosting a party or joining Val’s team , give her a call on 07815 157820 or visit the website at: www.stelladot.co.uk/ValerieLawrence

Largs After Another Storm (cover photo on this issue By Murray Balfour)

Waiting for the ferry at Largs pier recently, I was pleasantly surprised by the late afternoon sunshine over the south area of the town, which lit up the buildings and reflected off the street lamps.

This was a “grab” shot taken before the sun disappeared over the horizon.

Kilmacolm Camera Club Before the Christmas break, Club members enjoyed an outing to Glasgow, to photograph the Christmas lights.

We also had our usual pre-Christmas “fun night”, which, as always, comprised a quiz, mince pies and wine. This year’s quiz was organised by David Addison, and was a fascinating mixture of photography technique and general knowledge. Questions on vintage cameras rubbed shoulders with “What’s this famous Glasgow building?” or “Who ate all the pies?” A fun evening, as well as an educational one.

We started 2014 with a viewing of the John Duffy Portfolio, a selection of prints from camera clubs in the Glasgow area. The usual mixture of images were on view, some “very good”, some “no bad” and a few “whit!”

Later in January, we had an excellent show from our own Bill Ham. We were treated to a selection of stunning landscapes (especially Autumn and Winter), from Scotland to the Lake District. He also showed us superb images of some of the interesting faces on show in the streets during the Edinburgh Festival. A very entertaining evening.

Come along and sit in on one of our evenings. We’ve a varied selection of topics between now and the end of March. You’ll be made very welcome.

Venue: Kilmacolm New Community Centre, Room 1.01; Tuesday evening, time 7.30pm. Contacts: Billy Blair, Tel: 873383; Janice Stevenson, Tel 873595.

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Burns Boost To Rotary Gryffe Valley Rotary held its annual Burns Supper at the River Inn, Houston.

The sell-out event was hugely enjoyed by all and raised some £4,000 for the clubs work in supporting young people in our community.

Following an excellent meal of traditional Burns fare, the company were treated to a tremendous evening of entertainment. First up was Graham McLachlan who delivered a memorable Immortal Memory. Graham is a member of the prestigious Robert Burns Guild of Speakers, a select body limited by number to 37 (Burns’ age when he died) who are all dedicated to sustaining and promoting good standards of speaking at Robert Burns events. He spoke of Burns varied love life and many offspring, as illustrated in many of his poems, and he highlighted his early promotion of women’s rights. He talked of Burns as a Scottish patriot who clearly held some less than favourable views on the English! A fine example of the standards set by the Guild.

Bill Miller is a retired solicitor. His Toast to the Lassies was laced with rich humour that covered many of the virtues and occasional vices of the fairer sex and their relationship with the male of the species. He concluded that Burns clearly loved the lassies and he invited the audience to agree with him.

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inimitable Jim Ferguson, a stirring Address to the Haggis from member Ronald Aitchison, the pipes of John Langan, and a number of Burns songs sung beautifully by Audrey McKirdy with Fiona Menzies as her accompanist.

To cap it all, the Vote of Thanks from Vice President Angus Matheson was delivered in Scots in the Burns poetic idiom to considerable acclaim!

Thanks to the support of all those attending, a raffle for a wide range of donated prizes raised some £1500. This sum was considerably enhanced when the evenings star prize, generously donated by the River Inn (a meal for 5 with transport and wine on arrival thrown in), was decided in a special elimination contest. This was won by Liz Campbell, wife of the Rev Donald Campbell who earlier had kicked off proceedings with the Selkirk Grace, with the presentation by the River Inn’s Angela. Gryffe Valley pursues many projects with young people, including giving days out to young carers, organising several Rotary competitions like Young Chef, Youth Speak, and the primary school quiz, and providing facilities to enable disabled youngsters to sail on the waters at Castle Semple. Thanks to the generous support from the River Inn and all those who attended the event, the funds raised at the Burns Supper will help ensure that these activities can continue apace over the coming year.

Lady Annabel Goldie had been due to give the Reply from the Lassies but unfortunately she had taken ill a couple of days earlier. All present joined President Mike Farley in wishing her a speedy recovery. Despite the lack of notice, Liz Donaghy stepped into the breach, and certainly matched Bill in the humour stakes, with a careful dismantling of the myth of male supremacy! Despite her pithy asides and occasional barbed comments, she did finally admit to a sneaking regard for the opposite sex!

Other highlights from the evening included a steady hand on the tiller by President Mike Farley, an outstanding rendition of Tam O’Shanter by the

PCPC - The Borbasket Memorial Trophy 2013/14

For the Borbasket Trophy, in third place was Robert Fulton for his portrait image “Oriental Beauty” and his Yellowstone images “Light and Shade” and “Bobcat”. Second place was awarded to Norma McDowall for her images “Cherries”, “Bullfinch in Summer” and “Siskin in Autumn”.

At the McMaster Centre in Renfrew, Paisley Colour Photographic Club’s competition for The Borbasket Memorial Trophy was recently held.

For this competition entry consists of three images judged as a set and the first image in each set must be either a tabletop, a portrait or a still life photograph. Judging the competition were previous winner of the Trophy, Mike Cruise and the winner of last season’s Henderson Trophy, Dr Jim Black and they had the difficult task of having to rank the top three sets in a high quality entry of over thirty sets.

In turn the judges gave detailed consideration to each image making encouraging and sometimes humorous comments as well as providing ideas as to how an image could easily be improved.

This year for the first time an award was made to the top set of i m a g e s by a nonadvanced member.

For her three images “Tender Moments”, “In His Father’s Arms” and “Bearly There” this award was made to Karen Noble.

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The Best Overall image in the competition was judged to be “Beach Walk” by Graeme Dewar. The Best Still Life image in the competition was judged to be “Still Life with Dried Flowers”

by Bill Ham. With his three portrait images “Tanusia”, “Homeless” and “On Gallowgate”, which was judged as the Best Portrait in the competition, the winner

of The Borbasket Memorial Trophy 2013/14 was Charles Hamilton.

For further details about future PCPC lectures, club competitions and updated members galleries please view: www.paisleycolour.co.uk

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Cancer and Art – Putting Something Back Three full time students are organising an Art Exhibition and Sale to be held in the Sky Parks building Elliot Square Glasgow from 21st February to 2nd March. Entry will be free, and all proceeds from sales will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

There will be works on display by art students and local artists as well as Jewellery and Crafts.

Bridge of Weir girls, Judith and Katie Beattie have been long term supporters of The Anthony Nolan Trust Leukaemia charity. At the age of 10 they raised £200 by abseiling down the Ikea building. At 12, they did it again, abseiling down the Glasgow University tower.

Judith is a final year art student at Dundee University, a recognised local artist and regular exhibitor in The Bridge in Bridge of Weir. In the late summer last year, Judith suffered ill health, and on the first day of her final university year, she was diagnosed with Leukaemia and spent the next 4 months in The Beatson. This new irony, and first hand experience, strengthened the girls resolve to put something back. So far, they have raised about £1500 for Anthony Nolan Trust, through the sale of Wrist Bands. Now Judith has requested the entire final year class of her Fine Arts course to donate 1 piece each to the fund raising campaign.

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Twin sister Katie, a Glasgow Caledonia Student, is the event organiser and is working closely with Teenage Cancer Trust and Art for Life, who are funding the exhibition space. She has also been tirelessly drumming up art donations from other local artists, and some very talented friends and family.

Judith’s best friend and fellow art student, Shannon Beattie (the honorary triplet!) will act as Artistic Director of the exhibition. Shannon is a native Dundonian and is managing the Dundee art student contributions, and tirelessly drumming up support.

Local contributors include Alan Black, Stuart McKay, Alison Bannerman, Sam Blue, Andy Peutherer and Judith Beattie.

This is a great opportunity for the general public to own, or just view, original pieces of art by young emerging talent, as well as established local artists.

The venue will be Skypark, 8 Elliot Square, Glasgow G3 8EP. Close to the SECC. Details of opening times and how to get there will be published on notices around the area, including The Bridge. Alternatively, you can preview some of the works, check out opening times and directions at https://www.facebook.com/TCTexhibitionglasgow . If you are interested in donating a piece to the exhibition, please contact us though the Facebook link above.

LEAP #Ecoclips Competition Young people aged 11 to 26 who enter the #ECOCLIPS competition are in with a chance of winning some great prizes. There are extra prizes up for grabs for local young people within the villages (Bridge of Weir, Howwood, Kilbarchan, and Lochwinnoch).

The first prize for the overall competition winner is a brand new bike, while the additional prizes for local young people include a wind up radio with torch & a 6 in 1 solar construction gadget/kit. Young people need to register at www.myleapproject.org/ecoclips to take part.

LEAP Futures Programme LEAP Car Club LEAP have been working with a group of young Membership update people at Johnstone High School on the LEAP Futures programme. This programme helps develop learning opportunities with a focus on the environment and employability.

Thank you to the staff and pupils at Johnstone High School for their support so far. LEAP hope to be working with the other local secondary schools over the next year.

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As reported in earlier Advertizers, the special offer of £15 membership for the Car Club in Bridge of Weir must unfortunately now come to an end.

There is one final opportunity to secure a reduced price membership, with the last day for a £15 membership being extended until 28 February 2014. If anyone has been thinking about joining the Club but has put it off, now is the time to take advantage of the reduced membership fee before it goes.

For further information about the Car Club, please contact Diane on 01505 842530 or diane@myleapproject.org or drop into the LEAP office in Advance Place, Bridge of Weir.

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on the road

Road safety charity the IAM offers motoring tips from Britain’s top advanced driver, Peter Rodger. This month, he is advising on ways to improve your driving for the New Year:

Night driving: You must be able to stop in the distance you see to be clear.

Use your lights on full beam where it is dark and it won’t dazzle anyone else, and keep windows and mirrors clean to maximise your view.

Eyesight: The NHS suggests having an eye test every two years. It is your responsibility to ensure you’re fit to drive.

Weather: Heed weather warnings all year round. If the weather is really bad, consider whether you need to travel just then. If so, there are sometimes alternatives to driving to think about.

Year-round maintenance: Clean your windows, lights, mirrors and number plates regularly. You should spend around 10 minutes every week checking your vehicle’s fluid levels, tyre pressure, lights, tread depth and windscreen wipers.

Eco-driving: A planned drive is an economical drive – having a good sense of your vehicle’s power and gears will save fuel, and it is a safer way to drive as well.

The IAM is the UK’s leading independent road safety charity.

We passionately believe that our roads can be made a safer place by improving the standards of the people who are using them.

With over 50 years of experience, passion and insight, the IAM is uniquely positioned to help improve the skills and understanding of UK drivers, riders & cyclists.

Anticipate: Consider what the traffic Find out more at www.iam.org.uk and other people around you may do, especially at traffic lights, roundabouts and junctions.

Refuel: Be sure to keep an eye on your tank, especially when embarking upon long journeys. Running out of fuel causes hundreds of motorway breakdowns every year.

IAM chief examiner Peter Rodger said: “The New Year is a common time for people to reflect and evaluate their goals for the upcoming year. Why not begin by incorporating your driving behaviour into your list of resolutions for 2014? Why not resolve to make it better this year?”

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pets

Photo by Langbank Camera Club

WHAT SHOULD I FEED MY DOG?

Prior to the introduction of tinned meat in the 1930’s, dogs were commonly fed on table scraps, bread, oatmeal and meat. Nowadays most commercially available pet food is either tinned or dried and made from animal protein with added cereals, grains and vegetables.

There are key points to consider when choosing food for your dog…..

Choose a lifestage appropriate diet. Puppies grow quickly up to 6 months of age and therefore need a good puppy diet to help develop a healthy skeleton and body. After 6 months, their growth rate tends to slow, and by 12 months of age in most breeds the skeleton is almost mature. At this stage you can move onto an adult diet.

However, not all adult diets are appropriate for neutered animals. After neutering, and after the age of about 7 years, your pet’s metabolic rate slows and at this point you may need to change to a diet containing less energy to stop them putting on weight.

Look for a good list of ingredients. Meat, animal products, animal fat and poultry meal are commonly listed ingredients. However it pays to look further, in particular at the protein content, and specifically what % of the protein content is derived from meat. We carried out a comparison of a few well established brands recently, and although the protein content of one popular dog food was 25%, only 4% of this was from a meat source. If the meat derived protein in a dog food is low, the dog will get hungry more quickly, however the calorie intake will be the same.

Store dried food in an airtight container. Airtight containers prevent dust and storage mites getting into the food.

Rescue Centres Dogs Trust Glasgow: 0141-773-5130 www.dogstrust.org.uk Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue: 01505-502415 www.hessilhead.org.uk Johnstone Cat Rescue: 01505 337321 Renfrewshire Cat Protection: 0141 876 4133 www.renfrewshire.cats.org.uk Scottish SPCA: 0141-882-1688 www.scottishspca.org These centres are always on the lookout for donations and fundraising.

If you can help please get in touch with any of the centres above.

Know your dogs actual weight. Its important to know this and how it relates to their recommended target weight.

Feed your pet the amount recommended for their target weight. If your animal is over or underweight, feeding the recommended amount for their current weight will only maintain this. Remember that the feeding amount is usually the daily rate, and this may be split in to two or more meals.

Weigh out the dried food. Different foods have different densities and one cup of one brand will be a different weight to one cup of another.

For quickness a trick is to mark the cup with the desired volume of the correctly weighed amount.

Make changes to your dog’s diet slowly. Any changes made should take place over 10 days so the dog has a chance to get used to the diet and is less likely to experience a tummy upset.

For a free weight check or further advice call Petvets on 01505 800366.

Lamont City Farm We are not currently open to the public due to extensive storm damage.

All the animals are okay and are being cared for as normal.

We are currently fundraising to cover the shortfall that our insurance company does not cover……If you would like to make a donation we now have a paypal account. You can also donate direct to our bank – Bank of Scotland, Erskine Sort code 80-13-53 account number 00663514. If you do make a donation can you please let us know, as we would like to thank you personally.

I anyone has a spare portakabin they can donate that would be fantastic as ours - which housed the office, kitchen and tearoom - has been condemned!

Barhill Road, Erskine - Telephone: 0141 812 5335 Thank you, thank you, thank you 233_FEB14_24-25 PETS.ind.indd 24

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Re-homing Pets

Can you offer a home to any of our featured pets?

Frankie came in to care when his owner became ill and could no longer look after him.

He was used to living with one person so needs a similar home or perhaps with a couple on their own. Frankie is a nice boy who loves attention and once he is settled in a new environment he will be a wonderful pet to have. If you have the home Frankie needs without other pets or children then don’t delay if you would like to adopt this handsome lad.

To contact the Renfrewshire Branch on 0141 876 4133. All rehomings are subject to a successful home visit.

Cooper a male Crossbreed 2 to 5 Years old.

Cooper gets on well with other dogs. He needs some training, but is am a quick learner! Cooper is always on the go, into everything and very active.

Cooper is a lovely boy who can be worried in new situations. He loves to play with toys and is very good at sitting for a treat!

Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre, 315 Hamilton Road, Uddingston, Glasgow, G71 7SL. Open: 12noon - 4pm (including weekends); 12noon7.30pm on Tuesdays; closed: Wednesdays

Johnstone Cat Rescue Fund raising is very slow at this time of year and we are struggling to cope - Your help would be most appreciated. Call Sheena on 01505 337321.

If your pet has gone missing & you would like to place a notice in The Advertizer, please call 01505 613340 or email info@advertizer. co.uk. We can also put updates on our website & Facebook. This service is free of charge!

Eric is a 3-5 year old male American Bulldog.

Eric is a lovely friendly big guy. All he wants is love and attention.

He would suit a home with older children.

Eric is a strong boy and will require an experienced owner.

He is full of fun and has a cheeky personality.

To contact the centre about any animals, please call 03000 999 999 or visit www.scottishspca.org/rehoming

YOUR DOG DOESN’T KNOW ANY BETTER. MAKE SURE YOU DO.

Scotland’s outdoors is a great place for dogs and owners. Regular walking the dog and contact with nature can bring about a range of health and well being benefits.

Find out how you and your dog can walk safely by checking out the website below.

You and your dog share the outdoors with others.

Supported by:

Visit outdooraccess-scotland.com

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village news bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir 1st Bridge of Weir Scouts Christmas Fayre

On Sunday 1st December we held our Christmas Fayre in the Scout hut in Horsewood Road.

All sections, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts participated in the setting up and running of the stalls which included home baking, tombola, arts and crafts, raffle and refreshments.

There was a tremendous turnout from the local community and over £700 was raised, which we will put to good use next year to fund activities, camps and new equipment. Thanks to everyone who helped with their time, effort and donations especially the people who supported us on the day. A special thanks to John Hagen who was presented with a gift for all his hard work and dedication over the years. 1st Bridge of Weir Scouts would like to wish everyone a happy New Year. See you all back at the hut in 2014.

BoW Festival Report

We would like to apologise for this article not being in the January issue as we missed the deadline for printing due to the busy schedule of the Santa Sleigh.

The Bridge of Weir Festival Committee would like to wish all residents of Bridge of Weir and the surrounding area a happy and prosperous 2014.

We would like to thank all those who came along to the Christmas Prize Bingo at the Royal British Legion which was very well attended and The Weir for the donation of the most delicious soup which was very well received. At this point we would like to wish the new management and the staff of The Weir every success for the future.

I hope the community will have put in their new 2014 diaries the date of Gala Day which is on Saturday 14th June, followed by Festival week with the Prize Bingo night on the Thursday 19th, ending with the Ceilidh on Saturday 21st June.

We covered all the Santa Sleigh routes and would like to thank all the groups that came out with us as well as the hardy committee members despite the rotten weather.

Our next meeting will be our AGM being held in the Cargill Hall on Tuesday 11th February at 7.30pm and we welcome all interested parties who would like to get involved with the Festival activities. As usual tea and coffee will be available.

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‘Done Fishing’ by Kilmacolm Camera Club

Brighter Bridge of Weir PLANNING PLANTING It’s maybe still winter, but it’s already time for Brighter Bridge of Weir to start thinking about ‘preparing the ground’ for the seasons ahead.

The earliest flowering bulbs, the daffodils and tulips, have already been planted, so the group is planning for the spring, summer and even autumn displays throughout the village. Negotiations will take place with suppliers of plants and composts, deals will be done and then, as if by magic, Bridge of Weir will be a riot of glorious colour during spring and summer!

Magic, of course, has nothing to do with it. The brightening is entirely due to the hard work of those volunteers who make up Brighter Bridge of Weir. And, inspired as that group is by donations and words of support from many members of the community, additional volunteers are always welcome. Many hands will make lighter work of the sorting, weeding and planting to come. If you can spare an hour or two, whether once a week, once a month, or even just now and again, please get in touch. You don’t need to have green fingers - the group’s existing volunteers will keep you right. Contact Alice Johnstone on 01505 613679 or Dougie McNicol on 07810 722806, or check the website: www.brighterbridgeofweir.org - you’ll find email and other contact details there as well as more information about what the group have done and what they’re planning to do in the future.

Langbank - A problem which has exercised lots of people, including me, has been the continuing flooding issues in the village. Being adjacent to the River Clyde means we enjoy some beautiful views. However, when high spring tides coincide with leaf fall and heavy “once in a hundred years” continuous rain, we have a serious situation. Six replacement culverts have been installed on the Main Rd, to the west of the shop. These have undoubtedly helped, but the east end of Main Road and Station Road are still problematic. I have written to Roads officers to ask that these two problem areas be addressed.

Bishopton - Accidents involving children on building sites are fortunately not frequent occurrences. However, the house building work at Dargavel will inevitably hold a fascination for some youngsters. I would urge parents to caution their children against regarding the site as an adventure playground.

Keep your children safe.

Bridge of Weir - Events being held in or near Bridge of Weir in February Charity Night on Wednesday 19th February, in aid of the Lord Provost of Glasgow Clutha Bar Helicopter Disaster Fund, in the Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, starting at 7pm till 11pm. Tickets are £6 available from Tulip Hair and Design at Livery Walk. A public meeting to discuss the Independence Referendum on Wednesday 26th February, at Gryffe High School. I would encourage all interested readers to attend and bring their questions, whether or not they have made up their mind about how to vote.

Surgeries: Bridge of Weir 1st Tuesday of month at Cargill Hall 6.30pm 7pm, Bishopton 2nd Wed of month at Bishopton Community Library 6.15pm - 6.45pm, Langbank 2nd Wed of month at Langbank Village Hall 7pm - 7.30pm. Tel: 0300 300 1259, Mob: 07534 148734 or email: cllr.maria. brown@renfrewshire.gov.uk

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Bridge of Weir History Society

At the meeting on Monday 24th February John Steele will talk about “The Scandals of HMS Dasher”.

The meeting starts at 8pm and is held in the large hall of Freeland Church, in Bridge of Weir.

Tea & coffee is served after the talk.

Everyone welcome, visitors invited to make donation of £1.50 at the door.

Any queries, please phone either Rosemary 01505 614252 or Lorraine 01505 612202.

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St Vincent’s Hospice Art Exhibition

Following the success of our previous art exhibition at The Bridge, we are having a follow-up for this year.

This exhibition will run until midFebruary at The Bridge, Main Street, Bridge of Weir.

Half Price Sales

Look out for half price sales in the St Vincent’s Hospice shop in Livery Walk, Bridge of Weir!

Bridge of Weir Community Council

Bridge of Weir Community Council’s first meeting of 2014 will be held on Tuesday 4th February at 7pm in the Cargill Hall.

Matters likely to be discussed will include the recent change to the X7A bus service which is proving inconvenient for many users.

The reporting Councillor has been asked to give the Community Council the official line on any proposals for the former Bulls Garage Site.

The Police have been asked to report if any of the culprits have been apprehended who caused the mindless vandalism to Brighter Bridge of Weir’s Planters and damaged car wing mirrors at Windsor Place, Main Street as the residents welcomed in the New Year.

The Scottish Government has asked the Community Council to declare an interest in joining the Scottish Rural Parliament. The meeting will decide if Bridge of Weir is a Rural Area for this purpose and a decision will have to be made whether we join the Parliament. However, this will depend on members willing to be part of it.

As always the meeting is open to the Public.

Bridge of Weir SWRI

Our next meeting takes place on Thursday 6th February at 7.30pm in the British Legion when our speaker will be Jean Tait on “The Trials & Tribulations of a Tour Guide”.

All members and friends will be made most welcome.

Bridge of Weir Embroiders Guild

The Embroiderers Guild meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month between September and April. Our February meetings are entitled ‘All about Shopping’ (5th February) and ‘The Abbey Stitchers’ (19th February). We have regular worknights and day classes for The talk for our February meeting all levels of stitchers including our will be given by Ian Quinn and his ‘play with a stitch’ sessions which subject `Scottish Steamers and aim to teach the basic stitches to Places’. Thursday 20th February those new to sewing. For more at 7.3opm in The Village Centre. information contact Christine Currie We would welcome any visitors on 07850 662695. who wish to join with us at this

Langbank SWRI

The Bridge, 63 Main Street, Bridge of Weir

The dull days of January are behind us and we look forward to Spring, with lighter nights and hopefully, brighter weather. Now is the time to replenish your stocks of Stationery and prepare for all the birthdays and celebrations 2014 will bring.

POST OFFICE – You can be assured of a friendly, efficient service within your Post Office. For forthcoming birthdays, a great idea is the prepaid Gift Card on sale at the counter. Please ask Donald, Pat or Anne for more information.

STATIONERY– we stock a comprehensive range of stationery items. We are delighted customers are using The Bridge as a “one stop shop” bringing items for posting, purchasing the necessary packaging, wrapping on site and posting all in one go.

GREETING CARDS – we are continually replenishing our stock to cover life’s events. For those with milestone birthdays the range of cards covers from ages 1 to 100. A small stock of Valentine cards are on sale – send your love in 2014! Easter falls in the middle of April this year – send your Easter Greetings - Easter Cards on sale from mid-February.

NEW HAPPENINGS IN THE BRIDGE – Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau are present between 10am and 1pm on the 10th and 24th February and fortnightly thereafter. Starting on 3rd February and on the first Monday of each month Colin Fyfe of Colcom is running a computer clinic.

CAFÉ, LOCAL CRAFT WORKERS & ART – please drop in to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee whilst browsing through the selection of used books, local crafted items and Artwork on sale.

Our volunteers look forward to your next visit to The Bridge (Opening Hours: Mon – 9am to 5pm (PO closed 12 noon to 12.30pm); Tues & Fri – 1pm to 5pm; Wed & Thu – 10am to 2pm; Sat – 9am to 1pm)

interesting topic.

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Lochwinnoch Arts Festival 2014 Early Announcement for March!

The Lochwinnoch Arts Festival will be from Thursday 20th ‘til Sunday 30th.

The Festival will be a mixture of old favourites and some new performers and many different art forms. Here is a selection of some of the events for 2014.

kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

From Thursday 20th ‘til Saturday 29th - Art exhibition in Lochwinnoch library and Rowena’s second hand books in McKillop for charity.

Thursday 20th - by special request the very talented Glasgow Theatre Guild return to the Festival to perform songs and dance from film and shows in the Parish church 7.30pm.

Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd - free music in local pubs.

Friday 21st - In the Parish church Susie Lamont’s pupils will perform their annual concert at 7pm. Returning for the second time to the Festival the wonderful Capitol Big Swing Band perform classic Big Band dance music. So come and dance on Friday from 8pm in the McKillop hall. In support will be the local ‘Factory Street Quartet’ a fun and talented saxophone group.

Saturday 22nd - Craft Fair in McKillop 1-4pm (free tea and coffee). In the evening the Calder Church production of ‘The Prodigal Son’ in Calder church 7.30pm.

Sunday 23rd - Scottish music workshops with Fiddle tutor Alastair McCulloch a long standing fiddle tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Accordion Nicky McMichan, professional full-time accordionist, band leader, drummer, arranger and composer.

Percussion tutor Seonaid McPherson RSAMD graduate in Orchestral Percussion and Timpani. Seonaid now teaches drum kit, percussion and performs with many bands workshop in Parish Church 2.30pm Monday 24th - Lochwinnoch writers and invited author Christopher Brookmyer in McKillop hall 7.30pm Tuesday 25th - the talented ‘Witches Brew’ entertain the ‘Drop in T bar Elderly forum’ McKillop 11am. In the evening performing for the first time the fantastic ‘The Rock Choir’ in the Parish church 7.30pm Wednesday 26th - Local bard Betty McKellar will perform poetry from her new collection called ‘Seasons’ with paintings by her sister Patricia Saddler. Also poetry written by local families will be performed.

Musical support will be given by ‘Witches Brew’ RSPB Lochwinnoch 7.30pm.

Thursday 27th and Friday 28th - the ever popular local Calder Drama will perform a play written by local artist Franszeska Ewart ‘The Lemonade Factory Murder’ McKillop 7.30pm.

Friday 28th and Saturday 29th - free music in local pubs.

Kilbarchan Fairtrade Steering Group

The Kilbarchan Fairtrade Steering Group will hold a coffee morning from 10am to 12 noon on Saturday 22nd February, in the Steeple Hall. Adults £2, children £1.

There will be a banana theme as this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight will be focussing on the working conditions and exploitation of banana producers who are not Fairtrade producers. Fairtrade Fortnight covers the last week of February and the first week on March.

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Saturday 29th - Krafty Kids arts in Parish church 10.30am. Craft Fair in McKillop 1-4pm (free tea and coffee). Well known BBC broadcaster and author Sally Magnusson McKillop hall 10.30am and, at 1pm with her husband Norman, a performance and reading of ‘Horace the Haggis’ for children 4-9 in McKillop hall. In the evening in the McKillop a Family Ceilidh with local ceilidh band Clamjamfrie from 8pm.

Sunday 30th - the grand finale with the Lochwinnoch Choral Society with the community choir Glasgow’s ‘The Sirens of Titan’, will be performing Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana in the Parish church Sunday evening.

For more information see web site www.lochwinnochartsfestival.co.uk or 01505 843183.

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bishopton, langbank

& bridge of weir The play area in Moss Road Park has now a fence around it.

I am delighted that through the efforts for villagers the park was saved and improvements are being made and everyone involved and supported the campaign should be really proud.

Several residents in Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank are concerned about the reduction and indeed loss of bus services in the area. Bus operators have had significant funding cuts to both the rate paid by the Scottish Government for concessionary card holders and the Bus Service Operators Grant. To meet the loss of income they have cut routes and raised fares. Improved regulation could mean operators cannot pick-off very profitable routes and simply ignore those living in more rural locations.

In a positive development the Council’s Commonwealth Games Elite Athlete Fund has provided support to a number of athletes and sports clubs in Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank. This little bit of financial support will be drowned out by our vocal support for our athletes during the games in July and August.

I have asked the road department to do a substantial job to clear the drains on Middlepenny and Houston Roads in Langbank. They are compacted and require a total clear out. The danger is that water does not drain and the roads ice over during very cold spells.

I am continuing to press Transport Scotland to bring forward the timescale for the work on the Erskine Bridge. The 10 month timescale could be shortened by utilising night-time working and deploying more workers on the project.

Surgeries: 4th Monday Langbank PS (from 6pm) and Bishopton Library (from 6.45pm) and Cargill Hall, Bridge of Weir 4th Wednesday (from 6.30pm).

Contact: 0300 300 1295 or email cllr.michael.holmes@renfrewshire.gov.uk

Bridge of Weir TARA

The first TARA meeting of 2014 was well attended and it is hoped this will continue throughout the year. The village has recently seen a higher than normal police presence in some areas as they try to combat a number of housebreakings and attempted housebreakings. It is hoped this higher profile will act as a deterrent to any would be criminals.

Youths on motorbikes are continuing to ride illegally about the village, especially in Station Road, were they are a real nuisance to Beaton Brothers Undertakers, the Cycle track and Houston Road park. The police are monitoring this situation closely and have already spoken to some youths and their parents. This and other anti-social behaviour can be reported to the police on 101. Renfrewshire’s wardens service can also be contacted regarding anti-social behaviour, dog fouling, graffiti, etc. on 03003000380. The wardens patrol Renfrewshire between 8am and 9.30pm everyday and can target specific areas if incidents are reported to them.

The speed monitoring of traffic entering and leaving the village via Kilmacolm Road during one week in May, showed that of 35,872 vehicles monitored, 81.5% were over the 30mph speed limit. This is clearly unacceptable and local resident Mike Lawrie has taken up the cudgels regarding this issue and has a petition circulating the village ahead of a meeting with Renfrewshire Council on the 10th February. Mike has the full backing of the local councillors and TARA. The X7A bus service has had yet another revamp following the withdrawal of the 301 bus service to Quarriers and Kilmacolm and it will now also cover these two destinations.

The next TARA meeting will be on the 18th February at 7.30pm in the Pirie Centre at Freeland Church.

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You have probably got rid of all your Christmas extra rubbish, but still worth pointing out that if you cannot get all your recyclate into the blue bin, then you can request a second blue bin from the council. Don’t please, go and fill the council bins elsewhere, such as hall bins, they need the space for their own rubbish. There are also charities out there that will willingly collect old furniture and bric-a-brac. If you have trouble finding one then drop me a line.

Drivers: Speed has a huge impact on fuel efficiency. Cruising at 80mph can use up as much as 25% more fuel than at 70mph. Change gears sooner. Ideally, you should be changing up at 2,500 revs on a petrol engine, and 2,000 on a diesel. The most economical driving band is 1,500-2,500rpm for petrols, and 1,300-2,000 for diesels.

I am pleased to say that white lining and new cats eyes are coming for the A761 between Brookfield and Bridge of Weir, this, in addition to the drainage currently being carried out.

Gillens 317 Bus Service Withdrawal: - SPT are diverting its existing subsidised service X7A Bridge of Weir – Johnstone to operate via Quarriers Village/Kilmacolm, thus maintaining transport links to Johnstone for both areas.

Surgeries: Bishopton Community Library - 1st Monday of every month (6.30pm), Cargill Hall - 2nd Monday of every month (7.30pm), Langbank Parish Church Hall - 3rd Monday of every month (6.30pm). Contact: 0300-300-1291 or email cllr.james.maclaren@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

Social media: Facebook www.facebook.com/councillormaclaren Working with you and improving our local area. Please feel free to contact me with any of your concerns, and I am happy to meet with you at a mutually convenient time.

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Eat Lochwinnoch Food Fayre

Thanks to everyone who attended our Food Fayre on the 7th December. It was very successful despite the rain! Congratulations to Greta Wilson, who won our “locally sourced” hamper.

The Food Fayres showcase local produce, with all stall holders coming from within a 25 mile radius of Lochwinnoch. We also have a limited number of pitches for local community organisations.

Our next Food Fayre will be on Saturday 22nd March. If you would like to find out how to book a stall, or you would like to help out (we are particularly looking for First Aiders and people willing to help out with the set up/clear away), please contact susie@myleapproject.org, or phone the LEAP office (01505 842530).

Kilbarchan East Church Guild Events Annual Coffee Morning Saturday 1st Feb - 10am - 12noon.

Tickets: Adults £2, Children 50p, on sale from Committee members or at the door Guest Night

Lochwinnoch SWRI The February Meeting will take place on Wednesday, 19th at 7.30pm in the McKillop Hall The speaker is Mr Shane Williams of Byre Antiques who will discuss and value our own pieces. So, please bring along an article which you feel will be of interest.

Tuesday 11th Feb - 7.30pm in the Church Hall. Entertainment provided by Church of The Nazarene Ladies Choir

The Competitions are,

Talk/Lecture

3. For the Gardening Scotland Competition, should you wish to enter, a Jar of Apple Jelly.

Tuesday 25th Feb - our speaker will be Brian Adair who will talk on “Stories from the court”. All welcome.

Kilbarchan NWR

1. 3 Empire Biscuits 2. Favourite Mug , coin judged, please bring a mug with you!

We look forward to welcoming members and friends.

There are 2 meetings in February, the national group theme country Belgium, when we have the Bishopton group as our guests and a “Hat Night” when we shall discuss topical issues. For further info please see the website: www.nwr.org.uk

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kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

On the back of the fantastic decision to award Kilbarchan Fairtrade status I have been lobbying council officers to investigate the installation of Fairtrade signs for Kilbarchan.

For Habbies this will be yet another jewel in the crown of Kilbarchan, and the fact that both Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch are now Fairtrade villages is an honour that testifies to their radical weaving heritage.

At the last meeting of the Johnstone and the Villages Local Area Committee it gave me great pleasure to be able to move that substantial funding be given to the Lochwinnoch Playpark Improvement Group. I am delighted also that this was approved as children are the future of our communities, and we owe it to them to enrich their personal development as much as possible.

February is often a month in Scotland where we experience heavy snowfall.

With this in mind I moved at the last meeting of the Johnstone and the Villages Neighbourhood Housing Forum, that areas such as Braehead in Lochwinnoch be considered for extra gritting due to the steep incline in that area which makes it particularly treacherous, especially for buses. I will continue to press the Council on this issue as health and safety should take precedence over any financial considerations.

Surgeries: Kilbarchan on 2nd Wednesday of the month in the Steeple Hall at 7:45pm, Lochwinnoch on 4th Wednesday of the month in the McKillop at 7:30pm, excluding July. Contact: 07534 148224, or email cllr.andy.doig@ renfrewshire.gov.uk.

Artist Submissions

The Lochwinnoch’s Art Festival Art Exhibition will once again take place in the Library Room of Lochwinnoch Library from Wednesday 19th.March until Saturday 29th.March 2014 . Artists in the local surrounding area are invited to submit works for this now very popular exhibition. Full details and instructions are available from the Calder Gallery & Framing, 8 High Street, Lochwinnoch.

I am pleased to report that at a public meeting on the 14th January a new Lilias Day committee was established to take forward planning for this year’s event. At the meeting I, along with my colleague Chris Gilmour, pledged to offer help and work with the Council to establish what support it can offer to assist with this important village event. The committee intends to meet on a regular basis and will welcome any help with their preparations.

Another highlight of the summer will be the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with a number of local athletes taking part. I am therefore delighted that some members of Kilbarchan Athletic Club have been awarded grants from Renfrewshire Councils Commonwealth Games Elite Athletes Fund to assist with their coaching and training preparations.

They will have the best wishes of the people of Kilbarchan and beyond.

In Lochwinnoch, I have been in discussion with constituents regarding the present position of the bus service to and from the village. At the time of writing I have asked Council officers to continue discussions with Strathclyde Passenger Transport to seek a resolution to the problems caused by the loss of the Slaemuir service.

The opportunity to get out into the fresh air is always to be welcomed and on the 18th January I joined an enthusiastic group of members of the Grow Kilbarchan group and children and young people in planting trees in the park, and at the Greenspace at the Cross. This is a fine example of Kilbarchan residents working together to continually improve the village, and I am delighted to support their efforts.

Surgeries: Saturday 1st February at 9am at the McKillop Institute and at 10am at the Steeple Hall Kilbarchan. Contact: 0300 300 1274 / 07534 156007 or email cllr.derek.bibby@renfrewshire.co.uk

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Do you know these men?

Colin Campbell, Kilbarchan, is researching the names on Kilbarchan’s First World War memorials. ‘I am having trouble identifying some of them: if anyone knows the following, or what their association was with Kilbarchan, could they please contact me at cmc6868@ msn.com. Robert Burns, Colin Campbell, James Davidson, Victor Drago, James White.

There are over 400 James Whites on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site, and most of them do not show relations’ names, nor where they came from.’

Kilbarchan West Church

On Sunday 12th January the congregation bid a fond farewell to the Rev Arthur Sherratt and his wife Susan as he leaves to take up a charge in Saltcoats at St Cuthbert’s Church of Scotland.

Arthur has been minister in the West for nearly 20 years and both he and Susan have in that time participated fully in the life of the village. After the Service a light lunch was served and then various presentations were made by the congregation, the Kirk Session, the Junior Church and the Boys’ Brigade. We wish them both well as they start a new chapter in their life in Saltcoats (picture shows the Session Clerk, John Connell, presenting a gift to the Rev Arthur Sherratt) The Guild meets on Monday 3rd and Monday 17th February . On the 3rd Mr David Walker will give an illustrated talk on ‘Glasgow’s Hidden Treasures’ and on the 17th we welcome ‘Double Cream’ who will entertain us and our guests from neighbouring guilds.

Please join us if you can. You will be made most welcome.

Mary’s Meals in Kilbarchan

Old Library, Kilbarchan

The Community Facility in the Old Library in Kilbarchan , which is run by a group of volunteers, depends upon the generosity of its supporters and people using the many aspects of the Centre for the finance to keep the doors open. The variety of classes, entertainment and facilities provided in the Centre cover a wide range of activities and tastes. If you visit the Centre you will be made most welcome. If you make use of any of the things on offer you will be contributing greatly to the future of the Centre. The web page www.kipcokil.com , gives details of what is on offer, phone 01505706070 or visit. Our next visiting musician is Jimmy Livingstone. A recent review in the US’No 1 Americana website, No Depression, reported on 10th January “ The record companies appear to have missed a diamond in the rough who has a timeless voice that will stop you in your tracks.....it’s only going to take a smidgen of good luck for a radio station or major record label to pick up on Jimmy Livingstone and he will become an overnight success.” Jimmy is a British singer/songwriter who spent a chunk of his childhood around Barrhead and Paisley. He supported Lucinda Williams on her summer tour and has released his acclaimed debut album One eye open, one eye closed. You could hear him in Kilbarchan. He will gig here on Thursday 6th February.

The members of Kilbarchan East Church raised over £900 when the Bible Class held their annual “Put the Christ Back into Christmas” campaign, which will feed 86 children for a year, in Malawi.

The 12th Habbies’ Art Class Exhibition

This year’s exhibition of paintings will be on display in the Kilbarchan Guide Centre on Thursday 10th and Friday 11th April between 11am and 8pm and on Saturday 12th April from 10am to 4pm.

The entrance fee is just £1. We invite friends old and new to come and view the varied work on display at affordable prices to stimulate your visual senses and drive your hand towards your pocket.

The tempting range of home baked goodies in our tea room will stimulate your taste buds and tickets for another stunning selection of raffle prizes will also be on sale. In the past year we have made donations to St Vincent Hospice, Marten’s Progress and CHAS.

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Free School Meals

This month I supported the Scottish Government expansion of free school meals and childcare provision. Around 5500 P1 to P3 children in Renfrewshire will have the option of a free meal in school from January next year, improving health and wellbeing, increasing attainment and saving families at least £330 a year for each child.

Veterans Commissioner

In January Veterans Minister, Keith Brown announced that Scotland’s public services will receive help to address the challenges faced by Scotland’s veterans through the creation of a new, pioneering Commissioner.

The Scottish Veterans Commissioner will work with service charities, local authorities and health boards to identify any areas in public services that might provide greater support to veterans and help shape future policy development and opportunities. The establishment of this new role, which is the first in the UK, reinforces the Scottish Government’s commitment to providing support to the estimated 400,000 ex-service men and women living in Scotland.

Our Veterans now have an ambassador who will help them access all the fantastic services that are available to them to allow ex-service men and women reach their full potential. The Scottish Veterans Commissioner position will be advertised in the spring, with a view to ensuring the Commissioner’s office will be staffed and ready by the autumn.

Support for Council Tax Freeze

A recent survey of residents in Gallowhill confirmed that people support the council tax freeze. Of the 883 responses a whopping 812 respondents indicated their support, with just 30 saying no to a continuation of the policy.

I have also recently started a survey of residents in other parts of the constituency to seek their views on this matter. Early results suggest a high level of support from them as well. I work very hard to keep in touch with local issues, and continue to run my surgery programme and constituency hotline.

howwood & elderslie As I write this we have yet to hear where the village features in the Scottish Government’s plans for improvements in broadband speeds. The plans are for the next three years and let’s hope the government have listened to the community and Howwood features near the beginning of the programme.

You may remember I had raised my own as well as villagers concerns over the safety of the A737. The Scottish Government have told me that a number of improvements are to implemented on the road before the end of March this year.

They have recognised the poor safety record and it is hoped the works will improve matters. The improvements include new signing, junction bollards and new lining. Let’s hope they prove to be successful.

The consultation on the future of primary schools in Johnstone is well underway. St Anthony’s is well represented on the focus group set up to seek parents views and I know this will be of interest to many parents in the village The council will be putting forward their proposals in May. Finally we don’t seem to be any further forward with regards to getting the Post Office back in the village. I’ll let you know if there are any developments.

Remember my surgery in the village hall is on the fourth Thursday of the month between 6pm and 7pm.

Howwood WRI

Howwood Village Hall - Tuesday 18th February - 7.30pm.

Little Stories from the Court by Mr Brian Adair. Competition - Favourite Key Ring. Hostesses - Mrs Anne McCallum & Mrs Christine Drennan. Vote of Thanks: Mrs Irene MacTaggart

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houston, crosslee & brookfield A good blether at Houston Kirk

On Tuesday mornings at 10.30am the “Wee Blether” is held in the Church Halls. Come for an informal chat, with tea and coffee, lasting until about 11.30am, though it has been known for the chat to go on longer! While a few people stay on for tea or coffee after Sunday worship, many have to dash home, so a Tuesday morning is a good time to get together in the Church Hall for a more relaxed get together.

The “Wee Blether” started up in September 2007 and has been a popular event in our weekly calendar. You donate £1 into what was fondly called “Chucky”, a plastic piggy bank, and you may have as many cups of tea or coffee as you can drink and also biscuits. There is a good bookstall/library and books which have been read are often discussed - just like a book club! Unfortunately Chucky due to wear and tear has been replaced by “Bertie” and we are growing to love him too! Chucky has raised over £1200 a year for Church funds. So come along on a Tuesday morning, make new friends or chat to old friends. You will be made most welcome!

Houston Community Council update HCC re-convened on 15th January after its festive break, and once again much of the discussion centred on local concerns regarding revisions to local transport arrangements.

With SPT representative Frank Rennie in attendance, following discussions with him in November, members were keen to know how residents could best bring their concerns to the attention of the SPT, following reductions in services and recent increases in bus fares. Particular concerns were expressed with regard to difficulties in reaching local facilities such as the RAH in Paisley, and local supermarkets, without somewhat tortuous journeys and, most commonly, a change of bus to reach the desired destination, particularly in the evenings. Mr Rennie did in fact state that he had not received a single comment from individual residents regarding the bus services, save for those made by the Community Council, and it is a worry that while locally residents are expressing their concerns, they are not in fact taking them up with the agencies perhaps best able to address them.

With this in mind, Mr Rennie is examining the possibility of bringing a mobile information service to the village, probably in March, with a view to both letting local people know just what services are available, while taking the opportunity to listen to concerns of residents.

In the meantime, it is absolutely essential that residents do ensure that their concerns reach the SPT. They can do this in several ways: • Contact Mr Rennie direct at frank.rennie@spt.co.uk, phone him at 0141 333 3289, or write to him at SPT, 12 West George St, Glasgow, G2 1HN • Contact Houston Community Council at 07854 724184, or email your concerns to houstoncommcouncil@yahoo.co.uk, or • Go into the Community Council’s website at www.houstonvillage.co.uk and fill in the comments section.

At the risk of stating the obvious, it is essential that residents do let someone know about their concerns, as otherwise there is no likelihood of these being addressed.

Houston Community Council meets in the Carrick Centre, Main St, Houston, on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from September to November, and January to June, the next scheduled meeting being on Wednesday, 19th February at 7.30pm. All meetings are open to the public, and new members are welcome.

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houston, crosslee & brookfield Quiz Night

Houston Friends of Accord are holding a Quiz Night on Friday 21st February at 8pm in the JG Fleming Bowling Club, South St., Houston.

Houston And Killellan Guild

On 4th February we have Rev Alan Sorensen coming along and he will Tickets for the event cost £8 and be talking about his involvement this includes a light supper. They with Christian Broadcasting. Our can be obtained from Joan Andrew Annual Fundraiser this year is a (tel: 690463 email: joanerandrew@ Fashion Show by M&Co and it will hotmail.com) or any member of the be on 18th February in the Church Hall. Tickets are £4 to include a light committee. supper. Tickets are available from committee members or after the Sunday Service.

Parkas, Puffins and Polar Bears are the subject of a talk

by Mrs Vivienne MacDonald on Tuesday 4th March. A warm What’s on February 2014 welcome to all.

Monday to Friday Woodlands After

H.O.S.T. Carrick Centre School 01505 615438

MONDAY - Young Farmers 3rd/17th/24th - 7.30pm; Embroiderers’ Guild (weekly) 10am; Galaxy Dancing (weekly); Diaporama 10th - 7.30pm; Yoga (weekly) 1pm M Laidlaw 01505 842877.

TUESDAY - Paint Pot Tots 10am D Campbell 07789 262350; Yoga (weekly) 7pm M/s Lawson 01505 613690.

WEDNESDAY - Community Council 19th 7.30pm; Councillors Surgeries 19th 6.30pm; French class Madame McDevitt 0141 886 6282; Dancerise (exercise) 1.30pm D Campbell 07789 262350; Galaxy Dancing 4pm; Gryffe Camera Club 7.30pm; Melody Makers 12th 26th 7pm THURSDAY Quilting Group 13th/20th/27th; French Class; Crafty Friends 6th/20th 7.30pm; Folk Club (weekly) 8pm FRIDAY - Galaxy Dancing 3.30pm SATURDAY - Galaxy Dancing 9.30am SUNDAY - Baptist Church 11am & 6pm Booking enquiries to Ian Simpson 01505 612203 or Sandy Young 01505 331488 or The Coffee Shop

Houston & Crosslee SWRI

The Handiwives meet on Monday 3rd February when we will be shown how to make leather keyrings.

For our meeting on 12th February we will enjoy a night out at the River Inn. If you wish more information please contact Elaine Johnston: Telephone 01505 324827 or email jemjohnston@tiscali.co.uk

Brookfield Country Dancing Club

On Thursday 29th January, 7.30pm until 9.30pm in Brookfield Village Hall. The Club meets every two weeks. New members welcome. No need to bring a partner. Time at the interval for tea and a chat. Details from Aileen Craig on 01505 322684.

Public Meeting Gryffe High School on Wednesday 26th February at 7.30pm.

This is your opportunity to have any questions you may have about Scottish Independence answered face to face. Speakers include: Blair Jenkins, Chief Executive of Yes Scotland and representatives from Business for Scotland, Labour for Independence and Women for Independence.

National Women’s Register Are you a woman with a lively mind? We meet fortnightly to have discussions, share opinions, outings and friendship. For further details, phone Mary-Anne 612472.

In January 2012 the then Administration in Renfrewshire Council proposed and had approved a Commonwealth Games Fund totalling £100,000.The fund was established to support initiatives and events and was open to organisations or clubs who deliver sport or physical activity within Renfrewshire.

Active Renfrewshire partners reviewed the applications and a breakdown of the athletes and clubs was presented to the Sport, Leisure and Culture Policy Board on 16th January 2014. In the Elite Athlete category Strathgryffe Tennis Club was well represented with no less than 10 athletes being awarded grants from this ‘Elite Athlete Fund’. In the ‘Club Fund’ category both Strathgryffe Tennis Club and Houston United Football Club were recipients of funding.

Congratulations to long serving Renfrewshire Councillor Eileen McCartin, who was awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours’ List in recognition of a quarter of a century of political service. Eileen is a well known Councillor and served as deputy leader of the authority in the previous administration Surgeries: second Tuesday of each month in Brookfield Village Hall from 6pm to 6.30pm then in Houston Village Hall from 7pm to 7.45pm. Contact: 01505 610018 or e-mail at cllr.allan.noon@renfrewshire.gov.uk or through Renfrewshire Council on 0300 300 1265.

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kilmacolm & quarriers Institute Development

The Planning Application for the disused Institute Building and the two empty shops close by has now been submitted to Inverclyde Council and published on their website. It envisages a building with two new shops on the ground floor, 13 flats above and parking below. The design is a mixture of the modern and a pastiche of an old sandstone terrace. It is a very prominent site at the centre of the village and this is your opportunity to make your views count by submitting comments to the Council.

Http://planning.inverclyde.gov.uk Ref:13/0379/IC Address: The Kilmacolm Institute, Lochwinnoch Road, KILMACOLM, PA13 4HA. Description: Full Planning Application

Kilmacolm Guide Hut

Are you looking to run a weekly class? Whether it be a fitness class or an arts class, or anything in between, the Guide Hut in Kilmacolm is available for let for weekly slots at very attractive rates. Central to the village, but with easy parking, kitchen facilities and plenty of space, it is an ideal base for use by the local community. We also take bookings for birthday parties and special occasions. For more information please call Jackie on 01505 873488.

Coffee Morning Pancake Coffee Supporting M N D (motor Morning neurone disease) Saturday 1st March in Kilmacolm New Community Centre 10am - 12noon Ticket £3.

St Fillan’s Church Moss Road, Kilmacolm Shrove Tuesday Coffee Morning is on 4th March 10am – 12noon

Two bus services have been saved by the one subsidy. SPT have skilfully linked the 530 Kilmacolm to Greenock ,evenings and Sundays, with the X7A Kilmacolm to Johnstone Station via Quarriers and Morrison’s. The combined cost is £1500 per week to McGill’s the operator, and will run until the 2nd June, allowing SPT to invite tenders for the long term.

I attended an excellent and informative presentation by Colin McClatchie, the chair of St Columba’s parent council, outlining the proposed school extension in Gryffe Road. Planning officers have recommended approval and the application will come before the February Planning Board. I was the lone local councillor supporting the previous application in the pony field and will now study the officers determination in order to decide my position.

Significant monies have been allocated for road works, in 2014/15, on Blacksholm, Auchentiber, Netherwood and Killochries Roads. This should be of comfort to the many residents who have complained about the condition of these roads.

The application has been lodged for the old Institute and will constitute 2 retail outlets and 13 flats. The design is different from the first proposal.

There may be implications for village centre parking.

Surgeries: 3rd at St Francis Primary 5-6pm and 8th The Cargill Centre 9-10am. Contact: david.wilson@inverclyde.gov.uk and 01475 741969 /712727 and 07766 992294.

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Kilmacolm Old Kirk - 5th Annual Christmas Tree Festival The above event was held between 11th and 14th December 2013 inclusive and drew 15 entries. Due to pressures on businesses one or two shops and organisations had to withdraw from this year’s event, but nonetheless we had a very successful few days, which were all well attended.

Saturday 14th was the highlight. We were royally entertained by St Columba’s School Junior Choir, in the Church, and by Gail Ashley’s School of Dance in the Kidston Halls. A hearty vote of thanks is due to all who helped at the event dispensing teas, coffees and mince pies to the visitors.

Every visitor is given the opportunity to vote for the best ‘Senior Tree’ and the best ‘Junior Tree’. The winners this year were The Ladies Section of Kilmacolm Bowling Club, and Primary 2/3 of Kilmacolm Primary School. Photos of their trees are included in this article. So thank you again to everyone who gave of their time to help, and those of you who gave us your support, by attending.

The Kilmacolm to Johnstone bus route was continued in January by SPT after a subsidy was awarded to McGill’s bus company to run the X7A service. It is vital that bus routes like the Kilmacolm - Johnstone and Kilmacolm - Greenock are continued. Many people (particularly older citizens) do not drive, it can also be difficult to get parking places in our towns and cities and public bodies are always encouraging us to use public transport. It was so important that SPT awarded these subsidised services.

Kilmacolm Primary School have recently been given a very good report by the schools inspectorate. It is well deserved and is down to all the hard work

by Head Teacher Mrs Jones, all her staff, the hard work by the pupils, and the support of the School Parent Partnership and parents. Well done KPS. After many years of a lack of investment in our roads, pavements and street lighting Inverclyde Council committed to spending £17 million over three years from 2013. Already over the past year we have seen many roads and pavements repaired, some of this work in Kilmacolm. At our Environment & Regeneration committee meeting last month we committed to more work being carried out in specific areas, some of which will be in Kilmacolm and Quarrier’s Village over this year.

I have received a number of complaints about street lighting being out throughout ward 1, including Kilmacolm. I raised these faults with council officials and I would hope that these have been repaired now. If anyone has a street light out please let me know.

Surgeries: Newark Primary School, Wednesday 19th Feb, 5.30pm-6.30pm and Kilmacolm Community Centre, Tuesday 25th Feb, 6.30pm-7.30pm.

Contact: 01475 712727 or 07747 765 839 or email jim.macleod@inverclyde. gov.uk or write to Inverclyde Council, Municipal Buildings, Greenock, PA15 1LY.

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Outlook

The Kilmacolm afternoon social group meets in Kidston Hall at 2pm the first and third Thursdays monthly. The programme consists of a Topic of Interest, Afternoon Tea, and more!

Look Out for friends, old and new, discuss community issues, join the Outings to local venues.

6th February - Volunteers from British Red Cross will talk us through First Aid, Emergency treatments and their work in the community.

20th February - Maureen Horton from Travel a la carte will talk us through a range of Cruises and Holidays, with words of advice for the modern traveller.

Everyone welcome. Please contact 01505 872393 for further details.

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Kilmacolm Civic Trust AGM

This will take place at The Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm on Tuesday 18th March, starting at 7.30pm.

7.30pm - 8.15pm - Formal AGM business.

All members are invited to attend.

This will then be followed by an illustrated talk by Prof Frank Walker on Charles Rennie Mackintosh from 8.30pm 9.30pm.

The talk on Charles Rennie Mackintosh is open to all members of the KCT and to residents of Kilmacolm, Quarriers Village and the surrounding countryside.

The latter are very welcome and should aim to join us at 8.15pm.

At its meeting on 16th January the Council’s Environment & Regeneration Committee approved a £670,000 programme of road remedial works across Inverclyde for the new financial year beginning on 1 April. The roads covered include Auchentiber Road, Blacksholm Road, Killochries Road, Netherwood Road and a section of Auchenbothie Road.

This investment is part of a £5m programme for financial year 2014/15. A report will go to the Committee in March with proposals for how the balance of the funding should be spent. We would expect that a significant number of roads in Ward 1 will be included.

Congratulations to everyone at Kilmacolm Primary for an excellent school inspection report from Education Scotland. In particular the inspectors praised the strong strategic leadership of Head Teacher Jill Jones, the articulate and highly motivated pupils, the school’s strong community links, including the contribution made by volunteers, and the strong teamwork and sharing of best practice across the school.

Councillor McColgan Surgeries: Thursday 6th February, Park Farm Community Hall, 6pm-7pm and Monday 17th February, Boglestone Community Centre, 6.30pm7.30pm. Contact: 01475 712727 (during office hours) and 07881280016 (anytime) or email james.mccolgan@inverclyde.gov.uk. Write to me at Inverclyde Council, Municipal Buildings, Greenock PA15 1LY. Social media: visit my website: http://jamesmccolgan.com and follow me on Twitter @ jamesmccolgan.

Councillor McCabe Surgeries: Tuesday 18th February, 6pm-7pm, Boglestone Community Centre, Port Glasgow. Contact: 01475 712020 (during office hours) and 871368 (home) or email Stephen.McCabe@inverclyde.gov.uk. Write to me at 10 Victoria Gardens, Kilmacolm PA13 4HL. Social media: visit my blog: http://councillorstephenmccabe.blogspot.com/

New Podiatry Clinic in Kilmacolm

Arlene Mitchell Hair and Beauty welcomes Sole Solution Podiatry to join the team at 9a High Street, Kilmacolm this February.

Our podiatrists are fully qualified and insured with the Health and Care Professions council. We guarantee the highest quality of care for all your podiatry/chiropody needs.

Receive 10% off with this advert simply quote ‘Advertizer’ when you phone to book your appointment.

Call the foot specialists today: 01505 615996 / 077 223 3494 or email: laura@sole-solution.co.uk www.sole-solution.co.uk

Intermediate Bridge

The next group of ten further lessons with different topics will start on 26th February in Kilmacolm Community Centre on Wednesday afternoons from 2pm until 4pm.

These are stand alone topics each time so feel free to join if you wish for all ten or come on a weekly basis. There will also be some playing time and an opportunity to meet others who are of a similar standard .

Please note that this is suitable for all stages except complete beginners for whom classes will be held in the autumn. For further information please call 01505 872345.

Jane Goddard

David, Edwin and Richard wish to thank the many people who conveyed their sympathy following Jane’s death on Tuesday 14th January. It was touching and gratifying that so many attended the gathering at the Kilmacolm Golf Club on 24th January, bearing testimony to the esteem in which she was held and which reflected the many aspects of her life.

Rubbish Kilmacolm!?

These photographs were all recently taken within about a mile of Kilmacolm by an angry reader.

They show the appalling amount of litter that ruins our lovely countryside. What can we do about this?

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outdoors Bridge of Weir Horticultural Society The January meeting welcomed local members Adrian and Sue Whitaker who gave a presentation “North & South” which took us North to the tundra of the Arctic Circle - a land of arctic alpines hugging the ground for wind protection - and South to the sub tropical Canaries via Madeira.

We were treated to slides of Icelandic buttercups and poppies, saxifrages, low growing willow, cotton grass and sedges all growing on the permafrost where the growing season lasts about 100 days. On Madeira we visited the Palhiero Gardens along with the participants of the 21st Anniversary Gardeners World Cruise and thence to La Gomera to the National Park regenerating after a massive fire. El Jardin de Aclimatacion de la Orotava on Tenerife was started to test plants from all over the world. Adrian also showed us stunning images of the Orchid Garden on Tenerife. The extensive Botanic Gardens on Gran Canaria comprise large areas of natural vegetation. Our journey ended at the Cactus Garden on Lanzarote. This lifted everyone’s spirits after the long period of stormy weather.

Sad Losses Members noted with sadness the loss of two loyal supporters. Robert Carruth was a stalwart contributor to the annual Flower Show and won many trophies for his produce. Betty Scott was a regular supporter and baker for the Flower Show tearoom. Both will be missed and the Society sends condolences to their families.

The December AGM was well supported and the formalities soon completed.

The Lady Chair requested topics which members would like on the syllabus.

A return of several popular subjects was suggested - all duly noted!

Elmer Wallace Memorial Lecture: In February, John West will return to talk about “Plants for our Area”; a topic of interest to us all. If you feel you are always battling with the elements or soil conditions, come along on Thursday 13th February to The British Legion at 8pm. Guests are always welcome.

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Kilmacolm Horticultural Society The Winter Lecture will be held on Wednesday 19th February in Kidston Hall at 7.30pm. Joanna Gough, head gardener at the NTS Geilston Gardens will talk us through a year in the life of the Geilston Kitchen Garden, in Victorian times, and the present day. Refreshments served at end of lecture. Everyone welcome.

The 135th Anniversary Outings include a three day trip in May to Inverewe Gardens at Poolewe/ Ullapool/Inverness, and a trip in August to Edinburgh Botanic Gardens and the Royal Military Tattoo.

Membership of the Society is £5, which includes free admission to the Flower Show in September. Contact Jill Russell on 01505 872393 for further details.

Ardgowan Garden Opening

Sunday 16th February. Come along to the Ardgowan Estate, near Inverkip between 2pm and 5pm, to see the millions of snowdrops and enjoy the policies. The Hon Mrs Christopher Chetwode has kindly agreed to the opening of the gardens on behalf of Scottish Gardens, in support of Greenock Medical Aid and other SGS charities.

Strong waterproof footwear is advised and wheelchair access is limited in bad weather. Homemade teas are available for a small extra charge at the house and there will be a plant stall selling snowdrops and other produce. Entry £2 each.

RSPB Lochwinnoch Events Renfrewshire School Holiday 7th - 11th Feb World wetland day guided walk Sun 2nd February - 12noon – 2pm

Celebrate World Wetland day by exploring the wonderful wetland to be found at Lochwinnoch. The reserve team will take you around the site and point out the interesting birds to be found here. If you have a general interest in wildlife, or would like to hone your birdwatching skills, then this is the walk for you! Stout footwear and clothing suitable for the Scottish outdoors are strongly recommended. Cost: £5 or £2 for RSPB members. Please book as places are limited.

Winter Talk: Wed 12th Feb - 7:30pm-9pm Hayley Douglas: Windows on Wildlife Project

Windows on Wildlife is just one of the projects that can be seen at Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, Scotland’s largest Regional Park. Capitalising upon secret cameras situated in a variety of locations, the highlights of this project will be the viewing of otters and badgers as well as many of the other animals and birds found in the area. Join Hayley from the regional park to explore what has been seen so far during the project.

Cost: £5 or £2 for RSPB members. Please book as places are limited.

Build a Bird a Home Sat 15th Feb - 11am – 3pm

Help us celebrate National Nest Box Week and give birds a home this Spring! Build and decorate your very own nest box to help provide a pair of love birds with a home in time for the breeding season. Who knows, if you put it up in your garden, you may even see some baby birds in a few months time. Cost: £7 or £3 for RSPB members (includes a nest box to take home).

Sunday Talk Sun 23rd Feb - 3:30 – 4:30pm Chloe Rossi: A girl in Madagascar

When it’s dark outside and little can be seen through the windows of the visitor centre, there is still a reason to pay us a visit! Come and listen to our very own Chloe (Admin & Information Officer), regale us with tails of her trip to Madagascar. Cost: £5 or £2 for RSPB members. Please book as places are limited.

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Mid February in the garden Spring is in sight; however, since February weather is so unpredictable, gardening depends on ‘weather permitting’.

Mulch borders with organic fertiliser while you can still get between plants before Spring growth starts.

Cut back overgrown shrubs and hedges before the nesting season starts.

Please make sure you have plenty of food and water for the birds.

Prune Wisteria, cutting back laterals and side shoots to within two or three buds of the main stem. Wisteria benefits from being pruned twice a year – once in summer and once in winter. Wear gloves and protect your face from thorn-like protrusions on the new growth Cut back stems of Salix and Cornus close to ground level.

Prune late-summer flowering shrubs, such as buddleia, caryopteris and ceanothus.

Remove some of the older leaves and damaged or diseased foliage of hellebores when the flower buds start to emerge.

February flowers – Narcissus ‘February Gold’ (pictured left) This lovely plant looks stunning when planted in bold groups and will thrive in full sun/partial shade.

It can tolerate most soils that are well-drained, but moist during the growing season. Flowering through February/March it certainly brings a touch of spring to the garden.

Crocus ‘Barr’s Purple (pictured right) This crocus looks beautiful when planted in front of the border, or lining the garden path edges. It also looks perfect in pots on the patio. Flowering during February/March and prefers well-drained soil in full sun.

Clyde Muirshiel Events Regular Events

Mondays - (not public holidays) - Lochwinnoch Community Walks meet 10.30am at The Cross, Lochwinnoch; Thursdays - Slinky Strollers Parents with pushchairs meet for a walk at 10.30am at Castle Semple Visitor Centre; Weekly Volunteer Groups - Newcomers always welcome!; Thursdays - Castle Semple Conservation Volunteers, Adult group, from 12.30pm 3.30pm; Saturdays - Greenock Cut Conservation Volunteers, Adult group, 10.30am - 2.30pm; Sundays - Youth Volunteer Group ages 12–18 years, Castle Semple 10am - 1pm.

Fri 31st Jan - Tue 18th Feb - Art in the Park

The Annual Exhibition of traditional and contemporary works by Lochwinnoch Art Group. Most works are available to purchase.

Castle Semple Visitor Centre 10am-3.30pm daily. Tel: 01505 842882.

Sat 8th Feb - Sun 27th Apr - Photographic Exhibition Tour

A display of prize winners and entries from the 2013 ‘Year of Natural Scotland’ competition. Greenock Cut Visitor Centre. 11am - 3pm weekdays til end March. Tel: 01475 521458.

Fri 14th Feb - Stargazing Evening

Join staff from the Coats Observatory in Paisley at our dark sky site.

Tonight’s topic will be ‘Venus’. Indoor lecture if poor weather. Muirshiel Visitor Centre 7pm - 9pm. Tel: 01505 842803.

Sat 15th Feb - Small Mammal Surveys

Our small mammals are often overlooked. Come along and see how we survey for them and see if any have entered our traps. Castle Semple Visitor Centre. 10am-12noon. Tel: 1505 842882 Ex 20.

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Sat 22nd Feb - Weather

Come and make your own weather station and do some weather experiments. Suitable for families with children 8 yrs plus. Castle Semple Centre 1pm - 2.30pm Tel: 01505 842882 Ex 20.

Windows on Wildlife Update Please turn to page 51 of this issue for the latest update on the Windows on Wildlife project.

Mon 24th Feb - Sun 9th Mar - Fairtrade Fortnight

Enjoy a coffee, some chocolate and other Fairtrade goods in a warm scenic location. Support Lochwinnoch, a Fairtrade village since 2008. Castle Semple Centre.

All day. Tel: 01505 842882 ext 20.

Wed 26th Feb - Tartan Walk

Join the Feeling Fitter crowd for a Circular 5.0Km/3.1m walk, suitable for all levels. Look out your tartan gear and leap into some of those Scottish tunes as we wander around the village. Castle Semple Centre, 11am (allow 2 hrs). Tel: 01505 842882 Ex 20.

Booking essential for all events, contact the centre to book your FREE place.

Charges apply for outdoor activity courses.

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schools news Woodlands Nursery

Woodlands Nursery are part of the Eco Schools Project and our aim for this year is to achieve a Green Flag award. We have been busy setting up an Eco Committee within the nursery and at our Out of School Club. This consists of children, staff and parents and we are looking forward to planning our first litter pick up of 2014. Look out for posters in the community as we are always looking for helpers.

The children in the 3-5 room have been busy clearing an area, which is visible from the play room, as they are creating a nature garden with a bird table to attract a variety of birds to the grounds. We all have our binoculars and bird books at the ready.

Recycling is a large focus for Eco schools and our children have been busy recycling food packaging in the art area, home corner and wall displays.

Strawberry Field Nursery

As well as our Eco Project we have been focusing on “Scotland” as a topic to celebrate our Scottish poet Rabbie Burns. The children have learned all about him and have even been attempting some of his easier poems. All through the Nursery the children can be heard singing Ali Bali Bee and Three wee craws!! The children have been creating their very own tartans using textured paint brushes, they enjoyed this very much. We hope you all had a good Burns Day and enjoyed some haggis, neeps and tatties!!!

Our pyjama party for children in need was a huge success. Children came in their pyjamas and brought a teddy bear for our picnic. We made Pudsey bear shaped shortbread, musical bumps and a special buffet lunch.

Out of School Club would also like to wish Ashley McNeil well, and hope that she enjoys her maternity leave and her baby when he arrives. We are welcoming our new member of the club, Fiona and hope she settles in well.

Lochwinnoch Primary All the Pupil Councils at Lochwinnoch Primary have been busy working on their Actions Plans. The ‘Press Gang’ hope to keep you up to date with monthly reports on all the excellent work going on in our school, from maths to gardening!

We have had a busy couple of months. We have been doing a topic about the story ‘’Stick Man’’. We have been outside collecting sticks to make pictures of ‘’stickman and have enjoyed various activities relating to the story.

Our Christmas sing along and party was a great success. The children sang beautifully to their parents and then received their presents from Santa.

Over the next month the 3-5 children will be concentrating on a transport topic and the 0-3 children will be learning ‘’All about me’’

Nearly New Sale Kidston Kids will be holding their annual Spring Fayre and Nearly New Sale next month.

If you have any Baby equipment, Children’s clothes, toys or books that Pupils took part in a sponsored cycle to raise money for “Finding your you would like to donate or sell please contact us. Tables will also be Feet” which Corinne Hutton’s friends and family started. We have raised available for you to sell your own items. £9,379.40 so far. Miss More information in next month’s Advertizer or check out our website Park was delighted www.kidstonkids.co.uk with the turn out for the event, and thanks all the helpers and pupils for taking Places Available Now! part and also Every Mon, Tues & Wed from 9.30am-11.30am (only £4.50 per day) RT Cycles in This has been a well-established and much loved community provision Glengarnock for over 20 years, welcoming children from all areas. Sessions are led by 2 who helped with qualified and experienced play leaders who actively involve the children in a wide the bikes and variety of stimulating and fun activities, including crafts, dressing up, sand/water helmets. toys, role play and sing-alongs.

A Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special was enthusiastically

Lochwinnoch Playgroup

and energetically performed by Primaries 5/4-7 while Nursery and P1 were all stars in their Nativity play ‘What a Star!’. We are eagerly awaiting the Spring Show, to be performed by Primaries 2-4.

Primary 4 formed an Enterprise company , the ‘Chocolate Chargers’ and made a variety of handmade chocolate products for Christmas.

They raised over £300 which was split between Finding Your Feet and the DEC Appeal for the Philippines.

We hope you found our first article informative. The Press Gang

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Lochwinnoch Playgroup is an ideal stepping stone for pre-nursery children who we welcome from the ages of 2 1/2 until 5 years.

“Lochwinnoch Playgroup has been great for Ava, her confidence, interaction and speech have all really grown since joining, and she just loves playing with the other kids. Jacki and Natalie are excellent with all the children. Ava loves it so much she has continued to attend ever after joining the local nursery” (Dad of child who attends Lochwinnoch Playgroup) For more information or to register, please contact Jacki Dock on 07887 240635.

“Play, Learn & Grow Together”

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1st Houston & Crosslee Scouts The Christmas Fayre in early December was again a very successful day, with over £2,000 raised through ticket sales and stalls on the day. The committee would like to offer a big thank you to all the cubs, scouts and explorer scouts and leaders as well as parents who braved the horrendous November and December wind and rain to sell tickets throughout the village. Thanks also go to the local co-op for providing Christmas Pies, Shortbread, tea and coffee free of charge and to all the sections for manning the variety of stalls on the day. The Fayre was very well attended and the helpers in the tearoom were kept busy all morning with all tables constantly full. The Explorers also showed off their skills in the kitchen with a “Bake Off” competition. The money raised from this fundraising event helps towards ongoing maintenance of the hall and running costs of the group in general.

The cubs have recently visited the On-X Sports Centre and taken part in archery classes. The cubs also attended the Annual Christmas Pantomime of “Mother Goose” at the Arts Centre in Paisley and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

The group are still actively looking to fill a number of vacancies in the leader and committee departments. Anyone interested should contact the group James McDonald (Group Scout leader) on 01505 615441.

Kilbarchan Primary Food Focus Fortnight

P1 made a superhero poster and looked at healthy and unhealthy pizza. They even made their own healthy ones! P21 made cinnamon toast breakfast bears. P2 made a fruit smoothie and researched bananas.

P3 made healthy vegetable soup and P4 made healthy sandwiches. P5 made potato wedges and P6 made healthy cereal boxes and kept food diaries.

P7 made healthy dips – they were delicious!

Sheila from the Royal Highland Education Trust brought Millie the Cow for a visit. Although it wasn’t real, it was life-size and she taught us how to milk it.

She also taught us lots of other facts about how the cows were kept healthy and strong. Everyone enjoyed learning about healthy and non-healthy food as well as making all the different things.

WWII Makeup

Mrs Muir, a professional makeup artist, came to visit our P7 class. Before Mrs Muir started doing the makeup, she told the class a little about colour. One pupil was chosen to get the ‘full treatment’ and she picked Harry Pittaway. First of all she started with his face. He ended up with a few scrapes and bruises as well as a grazed hand and at the end he looked like he was involved in an explosion!

Harry enjoyed getting the stage makeup on and said that he would love to do it again. He also said that the effect was brilliant! Mrs Muir let the children give each other bruises and scrapes, with the makeup of course!

At the end, everyone hoped they looked like they were involved in WWII!

Danny and the Magic Dragon

On Thursday 9th January, Kilbarchan Primary School was treated to a visit from Baldy Bane Theatre Company who performed a pantomime called “Danny and the Magic Dragon”. It was about a kingdom which was always happy until a dragon started terrorising their town. The only way to stop the dragon was to send a villager to the dragon every year! But the pantomime had an unexpected twist to it! The children thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Emily Bradley from P7 said, “It was exciting and it was fun when they made us join in the songs.” Georgina Evans also a P7 added, “I really enjoyed the pantomime and I would watch it again.”All the pupils from P1-7 had a great time and would love to see another pantomime as soon as possible!

By Chloe Lafferty, Rachel Hay and Brooke Docherty

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Gryffe High School

Advanced Higher Chemists visit University of Strathclyde

This month S6 pupils studying Advanced Higher Chemistry were given the opportunity to visit the Chemistry Department of Strathclyde University as part of the investigation component of the course. It was a great opportunity for us to carry out experiments on the samples we had created in class using more sophisticated and expensive instruments.

On arrival we were greeted by three undergraduate students who would be our guides and teachers for the day so we donned our lab coats and safety goggles and set to work. For the first experiment, we were taken to a lab lined with fume cupboards on both sides of the room and were shown how to prepare our samples for the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) instrument. We were taken to a special NMR facility within the university where we learnt a little more about how the instrument works and about what the results of the experiment would tell us about our samples. One fact that really stood out for us all was that the university spent a huge £16,000 a year on liquid helium just to keep the instruments going!

Next, the students showed us how an infra-red spectrometer works and we were again given the opportunity to test our samples using the instrument.

Working alongside the students also gave us a chance to ask questions about student life at Strathclyde and what it is like to study there. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all pupils and the results of the day will be very valuable when it comes to writing up the reports for our investigations. Article – Eilish Tynan S6; Photographs – Dr F Scott

St Columba Playgroup & Toddlers Playdough is always popular at Playgroup and it’s easy to see why; you can bend it, shape it and make anything you want with it - pancakes and birthday cakes usually! It’s also an easy choice if you want a little bit of quiet time to sit and make something which is why we always have it out with a variety of tools. We are also having a busy term exploring our senses and talking about Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day. Plus we are heading towards another Ragbag collection in early March so please keep your old clothes and textiles and pass to a Playgroup family to help our fundraising. Names for places in August 2014 are now being taken. Visits are welcome at any time so if you are interested in a place on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday morning email Laura our membership secretary laura.hannah@hotmail.co.uk to arrange a visit.

Our toddler group runs on Wednesday’s between 10am and 11.30am for children from birth to 3 years, and is a great chance for your little ones to try out different toys and make new friends and for parents and carers to have a cuppa and a chat, we always look forward to welcoming new faces to the group. Please contact our Toddler secretary Anya for more information on 07772 269840. Toddlers will be closed for half term on Wednesday 19th February.

Kilbarchan Community Nursery The children are now all back and settled into the new term for 2014. They have decided on the topic of transport and plans are underway for lots of exciting activities .

The children have also been developing their skills of counting and identifying numbers and have enjoyed using the different programmes on the Smartboard to help them learn. The touchscreen technology on the Smartboard promotes active learning The children have also been developing their skills at making tasty (and healthy pizzas) using their own choice of fresh vegetables, fruit and cheese and will now be able to make them at home with their families.

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Kilmacolm Nursery Class

Bridge of Weir Primary School

We are back into the routine at nursery after a busy time in the run up to Christmas. We have started as we mean to go on with new and exciting activities to spark enthusiasm and interest in the children. Preschool children are taking part in the Inverclyde Music Festival, singing the action song “Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands”. As well as performing on the massive stage in Greenock Town Hall, I’m sure the bus trip will be appreciated as well. Groups will visit Kilmacolm library and enjoy songs and stories read by Pamela. We hope the weather will be kind to us, but we will only cancel outings if we can’t ensure the safety of the children – a little rain won’t put us off! Indeed we are committed to outdoor activity and try to get out into the play area as much as possible, even if it is only a few groups of children at a time. We are now focusing on initiatives such as Story Grammar and PATHS and staff are having input to make the nursery a Beast Feeding Friendly establishment.

Story Grammar is a pre-reading programme and PATHS is an initiative to promote self-esteem and foster good relationships. Technology involving Bee Bot has many positive outcomes. As well as learning about moving in particular directions, counting spaces and adding features to the Bee Bot, it is great fun too!

Mr Milligan has launched a Gymnastics Club for P4 children. “It’s all about the adventure!” he enthuses. “With fewer trees being climbed, and less running about generally, we show them amazing things they don’t know they can do yet.” Sporty P7 pupils are smashing in more ways than one in their Wednesday Badminton Club. Six of our badminton players took part in a tournament at St. Benedict’s in Linwood in December. Congratulations to Joel for reaching the semi-finals, Cori for reaching the quarter finals, and to tournament winner Grant, who has qualified for the Primary Games in June. With Mr Barrett’s rigorous coaching, and P6 and 7 pupils’ general pent-up passion for the game dubbed “poetry in motion”, the Football Club is very popular. “Monday training is fun,” says Calum, “the more football the better!” “Winning!” is the best part of football, says Zygy. Last season, Bridge of Weir Primary’s team was unbeaten so the pressure is on for the remainder of this season!

Duchal Nursery School We’ve had a great start to the year beginning our Six Nations topic, giving the children a flavour of each country, including capital city, colour of flag, language spoken, currency used,etc. We have begun with Italy, learning about the “Leaning Tower of Pizza” and other famous landmarks, and have made our own gondolas. In Music we have also learnt about Vivaldi, opera and had the opportunity to play the violin. We are looking forward to venturing to France, England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland when we will have our children’s ceilidh.

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P3 pupils may choose to spend their lunch breaks honing their aesthetic skills at Art Club, and their construction skills with Lego Club. P4 pupils up are finding their voices in the school choir. Finally, the Helen O’Grady Drama Club takes dramatic story-telling to a whole new level.

Great Excitement at Kidston Kids!

There was great excitement at Kidston Kids in Kilmacolm with the arrival of our new Soft Play equipment. Thanks are due to generous grants from the Big Lottery Communities & Families Fund and the Co-op Community Fund.

For more information on all our groups, visit our website www.kidstonkids.co.uk

We are also celebrating Chinese New Year and learning to eat with chopsticks!!

St Fillan’s Primary School P2/3 and P3/4 are going out to Frankie and Benny’s to learn how to make their own healthy pizzas and the best bit - getting to eat them too! We’ll also have a chef visit to learn how to make a healthy sandwich. Mrs Cleary’s class and Mrs McKay’s class are looking forward to going on a visit to Bridge of Weir Library for a storytelling session.

P7 are organising a Tea Dance as part of their topic on World War 2 and they have been practising their dance moves in preparation for this! P6 showcased their learning on their Topic Survival and are now looking forward to researching and investigating the Romans. P5 are going to be learning about making Active Choices. This is a programme designed to teach them to make good choices in ensuring they lead more active lives and become more aware of what is inside the food they eat. Last week all the children participated in a working assembly where they were learning about being safe, healthy, achieving and nurtured.

Topical Science Work

Harry Murray of St Fillan’s was issued a Topical Science homework task by his P3 teacher Mrs Roddy, with such a wide and varied topic came many questions having spent some time looking Harry decided on the all- electric car. Having spent some time doing his research he asked if he could see one. Harry made the call to Harry Fairbairn, Glasgow and was then invited down to see a new BMW i3 by Product Genius Mr Easton Boyd!!

He was not disappointed Easton not only showed around him around the car he was taken on a test drive and invited himself back in July for the launch of the i8 Harry is hoping to change the minds of many a new car driver for the benefit of his friends and family lives.

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sports & clubs news Amiee Pollard – Karate Champion Amiee Pollard aged 12 from Brediland in Paisley trains at SHITOKAI Scotland Karate Club in Renfrew under Chief Instructor Sensei Terry Connell 7th Dan. She started training at the age of 5, first competed aged 7 and achieved her black belt at only 11 years old. Amiee competes in around 20 competitions throughout the year ranging from Regional to National and International level. Her overall medal and trophy tally is a staggering 64 gold, 26 silver and 53 bronze totalling 143 honours.

She is also hoping to be selected for the Scottish National Squad at the age of 14.

Amiee competes in both Kumite - Fighting and Kata – Karate form.

She is currently the British, Scottish and Irish Champion in both Kumite and Kata for her age category.

Sporting Blog

by Lesley Handley

“Yesterday you said tomorrow…

MAKE IT HAPPEN TODAY!” As the New Year passes and we try to stick to our resolutions, every newspaper or magazine you pick up has a quick fix diet promising fast and easy weight loss. Usually these fad diets work - at least for a while, and the reason that they work is because most of them tend to exclude certain foods or food groups. This exclusion results in a significant reduction in calorific intake and this energy deficit is made up by burning more fat for energy - resulting in weight loss.

Houston United Need Footballers Born In 2003 And 2004!

The successful Houston United 2003 team are looking to develop a third squad to play at 2004 and are seeking new players born in 2003 and 2004 to play in the seven a side, Paisley, Johnstone and District League on Saturday mornings.

Any boys or girls born in 2003 or 2004 who enjoy football are welcome to come along to one of our training sessions on Mondays at On-x Sports Centre from 1900 - 2000 hours (Astro Turf Pitch) or Wednesday evenings at Linwood High School where the emphasis is on fun and learning.

For more info call Louis on 07786484961 or visit www.houstonunited.co.uk

Spring fun at Castle Semple Loch Get Sunday the 6th April in your diaries now because that’s the day of the Semple Sports Access Partnership (SSAP) Spring Fair in Lochwinnoch and you won’t want to miss it. The fair will take place at the loch side and includes stalls, games and activities for everyone in the local area to enjoy.

Events on the table just now include a ‘tough’ obstacle course (lots of mud and water!), water sports try-out sessions and an attempt on the Guinness Book of Records for the longest seated conga line.

SSAP is a registered charity made up of the five water-sports clubs that use Castle Semple Loch (fishing, kayaking, rowing, sailing and windsurfing) and the event is in aid of the new purpose built water sport club centre which the group hope to build in the very near future. The event, and the development, are supported by Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park (CMRP) who are also, very generously, making a donation to the cause for every cup of tea or coffee sold on the day. More details of the Fair in next issue but if you want to take part, or need any information on the event, the clubs, or SSAP email secretary@ssap.co.uk.

Social Scene at Strathgryffe The wind and rain over the Christmas holidays was not an issue for members of Strathgryffe Tennis & Squash Club who participated in the annual Mulled Wine Tennis Tournament on Friday 27th December.

All four indoor courts were put to good use as players played a mixture of full court and mini tennis then enjoyed the half time refreshments of soup, mulled wine and mince pies. The overall winners of the event were Derek Shaw & Janis Coyle who defeated Carl Carruthers & Fiona Daly in a closely

However, as simple, appealing and apparently effective that these diets seem, there are however a few problems with them, that mean, often they are initially effective, but tend to be unsustainable in the long run and can actually cause greater weight gain - The Starvation Response!

The Starvation Response is basically the body’s reaction to what it perceives as a critical shortage of food. When your body thinks you might be “starving”, it slows down the number of calories it burns, uses muscle mass for energy and increases its fat storage capabilities. This means that when you revert back to a “normal” diet, which inevitably will happen at some point, you tend to regain the weight you lost as well as putting on a bit extra as the body now wants to store “energy” away, usually in the form of fat, in case of “starvation” again. As clever as the body is, it cannot tell the difference between a new weight loss diet and so called “starvation”.

Quick fix diets work short term, but often following them is treating the symptom - excess body fat - but not the cause - a poor diet. The key to long term weight management is not a short term fix, but long term changes that don’t just last a week or a month, but are incorporated into a complete planned lifestyle change of diet and exercise.

For more help and advice on all aspects of fitness, or to book a few Personal Training sessions to kick start a new lifestyle change, contact Lesley Handley, Personal Trainer on 07512 355 877 or e-mail lesley_ personal_trainer@hotmail.co.uk

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contested mini tennis final.

The new Winter Tennis and Squash Coaching Programmes are underway. There are some spaces available for any adults or children who are interested in taking up a new sport for 2014.

For more information on tennis, squash or fitness please visit www.strathgryffe.net or phone reception on 01505 615100.

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Bridge of Weir Ladies Badminton Why not pop along one Monday evening in the Cargill Hall, Bridge of Weir between 7.30pm and 9pm?

Our season continues through the Autumn and Winter and finishes at the end of March. Membership £40 per season.

Visitor rates £4 per evening.

Gryffe Hillwalking Club As the new year starts, we have been somewhat restricted due to the weather. Our January outing was to the more modest Pentland Hills, but as the days lengthen and hopefully the weather starts to improve, we will travel further afield to permit members to explore or renew their acquaintance with higher hills mostly either munros or corbetts.

This year we will have two ‘away’ weekends and our overseas trip will be to Erhwald in the Austrian Alps at the beginning of August If you fancy joining us to try a walk over or among the hills our next club meeting is on Monday 10th February at 8pm, in The Fox & Hounds, Houston to finalise the outing to Tyndrum on Sunday 16th February. Newcomers are welcome, whether experienced or not. Further details can be had from John Maclean 01505 326887 johnalexmaclean@ hotmail.co.uk or from the club website: www. gryffehillwalkers.co.uk

Elderslie Amateurs 2001 Are looking for players , we play in the Paisley and Johnstone district league, and train in the Renfrewshire Area Any boy interested contact Stuart Brown 07515 528434 or Ian Morris 07759 450825.

Bridge of Weir Angling Club (River) Fly Tying for Beginners’ class

All

7pm. Experienced fly tyers most welcome.

Royal British Legion, Bridge of Weir, PA11 3NR. Weekly from Tuesday 1st October until Tuesday 25th February 2014.

For any further information contact, John Blair 07783 988 963 or Beaton Bros Funeral Directors 01505 610555

READER OFFER 5-a-side Football We play at Powerleague Paisley 6pm every Monday.

Now in our 12th season & always looking for more players, regular or occasional. No particular skill or fitness required, just a good sense of humour. Tel: Jim Bretherton 01505 874215; or jimbretherton@aol.com

Kilbarchan Athletic Club Interested in taking up jogging/running?

Why don’t you come and join us, we meet Monday and Thursday Nights 7pm at On-X. Linwood. We cater for all abilities. Tel: 07941 686990.

No More Houston Jogging Buddies The group is no longer meeting. Jogging Buddies, Renfrewshire have been unable to find anyone to lead the Houston group following the previous leaders’ standing down.

Should Jogging Buddies set up a new group, we will let you know.

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business classified Trades and Services

ADVERTISING

business ad rates:

TRADES & SERVICES Black & White ads only Lineage: up to 20 words £12.00* Boxed ad: £6.60* per column cm PROPERTY & HOLIDAY HOMES CARS FOR SALE Lineage: up to 20 words £12.00* Boxed ad: £6.60* per column cm Photo: add £6.00* (colour) *all prices subject to VAT The Business Advertisements (Disclosure) Order 1977

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS The Law requires that Advertisers selling goods in the course of a business MUST include the word Trader, Dealer, Agent, Breeder or appropriate wording in the Advertisement to distinguish from private advertisers.

HEALTHCARE/BEAUTY

MUSIC TUITION

Biz SERVICES pets & animalS

French Tuition

HOLIDAY HOMES FLORIDA: superb selection of hand-picked villas and condos near Disney and Gulf Coast. Rates from £250 per wk - also property purchase service with rental support. Call Hazel on 01505 613603. www.floridaselectvillas.com

MISCELLANEOUS

CHILDCARE Kilmacolm/Quarriers area registered childminders. P/time or F/time vacancies for u-5’s and after school. T: 873839.

Houston registered childminders.

For an informal chat to find your best childcare, call Elizabeth Waddell T: 614925

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church lists Situations vacant

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE FROM ONLY £15.84 PER MONTH (incl. VAT & discounts)

BRIDGE OF WEIR

HOWWOOD

Freeland Church, Rev KN Gray BA BD. Morning Service 10.30am. Crèche, Sunday School, Lynx and Cornerstone.

Evening Service 7pm Web site www.freeland.org.uk St Mary’s Church Scottish Episcopal Church. Delighting to praise God; Showing Christ’s love; Growing in faith. Services Sundays at 10am. We have a regular cycle of prayer for those who live and work in Bridge of Weir. The dates of prayers for local roads are as follows: 2nd Feb - Barassie Drive, 9th Feb - Barrcraig Road, 16th Feb - Beech Avenue, 23rd Feb - Belleisle Crescent.

For further information, to ask for special prayers, or in pastoral emergency please call 01505 612807/01505 842629 or 01505 613402 St Machar’s Ranfurly Church Rev Suzanne Dunleavy BD DipEd. Sunday services at 10.30am. Hearing aid loop system. All welcome. www. stmacharsranfurlychurch.org. uk Hope Hall, Sun 1pm Sunday School, 4.30pm Gospel Service; Mon 6.30pm Investigators for Kids, 8pm Bible Study and Prayer.

From the Baha’i writings: “Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next.” For details of meetings call 615641.

Howwood Parish Church, Sunday Service will start at 10am and there will be a prayer meeting at 3 Bowfield Way on Fridays at 7.30pm.

ELDERSLIE

CONTENT OF THE GRYFFE ADVERTIZER CANNOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PRIOR CONSENT FROM THE PUBLISHER The Gryffe Advertizer is a magazine published by The Gryffe Advertizer Ltd

Advertising throughout The Gryffe Advertizer:

Definitions: “Standards” means the British Code of Advertising Practice and the provisions of any law applicable to advertising including, but not limited to, the Trade Descriptions Act, 1968, the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988, the Financial Services Act 1986, the Business Advertisement (Disclosure) Order 1977 and all amendments and replacements.

It is hereby agreed that: • The placing by the Advertising Client of an Advertisement is deemed to be acceptance of these Conditions of Acceptance of Advertising.

• All Advertisements in this Publication must not contravene the Standards.

• Insertion of Advertisements and/or Editorial is strictly at the discretion of the Publisher.

• The Publisher shall not be liable for any loss or damage incurred by the Advertising Client as a result of any failure, negligence or omission by any party in the course of the distribution or circulation of the Publication in which the Advertisement is scheduled to appear.

• In the event of any error, misprint or omission by the Publisher in the printing of an Advertisement, the Publisher will either re-insert the advertisement, adjust the cost or provide a refund. This does not apply if the Advertisement has been approved by the Advertising Client prior to publication. The total liability of the Publisher for such an occurrence shall not exceed the amount of a full refund for that particular Advertisement.

• The Advertising Client agrees to indemnify the Publisher in respect of all costs, damages or other charges falling upon the Publisher as the result of legal actions or threatened legal actions arising from the publication of the Advertisement, or any one or more of the series of Advertisements, published in accordance with the copy instructions supplied to the Publisher.

• Readers are reminded that when purchasing items or services advertised in the Publication that the Publisher cannot be held in any way responsible for the quality or correctness of the items or services included in the Advertisement.

Editorial throughout The Gryffe Advertizer: The opinions of the Contributors to this Publication are not necessarily the official views of the Publisher. The Publisher reserves the right to edit or refuse any material submitted for publication.

233_FEB14_48-51 CLASSIFIED.ind.indd 49

Elderslie Kirk, Main Road, Elderslie: Sunday service every week at 11am. Minister - Rev Robin Allison. All welcome.

Weekly meetings:- Monday Club every week from 12noon - 2.30pm. Light lunch and a varied activity programme.

Midweek Fellowship will meet every Wednesday from 10.30am for Tea & Coffee followed by a short Service o f Wo r s h i p a t 11 a m . A l l Welcome.

HOUSTON

Houston Baptist Church at Carrick Centre; 11am Family services with SS for children age 5-12; 6pm Eve Service; Mid-week Home Bible Study; For more information contact; Rev D Snelson 01505 612722.

Houston and Killellan Kirk www.houstonkirk.org. 26th Jan - 9.45am Early Service; 11am Morning Worship, 2nd Feb - 9.45am Early Service; The Sacrament of Holy Communion; 11am Morning Worship, 9th Feb - 11am Morning Worship.

Church of the Nazarene, Houston, at the Village Hall, Main street, Houston. PA6 7EL. Rev Benito S Coetzee. Family services at 10.30am with full toddler, children and youth activities running concurrently with the service. Youth meets at 6.30-8pm on Sundays.

Word and Table Quiet Service held from 9am - 9.30am every 3rd Sunday. Visit our website: www.houston.nazarene.org. uk St Fillan’s, Main St, Houston.

Sun Masses: Vigil (Sat) 5pm, 9.30am & 11am. Weekday Mass: Tues-Sat 9.30am except Thurs, 7pm. Reconciliation: Sat 10-10.30am and after Vigil Mass; Thurs 7.30-8pm.

Exposition: As announced.

Baptisms: 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month by arrangement.

Parish Priest: Rev Daniel J McLoughlin, Dip.Th.,MA Pastoral Assistant: Sr Mary Frances Collett, RNDM (Tel 01505 613514). “Abbotsfield”, St Fillan’s, Main St, Houston, PA6 7EL. Tel: 01505 612046, Fax: 01505 610556. Email: parish@stfillan.org.uk. www. stfillan.org.uk

KILBARCHAN

Kilbarchan West Parish Church.

Sunday Worship at 11am.

Crèche, Junior Church and FEWsion meet from 10.45am.

All are welcome for tea & coffee in the hall after worship.

The Midweek Fellowship on Wednesdays at 10.30am in the Session House. Come and join us for tea, chat and a short informal act of worship.

Kilbarchan East Church. Services continue on Sundays at 11am, conducted by Rev Stephen Smith. Sunday School, Bible Class and the crèche meet from 10.45am in the halls. On Sunday 16th, there is a joint Boys’ Brigade service at 11am in the East Church. Details about worship and of all the organisations, times, photos etc. can be seen on the website: www.kilbarchaneastchurch. btck.co.uk

KILMACOLM

St Colm’s Catholic Church The Very Rev William Canon McDade – Sunday morning family mass 10am.

Kilmacolm Old Kirk Church of Scotland (Charity n o . S C 0 0 9 2 9 1 ) . w w w. kilmacolmoldkirk.org.uk.

Minister Rev Dr Peter McEnhill (01505 873174). Morning Worship - Sundays 11am, all welcome Sunday School & Crèche available.

St Columba Church of Scotland (charity no SC007992) Minister Rev Douglas Cranston.

Morning Worship Sundays at 11am. Wednesday break 10.30am. Thursday Bible Study 7.30pm – 8.30pm.

Thursday Prayer Meeting 8.40pm – 9.15pm.

Gospel Services in The Scout Hall, Kilmacolm - Sundays 4.30pm, Thurs 7.30pm.

St Fillan’s Episcopal (Anglican) Church Sundays 11.30am

LANGBANK

Langbank Parish Church - Rev Andrew McLean. Sunday Services 10am with Sunday School, Creche and young people’s group, the Welcomers.

Tea/coffee after the service.

The Church service starts at 10am. Come along and meet in the Hall from 9.50am.

Charity registered in Scotland, No SC015085.

LOCHWINNOCH

Lochwinnoch Parish Church - Rev Mhairi Breingan. 11am Morning Service with Sunday School and Crèche.

Calder United Free Church (Church St Lochwinnoch) S u n d a y : 11 a m M o r n i n g worship with Sunday School and Crèche. 6.30pm Evening Fellowship group, 7.30pm A B C ’s Te e n g r o u p . We d 6.30pm-7.30pm.

QUARRIERS

Mount Zion Church, Rev Andy Lunn Bsc. 10.30am in Bethesda, Junior Church and Bible Class.

49 49

DEADLINES If you want something placed in the next issue either send an email to:

info@advertizer.co.uk or call the office:

01505 613340 (24hr ans)

FRIDAY 14 FEB

MARCH ‘14 ISSUE: • Deadline: 14th Feb • Delivery: 28th Feb APRIL ‘14 ISSUE: • Deadline: 14th Mar • Delivery: 28th Mar

community halls to let

• Bridge of Weir, Freeland Church. Tel: 612245 • Brookfield, Village Hall. Tel: 321031 • Houston, Carrick Centre. Tel: 612203 / 613613 • Houston, Compass Centre. Tel: 615441 / 612617 • Kilbarchan, Guide Centre. Tel: 702758.

• Kilbarchan, Old Library Centre. Tel: 706070 • Kilmacolm, Cargill Centre. Tel: 873994 • Kilmacolm, Brownie/Guide Hut. Tel: 873488 • Kilmacolm, Masonic Hall. Tel: 873059 • Linwood Masonic Hall. Tel: 07825 222944 • Quarriers Sommerville Hall. T: 614513 / 612300 • Please add your community hall details to our list - email to info@advertizer.co.uk

councillors RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL: www.renfrewshire.gov.uk Ward 7 - Johnstone South, Elderslie, Howwood Cllrs John Caldwell, John Hood, Stephen McGee and Iain McMillan Ward 8 - Johnstone North, Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch Cllrs Derek Bibby, Andy Doig and Christopher Gilmour Ward 9 - Houston, Crosslee and Linwood Cllrs Stuart Clark, Audrey Doig, Anne Hall and Allan Noon Ward 10 - Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank Cllrs Maria Brown, Mike Holmes and James Maclaren

INVERCLYDE COUNCIL: www.inverclyde.gov.uk Ward 1 - Inverclyde East (P.Glasgow, Kilmacolm and Quarriers Village) Cllrs David Wilson, Jim MacLeod, Stephen McCabe and James McColgan

community council Visitors are welcome at these monthly meetings.

BISHOPTON: Primary School: 1st Thurs at 7.30pm www. bishoptoncouncil.com BRIDGE OF WEIR: Cargill Hall: 1st Tues at 7pm (NB: Last Tues of June, No Aug meeting) www.bridgeofweir. org BROOKFIELD: Brookfield Village Hall: Last Thurs at 7.30pm (NB: No meetings: July or Dec) HOUSTON: Carrick Centre: 3rd Wed at 7.30pm www. houstoncommcouncil@yahoo.co.uk HOWWOOD: Village Hall: 2nd Tues at 7.30pm. www. howwood.com/community-council.php KILBARCHAN: Steeple Hall: monthly at 7.30pm. www. kilbarchan.info/community_council.html KILMACOLM & QUARRIERS: Last Tues at 7.30pm, Kilmacolm Cargill Centre (NB: No meetings: July or Dec) www.kilmacolmcc.co.uk LANGBANK: Church Hall: 2nd Wed at 7.30pm LOCHWINNOCH: Parish Church: 1st Tues at 7.30pm

23/01/2014 16:17:45

50 50

sales & wants Items For Sale

Baby Equipment Mamas and papas duette twin pram and travel system. Package includes:- Chassis with cityscape seats x 2 barely used; Large shopping basket; Matching footmuffs in cityscape barely used; Mamas and papas rain covers x 2; Primoviaggio car seats x 2 in cityscape; Mamas and papas car seat rain covers x2 Isofix bases x 2 for car seats. Cost new £1,600, selling for only £480. Tel: 07896 869538.

Mamas and papas Moses baskets with wooden stand x2 cost £120 sell for £30 each.

Tel: 07896 869538.

Mamas and papas snug seat with tray x 2 - rarely used £10 each cost £40 new. Tel: 07896 869538.

Vtech activity walker £8 each cost £25 each. Tel: 07896 869538.

Mamas and papas bouncy chair £10. Tel: 07896 869538.

VIB baby high chairs x 2 £25 each. Tel: 07896 869538.

Avent steam sterilizer £10. Tel: 07896 869538.

Clippasafe Walking Harness and Reins Pink x 3 and Clippasafe Wrist Link Pink, as new, £2 each. Tel 01505 874870.

Stairgate Lindam, fits opening from 75 cm - 100 cm, very good cond. £20 Tel 01505 874870.

Stairgate Lindam fits opening from 75 cm - 130 cm incl. extra extensions, VGC. £35 Tel 01505 874870.

Mamas and Papas Twin Aria double buggy dark brown incl. PVC twin rain cover, two foot muffs and matching baby changing bag. Suitable fr birth. Sell for £35. Tel 01505 874870.

Britax Baby Safe Car Seat black x 2, height adjustable, suitable fr birth until appr. 2 yrs old, 5 point safety harness works with 3-point seat belt, Britax Babysafe Belted Base or Britax Babysafe Isofix Base.

Exc cond. £30 each, or £50 for both. Tel 01505 874870.

Silver Cross 3D Pushchair system. VGC. £100. Tel: 01505 345505.

Mamas & Papas Zest highchair - exc cond - seldom used from smoke and pet free home - £40. Tel: 07540 596415 (Langbank).

Clothes & Shoes Antartex Sheepskin Jacket Gents, size 44”. Brown with cream lining. Good cond. £50.

Tel: 07887 841613.

Boys Sprayway waterproof jacket (age 10) VGC £5. Tel: 07812 515019.

Boys Sprayway waterproof jacket (age 8) VGC £5. Tel: 07812 515019.

Baby clothes bundles for twin boys selection of sizes £10 each some things never worn 0-3, 3-6, 6-12 months. Tel: 07896 869538.

Antartex Sheepskin Jacket Ladies, size 18. Grey with grey lining. Good cond. Mittens included. £50. Tel: 07887 841613.

Glasgow Academy girls blazer.

Exc Cond. Suit 5th or 6th year (senior). £50. Tel: 07975 510938.

Retro original gents tan chelsea boots. Exc Cond. ‘Fenestrier’ (French). £30. Size 9. Tel: 07975 510938.

Household & Garden 4 door glass sideboard. VGC and quality from The Morris Furniture Group. 1 glass shelf throughout, 1 large compartment in centre which open by two doors and single compartments either side of this again with glass doors. Facility to light up - 2 fittings have dried out, but easily replaced. This has been reflected in the price of only £120. Width 45.5” x 16.5” x 29.5”. Photo’s available - phone or text 07976 326438.

Upright piano in need of a good home. Played regularly, until recently. Free to anyone who can collect. Tel: 01505 690757.

“ABRU” 2 piece alloy extension ladder, 4.48metres, extending to 8.26metres, (27feet). Good cond. £30 ono. Tel: 01505 690889.

Edwardian mahogany bureau 3 drawers 30 inches x 18 inches x 40 inches high. Good order £10. Tel: 07786 818936.

50sq metres carpet (new still rolled unused). Sand colour.

Retail £450, selling for £250.

Tel: 07975 510938.

Single Divan, as new £80. Tel: 07975 510938.

Single antique fine edwardian carver. £75. Tel: 07975 510938.

Modern Teak Dining Table oval seats 6 extends to seat 8. Good cond. £50 ono. Tel: 01505 322357 Electric cooker - nearly new.

Single oven exc cond. £85 ono.

Tel: 01505 322357.

Glass study desk - downsizing forces sale. Excellent condition £100. Tel: 01505 322357.

Oak coffee table 110mm x 620mm with storage drawer.

Forrest Furnishing. VGC. Cost £250, sell £100 ono. Tel: 01505 702023.

Conservatory suite - settee + 2 chairs. Pale natural cane, elegant curved lines (not upright).

Sand-coloured cushions, slight fading. Beautiful. £85. Tel: 01505 612769.

Computer Desk. VGC. £40. Tel: 01505 703172.

Sharp Mini hi fi system with 3 cd changer, 3 mini disc slots, cassette and radio functions with remote control and 2 Sharp speakers. VGC. £40.

Tel: 01505 703172.

Electrical & Gas Zanussi washing machine. Excellent condition and working order. £75ono. Tel: 01505 871282 Electric cooker ‘HomeKing’. VGC. £60. Tel: 07975 510938.

Sports Dynamic skis - (120cm) Salomon bindings. VGC. £15. Tel: 07812 515019.

Salomon Flyer ski boots (yellow) size 4. £5. Tel: 07812 515019.

Boys Columbia ski suit (age 8) - jacket & trousers. VGC. £10.

Tel: 07812 515019.

Football/Rugby Boots. Black Size 10. Exc cond. £10. Tel. 01505 874838 after 5pm.

Nike sasquatch tour golf bag, (the type carried by caddies on tour). Yellow, black and silver in colour. Good cond. £50. Tel: 01505 703172.

Nickent Golf Irons, 3-sw, right handed with regular steel shafts. Golf pride grips. £50 Tel: 01505 703172.

Toys/Games/DVD Bricks trolley, good cond. £10.

01505 874870 Thomas & Friends Engine Ride On, new £30 sell for £15. Good cond. Tel 01505 874870.

Mothercare Safari Wooden Activity Cube, new £35 sell for £15.

VGC. Tel 01505 874870.

Leapfrog learning toy £8. Tel 01505 874870.

Vtech sit to stand activity toy cost £50 sell for £15. Tel: 07896 869538.

Various vtech fisher price etc baby toys £5 each. Tel: 07896 869538.

Selection of Vtech baby & toddler toys - £3.50 each - from pet and smoke free home. Tel: 07540 596415.

Little Tikes yellow dumper truck - £5 - from pet and smoke free home. Tel: 07540 596415.

Other Items Bosch Battery 18v 2.6AH LiIon unused. £20. Tel: 01505 702023.

Wanted Items Old records Wanted 45`s & LP`s CASH Paid. Tel: 07710 777571.

Cash paid for Music CDs ( a few or a lot ). Tel: 0141 882 5594 or 07765 115347.

Yamaha DT 175 MX & DT 125 MX. Yamaha RD 250, 350 & 500 - running or not. Cash waiting. Free collection. Tel: 07951 227767.

by category Accountants & Financial

Funeral Services

Affluent Financial Planning . . 20 Cheetham & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Fergusons CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Fiona Christie Accounting Serv . . 20 Stewart Independent Financial . . 1

Beaton Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . 12 John Roach Funeral Directors . . 17

Architectural Services BOW Design Architect . . . . . . . 5 Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7 Grid Design Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Art, Gifts & Flowers Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 15 Twisted Willow Florist . . . . . 8

Auctioneers & Valuers Collins and Paterson Auctionee . . 17

Automotive Services Bouverie Motors . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Canal Garage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Chips Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Collins Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Gryffe Garage Motor Engineers . . 23

Bathrooms Affordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7 Bathroom Solutions by MPH . . 11 G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6

Bedrooms Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 5,9

Blacksmith & Metalwork McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 37 The Iron House . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Building Services A O’Hare - Building Services . . 5 BOW Stone Works . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6 Construction & Property Servic . . 12 Craig Joinery Services . . . . . 33 DLN Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2 James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 17 Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 34 M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3 MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 15 RPH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 5 SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 34 Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 32 Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 45

Business Services MacLennan Stewart Services . . 20

Catering Karen Rankin Catering . . . . . . 10

Childcare Nicola Forsyth Childminding . . 43

Cleaning & PowerWash AL Domestic & Office Cleaning . . 3 Chores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 CleanDryCarpets . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Come Clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 37 Gryffe Roofing Services . . . . 15 MattVac Carpet & Upholstery Cl . . Bk Nutech Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 30 Omni Housekeeping . . . . . . . . . 8

Coffee Shops Bernie’s Cafe Deli . . . . . . . . . 31 Three Sisters Bake . . . . . . . . . 35

Computer, IT & Web

SALES & WANTS ad rates: UP TO £200 .. FREE £201 to £500 ..... £5 £501 to £1000 .. £10 OVER £1000 .....

Call for details.

Use our Sales & Wants form and post to The Gryffe Advertizer, Neva Place, Bridge of Weir PA11 3PN or email your items to info@advertizer.co.uk

233_FEB14_48-51 CLASSIFIED.ind.indd 50

business

ColCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Computer Repairs . . . . . . . . . . 1 Laptop and PC Repairs . . . . . . 20

Cycle Repair Speedy Cycle Repairs . . . . . . . 47

Driveways A&G Driveways . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk

Driving Instructors Alistair Stewart - Driving Ins . . 15 Crosslee Driver Training . . . 5 Paul Ferguson - Confidence . . 7

Electricians

Garage Doors & Gates Powerdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk

Garden Service & Design 3D Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . 40 A Peebles Landscape Contractor . . 40 Apple Tree Garden Design . . . 42 Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7 Craig Kennedy Gardening . . . . 41 Crawford Landscapes . . . . . . . . 40 DMG Garden Services . . . . . . . . 41 Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 40 I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2 MJ Lawnmowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 R Williams Tree Surgeon & Grou . . 42 SP Groundcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 41 West of Scotland Landscape . . 41

Gas & Heating Services A&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 31 C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 34 GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,11 I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 17 John McKay Gas & Heating Eng . . 31 Mackie Plumbing & Heating . . 37 Phoenix Gas Services . . . . . . . 1

Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 15

Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . .

Charlie Orr Plasterer . . . . . .

James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . .

Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . .

Hairdressers & Barbers Arlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 39 Ashes Hair & Beauty . . . . . . . . 38 JRS Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . 8 Nix Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . . 38

Health, Beauty & Fitness Arlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 39 Ashes Hair & Beauty . . . . . . . . 38 Beginners Yoga - Sara Marijuan . . 47 Decorus Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Healing Refuge . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Kilbarchan Chiropodists . . . . 34 Kilbarchan Dental Practice . . 9 LaserLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 NLP Positive Changes . . . . . . . 15 Recover Sports Therapy . . . . . 47 Sole Solutions Podiatry . . . . 39

Home Hardware First Domestics . . . . . . . . . . . 33 MS All Trades Limited . . . . . . 4

Home Improvements Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7 Conservatory Conversions . . . Bk Howe Joinery & Building Serv . . 13,2

Home Interiors Baytree Interiors . . . . . . . . . 5 Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 5,9 Classique Window Blinds . . . . 35 Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 30 The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 10

Home Security Bell Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Brookfield Alarms . . . . . . . . . 36

Joiners DJY Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Howe Joinery & Building Serv . . 13,2 James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 17 JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3 McGowan Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 3 RPH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Saltire Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 5 SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 5 SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 34 Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 32 TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Woodburn & Beattie Joiners . . 8

Kitchens

Leisure & Recreation Locksmiths Arco Locksmith . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Elliott Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Houston Locksmiths . . . . . . . . . 3

Painters & Decorators A Gallagher Painter&Decorator . . 8 Clyde Coast Décor . . . . . . . . . 36 Gary Forbes Painter Decorator . . 5

37 10 17 34

Plumbers A&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 31 C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 34 G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6 GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,11 I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 17 JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mackie Plumbing & Heating . . 37 Shower Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Property, Sales & Let

Strathgryffe Tennis & Squash . . 47

Framing

Plasterers

Property Management

Fencing

Auldton Stoves . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Caledonian Wood Fuels . . . . . . 5 W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Auntie Jacquie’s Dog Grooming . . 25 Barking Mad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Little Stinkers . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Pet Portraits for Animal Lover . . 25 PetVets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Smart Dog Grooming . . . . . . . . . 25 Suzanne’s Grooming Pad . . . . . 25 Take the Lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 3 JayBee Double Glazing Repairs . . 33 TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Affordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7 Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 5,9 G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6 Howe Joinery & Building Serv . . 13,2 Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 32

Firewood & Logs

Pet Services & Training

Glazier

Bell Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Delta Electrical Services . . 39 GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,11 JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Lamont Electricians . . . . . . . . 3 MAS Electrical & Security . . 2 Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 37

Ian Livingston Decorating . . 10 James Martin - Painter & Decor . . 3 John H Barney . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 John Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 M&E Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Ranfurly Decor . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

DLN Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Cochran Dickie Estate Agents . . 22 Corum Property . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-29 Dallas McMillan Solicitors . . 20 Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1 Lind Letting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Removals @ease Removals & Transport . . 37 The Right Move . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Retail Bet TG3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,47 The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 10 Wild Rose Flowers Ltd . . . . . . 13

Roofing Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6 Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 37 Gryffe Roofing Services . . . . 15 I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2 Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 34 MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 15 RPH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 5 SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 34 Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 45

Solicitors Dallas McMillan Solicitors . . 20 Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1

Special Occasions ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk

Stoves Auldton Stoves . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Taxis & Minicoach hire ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk Johnstone TOA Taxi Co . . . . . . 22

Tiling G J Tiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Gordon James Ceramic Tiler . . 17 Scott Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Stickytiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Travel Agents Arlene Donald . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk Travel a la Carte . . . . . . . . . 3

Tree Surgeon Branch Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 40 LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,40 Purple Tree Care . . . . . . . . . . 42 W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 41

TV & Satellite Derek McBride Aerials . . . . . . 32 Kieran Turner Aerial&Satellite . . 3

Upholstery Services P Thomson Upholstery . . . . . . . 5

Window Cleaners DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 37 Gryffe Roofing Services . . . . 15 Matthews Cleaning Services . . 33

Windows, Consv & Repair 1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 3 Conservatory Conversions . . . Bk JayBee Double Glazing Repairs . . 33 TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

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directory Advertizers - A to Z

@ease Removals & Transport . . 37 1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 3 3D Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . 40 A Gallagher Painter&Decorator . . 8 A O’Hare - Building Services . . 5 A Peebles Landscape Contractor . . 40 A&G Driveways . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk A&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 31 ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk Affluent Financial Planning . . 20 Affordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7 AL Domestic & Office Cleaning . . 3 Alistair Stewart - Driving Ins . . 15 Apple Tree Garden Design . . . 42 Arco Locksmith . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Arlene Donald . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk Arlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 39 Ashes Hair & Beauty . . . . . . . . 38 Auldton Stoves . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Auntie Jacquie’s Dog Grooming . . 25 Barking Mad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Bathroom Solutions by MPH . . 11 Baytree Interiors . . . . . . . . . 5 Beaton Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Beginners Yoga - Sara Marijuan . . 47 Bell Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Bernie’s Cafe Deli . . . . . . . . . 31 Bet TG3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Bouverie Motors . . . . . . . . . . .

23BOW Design Architect . . . . . . . 5 BOW Stone Works . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Branch Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6 Brookfield Alarms . . . . . . . . . 36 Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 37 Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 5,9 C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 34 Caledonian Wood Fuels . . . . . . 5 Canal Garage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7 Charlie Orr Plasterer . . . . . . 10 Cheetham & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Chips Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Chores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Classique Window Blinds . . . . 35 CleanDryCarpets . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Clyde Coast Décor . . . . . . . . . 36 Cochran Dickie Estate Agents . . 22 ColCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Collins and Paterson Auctionee . . 17 Collins Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Come Clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Computer Repairs . . . . . . . . . . 1 Conservatory Conversions . . . Bk Construction & Property Servic . . 12 Corum Property . . . . . . . . . 26-29 Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 15 Craig Joinery Services . . . . . 33 Craig Kennedy Gardening . . . . 41 Crawford Landscapes . . . . . . . . 40 Crosslee Driver Training . . . 5 Dallas McMillan Solicitors . . 20 Decorus Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Delta Electrical Services . . 39 Derek McBride Aerials . . . . . . 32 DJY Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 DLN Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 DMG Garden Services . . . . . . . . 41 DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 37 Elliott Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Fergusons CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Fiona Christie Accounting Serv . . 20 First Domestics . . . . . . . . . . . 33 G J Tiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6 Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Gary Forbes Painter Decorator . . 5 GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 40 Gordon James Ceramic Tiler . . 17 Grid Design Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Gryffe Garage Motor Engineers . . 23 Gryffe Roofing Services . . . . 15

Healing Refuge . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Houston Locksmiths . . . . . . . . . 3 Howe Joinery & Building Serv . . 13,2 I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2 I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 17 Ian Livingston Decorating . . 10 James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 17 James Martin - Painter & Decor . . 3 JayBee Double Glazing Repairs . . 33 JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 John H Barney . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 John McKay Gas & Heating Eng . . 31 John Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 John Roach Funeral Directors . . 17 Johnstone TOA Taxi Co . . . . . . 22 JRS Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . 8 Karen Rankin Catering . . . . . . 10 Kieran Turner Aerial&Satellite . . 3 Kilbarchan Chiropodists . . . . 34 Kilbarchan Dental Practice . . 9 Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 34 Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1 Lamont Electricians . . . . . . . . 3 Laptop and PC Repairs . . . . . . 20 LaserLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Lind Letting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Little Stinkers . . . . . . . . . . . 24 LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3 M&E Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Mackie Plumbing & Heating . . 37 MacLennan Stewart Services . . 20 MAS Electrical & Security . . 2 Matthews Cleaning Services . . 33 MattVac Carpet & Upholstery Cl . . Bk MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 15 McGowan Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 3 McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 37 MJ Lawnmowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 MS All Trades Limited . . . . . . 4 Nicola Forsyth Childminding . . 43 Nix Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . . 38 NLP Positive Changes . . . . . . . 15 Nutech Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 30 Omni Housekeeping . . . . . . . . . 8 P Thomson Upholstery . . . . . . . 5 Paul Ferguson - Confidence . . 7 Pet Portraits for Animal Lover . . 25 PetVets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Phoenix Gas Services . . . . . . . 1 Powerdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk Purple Tree Care . . . . . . . . . . 42 R Williams Tree Surgeon & Grou . . 42 Ranfurly Decor . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Recover Sports Therapy . . . . . 47 RPH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Saltire Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Scott Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Shower Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Smart Dog Grooming . . . . . . . . . 25 SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 5 Sole Solutions Podiatry . . . . 39 SP Groundcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Speedy Cycle Repairs . . . . . . . 47 Stewart Independent Financial . . 1 Stickytiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Strathgryffe Tennis & Squash . . 47 Suzanne’s Grooming Pad . . . . . 25 SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 34 Take the Lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 32 TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 10 The Iron House . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Right Move . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 45 Three Sisters Bake . . . . . . . . . 35 Travel a la Carte . . . . . . . . . 3 Twisted Willow Florist . . . . . 8 W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 41 West of Scotland Landscape . . 41 Wild Rose Flowers Ltd . . . . . . 13 Woodburn & Beattie Joiners . . 8

The Business Advertisements (Disclosure) Order 1977

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS

The Law requires that Advertisers selling goods in the course of a business MUST include the word Trader, Dealer, Agent, Breeder or appropriate wording in the Advertisement to distinguish from private advertisers.

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Healthy Minds

Effective Tips to Manage Stress

with Mo Ferrington, Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist

Stress can be experienced by any of us at any age Children may experience stressful peer pressure, worry about exams, their body image, popularity. Adults often have work, family or relationship worries to contend with. Older people may stress about health, finances, their quality of life and even Death. Each age brings its own stresses and concerns. Let’s look at five effective tips to help you manage stress:

communications. Share conversations about your thoughts, feelings, experiences rather than just daily factual updates. Put dinner in the oven and enjoy going for an early evening walk or play a game together as a family. By doing this you set up a regular space to de-stress, improve your relationships and have relaxing time, chatter and maybe even exercise.

- Acknowledge that, at times, stress can be an effective motivator; it helps you perform at a higher level, get more done each day, and tap into unexpected resources. Talking puts things into perspective, and helps keeps you focused on the main issue.

- Have quality personal time. It can be easy to put ourselves last on our list, but committing to regular time for yourself for the gym, I call it “me-time” and it makes all the difference to your stress levels, your mindset and your quality of life. Hypnotherapy can help you to feel more confident about saying what you need in a respectful, effective way.

- Listing your worries or stresses helps you manage your life better and itemise the things that are preying on your mind. You can add to the list as required, prioritise items, make notes, and cross out tasks as completed.

Hypnotherapy can help reinforce the technique of moving worries and stresses from inside your head to outside where they can be dealt with systematically and effectively, one at a time.

- Delegate. At home let others help even if the result is not up to your personal standards.

Giving positive feedback and encouragement helps others feel included in the team, more responsible and happy to learn new skills.

- Work on personal relationships by taking time to establish regular open and honest

Having time for yourself, whether to spend alone or with others, is important in demonstrating that you and your personal interests are important. Personal time is another valid and effective way to help you manage stress.

Mo Ferrington Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist MNCH ( Reg) HPD Dip GHR Reg NCH. NGH. GHSc. GQHP. ( National Register.)

Winner National “ Voice of the Year “ NCH. National Council of Hypnotherapy National Hypnotherapy Guild.

CNHC Registered.

http://advertizer.wix.com/ferringtons-hypno The Countryside Practice, Kilmacolm

0777 559 4132

Windows on Wildlife

This Project aims to bring people closer to wildlife, gaining unique insight to the furry & feathered inhabitants of Castle Semple Country Park. Project Officer Hayley Douglas gives us an update.

Event updates - Our small mammals like mice and voles are often overlooked. However, with the use of footprint tunnels and live catch traps it is possible to get close to these species and learn more about their life history. Why not join me for a small mammal survey morning on the 15th of February, meeting at Castle Semple at 10am, before heading into Parkhill Wood. The session should last approx 2 hours, to book please phone 01505 842 882 ex 20. We are still carrying out our Swan Chats and the next one is due to take place on the 16th of Feb at 1pm, meeting at the entrance to the car park. This informal session is not to be missed, see what facts you might learn about the swans!

I visited the primary ones at Lochwinnoch in January to talk to them about nocturnal animals and to show them some skulls. They were an enthusiastic bunch with many questions like “Why do some animals only come out at night?” and “How do eggs get out of a chicken’s belly?”

Wildlife News - It’s a new year and already changes are in the air. The snowdrops are starting to bloom and some of the birds are attempting to sing. The badgers seem to be occupying their satellite sett more at the moment which is exactly what they did at this time last year. Hopefully, one of the females is now carrying young, which may be born as early as the start of February. With the badgers busy at the other sett, a vixen seems to have taken up residence at the main sett. She has been filmed checking out the sett on a daily basis and maybe we will get the chance of filming fox cubs this year as well.

More Info - Details can be found on the Parks website or by emailing wow@clydemuirshiel.co.uk.

Footage can be viewed on the Park’s Youtube channel or on the WoW Facebook page. Talks to groups can be arranged. Volunteer with WoW by getting in touch via email.

The Windows on Wildlife Project is part of the Semple Trail Heritage Project and is jointly funded by LEADER and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

For more information please contact HAYLEY DOUGLAS, Windows on Wildlife Project Officer – CMRP tel 01505 842 882 Ex 25.

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