Out & about

local community, local life ............... 28

Beekeepers are often asked if their bees will die when winter temperatures plummet as they did in February this year. Thankfully, bees can withstand very low temperatures provided they have enough stores (food) and the hive is wind and water tight with some insulation added. They also need to have a good number of bees to form a healthy cluster that will generate sufficient heat for them to survive. That is not to say there are not some casualties sadly, especially toward the end of winter when instead of warming temperatures there is a prolonged cold damp spell. Beekeepers need to check the stores in their hives (carefully without letting residual heat out) and hopefully if all is well the Queen will have begun to lay eggs to create new young bees. A good sign of early life is bees foraging on warmer days and taking pollen back to the hive. Aconites, crocus, snowdrops and gorse are all good food sources at this time of year, followed by blue bells and early blossom. Meanwhile beekeepers have not been idle in winter. Online meetings have continued along with talks and discussions by speakers as far away as America. At the February KDBA online meeting medical herbalist Nikki Addiss, gave a fascinating talk on Honey and Healing, which covered the uses of locally produced honey as treatment for a whole range of illnesses, from arthritis to chest and throat infections. She talked about a growing number of studies that have found honey to be an important addition to the medicine cabinet. Hopefully, future studies will continue to produce positive results for its benefits to health. If you are interested in beekeeping for yourself, please contact our secretary via helenajbee@gmail.com who will provide more details about our association and how to join. We have a Facebook page which is reserved for members and beekeeping friends, but you can follow us on Instagram via kilbarchanbeekeepers or Twitter @ KilbarchanBees

This year, more than ever before, we are all looking forward to springtime and hoping for better weather – and better everything – enabling us to get out and about more. Even gardening activities have inevitably been curtailed, but the committee of Colourful Kilmacolm has been active in the background. Learning from our experience last year when plants were difficult to come by, we have already placed our order for this summer’s displays, which we can assure you will be bright and cheerful. Before that there will be spring bulbs galore to gladden our spirits. Watch out for variations on previous years’ themes. We are pleased to report that membership is holding up well, and we take this opportunity to thank our members for their renewed subscriptions. These are always welcome, but especially this year as Inverclyde Council has, understandably, been unable to support us financially. We were therefore particularly delighted to be given a generous contribution from the Co-op Local Community Fund. The local Co-op provides a very valuable service to the community, and in turn, we hope that our efforts help to make our village a pleasant, welcoming place for residents and visitors alike. At the time of writing it seems very likely that our AGM will again be held virtually. Members will be informed of arrangements in due course. If you would like to be involved, either actively or by donating, visit www.colourfulkilmacolm.org.uk or phone Peter (01505 872448) or Liz (07963973031) for more information.

At the time of writing, the outlook is beginning to look a bit more positive. Of course, Brighter Bridge of Weir’s volunteers haven’t been about much in the past several months - just enough to keep things going - but they have been busy behind the scenes, planning for the better days ahead. Their order has been placed for the summer plants and they’ve chosen a varied and colourful selection. Delivery of the plants is expected around the end of May or early June. In the meantime, they’ll be tidying up the existing plants and shrubs, and they hope to be putting the fi nishing touches to the Heritage Garden (although when they say ‘fi nishing touches’, like everything else they do, it will continue to develop and change over time). Let’s hope that everyone can make the most of the coming months - after all, we deserve it, don’t we?

A visit to RSPB Lochwinnoch in April is a chance to see much of our well-loved spring wildlife. Red and blue damselfl y species are emerging, orange-tip butterfl ies fl it among the pinkywhite cuckoofl ower and bluebells open amongst the wild garlic in the woods. For the birds, the breeding season is in full swing – and song! – as our avian summer visitors like swallows and sedge warblers continue to arrive, adding to the rich dawn chorus and joining our resident birds in building nests, laying eggs and even raising early broods of young. Updates for Visitors: Our trails and carpark are still open! Please abide by government guidelines while visiting. We will re-open the shop when the government restrictions on non-essential retail allow. Our toilet re-opened on 19th March. Be mindful of the breeding season: minimise disturbance by walking dogs on leads or under close control, staying on the trails and keeping noise to a minimum. You can visit our website or Facebook page for up-to-date information on our facilities: https://www.facebook.com/ RSPBLochwinnochNR Have you been enjoying nature in Spring? Let us know on Facebook @RSPBLochwinnochNR or twitter @RSPBLochwinnoch

There were plenty of smiling faces at this month’s Paisley & District U3A meeting. Winning entries for the 2020 digital photography competition were announced online by Gryffe camera club former chair, Kate Cummings. She and fellow judge, Scottish professional photographer, Guy Hinks, chose Pat Cook’s wild fl ower picture in the nature category as overall winner. Snaps taken by Gordon Phillips and Allana Parker came top in the humour, landscape and location categories. U3A chair, Kathy O’Donnell commented: “Living through a pandemic obviously affected the way we lived and what we could photograph. We are so grateful to Kate Cummings and Guy Hinks for volunteering to judge our second annual photography competition. They were impressed by the many eye catching submissions from talented members.” Kate Cummings said: “We loved Pat Cook’s beautiful photograph for its detail and colour tones. It is simple yet striking. In fact, it’s just the kind of picture we all aspire to take.” On being told she was the overall winner, Pat Cook in Renfrew said: “I’m extremely surprised and delighted to discover my image has been well received. I enjoy taking photos, especially of natural history subjects. Being restricted during lockdown meant I was searching for subjects locally, and in the summer there were plenty of wildfl owers around in the local fi elds.” View the judges’ winning selection of photos at: https:// u3asites.org.uk/paisley/welcome

Pat Cook’s Wild Flower local community, local life ............... 30

The regular Community Spring Clean Up has been postponed. Kilbarchan Smile this year is joining in with Keep Scotland Beautiful and the council’s Team Up to Clean Up to organise events from 28th of May to 20th of June – watch this space for details. Meanwhile, many thanks go to all the volunteers who do regular litterpicks around the village, including Rachel Byrne pictured here doing her bit for wildlife and walkers in the Burntshields woods. Regular young litter pickers aged 5 to 15 can apply for a Blue Peter Green Badge offering free access to Edinburgh Zoo, Country Parks and many more venues. If you would like to get involved, refuse sacks, gloves, tabards and info are available by contacting Kilbarchan Smile on 07952 169341.

Spring fl owers blooming in Kilbarchan Community G a r d e n . Kilbarchan Smile volunteers are looking forward to welcoming visitors again when restrictions allow. Distanced access from Friday 12th of March, or to get involved later in the year call 07952 169341.

e: info@advertizer.co.uk | www.advertizer.co.uk | www.advertizer.co.uk | SPRING April 2021 31 Equine Rescue and Education

Equine Rescue and Education SCIO is a registered charity based in Howwood, run by a board of Trustees and a small group of volunteers. We specialise in working with horses and ponies who are hard We specialise in working with horses and ponies who are hard to rehome and need long term rehabilitation due to behaviour or health issues. This includes a little rescue pony who arrived terrifi ed of people. One of our team has slowly gained his trust, and he can now be handled by her, meaning he can receive all the routine care he needs, such as his feet being seen to and dental checks. He can’t be rehomed as his own health would be at risk without routine care. This is just the beginning of his education. All our horses are given the opportunity to fi nd out what they can and cannot do, what they want to do and what they do not want to do, in their own time. Patience, time, and kindness is often what it takes to help our horses heal and fl ourish. We believe horses should be loved for who they are and not what they can do for us. Ridden or not ridden, young or old, cuddly or like their own space we are the place where they can be themselves as they recover. However, due to the nature of horses and ponies we tend to work with, funding remains an ongoing worry. We have been hit especially hard this past year as all our fundraising activities could not go ahead due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. We receive no government funding and rely on the generosity of the general public for donations. We are always looking for donations, of any size, to help us keep the sanctuary going. We would also ask you consider sponsoring us for the Virtual Kiltwalk 2021 which we are all (horses and ponies included!) taking part in. Sir Tom Hunter will even add 50% extra to our fundraiser. You can stay updated on all our activity and adventures, including the Kiltwalk and ways to support us, by following us on our social media - just search for Equine Rescue and Education!

The Kilmacolm Horticultural Society are holding a Virtual Spring Bulb Show, which will be presented through their website: www.kilmacolmhorticultural. com on Saturday 17th April. Photographs of Spring bulbs in the garden or home, with thanks to our members for sending in colourful entries, by email to: kilmacolmhorticulturalsociety@ gmail.com, - deadline for entries is Wednesday 14th April. We are hoping but cannot give any certainty to the traditional Annual Flower Show being held on 4th September, but gardeners everywhere will be hoping for a good summer of fl owers and produce.