Issuu

October 2016

No.265 Distributed to: • Bishopton • Bridge of Weir • Brookfield • Elderslie • Houston • Howwood • Kilbarchan • Kilmacolm • Langbank • Lochwinnoch • Quarriers

CalMac Ferry “Catriona” and the Waverley at Largs pier, by Bill Crookston of Diaporama

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No. 265

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October 2016

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FREE COPY OF YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY MAGAZINE 21/09/2016 16:57:51

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Legal Blog by Isabella McKerrow, Afﬁnity Family Law

Law Society Accredited Specialist Solicitors Law covers a wide variety of areas and over the years has become increasingly specialised. In recognition of this many solicitors and solicitors firms now specialise in specific areas of law. Because you deal with a solicitor for one matter does not mean that you should deal with them for every other matter. It is important that you find a solicitor who has the expertise and experience in the area of law that you want advice on. A solicitor might advertise that they are an expert or a specialist in a particular area of law, but how can you be sure that they are what they claim to be? The Law Society of Scotland holds a list of accredited specialist solicitors in around thirty different areas of law. These accredited specialists are vetted by the Law Society of Scotland and must have at least five years’ experience in their particular area of specialism and have dealt with numerous complex cases. The Family Law Association of Scotland also holds a list of accredited specialists in Child and Family law. I am a dual accredited specialist in family and child law. I also have further expertise having qualified as an Advocate.

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Instructing an accredited specialist is not necessarily more expensive. The price a solicitor charges varies from firm to firm. You may find a firm with a solicitor who is an accredited specialist charges less than a firm who does not have a specialist. Don’t be fooled by large firms with expensive plush offices and exorbitant fees. Check they have an accredited specialist. Legal fees are not cheap. Make sure you are spending your money wisely. If you want to be sure of getting expert advice, instruct a Law Society accredited specialist. Also make sure that the specialist will deal with your case personally from start to finish.

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ThisMonth No longer Rubbish!

Well it looks like having a rant can sometimes pay off. Not just by me, but plenty of readers and facebookers had their say, with many photos appearing of the ﬂy tipping that ensued following the closure of local waste facilities. And, guess what, the Council has now taken the decision to reverse this and reinstate the local sites as soon as possible. Great news! However......... and there is often a however, this all comes at a substantial cost and it turns out they can’t just re-open the sites. The Council now has to re-apply to SEPA [Scottish Environmental Protection Agency] for Licences. You really couldn’t make this stuff up!

Ho ho ho! Santa is dusting down his sleigh and getting ready for his much awaited annual Santa Sleigh. His little helpers (the Festival Committee) are holding a meeting in the Cargill Hall, Bridge of Weir on Tuesday 11th October at 7.30pm, when local groups and organisations who would like to take a night on this year’s Santa Sleigh to help with their fund raising activities, are invited along to the meeting. Details of available nights and routes will be discussed on the night. I’m sure there will be mixed feelings for the team involved as their longstanding organiser Gordon Lethorn will not be there. The time and energy he put in to this event and the Gala Week was outstanding. However, he has now left a legacy that the team are more than able to continue and expand on.

Banging on!

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Next Issue: No.266 November 2016

Deadline: Friday 14th October 2016 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. The Gryffe Advertizer cannot be held responsible for unsolicited materials. The views and opinions by contributors in this magazine may not represent the views of the publishers. The Gryffe Advertizer takes no responsibility for claims made by advertisements in this publication.

contents legal blog.............................3 local news.......................8-13 optical blog ...........................10 dental blog.........................11 what’s on........................14-25 business news......................28 ﬁnancial blog.........................28 it blog..................................28 on the road..................34-35 village news....................36-47 pets...............................48-49

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pet blog ............................48 outdoors........................50-54 local history.......................55 schools news.....................56-59 sports & clubs news........60-63 sporting blog.....................63 business classified..............64 church listings....................65 deadlines dates...................65 property classiﬁed.................65 sales & wants......................66 advertiser directory................67

We have a date for the much enjoyed annual Fireworks Display at the Knapps, Kilmacolm. This will take place on Saturday 5th November with gates opening at 4.30pm and the bonfire lit around 6pm. Once again, a team of hardy volunteers man the gates, whatever the weather, and your support of this event is much appreciated. Volunteers are required for the Paisley Fireworks display which will be held on the same date. If you wish to help, please contact Karen Miller at Engage Renfrewshire on 0141 887 7707 or kmiller@engagerenfrewshire.com However, not everyone enjoys fireworks season. Check our pets page for tips on helping your pets during these events. It’s also worth asking your local vet for advice and in extreme cases, medication can be taken prior to the busiest fireworks period.

Falling behind! The old saying, “Spring forward, Fall back” reminds us all of which way to turn our clocks in the Autumn. So, as Summer falls behind us, British Summer Time will end on 30th October at 2am when the clocks go back to 1am.

And ﬁnally! There’s plenty more coming in November as Panto season and the fundraising season gets into full swing! Catch up with all our local news throughout The Advertizer - see our index to ﬁnd what you’re after. If you’ve got some news to share, please send in to us by email - info@advertizer.co.uk, or give us a call and see how we can help you and your business or organisation.

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Cloudy2Clear Announce Trusted Trader Partnership Which? have now added themselves to the thousands of customers who recognise that, in Cloudy2Clear you are dealing with a business that you can really trust. Cloudy2Clear who recently celebrated their 10th Birthday, replace misty glass at a fraction of the cost of a new window. Glasgow manager Peter Brummitt believes that Which? have endorsed Cloudy2Clear’s long standing company policy of delivering a trustworthy and credible service at all times. ‘Our service is simple. If your double glazing has steamed up we can replace the glass at a fraction of the cost of a new window, in any type of frame, and with a new 25 year guarantee. Peter continues ‘We also GUARANTEE that an average quotation will take no longer than 20 mins, with little or no disruption to your home’. ‘These things seem simple but not enough companies do it and it’s great that someone like Which? has endorsed our philosophy. Locally Cloudy2Clear service the Wider Gryffe area. So, if your windows are steamed up, broken or damaged give Peter a call for a free quotation on 0800 61 21 118 and he’ll be happy to help!

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22/09/2016 14:34:04

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The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow G1 3NU. Adventures in Space will run until Sunday 2nd October This exhibition offers an amazing insight into the architecture of science fiction and engages with the popular imagination. Close to 200 years of science fiction is catalogued in this show. Specific architectural connections are drawn with the works of the Italian Futurists, Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and John Lautner.

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Sunset on Kirkpatrick Hill by Jamie Green

North Ayrshire 1 Year On Track: Sept. 2016 Established in 1995 from the findings of a community survey, Food Train is a thriving, multi award winning charity with branches across Dumfries & Galloway, West Lothian, Stirling, Dundee, Glasgow and Renfrewshire. We provide a range of services to help older people live independently at home. The core shopping service supports older people who, through age related ill health, frailty or disability, are unable to manage their grocery shopping. We also aim to provide a range of volunteering opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. Over the last 12 months, we have developed a team of 30 local volunteers who give their time freely by assisting with the shopping and delivery of groceries to 126 customers in North Ayrshire. We now have 3 vans, and have made over 2,000 deliveries since we hit the NA tracks. Our customers have spent £64,108.57 in our retail partner store, Sainsbury’s. Our volunteers have been out in all weathers, from the roaring sunshine to the torrential rain. Our volunteers help to write out many of our customer’s shopping list for them. Arthritic hands and visual impairments are common, so taking time to assist in compiling a list is a huge help, and we can help to prompt for stock cupboard essentials and highlight supermarket offers. Volunteers are a safe pair of eyes, and often point out trip hazards such as old slippers, phone wires and crumpled rugs. They take out bin bags on the way out and post letters. We tell our customers about local services and they ask us when they need information or help. They trust our volunteers and enjoy the visits each week. We know this because they tell us. Letters and phone calls praising the service help us to collate feed back informally, although we conduct a formal annual survey each summer. We will share this year’s survey feedback in due course, but a favourite quote so far is (surprisingly) from a particularly gruff 76 year old 97 year old Dalry twins Lilias & Betty, with volunteer Brian Irvine gentleman. ‘This is the presenting them with their birthday flowers earlier this year. best service I’ve had in my life’. ALL our volunteers are very important, but each month we are joined by a guest volunteer to showcase directly what we do, and the kind way in which we do it. 2016 VIP Volunteers so far include Ruth Maguire MSP, Cllr Anthea Dickson, Norah Williamson from VASA, David Rowland and Michelle Sutherland from NAHSCP, Sainsbury’s Store Manager Martin Kelly and Checkout Assistant Laurie Miller, Kaileigh Brown from TACT, Maureen Murphy from EA Vol Centre, Dementia Campaigner Tommy Whitelaw (Alliance Scotland), Cllr Irene Oldfather and Kenny Leinster from South Ayrshire HSCP. Ayrshire College Chair Willie Mackie, Dr Philippa Whitford MP and John Scott MSP are all set to jump into the van before the end of this year and we thank all our guests for their time and support. Join us, won’t you? With funding from Scottish Government, we are piloting our shopping service in South Ayrshire for 1 year, which will be available to over 65s in Ayr, Prestwick & Troon. Louise Thompson joined Food Train as part time Area Coordinator to support the pilot, which will be managed from our North Ayrshire branch. We hope to enjoy similar success over in the South as we have in the North. With the recent purchase of our 3rd NA van, and more volunteers having recently joined us, we have enough capacity to support more older people. Kilwinning & Garnock Valley remain our quietest areas, but we are ready for referrals from across all the main landtowns. We are delighted to offer an additional supermarket in North Ayrshire. From September, customers will have a choice of Morrisons (Stevenston) as well as Sainsbury’s. Thank You Happy 1st Birthday to Branch No7, and thank you for the support over the last 12 months. Here’s to many more in Ayrshire, and across Scotland. Follow us on twitter: @FoodTrainScotFacebook: Food Train North & South Ayrshire

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Provost’s Community Awards re-open for 2017 Renfrewshire’s Provost Anne Hall is calling on everyone to identify their local heroes as the Community Awards open once again for nominations. The awards, which are now in their 20th year, give civic recognition to those who work or live in Renfrewshire and make a difference to their community. There are five categories under which people can be nominated: Community Group, Community Volunteer, Sporting Achievement, Carers’ Award and Employer of the Year. Provost Hall said: “Every year we discover yet more incredible people who give their time and effort to their community without expecting anything in return. The Community Awards is your opportunity to reward these people and ensure they gain the recognition they deserve. There are five categories to nominate in, so make sure that deserving person or group doesn’t miss out and get your nominations in early.” Jim Price, Managing Director of Acre Industrial and Cleaning Services, who sponsor the Sporting Achievement Award, said: “It’s been a pleasure for Acre to be able to support such a worthwhile cause as the Provost Community Awards for the last 13 years. “I’m personally always amazed and humbled to see first-hand the enthusiasm and energy members of the community bring to their chosen endeavours. It is truly inspiring to witness the differences they make to their local communities and I look forward to being a part of this for many years to come.” The Community Group Award is sponsored by the Piazza Shopping Centre and celebrates the organisations in Renfrewshire that have a positive effect on their communities and deserve to be rewarded for their accomplishments. The Community Volunteer Award recognises those who give their time and effort for nothing more than the knowledge that they are making a difference to their community. Employer of the Year is sponsored by Renfrewshire Council Leader Mark MacmIllan and encourages employees to nominate their employers who have provided a positive working environment and have gone above and beyond the call of duty for their workers. Former Renfrewshire Provost Nancy Allison - who has been a part of each of the Community Awards since its inception - donates the Carers’ Award which rewards anyone who cares for a relative, friend or neighbour. Anyone who lives or works in Renfrewshire can be nominated for an award. More information can be found on www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/provostawards Printed nomination forms are available at Council offices and facilities. The closing date for nominations is 30th November 2016. The winners in each category will be invited to a special ceremony which will be held in March 2017.

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october 2016

At Laura’s Nail & Beauty Lounge we can cover all your beauty needs; manicure, pedicure, waxing, massage, facials & spray tan, all within a friendly, relaxed salon in Bridge of Weir.

37 Main Street, Bridge of Weir

Manicures ~ Pedicures ~ Waxing Tinting ~ Massage Facials LVL Lashes ~ Spray Tanning

Late night on Thursday till 8pm. Call The Lounge on 01505-690090, text 07872-929798 or book on our FB page.

Skoobmobile in the running for national library award Renfrewshire’s mobile children’s library outreach service, the uniquely named Skoobmobile, featuring friendly book monsters known as the Skoobs, has been shortlisted for the prestigious CILIP Libraries Change Lives Award for best practice in UK library services. Promoting reading and play combined for children age 0 - 12, the mobile library stocks a broad range of children’s books in a flexible space that houses a range of activities based around play, reading and physical and digital activity. The bus tours the community to open its doors to children and adults at schools, nurseries, community spaces and family events. Over the school holidays, the mobile has been offering ‘Play In the Park’ sessions in parks and green spaces, encouraging families to get onboard to listen to a children’s story before completing an outdoor activity trail. Other activities include Bedtime Reading on board the Skoobmobile, Lego storytelling, The Summer Reading Challenge and Bookbug programmes; and tailored partnerships with local primary schools. The team looking after the service include Pauline Simpson, co-ordinator of Renfrewshire’s Children and Families mobile library service and Andrew Givan, Children and Families Development Co-ordinator. On–board staff are playworker Deborah Coulter and mobile library workers Jimi McGuigan and Laurence Doherty. In 2015, the bus won a Delegate’s Choice Award for the Best Mobile Library at the national conference of CILIP’s Public and Mobile Libraries Special Interest Group. Skoobmobile’s primary aim is to improve children’s life chances by encouraging a lasting interest in reading, literacy, physical activity and learning; bringing the opportunities of the public library service directly to children and families where they are gathered in the community. The service targets schools more than a mile from a public library and nurseries and preschools more than 0.7 miles from a library; and works more intensively with schools in the Scottish Index Multiple Deprivation zones. From its launch in April 2015, to February 2016, there were 10,907 visits to the Skoobmobile by children and 1,859 visits by adults, lasting from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours. The service has visited 28 different primary schools, 21 pre-5 establishments and all schools for children with additional support needs, working with community groups, third sector organisations and health agencies. The award is judged by CILIP’s Community, Diversity and Equality Group (CDEG). The winner will be announced on Thursday 29th September and will receive a £4,000 investment from CILIP. Over 24 years, the award has recognised a number of targeted initiatives around health and wellbeing, including bibliotherapy and services designed to support local populations dealing with dementia, autism, visual impairment, domestic abuse and mental health issues. Ongoing initiatives recognised by the award include Bookstart, which now reaches 3 million babies and their parents across the UK, and The City of Edinburgh’s HMP Edinburgh Library Partnership; an initiative that has transformed engagement among the prison population, tackling social exclusion and providing education and employment opportunities for a better transition to community life. More details of the award and finalists can be found at: cilip.org.uk/lcla or via the hashtag #LCLA2016

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22/09/2016 14:32:18

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Optical Blog by Kerry Taher, New Vision Opticians

Adding powerful antioxidants to your diet may improve your eye health

and cataract formation.

There’s no substitute for the quality of life good vision offers. Adding certain nutrients to your diet every day – either through foods or supplements can help save your vision. Researchers have linked eye- friendly nutrients such as lutein/zeaxanthin, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc to reducing the risk of certain eye diseases, including macular degeneration

Lutein and zeaxanthin are important nutrients found in dark green leafy vegetables, brightly coloured fruits as well as other foods, such as eggs. Scientific evidence suggests vitamin C lowers the risk of developing cataracts, and when taken in combination with other essential nutrients, can slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration. Zinc is recommended for individuals diagnosed as being at high-risk for age-related macular degeneration, or already experiencing the early stages of age-related macular degeneration. The human body does not create the zinc it needs, which is the reason why red meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, wheat germ, mixed nuts, black-eyed peas, tofu, and baked beans are essential to good nutrition. Daily intake of zinc through diet, nutritional supplements, or fortified foods and beverages is important for the maintenance of good eye health. Over-the-counter supplements are available and are becoming increasingly popular over the years; this is a quick and easy way to gain the required vitamins and antioxidants.. If you have any questions or need advice, please call us at the practice on 01505 614 700.

Soroptimist International of Paisley turns 70! 2016 sees members of Soroptimist International of Paisley mark 70 years of activity – fundraising, support and advocacy for women and girls locally, nationally and internationally. The club currently has 38 members from Paisley and the surrounding areas, lead by our current President Sue Williams from Lochwinnoch. Current work includes fundraising for the charity ‘500 Miles’ established by Olivia Giles, which helps people with mobility difficulties in Zambia and Malawi by providing prosthetics and orthotics to give them a chance to live independent lives. Other areas include raising awareness of trafficking through delivering presentations to a range of local groups and schools, and support for Renfrewshire Women’s Aid. We will also be supporting a new SIGBI Federation project - the Meru Garden – which provides support for women and girls in Kenya. At the annual dinner, Honorary Membership of the Club was conferred on Miss Madge Borland, a member since 1977, in recognition of her service to Soroptimism. The nature of the work carried out has changed but the ethos behind it remains the same today as when the club first started – a desire to make a difference to the lives of women and girls who are in need of support.

Titan Crane Abseil Scale new heights, abseil the Glasgow Titan Crane on Sunday 16th October Imagine standing 150ft up on a huge structure on the banks of the river Clyde, imagine leaning back, hearing the wind, taking the strain and feeling the rush as you lower yourself over the edge. Places are limited, sign up now to join #TeamBarnardo’s! Registration Fee: £30 - Minimum Sponsorship: £150

Titan Crane, Garth Drive off Cart Street, Queens Quay, Clydebank G81 1NX

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Dental Blog

by Sheila Macintyre, Practice Owner, Kilbarchan Dental Practice

We all know that fluoride is one of the essential ingredients in toothpaste but what is it, why do we need it and what else do you need to know? Firstly, and most importantly, brushing your teeth thoroughly at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste is one of the most effective ways of preventing tooth decay. Fluoride is a natural occurring mineral that can be found in low levels in lots of food and drink and in more elevated levels in fish and tea. It can strengthen the tooth enamel through a process called “remineralisation” as well as making teeth more resistant to the effects of acid attack caused by bacteria. It has also been shown that children who have small levels of fluoride when their teeth are developing have shallower grooves in their teeth so plaque can be removed more easily. So what about toothpaste? There is a vast selection of toothpastes that contain different levels of fluoride – those containing 1350 - 1500 parts per million (ppm) fluoride are the most effective and you can check the side of the tube for this information. We recommend that children under 3 just use a smear of 1000ppm toothpaste while a pea-sized amount of the same is enough for 3 - 6’s. Your dentist may sometimes recommend additional fluoride treatments such high fluoride toothpaste if you or your child are at particular risk of tooth decay. Similarly, a concentrated fluoride varnish may be applied to both baby teeth and adult teeth and fluoride mouthwash may be recommended for children (8+) or adults with tooth decay. Your dentist will explain these treatments fully to you and, as part of the Childsmile service, both lower fluoride toothpaste and fluoride varnish are provided free of charge for 2 - 6 year olds. If you have any queries about fluoride or any other areas of dental health visit us at Kilbarchan Dental Practice, call 01505 704969 or click www. kilbarchandental.co.uk where you’ll find lots more free tips and advice.

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22/09/2016 14:32:32

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A group of eight young people from Paisley’s PACE Youth Theatre headed to London to wow Westminster as part of Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021

Friday 7th October Crowne Plaza Hotel, Congress Road, Glasgow G3 8QT Please join us for a wonderful evening of fine food and entertainment at St Vincent’s Hospice Gala Ball. Held at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza Hotel, our evening will begin with a champagne reception. After a sumptuous three course meal with wine, guests will be treated to a host of entertainment and can dance the night away to our live band. To book your places, or for further information on how you can support this event, please email info@svh.co.uk or call our Fundraising Team on 01505 705635.

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The group set off on their way in early September, making the first leg of their journey in the official Paisley 2021 taxi. The young performers will accompany Renfrewshire Council Leader and Chair of the 2021 Partnership Board, Mark Macmillan, and Bid Director, Jean Cameron, to a special reception at the House of Commons, attended by parliamentarians, business leaders and key cultural figures. Hosted by Renfrewshire MPs Mhairi Black and Gavin Newlands, the event promotes Paisley’s Untold Story and showcase the strength of Pictured: PACE Youth Theatre group who will be travelling Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021. to London to support Paisley 2021. Included are David The group from PACE, the youth theatre which Wallace, founder of PACE, and Mhairi Gilbert, director of the started the careers of Paolo Nutini, James performance which the group will deliver in Westminster. McAvoy, and new star of Hollyoaks Amy Conachan, among many others, put on a specially commissioned The Paisley delegation is the first representing any of performance that tells Paisley’s story and share what the locations bidding for the UK City of Culture title to makes the town - Scotland’s largest, so special. hold such an event at the House of Commons. Paisley’s bid and journey to 2021 will harness the power Councillor Mark Macmillan said: “Being home to PACE of culture to tackle deep-rooted poverty in communities Youth Theatre, one of the largest youth theatres in the identified as the most deprived in Scotland, and will UK, is just one of the many jewels in Renfrewshire’s place the artistic community at the heart of the town’s cultural crown. Our bid is all about changing cultural, social and economic transformation. perceptions of Paisley at home and abroad and The bid will celebrate the town’s internationally changing local aspirations and ambition. The passion significant cultural and textile heritage, home to the and talent displayed by our young people performing world famous Paisley Pattern and one of the UK’s here today epitomises the Paisley spirit and is a driving original creative industries - thread making and force behind our bid” weaving, and will be used to attract tourism investment “I’m sure everybody involved will do the town proud and as well as promote further job growth and economic will help to convince our guests that Paisley deserves stability across all of Renfrewshire. to become UK City of Culture 2021.” Abby, aged 17, is one of the members of PACE Youth Theatre who made the trip to London. She said: “We are really excited to be representing Paisley 2021 at such an important event. Paisley is my town and being able to play a part in helping to spread the word about how much culture there is here in Paisley and Renfrewshire is great.” Bids are expected to be lodged with the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport in Spring 2017, with the winner announced in Autumn 2017. For more information on Paisley 2021, visit www. paisley2021.co.uk, like Paisley2021 on Facebook or follow @Paisley2021 on Twitter and Instagram.

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Diaporama The 2016-17 session kicked off with one of our members, Bill Crookston, announcing that the RPS (the most prestigious photographic society in the UK) had accepted his audio visual “Major Tom”, based on the David Bowie soundtrack, for inclusion in the final of their competition. This is a real accolade for Bill and good luck for the final later this month. The first meeting of Diaporama sees members showcase what they got up to during the summer and the audio visual sequences on show demonstrated the range of diverse talents in the club. Gerry took us to the beautiful city of Porto with its fine architecture and colourful environment. He showed us The Majestic Café where J.K. Rowling spent some time when she lived in Porto working on her first Harry Potter book. Kate had been working on a theme for three years using the song “Hello” from a variety of singers, including Adele, and matching the music with candid shots taken in Glasgow and other locations. The effect of people on their mobile phones linked to the words of the song made a very impressive production. Val just loves the south of France and she and Bill go there each summer. It’s little wonder this is a favourite for them as the audio visual based on an Abbey within sight of the Pope’s Palace in Avignon, combined with the wonderful rose gardens in her AV was a real treat. Hugh went further south and east, to Corfu, on a sailing holiday with music from an AV purchased at a Greek Dance night in a waterside tavern. Ken reminded us that there is a multitude of opportunities offered by Glasgow’s “Doors Open” event, matching his images of the programme with “The Tree and the Bird and the Fish and the Bell” beautifully sung by a young lady. Ronnie’s music was a wee bit rawer: The Stranglers singing “Down in the Sewer” with its lyrics, which are worth checking on. As a member of Gryffe Camera Club he’d been out most Wednesday evenings taking photographs in a variety of locations and matched them to the music. David never fails to surprise us with his productions, this time based on personal slides he’d scanned and images culled from the internet: lots of ladies in the sea and mermaids accompanying the music “Endless Sleep”. Finally, Bill has forged a relationship with Ferguson’s shipyard, going back many years, and visited the now super modern yard on its “Doors Open” day. His main AV was based on the new electric hybrid ferry “Catriona” currently on trial in the Clyde and his other demonstrated the power of his super zoom lens with images of the “Waverley” berthed at Largs with photos taken from Cumbrae. Diaporama always welcomes new members. We meet at 7.30 pm on the second Monday of the month in the Carrick Centre, Houston.

Churches in With The Bricks Churches in the Paisley area are joining with The Boys’ Brigade in Paisley and District in support of The Brigade’s Buy–a–Brick campaign to help complete the renovation of their headquarters in North Croft Street Paisley by buying a brick in the name of someone associated with The Brigade. Having spent almost £50,000 so far on the revamped HQ the finishing touches are still required. At a cost of £10 per brick it may be an ideal way to both offer support and pay tribute to a friend or relative either past or present member of The Boys’ Brigade. Over the next few Sundays the churches will be offering church goers the opportunity of joining in with their support in various ways. A spokesman for the Boys’ Brigade said ‘It has always been so heartening over the years to see and hear of the support church goers and members of the public give us, and with stories from ex-members or fathers, husbands, sons and indeed ladies themselves who have been members of The Boys’ Brigade. This is an excellent way for them again to show their support for The Boys’ of tomorrow.

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Craig Crawford founded Minicoach Tours (Scotland) Ltd in 2004 with a 16 seat Minicoach. After signing up with Visitscotland, leaflets were produced to offer day tours for visitors to Glasgow and offered private hire travel for groups travelling all over Scotland. However, when the 2008 recession occurred together with other operators competing for the same business, it was time for a re-think. Fortunately a school contract was secured and now the mainstay of the business. The Mercedes minicoach can carry up to 22 people in air conditioned comfort and is available between school runs and outwith those times for private hire. Feedback from customers about the vehicle has been good in that it can easily access locations that larger coaches cannot. Another recent option available is an 8 seat people carrier which has proved popular for smaller groups. So, if you have a requirement for travelling to a special occasion, please ring Craig Crawford on 01505 704440 for a quotation. Personal attention is assured.

St Vincent’s Hospice Recycling Week 2016 Heather, Our Green Champion here at St Vincent’s Hospice was off to a flying start for the launch of National Recycling Week 2016. Here she is showcasing to our staff and volunteers exactly what we can and should be recycling on a daily basis. At St Vincent’s Hospice we recycle a large portion of our waste; however we recognise there is more we can do. Staff and volunteers have committed to utilising the recently installed can bins and teabag caddys. Our used tea bags will be deposited directly into our compost bin which will be used in our community garden. We will be switching our paper supplies to use only recycled paper for all of our internal printing needs. By making these small changes we are not only doing our bit to protect our environment but we will be saving money and resources in the long run. If you would like to know how you can recycle more and make a difference either at home or in your workplace, check out www.recyclescotland.com for more information. Give a little – Gain a lot! Retail Assistants – Our busy charity shops in Lochwinnoch and Bridge of Weir are looking for additional volunteers. Barn Tea-Room – Help is needed in our Tea Room at Howwood on a Monday. Kitchen - Support needed in the kitchen which provides meals for patients. Furniture Transport - Volunteers needed to assist the Hospice driver with furniture pick-ups around the local area. Other volunteer roles available, please call Elaine or Christine on 01505 705 635 or email volunteering@svh.co.uk for more information.

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October

events

Until Sun 2 Oct

Sat 1 October

Festival of Architecture 2016

Brighter BoW Fun Casino Night

Adventures in Space - This exhibition will offer insights into the architecture of science fiction and engage with the popular imagination. Specific architectural connections are drawn with the works of the Italian Futurists, Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and John Lautner.

Royal British Legion, Livery Walk, Bridge of Weir

The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Ln, Glasgow

Until Sun 6 Nov Mapping the Moon Paisley Museum

A selection of very impressive, highly detailed and decorative maps of the moon created by NASA in the early 1960s, and donated to the Museum! Free

Sat 1 October Walk-In Flu Vaccination Clinic Houston Doctors Surgery, Kirk Road, Houston 9am to 11.30am

All eligible patients registered with the practice are welcome to come along. There is no need to make an appointment - just come along with your sleeve rolled up!

Duchal Nursery Open Morning Duchal Nursery School - Kilmacolm 10am to 12 noon

Welcome to all families looking at nursery places.

Vikings Mayhem with David MacPhail

Kilmacolm Library, Lochwinnoch Road, Kilmacolm 1.30pm to 2.30pm

For children aged 5-9 years. Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Vikings. There might even be a chance for a bit of drawing. For further information please contact: Sylvia Lavizani, Marketing Officer Tel: 01505 874772 Email: slavizani@st-columbas.org

Kilmacolm and Quarriers Christian Aid Coffee Morning

Kidston Hall, High St, Kilmacolm 10am Homebaking, jams and produce stall. Nearly new gifts stall. Paperbacks, Crafts, Bulb sale, Fairtrade cards, and a Tombola.

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Nobody loses at this Casino! More details can be found on facebook.com/brighterbridgeofweir and www.brighterbridgeofweir.org. And there will be information posted throughout the village too.

Afternoon Tea

Sun 2 October

Mon 3 - Mon 17 Oct

Paisley Town Hall Wedding Fayre

Where there’s a Will, there’s a way

Salvation Army, Mill St, Paisley 2pm to 4pm Come along to Paisley Salvation Army for afternoon tea & entertainment courtesy of violinist Rebecca Pye! - supporting Paisley Foodbank Contact Pauline Alexander for further information. £5 per person

St Columba Fundraising Ball

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, Glasgow 7pm to 1am

Tickets £95 pp (includes a Champagne reception, a three-course meal, ½ bottle of wine per person on the table), £10 per head entry to ‘Heads & Tails’, a ceilidh and a live band. £95

Sat 1 - Sun 2 Oct Kilmacolm Curling Club - Come & Try

Braehead Shopping Centre, Kings Inch Road, Renfrew G51 4BN

Beginner Class Sessions are scheduled for Sat 1st Oct @ 9:45 & 12noon, Sun 2nd Oct @ 12noon. Contact Stuart Naismith, E: snaismith@ stirlingmair.com

Great Scottish Run

George Square, Glasgow 10K & Half Marathon Fancy a running challenge in 2016? Let’s make it bigger and better this year! For more details or to enter visit: http:// greatscottishrun.com/

Paisley Town Hall, Abbey Close, Paisley 11am to 3pm Wedding Services Scotland are delighted to once again host Renfrewshire’s premier wedding event - a great selection of the finest local wedding suppliers will be on hand who will be delighted to discuss your big day, there will be live music and bridal and menswear catwalk show. Free.

Test our Binoculars & Telescope RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch 2pm to 4pm

Go for a guided walk with our knowledgable staff and try out a range of different optics out on the reserve! Enjoy the scenery and wildlife, whilst finding out what binoculars or telescope suits you best. Please book, as places are limited. Cost: £3 (refunded if you purchase a pair of binoculars, or a telescope on the day!)

Mon 3 October Walk-In Flu Vaccination Clinic

Bridge of Weir & Kilmacolm Local solicitors, Kingsley Wood & Co, Kilmacolm & Bridge of Weir are getting in the giving mood as they look ahead to their free ‘Make a Will’ fortnight. Contact Kingsley or Alison at Kingsley Wood & Co on 01505 874114. Other participating solicitors can be found on Quarriers’ website www.quarriers.org.uk or by emailing fundraising@ quarriers.org.uk.

Wed 5 October Howwood Curling Club - Come & Try Bowfield Rd, Howwood 7.30pm

All equipment provided. Cost for ice fees £6. Please contact Lachie Carmichael E: lachiedcarmichael@ hotmail.com T: 01294 823643

Thu 6 October Creative Mic Night

Bernie’s Cafe Deli, Neva Place, Bridge of Weir 7pm to 10pm See page 44 of this issue for further details.

Ranfurly Doctors Surgery, Kilmacolm Road, Bridge of Weir 6pm to 8.30pm

All eligible patients registered with the practice are welcome to come along. There is no need to make an appointment - just come along with your sleeve rolled up!

Fri 7 October RSPB - Fungi - An illustrated talk McMaster Centre, Donaldson Drive, Renfrew 7.30 pm

This meeting will have an illustrated talk entitled Fungi by Graeme Walker. All welcome.

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Fri 7 October

Sun 9 Oct

Curry Quiz Night - GHS PTA

Bird Ringing Demonstration

River Inn, Houston 7pm till late

Fundraiser for the school theatre fund. Tickets from the school office. £6 per child, £12 per adult, £30 family ticket (2 adults, 2 children)

Langbank Craft Night

Langbank Village Hall, Langbank 7.30pm Watch a local expert create an item, and then make it yourself. Tickets are £5 to include drinks and savouries, and can be bought from Mary Bonner or at Church on Sunday morning.

Sat 8 October Observe the Moon Night

Coats Observatory, Oakshaw St, Paisley 7pm to 9pm - Free Entry Staff will be on hand to answer any lunarrelated questions. In the event of poor weather preventing telescope use planetarium shows will run instead.

“Ripped” Fashion Show

Kilbarchan Guide Centre, Barn Green, Kilbarchan 7pm

By Remode. Come along for the fashion show and ‘Swish’ clothes swap. Tickets from our website www.myleapproject.oprg/contact - £3 + booking fee.

Kilbarchan Parish Church Jazz and Big Band Evening

Kilbarchan Parish Church Hall, Steeple Street 7.30pm

The band is called “FP Big Band” and was formed originally for former pupils of Mearns Castle High School. Tickets are £10, including a lucky programme and a buffet supper. You may wish to bring your own bottle- non alcoholic only. Please phone 703532 to book tickets.

Learn how we monitor the birds health and seeif we can retrap any birds caught previously. Call 01505 842882 for further information.

Tue 11 October BoW Festival Committee

Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir 7.30pm

The Committee would like to invite local groups and organisations who may like to take a night on this year’s Santa Sleigh to help with their fund raising activities, along to the meeting. For further information please contact Meg Millar on 01505 690704 or Brenda Lethorn on 01505 615992.

Johnstone History Society Talk

Masonic Hall, Collier Street, Johnstone Our speaker this month is Tommy Lawton who is a former Chairman of the Forth and Clyde Canal Society. Visitors and new members will always be made welcome. Our annual membership is £10 visitors £2.

Thu 13 October BoW Horticultural Society Autumn Lecture

Royal British Legion, Livery Walk, Bridge of Weir 8pm

The Autumn lectures begin with, “Iris” by Brian Young of Holmes Farm Plants.

Kilmacolm Art Class

Kilmacolm Community Centre, Lochwinnoch Road, Kilmacolm

Sat 8 - Sun 9 Oct The Scottish Wedding Show

Say You Love Me at Bernie’s

Tickets at www.secc.co.uk, by calling the SECC Ticket Enquiry Line on 0844 395 4000 or in person from the main box office in the SECC.

Glasgow Cruise Show

SECC, Exhibition Way, Glasgow Tickets at www.secc.co.uk, by calling the SECC Ticket Enquiry Line on 0844 395 4000 or in person from the main box office in the SECC.

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Muirshiel Country Park , Calder Glen Road, Lochwinnoch PA12 4LB 10am to 3pm

Artist of all ability are welcome as tuition is available. For further details please contact Janice Sinclair (secretary) on tel. 01505 873141.

SECC, Exhibition Way, Glasgow

october 2016

Bernie’s Cafe Deli, Neva Place, Bridge of Weir 7.30pm

H-arts and Punch Productions present the popular play, Say You Love Me, in a delightful and intimate venue! Tickets £15 include a prohibition Cocktail & New York Cheesecake. Pop into Bernie’s Cafe/ Deli to secure your tickets fast or call 01505 614333.

Fri 14 October Advertizer Deadline

The Advertizer - Neva Pl, Bridge of Weir If you want something placed in the next issue, either send an email to info@advertizer.co.uk or call the office on 01505 613340.

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Fri 14 October

Fri 21 October

Kilmacolm & Quarriers Gala Concert for Christian Aid

Church Quiz Night

Kidston Hall, High St, Kilmacolm 7pm

Kidston Hall, High St, Kilmacolm 7.30pm Teams of eight people compete for our coveted trophy. Cost is £2 per person, which is payable on the night.

Entertainment led by the Gryffe Voices Community Choir. Angel Voices, the local children’s community choir and David Leigh on piano. All funds are being donated to Christian Aid. Tickets from committee members, Jill Russell on 01505 872393, Kilmacolm churches, or pay at the door. £6.

Sat 22 October

Fri 14 - Sun 16 Oct

Remode, 39 High St, Lochwinnoch 11.30am to 4pm

Scotland’s Boat Show

Pop Up Record Fayre

ReMode is teaming up with Love Music to hold a Popup Vinyl Fayre. Have a look in your attic or basement for the long ago dismissed but not forgotten vinyl.

Family Ceilidh

Houston Kirk West Halls, Main St, Houston. Kip Marina, The Yacht Harbour, Inverkip, PA16 0AS

www.scotlandsboatshow.co.uk The 3rd largest boat show in the UK with a host of attractions that has over 16,000 visitors flocking to Inverclyde from all corners of the sailing world! With FREE ADMISSION and a nominal £5 Car Park it is the best value show in the country! If You Need More Information Call 01475 521485.

Fri 14 - Sat 22 Oct Paisley gets ready for a Spree

Music by the wonderful Elderberries, various surprise performances, and some disco time and games for the young ones (or young at heart!). Tickets £5, (children free) which include a drink on arrival and a light supper, are available from the social committee. BYOB.

Walk-In Flu Vaccination Clinic Ranfurly Doctors Surgery, Kilmacolm Road, Bridge of Weir 9am to 11.30am

All eligible patients registered with the practice are welcome to come along. There is no need to make an appointment - just come along with your sleeve rolled up!

Nearly New Sale

Kilmacolm Community Centre, Lochwinnoch Rd, Kilmacolm 10am - 1pm Paisley - various venues A great mix of musical styles, comedy, drama, spoken word and poetry. From local performers to our very own home-grown superstar Paolo Nutini! Tickets for The Spree festival are on sale now at www.thespree.co.uk or from Renfrewshire Arts and Museums Box Office on 0300 300 1210.

Fri 14 - Sun 23 Oct Wild Challenge: Animal Sculptures!

RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch 10am to 4pm Pop into the Visitor Centre then visit the different stations along the trail to find out what adventures may await! When you’ve finished, come back to the centre to complete the challenge and tell us all about what you may have discovered on the way! Cost: £3 per child (RSPB members £1)

Sat 15 October Messy Church

Kilbarchan Parish Church Hall, Steeple Street 4pm to 6pm

Come along and join in. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Winter Swan Chat

Come along and buy a bargain or two! You never know what you might find. All welcome.

Lochwinnoch Explorer Group RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch 10am to 12 noon

We’ll be looking at what no longer lives here and what should we bring back?! Please wear suitable clothing for being outdoors. Ages: 5 to 14 years. All children aged 8 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Booking essential. Cost: £5 (£3 RSPB members) (adults go free)

Thu 27 October Gryffe Rotary Curry Night

Shimla Cottage, Bridge of Weir To more or less coincide with World Polio Day, Rotary will hold its annual Curry Night. Tickets are available from Rotary members. The funds raised will be donated to the Rotary End-Polio campaign.

Thu 27 - Sun 30 Oct Crafts For Christmas / Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts Show SECC, Exhibition Way, Glasgow

Tickets at www.secc.co.uk, by calling the SECC Ticket Enquiry Line on 0844 395 4000 or in person from the main box office in the SECC.

Fri 28 October Castle Semple, Lochwinnoch 1pm to 2pm

Come along and find out that there’s more to these birds than chasing you for bread. Pop along at any time. Call 01505 842882 for further information.

Mon 17 October Make Your Own Mondays: Happy Hedgehog Homes RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch 11am to 1pm or 2pm to 4pm

Hedgehogs need a nice safe place to spend the winter – let’s build them some cosy hogitats in a quiet corner of the reserve! Booking essential. Cost: £5 (Wildlife Explorers £3) (adults go free)

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Kilmacolm Playgroup & Toddlers Under-5s Halloween Party St Columba Church Hall. Kilmacolm 11.30 am to 2pm

Spooky-themed lunch for the children included. Prize for the best carved/decorated pumpkin. Contact victoria.finnigan@hotmail.com to reserve a place.

Fright Night

RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch 6.15pm to 9pm If you are brave enough, come along to be taken on a guided walk like no other where you will be able to see some of our creepier resident creatures that only appear once a year! Booking in advance is essential as space is limited. To be paid at time of booking. Cost: £6 (RSPB members £3)

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Cocoa Farmers’ Children Visit Paisley - Come and meet them! Saturday 1st of October signals the start of Black History Month and to kick it off Rainbow Turtle, Paisley’s Fair Trade organisation, will be teaming up with Redss Catering - along with Divine and London-based organisation Trading Visions - by hosting a visit from two young people from Ghana. As the children of cocoa farmers, Esther and Samuel will talk about what life’s like for them at home, at school and for their families who work for the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative which co-owns Divine chocolate. It will be a great opportunity to learn not only how the chocolate we love begins its life, but how supporting fair and ethical trading changes lives for the better. Being able to welcome Esther and Samuel to Paisley will be a real honour and reminds us all how connected we are to others around the world through the things we buy and enjoy every day. Samuel and Esther will be at the end of a whirlwind tour of the UK taking in London, Edinburgh, Cornwall, Liverpool and ﬁnally Paisley. The teenagers’ visit will be a great opportunity to strengthen links with different parts of the world.

in Paisley, will be at the event with their friendly team handing out delicious, FREE cake pops, cup cakes and Fairtrade fruit all made or covered with Divine’s delicious Fairtrade chocolate. With local schools, groups and Fairtrade supporters coming along to welcome Esther & Samuel it promises to be a sweet event! Open to everyone, the event runs from 10am 12pm on Saturday 1st October, in the Methodist Church Hall on Gauze Street, Paisley, opposite the Abbey and next door to the Rainbow Turtle shop. For more information visit www.rainbowturtle.org. uk or ﬁnd them on Twitter & Facebook @rainbowturtleuk.

As well as hearing from the teenagers, there will be live music, activities for children and of course CHOCOLATE! Ken Clark and Margaret Jones from Redss, who have been long term supporters of Fair Trade since 2002 when they started trading

Sat 29 October Winter Swan Chat

Castle Semple, Lochwinnoch 1pm to 2pm Come along and find out that there’s more to these birds than chasing you for bread. Pop along at any time. Call 01505 842882 for further information.

RoyalHeart Greyhound Rescue

Mid Gavin Nursery, Beith Rd, Howwood

10.30am

Fun Halloween Dog Show! Fun Classes * Pedigree Classes * Dog Fancy Dress * Have a go agility! Best Party Trick * Obedience demonstration * Lots of Craft & Dog Stalls. £2 Adults £1 Child

Hessilhead at RSPB Lochwinnoch!

RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch 12noon to 3pm Come and learn about the wonderful work done by the local Hessilhead Wildlife Hospital. You will also get to meet some of their patients and hear about the wonderful things the staff do on a daily basis at the hospital. Cost: Free

Sale of Art and Crafts

Kilbarchan Guide Centre, Barn Green, Kilbarchan 1pm to 4.30pm

Come along and pick up some lovely handcrafted gifts and pictures for Christmas or for yourself. There will be refreshments too with a tempting array of home baking.

Fancy Dress Halloween Dance

The Three Churches, 5 Church St, Lochwinnoch

Saturday 29th October at The Three Churches, Lochwinnoch - 9pm Tickets £5 (From Three Churches Inn). All proceeds to local groups.

Cancer Research 60’s Dance

Johnstone Town Hall 7.30pm to midnight Raffle Prizes and Prize for best 60’s Outift! Tickets from 07958 392308 or happyeverafterband.com £20 inc. Supper

Halloween Disco

Kilmacolm Community Centre, Lochwinnoch Road, Kilmacolm 7.30pm to 11.30pm £10 all profits to Ardgowan Hospice

Ladies Night Halloween Disco

Kilbarchan Guide Centre, Barn Green, Kilbarchan 7.30pm to 12 midnight

In aid of World Challenge Tanzania 2017 BYOB and nibbles. Prize for best fancy dress, Raffle, Disco. Fancy dress optional. Tickets available on the door. £5 per ticket

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Huntington’s disease The Renfrewshire HD Support Group did a sponsored walk along the banks of the Clyde in Erskine on 10 Septembe to raise funds for the Scottish Huntington’s Association. We were joined by friends from Houston Kirk and Erskine Keep Fit. Our Group’s appeal has so far resulted in total sponsorship of £1,230. Our thanks are due to everyone for supporting us. Donations will still be welcomed directly or at the Justgiving page http://www.justgiving. com/Margaret-Moncrieff6. Scottish Huntington’s Association (SHA) is the only Scottish charity dedicated to helping people affected by Huntington’s disease (HD). HD is a devastating neurological condition which renders the sufferer increasingly dependent on care over the course of 15 to 25 years. In layman’s terms it is like having motor neuron disease, Parkinson’s and elements of Alzheimer’s – all at the same time. Sadly, it is genetic and every child of a person with the condition has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease.

Sat 29 - Sun 30 Oct Pumpkin Carving

Ardardan Estate - Cardross All Day Come on down and take part in pumpkin carving with your friends & family. We will have all the materials you need to take part. £3 per pumpkin To book call 01389849188 or email Hannah@ ardardan.co.uk

A Place In The Sun Live

SECC, Exhibition Way, Glasgow Tickets can be purchased online at www.secc. co.uk, by calling the SECC Ticket Enquiry Line on 0844 395 4000 or in person from the main box office in the SECC.

Sun 30 October Coffee & Cakes

Houston Kirk West Halls, Main Street, Houston. From 12noon

A chance to say goodbye to Rev Donald Campbell and his lovely wife Liz with time to chat over coffee, tea, sandwiches and cake.

Halloween Stories

Ardardan Estate - Cardross 10am, 10.45am, 11.30am

With Susan Wilson & Onion. Lots of fun for little ones. Recommended for ages 2-7. £4 per child (30mins) To book call 01389849188 or email Hannah@ardardan.co.uk

The Kilbarchan Smile Big Autumn Clear Up Ewing St Car Park, Kilbarchan - various 2pm to 4pm

Meet at the car park opposite Bog Park. Equipment including litter pickers, hi viz vests, bags, bag hoops and gloves will be provided. Please wear strong shoes or boots. For details contact Gail Scoular on 07985749220, email hello@kilbarchansmile.co.uk or join the group Kilbarchan Smile on Facebook.

Turn Your Clocks Back at 2am!

British Summer Time (BST) starts each year on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October.

Mon 31 Oct - Fri 4 Nov St Columba School Open Week St Columba’s School, Duchal Rd, Kilmacolm

In the beautiful countryside village of Kilmacolm, you’ll discover one of Scotland’s highest achieving schools. Financial assistance available. Call 01505 872238 now to arrange a visit.

Sun 6 November Early Bird Christmas Gift and Craft Fair

Kilbarchan Guide Centre, Barn Green, Kilbarchan 1pm to 4pm

Browse our 21 stalls and stop for a coffee and a chat with friends. All funds raised will go towards World Challenge Tanzania 2017. Check out our facebook page ‘Kilbarchan Craft Fayres’ for further information. Entry includes Tea and Coffee: Adults £1.50 Children £0.50

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The funds we raise will go to the SHA to enable them to continue to provide a comprehensive support and advisory service to families in Scotland who are affected by HD. Our support group meets once a month. We will welcome additional members so if you would like to join our group, please contact Isobel Darroch or Margaret Moncrieff through the head ofﬁce of the Scottish Huntington’s Association at Business First, Linwood Point, Paisley PA1 2FB, telephone: 0141 848 0308.

National Youth Choir of Scotland Applications Open NYCoS has announced the opening of applications to its four National Choirs: National Youth Choir of Scotland (ages 16–25), NYCoS Training Choir (ages 16–19), NYCoS National Boys Choir (ages 10–16) and NYCoS National Girls Choir (ages 12–16). One of the UK’s leading choirs, the National Youth Choir of Scotland was recognised in 2012 with the Ensemble award from the Royal Philharmonic Society. Celebrated recent performances include appearances with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Kronos Quartet, and at events including Edinburgh International Festival, MTV Europe Music Awards, XX Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, Festival Berlioz in France and Grand Teton Music Festival in the USA. Every three years, the National Youth Choir of Scotland embarks on an international tour – previous destinations include Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Slovakia, Sweden and the USA. In 2014 and 2016, the Choir received world-wide critical acclaim for its performances at the BBC Proms under the baton of Donald Runnicles and Sir John Eliot Gardiner respectively. Runnicles described the Choir as “one of the best choral ensembles in the world.” Members of both NYCoS National Boys Choir and NYCoS National Girls Choir are amongst the most promising young singers in Scotland. Singing to the highest standard, they receive expert vocal tuition and develop invaluable musicianship skills. High-proﬁle performances by the Choirs have included BBC Proms in the Park, Edinburgh International Festival, Aberdeen International Youth Festival and Lammermuir Festival, as well as BBC TV and radio broadcasts. Membership for each NYCoS Choir is granted by audition and is open to those born, resident or studying in Scotland, or of Scottish descent. Led by world-renowned conductor Christopher Bell, the basis of the Choirs’ activities stems from a week-long residential course full of high-quality musical activity, vocal coaching and singing lessons from top-ﬂight professional singers, full choir rehearsals and recreation time. Deadline for applications is 14 October. To apply, visit www.nycos.co.uk

Gavin Newlands MP Summer visits During the Westminster recess, I had the opportunity to meet with a number of local organisation who are doing excellent work in Renfrewshire. One of the most enjoyable meetings was my visit to the Local Energy Action Plan (LEAP) in Bridge of Weir to ﬁnd out more about the work that they’re doing to help lift people out of fuel poverty. LEAP are rooted at the heart of the community and it’s clear that they are trusted to help deliver the services that they offer to local people. As well as offering free impartial advice, they can help make homes warmer through completing free home energy checks. This includes completing a free draught test or conducting a thermal image test on the property to help identify areas where heat is escaping. The staff at LEAP are ambitious about the future and they’re keen to extend their service to other parts of Renfrewshire. I look forward to supporting the organisation in any way that I can.

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SAT

The Course of True Love

OCT

The Course of True Love is a playful and heart-warming new production from a multi-award winning “Star Scottish playwright” (Metro) is an everyday tale of caution, courage and Cleo Laine!

Paisley Arts Centre 7.30pm

Price: £10 (£6 conc) + bkg fee* Suitable for ages 16 +

TUE

The Shape of Things

OCT

Starcatchers & Branar Téatar do Pháistí present The Shape of Things. Set in a soft and tactile environment this interactive story is told through puppetry, object theatre, music and sound.

THU OCT

Paisley Arts Centre 11am & 2pm

Price: £3 + booking fee* For children 6 months – 2 yrs and their adults.

Paisley Natural History Society Illustrated Talks Paisley Museum

Free Event

7.30pm - 9pm

Hosted by experts in the ﬁeld, these talks provide an interesting insight into various natural history topics. The talks are open to everyone and there’s no need to book, just come along.

THU

The Collector

OCT

Born out of Henry Naylor’s own experiences of a visit to Bagram Airbase in 2003, The Collector is a compelling tale of murder, evil and betrayal set in occupied Iraq.

FRI OCT

Paisley Arts Centre 7.30pm

Price: £10 (£6 conc) + bkg fee* Suitable for ages 14 +

The Star of Bethlehem Paisley Arts Centre 7.30pm

Price: £5

An investigation by Donny Mackay based on astronomical, biblical and historical evidence identifying what the Star of Bethlehem actually was and conﬁrming when exactly it appeared in the night sky. This is the ﬁrst time that this investigation has been undertaken by someone who is both an astronomer and a biblical scholar.

SAT

Invisible Army

OCT

Created as a documentation of the experiences and imaginations of a group of young carers, Invisible Army follows Robbie through a very weird day.

TUE OCT

Paisley Arts Centre 7pm

Price: £5 + bkg fee* Suitable for ages 12+

A Bench on the Road Paisley Arts Centre 7.30pm

Price: £10 (£6 conc) + bkg fee* Suitable for ages 10+ - contains some references to violence & conﬂict

Based on real testimonies, A Bench on the Road is a rich piece of musical and visual storytelling which explores women’s experience of immigration through the lens of Scottish-Italian immigrants from 1850-1950. The play tells stories of Scottish and Italian women divided, yet united, in battle for identity and belonging.

WED

Where the Crow Flies

OCT

Based on interviews and stories with women in Blackburn West Lothian - Where the Crow Flies is a play about starting over, ﬁghting for the truth, gaining trust and getting rid of the labels that are put on us.

Paisley Arts Centre 7.30pm

The Tapping Paisley Town Hall 8pm

OCT

e: info@advertizer.co.uk

Prie: £10 (£6 conc) + bkg fee*

Price: £10 (£6 conc) + bkg fee* Suitable for ages 18+

Based upon Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’, and drawing upon the myth of Orpheus’ descent into the underworld, The Tapping is a gothic-horror melodrama that draws its audience down a hallucinatory spiral of madness and - perhaps - revelation, set against the stunning backdrop of Paisley Town Hall’s Loggia. *please note: a £1 service charge per transaction applies for bookings made by phone or online. There is no service charge for tickets purchased in person or for tickets booked by phone and later collected from the Box Ofﬁce.

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Renfrewshire Model Railway Club Exhibition Johnstone Town Hall Saturday 12th Nov. 10am – 5pm & Sunday 13th Nov. 12 noon – 4pm This exciting new exhibition will showcase a number of layouts, from both the Club and visiting clubs - “Treffburg”, “Eglington and Garnock Iron Works”, “River March Shunting Yard” and “Bramblewell O gauge“, to name but a few. There will also be a number of trade and demonstration stands and a chance for slot car fans to try a Scalextric layout. Admission: Adult £5, Concession £4, Child £2 and Family £11 (2 adults & 2 children). The Club meets every Monday and Friday from 7pm until 10.30pm at our premises behind Elderslie Village Hall in Stoddart Square. If you’re thinking of building a model railway and don’t know where to start, or have started one and not sure what to do next, our members are always on hand to help point you in the right direction. We have a number of different scale layouts built or undergoing construction – so do please come along to one of our club nights - we’re always pleased to welcome new faces. Visit our website www.renfrewshiremrc. co.uk, for further information.

Paisley Fireworks Display

members of the public to ask a few questions. There is no training, so it would

VOLUNTEERS are need to help out at the be helpful for VOLUNTEERS to have some Paisley Fireworks Display on Saturday 5 experience, however, this is not compulsory. November 2016. If you wish to VOLUNTEER, contact: We are looking for conﬁdent outgoing - Karen Miller, Engage Renfrewshire people who have a couple of hours to - 0141 887 7707 spare and are comfortable approaching - kmiller@engagerenfrewshire.com

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Paisley gets ready for a Spree for All Local performers and venues are being urged to sign up and take part in a brand new ‘fringe’ event to Paisley’s national arts festival. The Spree for All, announced this week, aims to build on the success of The Spree, now in its fifth year and taking place in the town from 14-22 October. The Spree for All is being organised by local music charity LNP Promotions. LNP founders Gary Kerr and Tommy McGrory hope the recent Paisley Music Week is a taste of things to come for the new fringe festival. The two joined forces this week with Renfrewshire Council Leader Mark Macmillan to launch the Spree for All. Gary said: “Paisley Music Week just confirmed the wealth and variety of talent we have here, and it was great to see musical acts take over the town for a full week – with a bonus performance in The Cave from a home-grown superstar, Paolo Nutini! “The Spree is a fixture in Paisley’s events calendar now and, as well as the performances by bigger names, people have always supported events like ModStuff that celebrate the local music scene. We want to build on that and take The Spree out into venues across the town. There is such a vibrant cultural scene across the town, and we want more people living here or visiting the town to experience that.” Tommy McGrory added: “The Spree has a great mix of musical styles as well as comedy, drama, spoken word and poetry – and that’s exactly what we want for the Spree for All. “We want as many different performers and venues to contact us as possible so we can bring them together and have a great week celebrating all that Paisley has to offer.” Renfrewshire Council Leader Mark Macmillan said: “Our vibrant cultural scene is a huge part of Paisley’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021 and we want to make sure that everyone across our communities has the chance to get involved. The Spree for All is exactly the sort of event we’re looking for and I would urge any performer or venue to get in touch with Gary and Tommy and be a part of it all.” Anyone interested in taking part in the Spree for All should contact LNP Promotions via their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LNPPromotions or, if you already know Gary and Tommy, you can contact them directly. Tickets for The Spree festival are on sale now at www.thespree.co.uk or from Renfrewshire Arts and Museums Box Office on 0300 300 1210. Calendar of acts featuring in this years Spree: Carol Laula and friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Admiral Fallow plus support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spree Festival on Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Best of Scottish Comedy ft Mark Nelson . . . . . . . . . . Danny Kyle Open Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael McGoldrick, WeBanjo3, Ross & Jarlath . . . . Daniel Sloss: So? (plus support) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spree Sessions: RockUs Community Choir . . . . . . . . Anatomy of the Piano (for beginners) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Donnie Munro plus support support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sunday Cinema - Where you’re meant to be . . . . . . . Justin Currie and the RSNO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Poetry Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spree Sessions: Create Paisley with James Grant. . . Oscillon Response: Mark Lyken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Craig Hill - Up and Coming! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roddy Woomble and Band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Celebration of Robert Tannahill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Best of Scottish Comedy ft Joe Heenan . . . . . . . . . . . ModStuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skaledonia, The Begbies & Keava . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blow Off Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Treacherous Orchestra and Skerryvore . . . . . . . . . . .

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14 October

14 October - 21 October 15 October 16 October

17 October 18 October 20 October 21 October 21 October 21 October - 22 October 22 October

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Michelle McManus’ Reality – The Musical

Saturday 1st October - 7:30pm - Tickets £15 Returning to the Beacon by popular demand, with an updated version of Michelle McManus’ Reality – The Musical. An upfront and humorous take on her life since winning Pop Idol just over a decade ago.

The Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular Show

Sunday 2nd October - 7pm - Tickets From £20 to £22 Purveyors of Cool Swing into town with – “The Greatest Music Of The 20th Century”. Wonderful memories of classic Las Vegas, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis. Totally live performance now in its 14th year that continues to be successful worldwide. Always a fun night out! Www.ratpack.biz

Daniel Sloss

Sunday 2nd October - 8pm - Tickets £13.50 With special guest Kai Humphries (support artist may be subject to change). Don’t miss the stunning new show from Scotland’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning comedian! ** AGE RESTRICTION 16+ **

Democracy

Tuesday 4th October - 7:30pm - Tickets from £10 - £12 Democracy by Michael Frayn is, based on a true story. West Germany, 1969. Charismatic Willy Brandt has been elected Chancellor. However, his own political party are starting to plot against him.

Forgotten

Thursday 6th October - 7:30pm - Tickets from £8 - £10 Pat Kinevane’s captivating portrayal of four elderly characters, living in retirement homes and care facilities around Ireland, is a unique collage of Kabuki dance and Irish storytelling.

Double Points: K & Motel

Tuesday 11th October - 7:30pm - Tickets from £10 - £12 Two athletic and intelligent dance duets from Best Independent Company (National Dance Awards) Rosie Kay Dance Company. Age Guidance 12+ Parental guidance advised.

Rolling Back the Years

Thursday 13th October - 2:30pm & 7pm - Tickets from £14 - £16 The ultimate feel good show! One of the biggest shows of its kind in the UK, taking the audience on a breathtaking musical journey through the 50’s, 60’s, and some of the brilliant sounds of the 1970’s.

The Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland

Friday 14th October - 7:30pm - Tickets from £13 - £15 A musical extravaganza, varied style of music including traditional Scottish, military and much more. Proceeds from the concert will go to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Heritage Trust and The Soldiers Charity.

Simon & Garfunkel: Through the Years

Saturday 15th October - 7:30pm - Tickets from £14 - £16 The story of Simon & Garfunkel comes to Greenock in a stage show that combines live performances & ﬁlmed interviews!

Dead Sheep Comedy Nights

Saturday 15th October - 8pm - Tickets from £10 - £12 Scotland’s number one comedy promoter brings their award winning club to Beacon Arts Centre. The line up for our September show is: Graham Mackie (MC), Chris Forbes (Support), Michael Redmond (Headline)

The Elixir of Love

Tuesday 18th October - 7:30pm - Tickets from £5 - £15 Scottish Opera’s new production - the lively and lyrical score sees Donizetti at his best, from the beauty of ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ to the fun of Dulcamara’s patter songs. Cast includes Ellie Laugharne (Welsh tenor Elgan Llyr Thomas, and baritone James Cleverton.

The Legends of American Country

Wednesday 19th October - 7:30 pm - Tickets £18 The Legends of American Country Show featuring the music of 8 of the biggest icons on the American Country scene including Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Dolly Parton , Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson, Buck Owens and Johhny Cash.

The Don Paterson Situation

Thursday 20th October - 7:30 pm - Tickets from £8 - £10 Don is back playing music at the highest level with Scotland’s most talented jazz musicians.

Penguin Elephant

Friday 21st October - 11am & 1pm - Tickets £5 - £6 Penguin is a little bit selfish. Penguin loves fish fingers, but never shares them. Everything is black and white and that’s just the way Penguin likes it. Until one day Elephant turns up. Elephant is big. Elephant is messy. Elephant likes lots of colour everywhere. However will Penguin cope?

Emma Pollock

Friday 21st October - 7:30 pm - Tickets £16 In Search of Harperﬁeld, Emma Pollock’s ﬁrst solo album in six years, retains the sharp, insightful lyricism. It’s stylistic diversity and her extraordinary vocal performances have elevated the album to critical acclaim and the realms of greatness.

White

Saturday 22nd October - 1pm & 3 pm - Tickets from £5 - £6 White is a playful, highly visual new show for very young children and is a perfect ﬁrst time theatre experience. Catherine Wheels is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed children’s theatre company. For ages 2-4

Craig Hill – Up and Coming!

Saturday 22nd October - 7:30 pm - Tickets from £12.50 - £14.50 Your favourite jet-fuelled kilty pleasure shoots back to the Beacon Arts Centre like a rocket full of fun! Craig is certainly ‘up’ and most deﬁnitely coming, so book early! Www.mrcraighill.com Age restriction 16+

Invisible Army

Thursday 27th October - 7pm - Tickets from £8 - £10 Created as a documentation of the experiences and imaginations of a group of young carers, Invisible Army follows Robbie through a very weird day.

Phoenix Dance Theatre: Triple Bill

Friday 28th October - 7:30pm -Tickets from £10 - £12 Phoenix Dance Theatre’s latest tour : Triple bill presenting Until. With/Out.Enough by Itzik Galili, Melt by the company’s Artistic Director Sharon Watson and Bloom by Caroline Finn. Presented as part of Galoshans 2016.

Reely Jiggered

Saturday 29th October - 7:30pm - Tickets from £8 - £10 Reely Jiggered - inspired by Celtic Folk music, intrigued by World beats and melodies and drawn to an interesting and unique fusion of funk, rock, pop and jazz taking folk music to new heights.

BEACON ARTS CENTRE, CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY, GREENOCK, PA15 1HJ | INFO@BEACONARTSCENTRE.CO.UK TELEPHONE: 01475 723723

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every Monday

1st & 3rd Thurs monthly

Lochwinnoch Community Walk

‘Outlook’

The Cross, Lochwinnoch 10.30am

Kidston Hall, Kilmacolm 2pm - 4pm

This event will not take place on public holidays.

Social activities group for the community in Kilmacolm. Guest speakers, afternoon tea, local issues of interest. Everyone welcome.

every Tuesday Bishopton Belles Line Dancing Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Hall 6.30 - 8.30pm

Beginner/Improver class. All welcome. Call David or Mair 07886 034037.

Postnatal Support Group Paisley Abbey 10.30am - 12noon

Crèche facilities available along with access to free counselling services if required.

every Wednesday Knitting Group Three Sisters Bake, Quarriers 10am - 12noon

Knitters of all levels welcome!

Skinny Minnies Cargill Hall, Bridge of Weir 7pm-8pm

For a healthier, slimmer, more energetic you!

every Thursday Weekly Volunteer Group Castle Semple, Lochwinnoch 12.30pm - 3.30pm

Conser vation Volunteers - adult group. Newcomers always welcome.

every Saturday Weekly Volunteer Group Greenock Cut Visitor Centre 10.30am - 2.30pm

Conservation Volunteers, adult group. Newcomers always welcome.

every Sunday Weekly Volunteer Group Castle Semple, Lochwinnoch 10am - 12noon

Youth volunteer Group - age 12 - 18 years. Newcomers always welcome.

2nd & 4th Wednesday BoW Senior Citizens club Cargill Hall 7 - 9PM

tea, biscuits & a raffle each meeting along with entertainment. Contact Sheila Patterson for further information on 01505 690521.

YOUR TICKET TO LOCAL EVENTS

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Crafty Hobbies Carrick Centre, Main Street, Houston 7.30pm

No previous craft experience necessary. Call Lorna on 01505 612844 for further details.

2nd Wednesday monthly Inverclyde Carers Outreach Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm 11am - 2pm

Email enquiries@inverclydecarerscentre.org.uk or call: 01475 735180.

2nd Thursday monthly Solas Bereavement Support Group The group meets in the Kidston Hall. 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Everyone welcome.

3rd Friday monthly Hearing Aid Clinic The Bridge, Bridge of Weir 1-2pm

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Having recently relocated to Kilmacolm I’d like to introduce Craniosacral Therapy Wellcentred, offering a Remedial & holistic approach towards Sports Massage health and wellbeing through complementary therapies: Reflexology Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy supports the existing health and vitality within the body to encourage natural healing and self-repair, effectively treating pain and symptoms arising from physical and emotional injuries, stress or trauma. Remedial and Sports Massage is proven for treatment of musculoskeletal conditions by restoring structural alignment and increasing range of movement. Reflexology stimulates energy flow through pressure points on the feet, targeting areas of tension and pain, inducing relaxation and rebalancing the whole system. For appointments please contact:

Nicki King 07958 566596 wellcentred@gmail.com @nickiking18 WellcentredUK

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

2nd Saturday monthly ‘Brunch & Browse’ St Fillan’s Hall, Kilmacolm 10am - 2pm

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

last Friday monthly TheTerrace St Machar’s Ranfurly Church Hall

Say You Love Me at Bernie’s H-arts and Punch Productions present the popular play, Say You Love Me, in a delightful and intimate venue!

Thursday 13th October from 7.30pm at Bernies Cafe Deli, Bridge of Weir

Homemade soups, sandwiches, tea/coffee, biscuits. £4. Good food and company.

Tickets £15 include a prohibition Cocktail & New York Cheesecake

last Saturday monthly

Pop into Bernies Cafe/Deli to secure your tickets fast or call 01505 614333.

Table Top Sale Linwood Parish Church, Blackwood Ave 11am - 1pm

This is a free event. Call 01505 328802 for details. regular updates @GryffeAds

Love your Vinyl, Love Music Pop Up Record Fayre - 22nd October - Lochwinnoch

1st SAT Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm 10am - 2pm

1st & 3rd SUN Loch Lomond Shores

10am - 3pm Tel: 07977 179 861

2nd THU & last SAT Paisley Cross

10am - 2pm Tel: 01655 770217

2nd SUN Kip Marina, Inverkip 11am - 4pm www.kipmarina.co.uk

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ReMode is teaming up with Love Music to hold a Pop-up Vinyl Fayre on Saturday 22nd October between 11.30 and 4pm at ReMode, 39 High Street Lochwinnoch. Have a look in your attic or basement for the long ago dismissed but not forgotten LPs, look through your current vinyl collection and pencil in this event date. Exchange your vinyl’s at the usual Love Music Rate(cash) and/or tokens to spend on ReMode’s unique clothing range for young people.

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with Colin Fyfe of Colcom Some depressing news recently prompts me to look at what parental control options we have available to us these days. Internet usage in the home as well as on mobile has changed so much in the last five years that it is worth revisiting. It once was that implementing parental controls was quite complicated. This was when the child had access to one family computer. Now children have their own laptop, usually known as the ‘family laptop’, or tablet device that they can squirrel off with. Kids can also access internet content on their £49 pay as you go mobile while at home via your Wi-Fi; ‘Complicated’ has been on steroids over these short years. In a nutshell, I think a good place to start is your internet router. This is the centre through which everything flows so it is no surprise to know that there are some good ones available that can monitor, blacklist and block site and web traffic. Adults could use some parental controls too, so maybe consider setting the router to internet lights out at 9 PM. Seriously, boffins tell us we are changing our sleeping patterns with our late night screen time. Serious seriously, you could always create a Netflix pass through to keep you entertained. Of course, the internet router in your home will not affect mobile data on a mobile phone; I don’t know of any minors with mobile data – I am happy to bury my head if that is a thing. Next to look at is the device specifically. You can create user profiles to accommodate children. Google Chrome has Supervised User account options, just remove Internet Explorer too. The iPhone and iPad have restrictions under the settings menu as well as a host of Apps, most of which require that the restrictions option is checked. The NSPCC advises - ‘Preventing your children from using the internet or mobile phones won’t keep them safe online, so it’s important to have conversations that help your child understand how to stay safe and what to do if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable.’ - Probably better than most tech workarounds.

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Financial Blog by Carl Melvin, Afﬂuent Financial Planning Ltd

Buy to Let or Buy and Regret?

Property Investment seems very appealing. You buy a property, rent it out and watch the money roll in – simples! However, the reality for landlords can be very different. Recent tax changes by the Government have put Buy to Let in the spotlight, they are; • Removal of the 10% wear and tear relief for furnished lettings from 06/04/2016 • An extra 3% stamp duty on purchase of 2nd homes above £40,000 from 06/04/2016 • Removal of higher rate income tax relief on mortgage interest, phased in over 3 years from 06/04/2017 • Capital gains tax payable on the sale of an investment property within 30 days of sale from 06/04/2019. • The reduced capital gains tax rates introduced in the recent Budget will not apply to property investors, who will pay a higher rate of tax (18% or 28%) Consider, the following issues; • Landlord compliance costs – considerable obligations with which you need to comply • Things need repaired or replaced – unexpected costs arise and maintenance is ongoing. • The value of your time – even with a letting agent acting for you, you still have to deal with issues that can eat up your personal time. • The “people” risk is considerable. Unreasonable tenants, neighbours and others can cause huge financial and emotional upset So, base your property investment decision on the maths and the risks involved, so you don’t buy and regret it in the future. This information is not financial advice. If you require advice you should consult a professional adviser. The first meeting is normally free and there is no obligation Call us for a FREE financial review on 01505 59 50 60 or info@affluentfp.co.uk. Alternatively, pop into the Affluent office opposite Amaretto restaurant on Main Street, Bridge of Weir. www.affluentfp.co.uk

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Council listens to community concerns - decision reversed on waste amenity sites Renfrewshire Council is to reverse its decision on the recent changes to waste amenity sites in Johnstone, Erskine, Linwood and Renfrew following concerns from local communities. Council Leader Mark Macmillan said the decision reﬂected a period of review where he had considered the impacts and issues raised by Renfrewshire residents regarding the changes. Councillor Macmillan said: “It is important that we are able to consider the concerns that have been raised by communities aﬀected by these changes and following a review, I have taken the decision to restore the services at Johnstone, Erskine, Linwood and Renfrew.

LEAP’ Energy business service helps businesses reduce energy bills. The average Renfrewshire business could save around £1,000 by switching their energy supplier.

“As a council we have a duty to provide a balanced budget. However it is clear that many residents felt that these changes were having a significant impact. It is right we reflect those concerns and that is why I have made this decision.” The Council Leader met with representatives of Renfrewshire community councils on Monday evening and heard first hand about some of the issues affecting communities. Councillor Macmillan added: “It is important to hear directly from those who represent their local communities about the day to day issues that affect them. “I am keen to work closely with community councils and a range of other groups in the coming months as we start to prepare for next year’s budget to ensure that their views are heard.” It is expected the changes will be implemented over the next few months.

Many of the businesses we work with have said that in the past they had avoided switching supplier for a number of reasons; therefore we designed our service around the key barriers highlighted by local businesses to make the process simple and cost eﬀective.

for Businesses

We support businesses from all sectors and sizes to save money on their energy supply. From small sites with a single electricity meter and no gas supply to large companies with multiple sites and high gas and electricity usage. For a quote that will save you time and money, contact Scott Duncan, Project Manager with LEAP at scott@myleapproject.org or by calling 07825 270 170. Or visit myleapproject.org/business

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Gryffe Valley Rotary Club Rotary members and their friends enjoyed an excellent BBQ and Disco on Friday 26th August at Brookfield Village hall. The event raised over £2000 for the Rotary charities account and this sum will be used to support local and international causes. President Peter Dickie, at the club meeting on 31st August, thanked the Kilbarchan Scouts for their cooking, Moira of the Carrick Centre for her catering, Archie for his excellent disco music, Angus and his committee for their work, and Malcolm’s of Brookfield and the Fox and Hounds for their star raffle prizes. On October 27th, to more or less coincide with World Polio Day, Rotary will hold its annual Curry Night at Shimla Cottage restaurant in Bridge of Weir. Tickets are available from Rotary members. The funds raised will be donated to the Rotary End-Polio campaign. Our run of excellent speakers at our weekly meetings continues: Karen Finnie, told us about the refurbishment and re-opening of the Fox and Hounds in Houston. Karen and her husband Graeme in partnership with Jason Andrews have

invested more than £500,000 restoring the pub and restaurant. There is a new Hunters Bar upstairs, a new Stables Restaurant downstairs, and a state-ofthe-art kitchen. A site that was deteriorating into an eyesore is once again a centre-piece of the old village and a place to visit!

William Manley, a resident of Houston, shown in the photo (below) between President Peter Dickie and Speaker’s convenor Jim McBeath, is an “Egyptologist”. He is a former curator at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and lectures at the University of Glasgow. He gave a fascinating talk, illustrated with pictures of tombs, statues and mummies, entitled “Some stories of Ancient Egypt”. We were shown how the Ancient Egyptians developed hieroglyphics, cursive writing and then the Coptic language. We were given a glimpse into the oldest book in the world and some sage advice for Rotarians on civilised behaviour!

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That Dream Floor This autumn is the perfect time to invest in your dream floor. Stylish flooring that lasts, looks spectacular and feels great underfoot are top priorities in selecting your floor. They are also reasons why more people are choosing Karndean & Amtico for their homes. Hardwearing, waterproof and easily maintained, they are highly practical choices for your home. The stunning array of styles and variations give you the unique opportunity to design your own floor to suit your decor. Also they do not have the drawbacks of natural materials like wood or ceramics, which can dent, score and crack or fade over time. With over ten years experience in fitting Karndean and Amtico, highly professional standards and excellent customer service, Orchard Flooring is the company to trust with your floor. With a home sampling service and advice on picking the floor to suit your home, why not give us a call and be on your way to a stunning floor from Orchard Flooring. You can contact Scott on 01505 22 9584 or 07563 633 432 E: sjmproducts@hotmail.com website- www.orchard-flooring.com

Where there’s a Will, there’s a way Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors offer free Will Writing service to benefit local charity. Local solicitors, Kingsley Wood & Co, Kilmacolm & Bridge of Weir are getting in the giving mood as they look ahead to their free ‘Make a Will’ fortnight, running between 3rd and 17th October. In a bid to raise money for local social care charity, Quarriers’ and to highlight the importance of financial protection, Kingsley Wood & Co are gearing up again for two weeks of goodwill as they offer the community a chance to have a simple Will drawn up free of charge. The Aviva Real Retirement Report (Winter 2015) revealed that 19% of over-55s are worried about the death of a partner and the financial risks it may bring. That’s why putting a Will in place can give extra peace of mind that loved ones will be taken care of. With a professional Will costing upwards of £150, Kingsley Wood & Co are offering the opportunity to forgo any fees in favour of a charitable donation to Quarriers to help support children, families and adults from across Scotland reach their potential. Kingsley said: “Making a Will is one of the most thoughtful and important things you can do to protect those you love. Yet it is surprising that fewer than half of population have made one. Most say they simply haven’t got around to it and yet it can take years to sort out someone’s estate if they die without a Will.” He continues, “Legislation determines how an estate is divided if a person dies in Scotland without leaving a Will. The laws are intended to be fair, but they may not divide the estate in the way you

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would like. For example, if you have a partner to whom you are not married he or she may get nothing if you make no proper provision for them.” Associate Alison Murphy added “We are delighted to be able to support local charity Quarriers again this year through this offer and hope to raise as much money as we can to help them deliver the vital support services they offer to local people across Scotland.” Alice Harper, Quarriers Chief Executive said: “We are so grateful to Kingsley Wood & Co for offering up this fantastic service in aid of Quarriers for the second year running and we hope that this act of kindness will really get people in the giving mood. “Quarriers helps children, families and adults from all across the country and it is as a result of the continued support of the public - and generous organisations such as Kingsley Wood & Co - that we are able to offer the people of Scotland a chance at a brighter future.” Appointment bookings are now being taken and readers are advised to book early as demand is expected to be high during the fortnight. Contact Kingsley or Alison at Kingsley Wood & Co on 01505 874114. Other participating solicitors can be found on Quarriers’ website www.quarriers.org.uk or by emailing fundraising@quarriers.org.uk. Kingsley Wood & Co, Solicitors & Notaries, Burnside Chambers, Kilmacolm PA13 4ET Tel: 01505 874114 Email: mail@kingsleywood.co.uk Web: www.kingsleywood.co.uk

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Join LEAP Car Club in Bridge of Weir or Kilbarchan and get 6 HOURS of FREE DRIVING Our fantastic Toyota Hybrid vehicles are available to hire by the hour, 24/7, for only £4.26 per hour and 16p per mile. Get in touch to become a member now. LEAP Car Club oﬀers not-for-proﬁt community car hire in Lochwinnoch. Bridge of Weir and Kilbarchan and are committed to helping our members cut the costs and carbon emissions from driving.

Follow us for: We scour a host of sources Traffic Alerts, to help you all stay safe Train or Ferry Disruptions across the local area and and Roadwork information. @GryffeRoadwatch transport network. Stay updated

To ﬁnd out more contact Car Club Coordinator Mike Callaghan T: 01505 842530 E: mike@myleapproject.org

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Young Male Drivers Targeted in Powerful Campaign Don’t Miss What’s “Round the Corner” Young Male Drivers Targeted in Powerful Campaign The devastating consequences of driving too fast on country roads is highlighted in a new campaign from The Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland (part of Transport Scotland), to urge drivers to watch their speed and help save lives. Country roads account for over a half of all fatal accidents on Scotland’s roads (52%).1 Last year alone, 649 people were killed or seriously injured whilst driving on country roads1 and over two thirds of those were men. The powerful campaign targets young male drivers aged 22-40, who have a higher risk of being involved in a crash. An emotional TV advert follows a ﬁctional character losing control of his car – and losing his life - on a country road with the strapline: “Don’t miss what’s round the corner. Watch your speed on country roads.” Poignant interview footage with members of the emergency services will also feature in the campaign, as they open up about how the tragedies on Scotland’s country roads aﬀect their lives too. The footage will encourage people to re-think their driving behaviour and emphasise the massive impact every life lost has on so many people. Minister for Transport and Islands Humza Yousaf said: “We are committed to achieving safer road travel in Scotland and whilst we have seen a 16% decline in fatalities on country roads in the last year, every life lost is one too many. “The campaign shows the true consequences of driving at an inappropriate speed on country roads. You just don’t know what is round the corner, and motorists need to realise they aren’t invincible and that it could happen to them. We want every driver in Scotland, particularly young men, to take note and to encourage them to drive at an appropriate speed for the conditions.” Chief Superintendent Andy Edmonston of Police Scotland said: “Loss of control is the biggest cause of deaths on country roads, and this is often a result of driving too fast for the conditions and leaving too little time to react to unpredictable road conditions and hazards. “We are urging drivers to take extra care on country roads, including those that they travel on frequently as you can never be sure what’s round the corner. We hope this new campaign will contribute to a reduction of deaths on Scotland’s roads.”

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Over 1000 miles cycled in a month! LEAP’s ‘Cycle for Summer’ in August was planned to raise awareness of cycling and to get a snapshot of just how many miles local people cycle in a month. Judging from the 1328 miles that 12 residents and families clocked up – it’s a mighty fair distance and more than a single cycle from John O’Groats to Lands End! Whether it’s to commute between home and work, for health and fitness, as a hobby or simply for enjoyment, cycling offers a clean and healthy way to travel. ‘I like to cycle at least 35 kilometres a week and I get the chance to visit some interesting landmarks too.’ ‘I’ve been cycling from Lochwinnoch to Paisley to work and back every day for the last 3 weeks – it was around a 35 minute cycle each way and I’ve really enjoyed the experience.’ View the ‘Cycle for summer’ film clip www. myleapproject.org/news and ‘Keep on Cycling’! Helmets to the Ready and Bikes Ahoy! Preparation for a family cycle does mean that cycle helmets and bikes are to the ready. When the four Allison family cycled 14 miles on the local cycle path, they came across a rather unusual bicycle on route! Post and share your cycling photographs at www.facebook.com/ myleapproject. Soldiers stand Guard on the Bridge of Weir to Kilmacolm cycle path route Bridge of Weir cyclist and hobby photographer, Alan, cycles 50 kilometres every week. On a recent cycle, he stopped to take a photograph of a key landmark on the Glasgow to Greenock cycle path. Sited between Bridge of Weir and Kilmacolm on the Cycle 75 track, cyclists pass a sculpture by David Kemp, who utilises recycled materials in his work. Locally known as ‘the soldiers’, or ‘the Lost Roman Legion’ by the sculptor, his artwork has become a landmark for cyclists to the area. ‘This cycle route is inspiring and well worth a stop to take in this outstanding landmark.’

Scotland rugby player, Stuart Hogg, is supporting the campaign as, tragically, he lost his best friend, Richard Wilkinson, in a crash on a country road. Stuart said: “The loss of Richard had a massive impact on my life and he’s missed out on so many things. I’m now a dad and play rugby for Scotland and I know he would be proud of me. I just can’t help wishing he was around to share these moments. “The country roads campaign is so important to me personally and I hope that by speaking about my experience, it will help save other young lives and also honour Richard’s memory.” The campaign is running throughout Scotland across multiple channels including TV and digital advertising, PR and ﬁeld and partnership. For more information log onto dontriskit.info or check out the Road Safety Scotland Facebook and Twitter (@roadsafetyscot) pages. The ad is available to view at https://youtu.be/ yJtTgTWUtQY.

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22/09/2016 13:54:29

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bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

Bridge of Weir Festival Committee Tuesday 11th October at 7.30pm, Cargill Hall, Bridge of Weir This is the Festival Committee's Santa Sleigh 2016 Meeting and they would like to invite local groups and organisations who may like to take a night on this year’s Santa Sleigh to help with their fund raising activities, along to the meeting. Details of available nights and routes will be discussed on the night. For further information please contact Meg Millar on 01505 690704 or Brenda Lethorn on 01505 615992. bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

There has been lots going on with the development of Dargavel in Bishopton. The improvement works to Birch Road and Station Road are expected to be complete by the end of October, as will the expanded park and ride facilities. The new road linking the north and south of the development has been opened helping improve traffic flow. The Council will be building 100 or so council houses and are in discussions with housing associations about a further 100 or so homes for rent in the development.

bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

The Bridge - 63 Main St, BoW 12 weeks and counting to Christmas!! Please call into The Bridge to see our selection of Christmas Cards, Wrapping Paper, Gift Tags, Money Wallets, Diaries and choice of colourful Notelets. Christmas Cards - As well as the usual relation cards, Greetings from Bridge of Weir Cards and Traidcraft cards we are selling two charity Christmas cards commissioned by The Bridge - “Winter Shadows” designed by Alison Bannerman, local artist and trustee of The Bridge, and “Postie” which depicts an aptly named postal van. Buying a pack of our charity cards is a great way to support the work of The Bridge.

I was pleased to move the proposal for the reinstatement of services at the civic amenity sites at a meeting of the council’s leadership board. The Council took the decision to reduce the service after it suffered the largest single-year cut to its budget from the Scottish Government. However after carefully reviewing the implementation of the change it agreed to reverse the decision which has been welcomed. I have reported a number of road maintenance issues including potholes, relining and recovering requirements across Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank. Finally a word of thanks to all involved in the labour of love that has resulted in “Supreme Sacrifice: A Small Village and the Great War.” This book tells the stories behind the lives of the 72 Bridge of Weir men listed on the war memorial in the village. I will never look at a war memorial the same way again after reading this book – each and every person listed was not simply an individual but a brother, a father, a son, a husband - with a life ahead of them but for their sacrifice. The authors – Walter Reid, Gordon Masterton and Paul Birch have produced a simply outstanding tribute in this book. It is available from the Bridge on Main Street £9.99 and worth every penny. E-mail: cllr.michael.holmes@renfrewshire.gov.uk Surgeries: 4th Monday: Langbank PS (from 6pm) and Bishopton Library (from 6.45pm) and Cargill Hall, Bridge of Weir 4th Wednesday (from 6.30pm). Tel: 0300 300 1295

Our Annual Calendar again is a must buy. The stunning photographs taken by members of the Paisley Colour Photographic Club, truly showcase our village and surrounding area - a great gift for yourself, family and friends. Use your local Post Office. Donald, Pat and Anne will be delighted to serve you. To avoid disappointment, please call in to check the latest posting dates for your overseas cards and parcels. Children at university or travelling abroad? - never let them run out of money. Sending a Moneygram is an efficient and secure way of ensuring they remain solvent. Please ask for details. Post Office staff and volunteers look forward to welcoming you in the run up to Christmas. Coffee & Art Exhibition - After browsing, enjoy a cup of coffee in the café and take time to appreciate the regularly changing art work on display. The Bridge – Your Community Centre, Shop and Post Office (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).

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bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

During the summer Community Councillors and volunteers distributed over 3,000 leaflets to Village residents and businesses urging people to object to green belt development planning applications at Whitelint Gate, Johnstone Road. The Community Council has submitted an objection to the latest proposal for 49 houses which are in addition to the previous application for a retail store. We stated our belief that the applicant is abusing the planning system in a systematic way that will eventually lead us back to the original proposal for up to 200 houses, without having it treated as a ‘Major’ development. These proposals should not be considered in isolation of one another. The full text of the objection can be viewed on our web site at www.bridgeofweir.org Traffic issues in the vicinity of the Primary School were a main topic of concern at the September meeting. The Police were concerned, when they visited the Primary School, at the beginning of the new term to find cars abandoned on the grass verges and parked on pavements in the vicinity of Warlock Road. The police spoke to a number of the drivers and the School has issued a letter to parents asking for more care and consideration when dropping off or collecting children from the school. A complaint was received regards cars parking on the pavements opposite the Cargill Hall this mainly occurs on a Tuesday mornings. The Police will look into this. A resident had contacted the Community Council regards the unsafe walking route from Eldin Place to the Village centre. It was agreed that Councillor MacLaren will arrange a site visit with the Police, Roads Engineer and members of the Community Council. It was announced on the day of the meeting that Renfrewshire Council has reversed the decision to reduce the service at the local civic amenity sites. Community Councils had played a major role in protesting against the original decision and the Chairman thanked the members of our sub-committee who submitted our response and our delegate to the Forum which pursued the matter. New Christmas light features have been purchased. They will be mounted on various lamp Posts on Main Street. A major new addition will appear on the gable wall of the Gryffe Advertizer Offices at Maxwell Place. The Community Council are extremely grateful for Colin and Rona’s support with this. The next meeting of the Community Council will be the AGM to be held in the Cargill Hall on Tuesday the 4th of October at 7pm.

1 Windsor Place, Main Street, Bridge of Weir 01505 229674 ~ 15 flavours of ice cream

~ Azzuro Coffee

~ Hot cookie dough

~ Hot Chocolate

~ Hot Belgium waffles

~ Sundaes

~ Freshly made crepes

~ Old traditional sweets in jars

~ Slushes/milkshakes

~ Old school caramel cake

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bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

We were blessed with good weather this September. It dawned on me as I was driving through Bridge of Weir the other night and looking at the wonderful display of flowers in planters at the Torr Road junction on the Main Street. Brighter Bridge of Weir is a blessing for the village. It is a wonderful success story; please support them in their work if you can. Every village should have one! It’s getting near that time of year again when the rains come and sorry to say, so to the floods which are inevitable. Just too many blocked drains in Renfrewshire not getting cleaned out. I had a site visit on the Main Street in Bridge of Weir (Bishopton last month) to point out the problem. In Langbank, the council is still to meet the community council and other bodies to discuss the on-going problem of flooding, but at least the culverts are being inspected with CCTV cameras. Langbank recently held its Gala Day and like Bridge of Weir and Bishopton, the weather was kind and everyone present seemed to be having a good time. Big thanks to the organisers of this and other gala days. As the nights draw in, the street lamps become more useful and the lights that are out become more obvious. If you find it more convenient you can contact me with the lamp number or address for the ones that are faulty and I will add them to my list and report them. I regularly attend the community councils and tenants and residents association meetings in my ward, but I would be happy to attend any other meetings now and again if you want me to. So please send me an invite and I will do my best to attend. Surgeries: Bishopton Community Library - 1st Monday of every month (6.30pm), Cargill Hall - 2nd Monday of every month (6.30pm), Langbank Parish Church Hall - 3rd Monday of every month (6.30pm). Contact: 0300-300-1291 or email cllr.james.maclaren@renfrewshire.gov.uk . Also on 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. bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

BoW Senior Citizens Club

We meet at Cargill Hall every 2nd and 4th Wednesday 7-9pm. Subscriptions are only £6 for the year and £1 each week pays for your tea and biscuits. There is also a raffle each meeting for £1. Entertainment is provided and previous entertainers have included a male voice choir and live music from local singers and bands. Contact Sheila Patterson for further information on 01505 690521.

bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

Bridge of Weir Community Council

october 2016

bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

Langbank SWI Thursday 20th October - we look forward to an evening of pleasure with Aileen MacLeod which she has entitled `As a Result of Foutering`. Once again, Thursday, 20th October, 7.30pm, The Village Centre, when we will meet Aileen. (The ladies who joined in with the Cheese and Wine, Bring and Buy and Beetle Drive at our first meeting had a very noisy and friendly evening.)

~ Hot Dogs Come and visit us to try our delicious award winning ice cream and deserts. If you can’t make it in, don’t worry, we now do home deliveries. You can phone the shop on 01505 229674 or place your order through ‘Just Eat’ online. Our old school caramel cake is the talk of the town and selling out fast every day. We can also cater for birthday parties and can deliver ice cream and sweetie party bags out of hours.

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bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

Bridge of Weir Craft Fair Bridge of Weir Community Councils Arts and Crafts Fair was held on Saturday 17th September. It was a great day and we would like to thank everyone who helped to make it happen. We had a big turnout from local people keen to support local causes and businesses, as well as a range of talented stallholders, all with some very interesting and unique items to browse. We would also like to thank all our volunteers who helped out on the day. Also, congratulations goes to Elizabeth Morrison from Paisley who won the prize hamper in our raffle. After the success of this event, we hope to be able to bring you more like this in the future. To keep up to date on what the Community Council are involved in, keep an eye on our website www.bridgeofweir.org or our Facebook page. bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

Bridge of Weir Tenants and Residents Association

bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

Bridge of Weir SWI Thursday 6th October at 7.30pm in the British Legion The first meeting of the new session will be a presentation by Maggie Boyd on the Playlist for Life. This project was initiated by Sally Magnusson in response to her experience of living with her mother’s dementia. We are happy to welcome visitors and new members. Since our final meeting of last session the SWI in Bridge of Weir has completed a year long fund raising for this year’s ACWW charity which is devoted to bringing clean water to Third World villages. Thanks to local people donating coins for our teapots placed in local businesses and to all who participated in our very successful Auction and Tea Party in May - over £3,200 has been raised. We are especially grateful for the very generous items donated for our auction and raffle.

bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

Feeling Dramatic?

Like singing, acting & having fun? Following the success of last year’s show, The Masqueraders are now preparing for next year’s event. We need you to come and join us now. Give it a go. It’s as much about having fun as performing! Please phone Mary-Anne on 01505 612472.

bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

One World Celebration Saturday 5th November - 10.30am – 2pm Royal British Legion Hall, Bridge of Weir One World Celebration has been getting bigger and better each year, the variety of stalls, school choirs, music and refreshments bringing in the crowds. The event, organised by Bridge of Weir and Houston Fairtrade villages group, was originally inspired by One World Week which usually takes place sometime in October. The theme for One World Week 2016 is “Including You”, and is dealing with issues of migration and inclusion. Entry is free to this great event. Browse and buy from many different stalls selling Fairly traded and ethically sourced goods, including Olive Tree with beautiful crafts from Palestine and Rainbow Turtle. Learn more about LEAP (Local Energy Action Plan) and admire Brighter Bridge of Weir’s colourful stall. Many more stalls are still to be confirmed, including an organisation that helps to settle refugees in Scotland. We hope to have the wonderful school choirs and some members of Houston Folk Club to entertain us again. Enjoy a Fairtrade cuppa and some delicious home baking or stay for a bowl of homemade soup. Look out for more details in next month’s Advertizer and in posters and banners round the villages. “Acting Together for One World in Peace”

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The latest meeting of TARA was a lively affair with a number of topics regarding the village discussed, and our thanks go to Councillor James MacLaren, Community Wardens Aideen Dempsey and Alan Robb and Housing Officer Chris Smart for their attendance. The Wardens Service are currently in talks with the company who operate the recycling bins at the foot of Livery Walk car park about permanent signage being put up in this area as people continue to abuse this facility. These bins are for general recycling waste only, recently someone left remnants of their old kitchen on site, tiles, cupboards and even an old microwave oven! These bins are not intended for commercial waste either. There have been a number of reports of dog dirt being deposited in commercial waste bins and even grit bins around the village, if anyone perpetrating these acts are spotted by the Wardens they will be issued with a dog fouling fine. The Wardens over the past month have completed 178 patrols of ward 10 which includes Bridge of Weir. A month ago two members of TARA, along with Councillors Maria Brown and James MacLaren had a walkabout along the Main Street and Lintwhite with Brian Allison from Renfrewshire Council inspecting drains/gullies and as expected nearly everyone was blocked. In the past week 5 drains have been cleaned along the Main Street, with further works due to be carried out on Friday 23rd September, so hopefully by the time you read this we will have a drainage system which is fit for purpose along the main artery through the village. We have been informed by Bridge of Weir Festival Committee that following discussions with themselves and Mark Faichney the Land Services Manager at Renfrewshire Council, the contractors who did the drainage works at Houston Road Park are to be asked to return and make good the site removing any old piping and large stones, etc. TARA are delighted that McGills Buses have upheld their pledge to look at the pricing on the X7 bus service once their new computerised system came bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir into operation. The company have also seen fit to put more reliable buses on the 19 service, both actions as a result of extensive talks involving TARA, the Community Council and the Friday 7th October - Langbank company over the last two years. Village Hall from 7.30pm Renfrewshire Council have decided This is an evening where you watch to bow to public pressure and reopen a local expert create an item, and the amenities sites which they closed, then join in to make it yourself. however Councillor MacLaren has Crafts included are card making, informed us that this will not happen gift bags and boxes, and gift overnight as they have had to reapply wrapping. All ideal skills to learn as for SEPA {Scottish Environmental Christmas approaches. Protection Agency} Licences. Tickets are £5 to include drinks The next meeting of Bridge of Weir and savouries, and can be Tenants and Residents Association bought from Mary Bonner will be on Tuesday 18th October, in or at Church on Sunday the Pirie Centre at Freeland Church morning. at 7.30pm. All are welcome.

Langbank Craft Night

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october 2016

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kilmacolm & quarriers

Community Centre & Tuesday 18 October, 7 – 8pm in Boglestone Community Centre. You can reach me on 01475 712727 (during office hours) and 07881280016 (anytime) or by emailing me at james.mccolgan@inverclyde.gov.uk. Or write to me at Inverclyde Council, Municipal Buildings, Greenock PA15 1LY. You can keep up to date with my work by visiting my website: http://jamesmccolgan.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @jamesmccolgan. Councillor McCabe - Surgeries are on Tuesday 11 October, 6 - 7pm in Clune Park Resource Centre & Tuesday 25 October, 6.30 – 7.30pm., in Kilmacolm Community Centre. You can also contact me directly to discuss any matters that are of concern to you by telephone on 01475 712020 (during office hours) and 871368 (home) or by email to Stephen.McCabe@inverclyde.gov.uk. Or write to me at 10 Victoria Gardens, Kilmacolm PA13 4HL. You can keep up to date with my work by visiting my blog: http:// councillorstephenmccabe.blogspot.com/ and follow me on Twitter @CllrSMcCabe. kilmacolm & quarriers

Come & Sing! New Choir Members welcome! Just come along and give it a try! Choir Rehearsals are on Fridays 6 - 7pm at St. Fillan’s Hall, Moss Road, Kilmacolm. Girls and Boys from 6 years upwards 6pm – 7pm Angel Voices is a Community Children’s Choir in Association with St Fillan’s Episcopal Church. Contact: Maureen Russell 01505 872905; on mobile: 07905 950028; email: maureenmrussell@hotmail.com

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kilmacolm & quarriers

In my nearly ten years as a councillor the largest number of complaints I have received from residents and traders in Kilmacolm has been regarding the recent parking policy in the village. Until 2011 Police Wardens were responsible for enforcing parking legislation and I have obtained figures from the Police that in a four month period in 2011, 14 parking tickets were issued in the village. From May to August 2016 176 parking tickets were issued under the Council Policy, with on occasions Wardens in the village 6 days in a row. It is little wonder that people are complaining. I have asked that the disc system and minor car park infringements be suspended until a revised policy is implemented that more reflects village life. Traders are organising their own petition as they are concerned about losing customers. Supporters of Parklea Branching Out Garden Centre have regular plant sales in the village square. Sharon and her staff at Parklea do a wonderful job with many of our citizens who are less fortunate. Their Summer Fun Day included smoothie making, beat the goalie, animal area, music and many stalls. The garden centre is well worth a visit to have a browse or a cup of tea. Some £48k has been allocated to Kilmacolm for environmental improvements. At the August Community Council meeting consultants put forward their ideas for the use of the money. Although the proposals were interesting, the meeting unanimously decided to spend the monies on various projects suggested by community groups. These proposals will be managed by Riverside Inverclyde acting as agents. £20k has also been allocated to Quarriers Village and this spend will be made in conjunction with Quarriers and the community. Virgin Media Network are about to start their expansion in the village. These works have unfortunately been delayed, not due to the council, as we have been keen to have the works done asap. I am afraid they will be digging up newly laid footways and areas already disturbed by BT, Scottish Water and Scottish Gas. The law with regard to utilities needs to be more council and community orientated. I have had many complaints about speeding in the village, particularly on Port Glasgow, Bridge of Weir and Lochwinnoch Roads. There have also been several accidents. Our roads department are currently gathering empirical data to show what sort of speeds we are dealing with. Depending on the results, there may or may not be a case for consulting on a 20mph limit. I thank all those who have contacted me. At the bus halt on the Port Glasgow Road there is a flower bed which is a mass of colour. Colourful Kilmacolm simply scattered a packet of flower seeds after their established plants were stolen. It shows just what you can do in adversity. The Bonfire and Fireworks is on the 5th November, gates open 4.30pm, bonfire lit at 6pm. Please come along and support a village event which has been on the go for 4 decades. Adults £3 youngsters £2. Wellies recommended. Enquiries to myself. My surgery is 22nd October at the Cargill Centre. I can be contacted at david.

kilmacolm & quarriers

A year ago the pupils and staff of Kilmacolm Primary moved to their temporary home in the former St Stephen’s High School building in Port Glasgow as work began on the school refurbishment. Twelve months on, the £4.3m project is nearing completion, with pupils set to return on Friday 28th October to what will effectively be a new school. An official opening ceremony will be organised to mark the completion of the project at a later date, once the pupils and staff have settled back in. Councillor McCabe recently arranged a meeting between senior Council officers and Ward Councillors to discuss parking and parking enforcement issues in Kilmacolm. Officers have agreed to look at improvements to the signage for the on-street parking restrictions to make the presence of a disc zone clearer to visitors to the village. They are also examining the option of a park and ride facility in the village to take pressure off the main Lochwinnoch Road car park. There would however need to be clear evidence that car owners would use such a facility before any funding would be committed to it. As part of the Council’s £29m Roads Asset Management Plan, a further 600 street lights within Kilmacolm will be changed to LED ‘white’ lighting by the end of this financial year. Street lights on the main routes in the village have already been changed and there are plans to replace around 140 street lighting columns in late 2017. The public roads in Quarrier’s already have LED lighting. Work to improve carriageways on Houston Road, West Glen Road and the rural section of Finlaystone Road will be carried out in the next month, weather permitting. The footways on Port Glasgow Road and Knockbuckle Road will be resurfaced before the end of the financial year. The Council is to invest £350,000 improving the drainage of the rugby pitches in Birkmyre Pitch, with work due begin in late 2016 or early 2017, subject to planning permission being granted. At present an ecological survey is in progress and officers are preparing the necessary drawings before a planning application is submitted. Work on the self-build housing plots in Leperstone Avenue, Kilmacolm is finally due to start this month. Residents will be contacted in advance to make them aware of the programme of works. Councillor McColgan - Surgeries are on Tuesday 4 October, 7 – 8pm in Kilmacolm

wilson@inverclyde.gov.uk 01475 712727 and 741969 and 07766 992294.

kilmacolm & quarriers

Hall to Hire - Kilmacolm Guide Hut

A great venue with easy access near to the village centre. Newly refurbished main hall, with additional kitchen facilities and outdoor area. Perfect for children’s parties, weekly classes and one off special occasions. Anyone wanting to hire the Guide Hut please contact Roz on 07584 359007.

22/09/2016 14:09:12

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kilmacolm & quarriers

Our Podiatrist Laura Kelly will provide you with the highest quality of footcare and advice for your individual needs. She offers routine podiatry treatments to maintain good foot health and biomechanical assessments to determine anomalies in your foot function causing pain and discomfort. Sole Solution also provides a wide range of footcare products and insoles, and stock well known footwear brands such as Skechers, Hotter, Ecco, Padders, Snowpaws and Cosyfeet. New to the healthcare team is: * Chartered Physiotherapist Claire Murray who treats all musculoskeletal conditions such as neck pain, back pain and sporting injuries. * Sports and Remedial Massage therapist Judi Holmes who through the art of massage can reduce pain, increase range of motion, release stress and tension and improve posture. * Complementary Therapist Catriona Nicolson who specialises in pain management and relaxation through reflexology, reiki, Indian head massage, aromatherapy massage and holistic facials for wellbeing. To book call 01505 873888 or email laura@sole-solution.co.uk

kilmacolm & quarriers

Mount Zion Harvest Festival This year we celebrate harvest on Sunday 23rd October at Mount Zion Church, Law View Road, Quarriers Village. Richard Sanderson from Bogota, Colombia will be our guest speaker at this service. Richard and his colleagues provide a safe home, a loving family, and schooling for over 100 former street children, much as William Quarrier did in our village when it was first built. Please come along at 10.30 am on 23rd October to hear the latest news from Richard’s work amongst needy children and families in Colombia. All are welcome to join us at this harvest festival to thank God for His goodness and provision. kilmacolm & quarriers

Architectural Gem In 1985 the late local farmer, Jimmy Black, completed the building of a farm dyke on his land in his 70th year. This dyke, which is seen on the back Kilmacolm to Greenock Road has become a local landmark. Now local artist Jim Wood has created a landscaped oil painting “Black o’ the Green’s Rural Architecture” .

Last month I had mentioned that I had received more complaints about parking issues in Kilmacolm. Recently myself, Cllrs McCabe and Wilson had a meeting with council officials to consider the numbers of parking fines that had been issued in the village centre. From information we later received I could see that from April to August this year there had been a large increase in fines. 228 penalty notices had been issued with very few for breach of the 2 hour parking limit, about half for not displaying parking discs and the other half for parking inappropriately. I raised concerns about the high number of fines for not displaying a parking disc and asked if we could find out how many of those drivers were from outwith Inverclyde and so may have had no knowledge of the parking system being operated. I also raised concerns about the new parking signage in the village. In order to better publicise the parking system I suggested to officials that they should perhaps advertise in the Advertizer as many people from outwith Kilmacolm and going to shop in the village, are possibly more likely to come from other parts of the Gryffe area and so receive the monthly magazine. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a civic reception in the Municipal Buildings for the Syrian families who came to Inverclyde to live almost a year ago. Speaking to them through an interpreter and through some of their children, who are doing extremely well in local schools, I could not imagine what life must have been for them before arriving in Scotland. Some of the families had been in camps in Turkey for two, three and four years. It was so good to hear how well they are settling in since coming to Inverclyde. Last month it was the turn of the Paralympics in Rio following on from the Olympics the month before. For the twelve days from the Opening ceremony, to the 22 sports that were competed at by over 140 countries and more than 4,000 athletes, to the Closing ceremony there were so many fantastic moments to watch. Rio and the Brazilian people were great hosts for both the Games. Last month I had written that the Council’s Chief Executive John Mundell was retiring after ten years in post. Aubrey Fawcett who was the Council Corporate Director for Environment, Regeneration and Resources for the past ten years and also Acting Chief Executive for Riverside Inverclyde for the last few years has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Inverclyde Council. I wish Aubrey all the best in his new post. My next surgeries in October will be on Monday 3rd in St Francis Primary School in Port Glasgow from 6pm to 7pm and on Monday 10th in Kilmacolm Community Centre from 6pm to 7pm, advertised on the Inverclyde Council website and on my surgery posters. Anyone wanting to contact me in between surgeries can do so by phoning me through my office on 01475 712727 or my mobile number 07747 765 839 or by emailing me at jim.macleod@inverclyde.gov.uk or writing to me at Inverclyde Council, Municipal Buildings, Greenock, PA15 1LY. kilmacolm & quarriers

Kilmacolm Friends of Ardgowan Hospice Wish to thank all those who so generously contributed to the House to House and Street Collection held recently. The excellent total of £3,239 was raised and has been gratefully received by the Hospice.

kilmacolm & quarriers

Kilmacolm Art Class Resumes on 13th October and has a few places in the afternoon class. The class runs until March next year ending with an exhibition in the Community Centre. Artists of all ability are welcome as tuition is available. For further details please contact Janice Sinclair (secretary) on tel. 01505 873141.

kilmacolm & quarriers

Bridge Lessons 2016 - 2017 Kilmacolm Community Centre, Lochwinnoch Road, Kilmacolm. These will be held on TUESDAY evenings from 7pm until 9 pm This 22 week course covers all of the basics which should enable you to make a start to playing Bridge. The dates below are what is envisaged at present. 18th Oct. – 29th Nov. (7 weeks) * 28th Feb. –2nd May (10 weeks) All welcome including absolute beginners. Further information 01505 872345.

This unique painting is now exhibited in Threads.

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Vikings Mayhem with David MacPhail Saturday 1st October, Kilmacolm Library, 1.30pm–2.30pm (age 5–9)

Creative Communities is an outreach programme of St Columba’s School. kilmacolm & quarriers

Christian Aid Coffee Morning Saturday 1st October at 10am, Kidston Hall, Kilmacolm Kilmacolm and Quarriers Christian Aid committee invite you to come along to the Coffee Morning to raise funds for Christian Aid. Refreshments, chat with family and friends, stalls for spending, homebaking, jams and produce stall. Nearly new gifts stall. Paperbacks, Crafts, Bulb Sale, Fairtrade cards, and a Tombola. If you can contribute to any of the stalls we would be very grateful, please deliver to Kidston Hall on Friday evening between 6-7p.m. Tickets to the Coffee Morning £3.

Christian Aid Gala Concert

Friday 14th October at 7pm, Kidston Hall, Kilmacolm We are delighted to announce a Gala Concert for Christian Aid. Tickets £6 available from committee members, Jill Russell on 01505 872393, Kilmacolm churches, or pay at the door. Our evening of musical entertainment will be led by the Gryffe Voices Community Choir, based in Bridge of Weir, singing traditional, plus modern, plus popular feet-tapping classics. Angel Voices, the local children’s community choir based in St. Fillan’s, will start off the evening with a selection of songs from ‘Bugsy Malone’ - an opportunity to see the stars of the future! Completing our entertainment will be a true favourite in Kilmacolm, David Leigh on piano. David is a talented musician with an extensive repertoire of piano pieces suited to the evening. Please come along and enjoy the Concert, all funds are being donated to Christian Aid. Light refreshments in the interval.

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Kilmacolm Old Kirk Dates for your Diary Christian Aid Coffee Morning on Saturday 1st October in the Kidston Hall from 10am to 12 noon. Admission £3. Church Quiz Night on Friday 21st October in the Kidston Hall starting at 7:30pm. Teams of eight people compete for our coveted trophy. Cost is £2 per person, which is payable on the night. Our Scottish Night with The Glasgow Accordion band will take place on Saturday 12th November in the Kidston Hall at 7pm. Tickets will be on sale after church in October. Forward Notices: Our Christmas Fair will take place on Saturday 10th December 10-12 noon in the Kidston Hall. Tea/Coffee, Tombola, Baking and Christmas Stall, Cupcake competition, Santa’s Grotto. More details will be announced in due course. Our Annual Burns Supper will be held on Friday 10th February. More details will be announced in due course. Don’t forget our regular Outlook group which reaches out to the whole community in fellowship. The format is the same for most weeks – invited speakers offering topics of interest, community issues for discussion, shared activities, music films etc. Afternoon tea gives us all the chance to enjoy time with friends and to make new friends too. The team provide a wonderful variety of home baking. A voluntary donation is collected, to be sent to the OUTLOOK monthly nominated charity. The autumn programme is: 6th October James Kelly from Vino 13 – the story of wine. 20th October The Clydesdale Singers – an afternoon of music. 3rd November Ayrshire whitework embroidery – a display and stories. 17th November Britannia Panopticon Music Hall, Glasgow. 1st December A special presentation with Dr Peter McEnhill 15th December Christmas party, Christmas tombola; Christmas Santa; Carols at the piano with Sandra.

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Join hilarious children’s writer David MacPhail for a truly special interactive workshop based around Thorfinn, the nicest Viking in the world! Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Vikings. There might even be a chance for a bit of drawing. Please email Victoria.finnigan@hotmail.com to register your FREE place.

22/09/2016 14:09:24

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Houston Litter Crew Houston Litter Crew were brought together at the beginning of March 2016 by Jake Fulton after a winter of storms that left Houston in need of a ‘Big Spring Clean’! Seven months later and our volunteer crew numbers have grown along with our bag count - to date we have cleared Houston’s streets, woods and countryside of over 600 bags of litter – cans, plastic bottles, fast food packaging etc. Houston Litter Crew work in partnership with Gryffe High School Community Litter Group who litter pick Houston village centre, the footpath to the rear of Houston Primary School leading to the retail area housing the Co-op and Pauls chip shop everyday after lunch. The pupils are also visible litter picking in Houston at other times of the school day. Renfrewshire Council very kindly provide the ‘Crew’ with green refuse bags and they also uplift them from a designated area in Houston for us. This ‘community’ approach has transformed Houston’s environment and has made Houston an even more enjoyable and beautiful place to live for all its residents. Houston Litter Crew meet every Sunday at 10am in the Houston Co-op car park – Finish 11.45am. If you fancy getting into the ‘community spirit’ and lending a hand – even just once or twice a year – then you would be made most welcome! All equipment is supplied – litter picks, gloves, tabards – just bring your enthusiasm! Houston Litter Crew can be seen in action on Houston Community Council's Facebook page.

Houston Tree in line to be Scotland’s Tree of the Year A huge ancient yew tree in Houston, Renfrewshire is in the final six to be named Scottish Tree of the Year. The Craigends Yew is one of the biggest and oldest in Scotland, perhaps second only to the Fortingall Yew in Perthshire. It is thought to be up to 700 years old and is in its second row of layering, where branches touch the ground and take root. The circumference of the crown is a remarkable 100m. The trunk measures 8.29m around. The Yew has a local champion, Janet Mason who hopes becoming Scotland’s Tree of the Year might encourage the community to value it more as it has suffered from vandalism including fire damage. To see all the shortlists and vote for your favourite tree visit www. woodlandtrust.org.uk/treeoftheyear (live from 19th) Voting closes on October 9th. The winning tree will be named at a reception at the Scottish Parliament on October 25th. Everyone who votes will be in with a chance of winning a two night stay at a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel of their choice. The winning tree will be in line for £1,000 of pampering thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, with £500 going to any tree which attracts over 1,000 votes. The “Tree LC” packages can be spent on things such as pruning, mulching, weeding, fencing or signage depending on the needs of the individual trees.

houston, crosslee & brookfield

Houston & Crosslee SWI Wednesday 12th October - we will welcome a speaker from CHAS. They will talk to us about the great work done in the Children’s Hospice. Bob Carruth will speak to us in November. His subject is the National Farmers Union. All our meetings are held in The Compass Centre, South Street, Houston at 7.30pm. Come along and join us, you will be made very welcome. For further information please contact, Arlene MacKay on 07932 459994.

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Annual Whist Drive Friday 25th November

Clara Govier, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery said: “We’re delighted our players are supporting the Woodland Trust and providing the opportunity for communities all over Great Britain to celebrate these fantastic trees and care for them long into the future.” The other finalists are: The Morinda Spruce Hopetoun near Edinburgh.

Houston and Killellan Agricultural Society's Annual Whist Drive will be held in the Carrick Centre, Main Street, Houston on Friday 25th N ov e m b e r. All welcome.

The “Ding Dong” Tree Prestonpans Primary School.

For further information please contact issistuart@ fsmail.net

Niel Gow’s Oak Banks of the River Tay.

The Bicycle Tree Brig o’ Turk in the Trossachs.

The Birnam Oak Perthshire.

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Brookfield Country Dancing Club

Brookfield Country Dancing Club starts on Thursday 6th October until 24th November at 7.30pm to 9.30pm in Brookfield Village Hall. The Club meets every week. 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.

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Retirement of our Minister, Rev Donald Campbell, BD As you may already be aware, Donald is retiring as our minister with effect from 31st October. As a result, his last service will be on Sunday 30th October. Presentations will be made to Donald and to his wife Liz during the morning service on the 30th October. If anyone wishes to contribute to Donald’s retirement gift they can do so my sending a donation to Mrs K Farley, Houston and Killellan Kirk Treasurer, 8, Manse Crescent, Houston. We could not let Donald and Liz just slip away quietly, therefore to celebrate their time here in Houston and Killellan Kirk the Social Committee have planned two events to allow as many people as possible to come to say “Bye” and “Thanks”! Please do support these events as a large turnout would be really great to show Donald and Liz how much we all appreciate everything they have achieved in their time here.

Family Ceilidh - Saturday 22nd October On Saturday 22nd October a Family Ceilidh will be held in the West Hall, with music by the wonderful Elderberries, various surprise performances, and some disco time and games for the young ones (or young at heart!) Tickets, which include a drink on arrival and a light supper, are available from the social committee – Tickets sold on a first come basis. Ticket price is £5 for adults, children free. BYOB.

Coffee & Cakes - Sunday 30th October Then on Sunday 30th October, after Donald has led us in Worship for the last time here in Houston and Killellan Kirk, there will be a chance to say goodbye to Donald and Liz with time to chat over coffee, tea, sandwiches and cake in the Killellan Halls from 12 noon. houston, crosslee & brookfield

H.O.S.T. The Carrick Centre, Houston (Houston Old School Trust)

MONDAY

Paint Pot Tots (Weekly Expt 18th) 10am Dawn Campbell 07789 262 350 Musical Theatre (Weekly except 18th) 3.30pm - 5pm Yoga (weekly) 7pm M/s Lawson 01505 613690

WEDNESDAY Councillors Surgeries 19th 6.30pm Gryffe Melody Makers 12th & 26th 7pm Camera Club (weekly) 7.30pm Houston Community Council 19th 7.30pm

At the Council meeting on 22nd June the planning application for a proposed development at Sandholes Farm, Brookfield was refused. The Applicant has now lodged a formal appeal against the refusal of planning permission with the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division. Progress of the appeal can be accessed on www.depa.scotland.gov.uk/Default.aspx With the closure of the Dungavel Removal Centre the Home Office wants to build a ‘short term’ holding site in Paisley near to Glasgow Airport. At present (13th September) no planning application has been received by Renfrewshire Council. The 20mph survey has generated a high response with around 1,000 replies. I will be interested to find out through the Houston Community Council the result of the responses and what action will be taken if the result is positive.

My surgeries are held on the second Tuesday of the month in the Brookfield Village Hall from 6pm to 6.30pm then in the Houston Village Hall from 7pm to 7.45pm. I can be contacted by phone on 01505 610018 or by e-mail at cllr.allan.noon@renfrewshire.gov.uk or through Renfrewshire Council on 0300 300 1265

THURSDAY Gryffe Quilting Group (6, 20, 27th) 1.15 - 3.15 20th 10 - 3pm Primary Colours (Weekly Expt 20th) 3.30pm Dawn Campbell 07789 262 350 Crafty Friends 6th & 20th 7.30pm Folk Club (weekly) (13th Richard Smith) 8pm iaintdawson@gmail.com 07786 078952

FRIDAY Yoga (Weekly) 10.30am M/s Lawson 01505 613690 Galaxy Dancing (Weekly except 14th) 3.30pm - 7pm MP Surgery (14th) 12.30 – 1.30pm

SATURDAY Galaxy Dancing (Weekly except 15th) 9.30am -12.30pm

SUNDAY Baptist Church (weekly) 11am and 6pm

Booking enquiries to Ian Simpson, 01505 612203 Sandy Young 01505 331488 Bill Haddow 01505 690693 hostbooking@outlook.com or The Coffee Shop

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With regards to the food waste going into the brown bin this is now expected to happen early in October, however each household will receive an explanatory leaflet nearer the time.

houston, crosslee & brookfield

Carrick Nights - Winter Concert Series Following our trial concert in March, Houston Old School Trust (HOST) is happy to provide early notification of our Winter Concert Series in the Carrick Centre, Main Street, Houston. All concerts commence at 8pm. Sat. 26th November 2016 - Vocalise Trio and Mark Hathaway Sat. 25th February 2017 - Bardic Trio (with Jamie MacDougall) Sat. 25th March 2017 - Violin and Guitar Duo Fri. 28th April 2017 - Barochan Quartet + Paula Barron and accompanist Ticket Prices Adults Children/Students 4 Concert Series £36 £12 Single Concert £12 £5 Option to have a meal in our Café at 6pm prior to the concerts is available, but early booking recommended as space is limited. (2 courses £15 – BYOB) Further details will follow in November issue, but should you wish more information or to request tickets please call 01505 229597 or e-mail thecarrickcentre@ gmail.com. We are most grateful to Enterprise Music Scotland, through funding provided by Creative Scotland, for their award of a grant to help make these concerts a reality.

houston, crosslee & brookfield

TUESDAY

Renfrewshire Council is to reverse its decision, taken last December, to partially close the Linwood, Johnstone, Renfrew and Erskine Civic Amenity Sites. The Council is going through a process regarding the reopening of the sites and a report is expected to go to the September Council meeting. Information on the reopening of the sites will be updated on the Council website. This is a good news story and a sensible decision for Renfrewshire residents.

I was pleased to attend a Mass in St Benedict’s High School to celebrate their 10th Anniversary. It is hard to believe that it is 10 years since I attended its opening.

Monday to Friday, Woodlands Out of School 01505 615438 Metafit Weekly (Except 17th) 9.30am Susan Flintoff 07930 763877 Fitdankbaby Weekly (Except 17th) 10.15am Exercise for beginners Weekly (Except 17th) 11.45am Yoga (Weekly) 1pm Mary Laidlaw 01505 229112 Diaporama 10th 7.30pm H.O.S.T. AGM 3rd 7.30pm

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22/09/2016 14:09:36

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Third Early Announcement Lochwinnoch Arts Festival 2017 Robert Tannahill Poetry Competition, Residential Poetry Course and Poetry Come and Try Robert Tannahill Poetry Competition On 3rd June 2016, the 242nd anniversary of the birth of Robert Tannahill poet. Robert Tannahill had strong family connections with Lochwinnoch, and The Lochwinnoch Arts Festival provides an ideal event to celebrate his life. In collaboration with Read Raw Ltd, we are delighted to announce a major new poetry prize for 2017. Read Raw Tannahill Poetry Competition has a prize fund of £2,700 with a first prize in the main competition of £1,500, second £400 and third of £100 with two commended prizes of £50. In the Scots Language competition first prize is £500 and second £100. Judge is Sally Evans, editor of Poetry Scotland, and winners will be announced on 16th March 2017 as part of the Lochwinnoch Arts Festival. Entries opened on 1st August 2016 and close on 7th January 2017. More information can be found at http://readrawltd.co.uk/tannahillpp.html Thursday 16th March Tannahill Poetry Prize An evening with Sally Evans McKillop Institute Lochwinnoch, editor of Poetry Scotland, where the winners of the Tannahill Poetry Prize will be announced. Read Raw Ltd organisers of this major new prize is delighted to be part of Lochwinnoch Arts Festival and invite you to a night of wonderful poetry. Sally will read some of her own work and introduce the winning poems. Musical interlude will be provided by our own ‘Witches’ Brew’ Read Raw Residential Poetry Course Lochwinnoch In the beautiful village of Lochwinnoch and as part of the vibrant annual Arts Festival Read Raw Ltd is hosting a residential poetry course. The residential course will start on Sunday 12th March 2017 and close on Friday 17th March 2017 at an evening event with Sally Evans, judge of the inaugural Read Raw Tannahill Poetry Competition, where the winners of that competition will be announced. Participants will enjoy group workshops, one to one tutorial sessions and an opportunity to explore the surrounding countryside of Muirshiel Country Park and the RSPB Nature Reserve. The course will offer fresh inspiration in a supportive and stimulating environment. There are six places on the course and all accommodation is in single rooms. Breakfasts and lunches are selfservice and the cupboards will be well stocked and there will be snacks and fruit available. Evening meals will be largely vegetarian. Details regarding enrolment are on the website www.readrawltd.co.uk Sunday 12th March Poetry Come and Try Release the poet within! An afternoon of fun with words for all levels of poet from beginner to the experienced writer. Enjoy an afternoon exploring your poetic potential. Times venue prices for all events at the festival will be announced soon!!

on Friday 6th October 7pm - 10pm at Bernie’s Cafe Deli, Neva Place, Main Street, PA11 3PN Bridge of Weir

Go on, come along and tap into that creative energy that's screaming to get out! Tickets £5 For full details contact Donna at donnabryson01@icloud.com.

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Kilbarchan Parish Church Tots’ Club The club has now resumed on Monday mornings from 9.15 - 11.30am in the hall, when there is a large variety of toys and a bouncy castle for the tots-from birth-3 years-and coffee and friendly chat for the accompanying adults, cost £1 for each adult. The club is run by a group of volunteers from the church. All welcome and even if you don’t have a “Tot”, you’re very welcome to come along and enjoy a cup of coffee with us. During the October school holiday week, the club will be open as usual. The Hallowe’en party is on 31st, when the children are asked to dress up in fancy-dress costumes, even the tiniest babies! We already have a lot of tots registered so it may be that we have to give preference to new children from Kilbarchan and Brookfield. kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

Kilbarchan Parish Church Drama Group

Lochwinnoch SWI Wednesday 19th October at 7.30 in The McKillop Hall

Members are busy rehearsing the play - “The Even Greater Escape”, a farcical comedy set in a retirement home, to be performed at the end of November, from 24th to 26th. Tickets, price £8, will be available from the end of October and can be bought in Bobbins Coffee shop.

The festive season is not very far away and we will be looking forward to getting well prepared! Karen Greive is coming to give us ideas for “Foodie Gifts for Christmas”

kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

For any further info please contact Elma Richmond at 843193 or richmond32@tiscali.co.uk

Early Bird Christmas Gift & Craft Fair Sunday 6th November at Kilbarchan Guide Centre, High Barholm, Kilbarchan: 1pm to 4pm. Beat the rush and start your Christmas shopping early!! There will be a variety of stalls from local crafters to suit your every need. Stallholders include Ceramics by Alison Gray, Kay Nicholson Art, Lumos designs, Threepwood Fayre, Jodie Popes silver jewellery, Bagpuss gifts and many more. Browse our 21 stalls and stop for a coffee and a chat with friends. All funds raised will go towards World Challenge Tanzania 2017. Check out our facebook page ‘Kilbarchan Craft Fayres’ for further information. Entry includes Tea and Coffee: Adults £1.50 Children £0.50.

Please remember to bring a mug for your cuppa. Looking forward to members and friends

welcoming

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Kilbarchan Parish Church Jazz and Big Band Evening Saturday 8th October at 7.30pm in the Church Hall, Steeple Square, Kilbarchan The band is called “FP Big Band” and was formed originally for former pupils of Mearns Castle High School. They have performed in many venues in East Renfrewshire and had considerable success in the Glasgow Music Festival. Tickets are £10, including a lucky programme and a buffet supper. You may wish to bring your own bottle - non alcoholic only. Please phone 703532 to book tickets. This is a very good opportunity to hear live music in your local area at a bargain price!

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Wallace Land Investments have appealed against the decision by Renfrewshire Council, at the last full council meeting on 22nd June, to reject their planning application for a new housing development in the Branscroft area of Kilbarchan. In response to this I have written to the Scottish Reporter at the Scottish Government’s Department of Planning to confirm that I, as one of the local ward councillors for Kilbarchan, am totally and unequivocally behind the decision of the Council to reject the Wallace Land application to build at the Branscroft. The proposed development is a breach of the greenbelt, against the Council’s Local Development Plan, and is inappropriate as Kilbarchan Primary would need to re-zone its catchment area, and neither the sewerage nor traffic systems in Kilbarchan could cope with the increased demand if it goes ahead. I have made these salient points to the Scottish Government. If you want to also make your views known to the Scottish Reporter on this application, email him/her on DPEA@gov.scot and quote planning application 16/0147/PP. Many in our village communities are sceptical as to the benefits of the Paisley 2021 City of Culture project, but my view has always been that if it is a bid which incorporates the full beauty and richness of villages like Lochwinnoch and Kilbarchan then if Paisley wins the day, there should be benefits for rural Renfrewshire also. Recently, at the last meeting of the Council’s Economy and Jobs Board I moved an amendment to the Renfrewshire Tourism Framework stating that designated villages should be identified as “Villages of Culture and Heritage”, and I am pleased this was accepted. Lochwinnoch Community Council originally came up with this concept and I was so impressed with it that I think it can be applied to other villages, like Kilbarchan, also. My advice surgery in Kilbarchan is on the 2nd Wednesday of the month in the Steeple Hall at 7.45pm, and my advice surgery in Lochwinnoch is on the 4th Wednesday of the month in the McKillop at 7.30pm, excluding July. But I am also always available to constituents who can call me on 07534 148224, tweet me on CllrAndy4Ward8 or e-mail me at cllr.andy.doig@renfrewshire.gov.uk. kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

Kilbarchan Walk: 4th October

Sounds like a very interesting month of topics. If you are interested in finding out more, please phone 703786 or see the website: www.nwr.org.uk.

Blythswood Shoebox Appeal The members of Kilbarchan Parish Church will be participating once again in this worthwhile appeal. If anyone would like to help by filling a shoebox for Christmas, please phone 703786 for a leaflet. The return date is Sunday 6th November when the filled boxes will be dedicated prior to despatch by the charity Blythswood.

kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

Kilbarchan Parish Church On Sunday 2nd October the service will take the form of Harvest Thanksgiving and donations are for the Renfrewshire Food Bank and Christian Aid. The annual Boys’ Brigade Enrolment service in on 9th, when there will be the opportunity to donate to the Paisley Battalion Appeal. On 30th, The Sacrament of Holy Communion will be observed at 11am and 2pmplease note the different time.

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Annual ‘Fall Ball’ Ceilidh in McKillop Saturday 12th November 8 pm - 12 midnight Featuring ‘Coila’ who performed at the Lochwinnoch Arts Festival 2016. The Band has developed in to one of the leading traditional groups in Scotland and is in constant demand at home and abroad. From performances at international music festivals, Celtic Connections and The Shetland Folk Festival to Hollywood film premières. All proceeds to Johnstone High School Students World Challenge to Southern Tanzania. Entry by ticket only £8.50pp Bar, Buffet & Raffle Tickets @ Calder Gallery and Café Cucina Minucci at the Junction kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

OES Glentyan Chapter Christmas Fayre/Coffee Morning Saturday 12th November 10am - 12 noon Guide Centre, Barn Green, Kilbarchan, Johnstone PA10 2EF Admission £3.00 - adults • Children accompanied by an adult - FOC Crafts, Home Baking, Raffles and much more. Come and enjoy a coffee, home baked cakes and browse round our craft / sales tables. kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

Fancy Dress Halloween Dance Saturday 29th October at The Three Churches, Lochwinnoch 9pm Tickets £5 (From Three Churches Inn). All proceeds to local groups.

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Sale of Art & Crafts Saturday 29th October from 1pm until 4.30pm Kilbarchan Guide Centre, Barn Green, Kilbarchan Come along and pick up some lovely handcrafted gifts and pictures for Christmas or for yourself. There will be refreshments too with a tempting array of home baking. Don’t miss out on an enjoyable afternoon and get ahead with the Christmas gifts . See you there !!!

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During the month of October, there will be a walk on 4th, the Govan Heritage Trail, and later in the month an evening about Germany, the year chosen by the National group for all groups to research-and taste the food - and finally a speaker from the Kibble School in Paisley.

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22/09/2016 14:09:47

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Highland Hustle, the new dance based workout using Highland dancing, ceilidh steps and modern music. It’s great fun and as each step has three levels, you can walk through the class or dance like a champion! No experience necessary! Pop along to see for yourself or email for more information. Kilbarchan Guidehall, Wednesdays, 9.45am or 8pm. All fitness levels, and dance abilities welcome. kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

Messy Church in Kilbarchan Saturday 15th October from 4 – 6pm

kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

Weavers Cottage The Weaver’s Cottage closed at the end September after another good season. Visitors came from North America, Australia and New Zealand and many European nations: some visitors have specific interest in weaving or old family connections, others are on the tourist round, seeing the sites. The enclosed photo, from the early fifties, shows Mr Peter McLaurin, chair of the committee to preserve the cottage and the Earl of Wemyss, from the National Trust for Scotland, studying the cottage’s unique roof structure. The cottage had been bequeathed by the Christie family to the Trust.

Following the launch of Messy Church by Kilbarchan Parish Church last month, our next date will be on Saturday 15th October from 4 – 6pm when we hope to see ‘old’ and new faces joining us to get messy! It is for all ages and children must bring an adult along with them. It typically includes a welcome, a long creative time to explore the biblical theme through getting messy, and a short celebration time including story and song and finishing with sitting down to eat together. So come along to Kilbarchan Parish Church Halls off Steeple Square and join us for a fun filled two hours. You will be made most welcome. kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

Ladies Night

Halloween Disco in aid of

kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

Gryffe Scottish Country Dancing Club Kilbarchan Guide Centre every Thursday at 8pm. Our new term has started up once more with lively music, dancing and fun. This form of dancing is widely recognised as one of the best exercises for both body and mind. So anyone interested, just come along you will be made most welcome. Contact Les Lambert at 01505 704398 for details.

World Challenge Tanzania 2017

on Saturday 29th October from 7.30pm - 12 midnight Kilbarchan Guide Centre £5 per ticket, BYOB and nibbles. Prize for best fancy dress (fancy dress optional)

Raffle, Disco. Tickets available on the door.

"RIPPED" by ReMODE Fashion Show & Swish (Clothes Swap) Event Saturday 8th October, 7pm Kilbarchan Guide Hut This year, ReMode presents a unique Fashion Show and Swish Clothes Swap event at Kilbarchan Guide Hall on Saturday 8th October from 7pm. Book your tickets as soon as possible (£3 booking fee), from ReMode at 39 High Street, Lochwinnoch, or from LEAP Offices, 22 Church Street, Lochwinnoch, Advance Place, Bridge of Weir.

kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

I have been contacted by constituents in Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch, who have welcomed the decision by Renfrewshire Council to reverse the changes implemented at the Johnstone waste recycling centre, which I know is well used by villagers. Over recent weeks concern had been expressed to me by folk having to travel to the Underwood Road site in Paisley. I have listened to those concerns, and raised them with fellow councillors and officers of the council. Despite a difficult funding position in the council, those concerns have been acknowledged and the outcome is that the services will be restored. As a member of the Council's Environmental Policy Board, I am pleased to report that the proposal for new LED lighting to be installed in both Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch was recently approved. The work is due to commence from the end of the month. The new lighting which produces a white light, will be more energy efficient and saves money. Research shows that the LED lighting which provides better illumination, also contributes to community safety, in that it can help reduce road accidents, aids pedestrians, and discourages anti social behaviour. On the planning front, Renfrewshire Council has received notification that an appeal has been lodged in regard to its decision to reject the planning application at Branscroft Kilbarchan. The public event about a possible planning application at Johnshill Lochwinnoch took place on the 7th September, and was attended by a large number of villagers. I will keep readers up dated on both these matters. Finally, I can confirm that the recommendations from the local government boundary commission in regard to Renfrewshire Council have now been accepted. The proposal to add Howwood to the Johnstone North Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch Ward, with an increase to 4 ward councillors will be implemented at next May's council elections. My monthly surgeries will be on the first Saturday of every month except January and July at 9am in the McKillop Institute and at 10am in the Steeple Hall. Meantime please contact me at cllr.derek.bibby@ renfrewshire.gov.uk or phone 0300 300 1274 or 07534156007.

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Lochwinnoch and Howwood BHF Heart Start Reach 300! At the September Heart Start course at the Bowfield hotel the Lochwinnoch and Howwood Heart Start group reached 310 participants on the course. Here they are with their certificates!!

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kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

Kilbarchan Smile Big Autumn Clear Up Kilbarchan Smile is organising the “Kilbarchan Smile Big Autumn Clear Up”, the 2nd village tidy up of the year on Sunday 30th October. The clear up will take place from 2pm - 4pm. Volunteers (Smilers) are being asked to meet at the Ewing Street c a r parking area opposite Bog P a r k . Please see the main article in the Outdoors section of this issue. howwood & elderslie

Do you want the skills to help save a life?

You will know that the council has decided to provide a full service again at its amenity sites including the one at Johnstone. I am delighted at this decision and I know it has been well received by villagers.

BHF October 2016 Lead by Lochwinnoch and Howwood Heart Start We have more dates available for the FREE two hour course in 2016.

A meeting will be held in late September to discuss local concerns around the A737. People have raised several issues including the number of accidents as well as the lay out of the road. I will let readers know the outcome of these discussions.

Wednesday 19th October 7 - 9pm Masonic Lodge, Lochwinnoch If you are inserted in attending contact Morag on Morag.Thow@gcu.ac.uk or 01505 843183 The course is practical and deals with; • An unconscious casualty • Cardiac arrest • How to use a AED • Suspected heart attack • Serious bleeding

Dr Morag Thow and Liz Simpson

I also have a meeting soon to have a look at some of the traffic issues around Howwood Primary School. This has been raised with me by parents as well as local residents. I will again let you know how this goes. I fully support the bid for Paisley to become City of Culture for 2021, but as the bid includes the whole of Renfrewshire I am keen that places like Howwood get involved in the bid. If anyone, or any group wish to discuss this please let me know. I’ll close by reminding you my surgery is held in the village hall on the 4th Thursday of the month between 6 pm and 7 pm.

kilbarchan & lochwinnoch

howwood & elderslie

Kilbarchan Old Library

Howwood Wildlife & Woodlands (HWW)

The Old Library Centre in Kilbarchan is run by a group of volunteers. Most people in Kilbarchan will well remember the upset the closing of the Village Library caused. The Community Council was at that time chaired, by the now late, Ian Grieve. Under his guidance negotiations took place with Renfrewshire Council to keep the library building within community use.

One of the main aims of HWW – which is a registered charity - is to provide facilities for the residents and visitors to Howwood as well as maintaining the flora and fauna of the village. HWW organises rubbish collection on an annual basis, maintains a communal woodland garden and resting place in the middle of the village and much more besides.

Renfrewshire Council required that all legalities would be met. This included the formation of a Company and the registration as a Scottish Charity. The Kilbarchan Improvements Projects Company (KIPCo) was legally formed as a Company Limited by Guarantee and Registered as a Scottish Charity. Funds to pay for all of the improvements were raised by public donation and grant funding. A Board was formed and a team of volunteers was recruited. Huge repairs including the removal of an asbestos ceiling and the installation of toilets, ramp, central heating, stair lift and new electrical installations were undertaken and the building was decorated throughout. It took two years for this to happen and in 2001 the Centre opened for business

None of this would be possible without the dedicated team of volunteers who give of their time and energy to improve the general appearance of the village, as well as working to maintaining the many walks in and around the village.

KIPCo has had many successes and last year a foot-fall of 3,771 people. The initial intention, which still exists, of keeping all prices as keen as possible, welcoming locals and visitors, running various interesting events, providing a source of healthy activities such as Bridge, Yoga, Pilates and Music for toddlers combine with the provision of computer access, technical help, printing, photocopying and laminating. As the present Chairman of a very willing, hardworking group of Board members and volunteers I wish to acknowledge all of their help and to encourage you, if you have some spare time, to come and help in the Centre. KIPCo wishes to thank those very loyal supporters who never fail to send their annual donation to the Centre. KIPCo is a Kilbarchan charity which requires your help and support. Centre is open 10am - 12 noon and 2 pm - 4 pm Monday – Friday and Wednesday 7.30pm - 9pm. howwood & elderslie

Howwood SWI Tuesday 18th October - Farming in the 21st Century by Mr William Harper. Competition - Old Kitchen Utensil. Hostesses - Jane Millar & Nan Steel. Vote of thanks - Nana Glen.

howwood & elderslie

Hi there, some good news for Johnstone High School who received great results in the recent exams. So well done to all the staff and the pupils at the school.

Masonic Lodge, Lochwinnoch

• Choking

october 2016

The Semple Trail Heritage Project The New Semple Trail was officially launched in August 2016. This launch took place at the Castle Semple Visitor Centre in Lochwinnoch and a permanent exhibition has been set up at the centre. Full information and leaflets can be obtained at the centre outlining all the walks and facilities available. As part of this project HWW has been very supportive and as such Howwood is featured prominently in all the literature. Please take advantage of this facility, pick up a leaflet and get walking. I can promise you these walks are some of the most interesting and beautiful in the whole of Renfrewshire. Photograph from left to right are members of the Howwood Wildlife and Woodlands charity – Bill Binks, Millar Leon and Bill David

Meetings in Howwood Village Hall at 7.30pm. A warm welcome to all. Contact Irene on 01505 704800 for further details.

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Pet Blog

by PetVets

Recognising Pain in Cats It can be very difficult to tell if your cat is in pain as they are particularly good at masking signs of pain and sometimes the signs are quite subtle and easy to miss. It can also be difficult to tell where the pain is coming from and what is causing it. Cats will vary in their specific responses to pain and your cat’s age, current environment and general health will affect the way in which they respond. Chronic pain (such as arthritis or dental pain) can be especially difficult to recognise, and the signs can sometimes be mistakenly attributed to old age. Signs of pain in cats can include: • Agitation • Vocalising (crying/growling/hissing) • Sensitivity to touch/resenting normal handling • Changes in normal behaviour (grumpier/quiet/less active/hiding/lack of grooming) • Limping or reluctance to walk or move • Depression • Reduced appetite • Sleeping more than normal

Fireworks frighten animals Fireworks are enjoyed year-round by people but can be a source of fear for many animals. It doesn’t have to be that way though, so don’t ignore the problem. Seek advice from your vet who will, if necessary, be able to refer you to a professional clinical animal behaviourist. You can also follow these top tips to make ﬁrework celebrations less frightening for your pet.

Keeping cats and dogs secure

Cats may display a combination of some or all of these signs. Pain can be caused by injury, illness, arthritis, or following surgery or medical treatment. Treatment of pain involves identifying and treating the underlying cause and providing pain relief for your cat. Never give human pain killers as many of them are highly toxic to cats. If you suspect your cat is in pain you should seek advice from your vet.

‘Scout’ is still missing

• Make sure your dog or cat always has somewhere to hide if he or she wants to and has access to this place at all times. For example this could be under some furniture or in a cupboard.

Scout has been missing since 1.3.16 in the Johnstone area. 11 month black kitten with white marking on chest and underside of body. Chipped and neutered. Not wearing collar. Extremely friendly & lovely natured. Family and sister (Beau) are missing him greatly. £100 reward!!!!

• During firework seasons, walk dogs during daylight hours and keep cats and dogs indoors when fireworks are likely to be set off.

To date, the family have viewed several cats, but unfortunately none have turned out to be Scout. Please call Gillian on: 01505 347368.

• At nightfall close windows and curtains and put on music to mask and muffle the sound of fireworks. • It’s fine to comfort your pet if it helps them relax, or leave them alone unless you think they will harm themselves. • Never punish your pets when they’re scared as this will only makes things worse in the long run. • Make sure your cat or dog is always kept in a safe and secure environment and can’t escape if there’s a sudden noise. Have your pet microchipped in case they do escape.

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Johnstone Cat Rescue If you can help us with any fundraising or donations of either food or bedding, please call Sheena on 01505 337321. Thank you.

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Re-homing Pets Can you offer a home to any of our featured pets? Calvin & Chester Calvin is approx. 2 years old & Chester is approx. 5.5 years old. Calvin & Chester are lovely, friendly boys who arrived together as strays & they are best friends. Calvin can be a wee bit shy at times so we think a home with no young children would be best but they may be ok with other pets. They require outdoor access & they must be homed together. Rogue - 1 year old male. Rogue was a stray & our vets estimate he is between 1 & 2 years old. He is a friendly boy so we think a home with older children would be ﬁne but probably no other pets. Don’t worry about the shaved bit on his neck as we took bloods to check for viruses but everything was negative & the fur will grow back. He requires outdoor access Cardyke Farm, Langmuirhead Road, Auchinloch, Glasgow G66 5LD - Telephone 0141 779 3341

Vladimir - Age 1-2 years - Male Russian Dwarf Hamster - Reference 312900 Vladimir is a lovely little guy who arrived in our care after his previous owner could no longer look after him and he is now looking for a new, loving home. He would be suited to an owner who can handle him regularly and be loved to the moon and back. Yoda - Age 4 months - Male Domestic Mouse - Reference 308157 Yoda and his brother Millhouse are looking for their forever home together. These boys require a large cage that has plenty of space for them to run around and explore. Their new owner will need to interact with them on a daily basis to continue conﬁdent handling. Could you oﬀer these lovely boys the loving home that they deserve? To contact the centre about any animals, please call 03000 999 999 or visit www.scottishspca.org/rehoming

Teddy - 2-5 year old Jack Russell Terrier Teddy loves his exercise and playing with squeaky toys! Teddy can live with children who are 16 years old or over and needs his own secure garden to play in. Teddy is looking to be the only dog in the home. He needs a very active home who is willing to give him the exercise he needs and loves. Teddy needs someone who is around most of the day to help him with his basic training. A calm, quiet home would beneﬁt him. Mylo - 5-7 year old Collie Cross Mylo loves to play with any toys but his favourite is a ball or a frisbee! He will do lots of tricks for a nice treat. Mylo can live with children who are 16 years old or over and needs his own secure garden with a high fence to practice his training in. Mylo needs to be the only pet in the home & someone who has owned rescue dogs before would beneﬁt him and help him settle. He needs quiet areas to walk in & not a busy home. Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre, 315 Hamilton Road, Uddingston, Glasgow, G71 7SL. Open: 12noon - 4pm (inc weekends); 12noon- 7.30pm on Tuesdays; closed: Wednesdays

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Dogs Trust Christmas Gifts Catalogue Visit the website: www.dogstrustgifts.com/index.html for full information of these and hundreds of other items for you and your dog. Rubber Lattice Football Ref: 69484 - £5.99 Durable rubber football for your dog to chew and chase. Colours will vary. Dogs Trust Tree of Paws Cards - Ref: WP-69766 A Christmas card featuring a stunning paw print design in the shape of a Christmas tree, with gold foil ﬁnish. Greeting: ‘Season’s Greetings’. With Dogs Trust message. Designed and printed in the UK. Size: 198 x 102mm. 69766 10 cards £4.99, 80034 30 cards £13.47 - Save £1.50! Golden Paws Crackers Ref: 80066 - £12.99 Six striking homemade crackers, each containing a diﬀerent cute dog fridge magnet (40mm square), hat, snap and motto. Exclusive to Dogs Trust.

helpinghomelessdogs and their owners throughout the UK

Gumz Dog Treat Toy Ref: 80003 - £7.99 Soft enough not to hurt your dogs teeth, but ﬁrm enough to bounce. Designed as a chew toy, it can also be stuﬀed with treats. Endless canine fun! Dogs Trust 2017 Calendar Ref: 27482A - £5.99 Our best seller! Show your support with this practical monthto-view calendar featuring heartwarming real life stories of dogs we have helped in our twenty re-homing centres around the UK. Plenty of room for notes and reminders too. Advent for Your Dog Ref: WP-69353 - £3.99 Countdown to Christmas with your pooch using this fun advent calendar containing a tasty mini treat for each day.

Dogs Trust Doggy Superstars! 10 Cards Ref: 67960 £3.59 Greeting: ‘Happy Christmas’. Size: 140 x 198mm.

24/09/2016 15:07:58

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Bridge of Weir Horticultural Society Annual Flower Show There is a story we all know of a dark lonely creature who can move in the night without its shadow in sight. This creature in question can transform into a bat which some may say looks like a flying rat. “A bat”, you may wonder? Why yes a bat; the vampire bat to be specific, so ironically named. These bats, as the name may suggest, depend on a diet referred to a hematophagy, which is the need to consume blood to survive. Contrary to superstitions and tales, we do not get these little critters in the UK, however we have 17 other species of bat who call the UK home. You may commonly see the pipistrelle bat, one of 9 species who are tough enough to live in Scotland, which resides in the forest at the RSPB in Lochwinnoch. Even though you may see common creatures such as spiders and toads, there is also a creature we keep hidden away which on one night of the year we may just let you see. You may be curious to know what it is, but I won’t tell you, you will just have to come along and find out at our Annual Fright Night on Friday 28th October, which will be taking place at the RPSB Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve. I do warn you, this creature may not be the tale of a vampire who can turn into a bat, however it has migrated from far away and belongs to tales of science and that is that. We have wonderful guides who will take you a tour around the reserve to see our creature residents. Do not be scared, they are harmless I say. This may not be so on the specified day. If it is too much for those who cannot bare the sight, there shall be baked goods and fun crafts and activities for the whole family taking place in the visitor centre on the reserve. Now if you enjoy looking at creatures may I also interest you in another event? Which event do I speak of? Why I speak of the Hessilhead Open Day on Saturday 29th October, when you can come along and see the animals which have been rescued and hear all about the amazing work done by the staff at Hessilhead. I hope you have enjoyed this little tale; I look forward to seeing you and what may entail. For more information about the reserve or any of our events, please call 01505 842 663 or email lochwinnoch@rspb.org.uk

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The Flower Show which took place on 27th August was well supported and well attended. We were particularly delighted by the number and quality of entries in the Children’s Classes. In presenting the prizes, Sandy Gibb Stuart congratulated the exhibitors for the quality of their exhibits and spoke about encouraging children to garden; to sow and grow. He particularly wished that Secondary schools could continue the enthusiasm for gardening started at many Primaries. Sandy gave garden trugs to the cup winners in addition to their silverware and thanked the Society’s Office Bearers, who were missing the wise advice of the late T.E.D. Smith. The children’s prizes were presented by the Gala Queen and her attendants. Cup Winners Cairns Cup for Roses - Joy McLeod Cairns Cup for Vegetables - Alex Inglis John Woodrow Cup for Best Pot Plant - Pamela Wilson Mrs William Steele Cup for Pot Plants Elizabeth Manson Cargill Trophy for Cacti - Ewen Brown Mrs Fred Donaldson Cup for Chrysanthemums - Jim Crawford Margaret Beeton Cup for Chrysanthemums - Jim Crawford Society Cup for Dahlias - Jim Crawford A.A.B. Beeton Memorial cup for Dahlias - Edward Jankun Harold Telfer Memorial Cup for Floral Art - Lorna Campbell James Barclay Memorial Trophy for Annuals (excluding sweet peas) - Jim Crawford William Steele Cup for Sweet Peas - Peter Rentoul Mrs MA Watson Cup for Herbaceous - Hazel Russell Society Cup for Gladioli - Jim Crawford National Vegetable Society Medal & Certificate - Alex Inglis Society Top Tray Certificate (vegetables) - Alex Inglis Society Top Vase Certificate - Edward Jankun James Ferrier cup - children 13 –16 - Seonaid Murray Cairns cup - children 9 –12 - Abigail Sandham Society cup - children under 8 years - Meghan Henderson Society Trophy for Best in Show – Children’s Classes - Abigail Sandham RHS Banksian Medal - Jim Crawford Neil Ferrier Cup for Best Exhibit in Show - Alex Inglis

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Kilmacolm Horticultural Society Flower Show The Kilmacolm Flower Show held in the New Community Centre, Kilmacolm on Saturday 3rd September was commended by the judges, appreciated by the public, and many thanks go to the exhibitors who staged their entries in true style once again, with colour, variety and top quality. The committee are very happy with the event, show conveners Ken Graham and Ian Morrice worked hard to present each exhibit at its best. Special thanks to the children of Kilmacolm Primary and St. Columba’s ‘early years’ for their contributions to the Show’s success. The first of the Winter Lectures will be held on Wednesday 19th October in the New Community Centre at 7.30pm. Matthew Heasman from Blantyre will share his expert advice on cultivation of rhododendrons, magnolias, camellias - so the photographs should be excellent. Everyone is welcome to come along, refreshments served at close of lecture. Subscription to Kilmacolm Horticultural Society is £5.00 annually, due 1st September. The date of our Annual General Meeting is Wednesday 16th November, the business meeting for members will be followed by refreshments, and a DVD gardening quiz. If you would like further details of all the events organised by the Society please phone Jill Russell on 01505 872393 or email: jill.russ100@btinternet.com. Cupwinners for 2016: Alex Inglis - Most Meritorious Exhibit in the Show

Orla O’Rourke - Most points in Children’s Section

Derrick Russell - Best exhibit in Annuals, Best exhibit in Chrysanthemum, Best exhibit in Gladioli, most pts in Annuals, most pts in Sect 1 Cut Flowers, most pts in Sect.3 Vegetables

Jennifer O’Rourke Kitchencraft

Andy Aitken - Best exhibit in Dahlias, Best exhibit in Tomatoes, most pts in Dahlias, most pts in Onions Irene Gillone - Best exhibit in Fuchsias, Best exhibit inTubs/Hanging Baskets, most pts in Sect 2 Pot Plants/Tubs/Hanging Baskets

Most

points

Ian Morrice/Lynda McFie - Joint winners of Novices Diane Henderson - Most points in Sect 6 Floral Art Diane Harrison - KHS Spring Bulb Competition for the Jimmy Whittet Trophy

Robert McIlvar - Best exhibit in Carnations

The Kilmacolm Primary School PICTURE GALLERY depicted an entry describing ‘A Picture of Sport’. All entries were highly commended – imaginative, colourful, exciting.

Helen Cook - Best exhibit in Herbaceous

Winners:

Jim McCann - Best exhibit in Sweet Peas

Margaret Anderson - Best exhibit in Roses

Primary 1 / 2

Conor McKinstry

Elizabeth Manson - Best exhibit in Pot Plants

Primary 3 / 4

Daniel Bruce

Edward Jankun - Best exhibit in Garden News, sponsorship of TOP VASE

Primary 5 /6 /7

Kyle Aitchison

Top 5 jobs for OCTOBER 1 Clear up fallen autumn leaves regularly 2 Cut back perennials that have died down 3 Divide herbaceous perennials and rhubarb crowns 4 Move tender plants, including aquatic ones, into the greenhouse 5 Plant out spring cabbages

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22/09/2016 13:00:27

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Wildlife Crime

Strathclyde Police has a team of Wildlife Crime Officers. To report a suspected wildlife crime or speak to an Officer, please call: Your local Police Office or Strathclyde Police HQ, 173 Pitt Street, G2 4JS or call 101 or 999.

Adult Volunteers Wanted Do you have some spare time to work with the young people in Renfrewshire? We are looking for adult volunteers to assist all of our Groups to provide fun and adventure for our young people. No need for previous experience as full training will be provided. The sections are Beavers aged 6 - 8 Cubs aged 8 - 10.5 Scouts aged 10.5 - 14 Explorers aged 14 - 18

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The Kilbarchan Smile Big Autumn Clear Up Kilbarchan Smile is organising the “Kilbarchan Smile Big Autumn Clear Up”, the 2nd village tidy up of the year on Sunday 30th October. The clear up will take place from 2pm - 4pm. Volunteers (Smilers) are being asked to meet at the Ewing Street car parking area opposite Bog Park. Greener Renfrewshire Do Your Bit will once again provide equipment including litter pickers, hi-viz vests, bags, bag hoops and gloves. Almost 100 people took part last time so if you want to make a difference to the village please come along and “Do Your Bit” if you can – as they say - many hands make light work!

Gateway Garden Kilbarchan Smile activities continued apace in September with a bulb planting drop in session and a plant and seed swap at the Gateway Garden, together with a visit from Kilbarchan Nursery. For more information and to get involved contact Gail Scoular on 07985749220, email hello@ kilbarchansmile.co.uk or join the group Kilbarchan Smile on Facebook.

If you are able to assist, or would like further information please contact District Commissioner Ian Hunter at dc@renfrewshirescouts.org.uk or 07742 860194.

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Paisley Colour Photographic Club “Mine!” by Alison Smart

“The Reek” by Guy Phillips

“Brimstone Nectaring” by Jim Black

“Razorbills Pair Bonding” by John Hunter

The new session - 2016/17 - kicked off with a showing of a selection of accepted and award winning images from the 2016 GB Cup, an interclub competition between clubs from throughout the UK and included successes from our own members (see photos), as well as those of other Renfrewshire clubs. As ever this session’s syllabus is interesting and varied, including lectures on all popular genres of photography (landscape, natural history, creative, photo travel, sport, press photography, portraiture) from presenters from all over Scotland and south of the border, and providing members with an opportunity not only to enjoy, but be inspired. One of the highlights is the visit of Mark Hamblin from Carrbridge who will present the annual Winifred Brown Memorial Lecture (Thursday 2nd February 2017). Mark is one of Britain’s most esteemed natural history photographers. Interspersed with lectures are competitions on a spectrum of subjects and twice monthly teach-ins. Numerous outing are also organised.

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Langbank Camera Club The club started the new session with an open evening. Members shared experiences and advice on camera equipment. This month’s print competition topic was “Patterns and Textures”. First and second places were awarded to Derrick McPherson for his images of “The West Room”, taken at the Flagler Museum, Florida, USA and the “Steps to the Top”, Fort Canning Park, Singapore. Third place was awarded to John Davis for “The Caves”, Ayrshire. The caves were man made by Irish immigrants fleeing the Irish potato famine during the 19th century. The October print meeting will be held as usual on the second Monday of the month, 10th October at 7.30pm. At this meeting we will be discussing “No Automatic Here” and concentrating on manual mode settings of the camera. The print competition topic for October is “Interesting Doors” - an open and shut competition? Our Projected Digital Image (PDI) meeting on 24th October, will continue on the theme of “No Automatic Here”, allowing members to discuss what they have experimented with since the previous meeting. The PDI slide show in October is “Monochrome”, an open category for single colour images, followed by members discussing one another’s impression of the images. Club meetings are held in Langbank Church Halls, Langbank on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. Visitors are always welcome at any of our evenings. Club membership is only £10 for the first year. If you wish to find out more about Langbank Camera Club please visit our website: www. langbankcameraclub.weebly.com or contact Derrick McPherson at langbankcc1@gmail.com with your enquiries.

New members and visitors are assured of a warm welcome. For further information and details please refer to www.paisleycolour.co.uk

Kilmacolm Camera Club The Camera Club’s Exhibition last month attracted a large number of visitors who were rewarded with an entertaining and varied selection of images. Our season starts on Tuesday 4th October. If the Exhibition stoked up your creative juices, please come along and be entertained. You’ll find more details of what we have planned this year on our website (see below). Come along and sample one evening (no strings attached!). You’ll be made most welcome – go on, you know you want to! Venue: Kilmacolm New Community Centre, Room 1.01; Tuesday evening, time 7.30pm. Contacts: Billy Blair, Tel: 873383; Janice Stevenson, Tel 873595. Website: clikpic.com/kilcamclub/

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Welcome to Scotland’s largest Regional Park ‘Brilliant Bog Stomp’: This new trail race started from the Greenock Cut Visitor Centre on the 4th September. More than 50 entrants complete a 10-kilometre route up the steep Dunrod Hill, then through bog and muddy moorland and onto tracks, all with stunning views over the River Clyde to the Arrochar Alps as everyone raised funds in support of veterans’ charity Erskine. One competitor said “What a playground we have on our doorstep”. The Kilmacolm Unofficial Running Club had the most members take part. Wind Postpones Scottish Multi-Class Regatta: Clyde Muirshiel’s Castle Semple Visitor Centre will now host the Regatta for special schools and disability resource centres on Saturday 8th October 2016, let’s hope there is less wind in the forecast. Active Autumn Activities: The new edition of the whats on guide is ready for collection at Park Visitor Sites. It includes autumn activity courses such as sailing and paddle sports plus a number of Coaches Courses as well as a Fungi Walk, Woodland Craft Activities and a Halloween Scare Trail. All dates are on the website as well. Winter opening hours begin at all Visitor Centres at the end of British Summer Time. Stargazing Sessions: These popular evenings at Renfrewshire’s darkest sky location – Muirshiel Country Park will make a welcome return on Monday evenings this season. Classics & Custom Car Show: A great collection of cars including a tank recovery vehicle and a hotrod morris minor will be on show at Castle Semple Visitor Centre, Lochwinnoch on Sunday 23rd October. If you would like to display your pride and joy contact Jane Fawcett by email janga666@hotmail.com ASAP as space is now very limited.

Semple Trail Kids Passport: As the official Heritage Project was completed a new ‘Kids Passport’ was launched – hence the wheelbarrow at Castle Semple Visitor Centre. The Kids’ Passport can be picked up for FREE at the Visitor Centre - it has lots of activities with things to see and do in the vicinity – a perfect fresh air activity for an October weekend day or school holiday! Ride 63 Community Cycle Club: Off Road Cycle Routes are being investigated, training sessions, new events such as an ‘Adventure Sportive’ and rides are being planned for the autumn winter season and beyond. If it is of interest look (and like!) their facebook page (www.facebook.com/Ride63) or contact the secretary by email ridesixtythree@gmail.com for a membership form and ride info.

Regular Events Mondays (but not public holidays)

Saturdays

Lochwinnoch Community Walks meet 10.30am at The Cross, Lochwinnoch. Weekly Volunteer Groups Newcomers always welcome!

Thursdays

Greenock Cut Conservation Volunteers, Adult group, 10.30am – 2.30pm. Sundays Castle Semple Young Volunteers, 12 - 18 yr olds, 10am – 12noon

Castle Semple Conservation Volunteers, Adult group, from 12.30pm – 3.30pm.

Keep up to speed with events and activities taking place on the Park’s Facebook: facebook.com/ClydeMuirshielRegionalPark or Twitter @Clydemuirshiel pages and Instagram pages.

Windows on Wildlife 4 year Update The Windows on Wildlife at Clyde Muirshiel aims to bring people closer to wildlife, gaining a unique insight to the furry & feathered inhabitants of Castle Semple Country Park. Countryside Ranger Hayley Douglas gives us an update. Project News October the 1st sees the 4th birthday of Windows on Wildlife (WoW) within the Regional Park. The project officially ended two years ago however many aspects continue to be incorporated within the day to day delivery of Ranger activities within the Park. The cameras are in place, WoW inspired events are run and schools participate in the popular photography workshops. In fact our figures show that WoW has a legacy that influences 53% of the total number of visitors that it reached when it was run by myself as the dedicated Project Officer. What I have enjoyed most over the years is sharing the day to day lives of the animals that we film on camera and thought I would give you a wee review of what we have captured over the years. Wildlife News - Otters One of the species that we have managed to cover very closely is the otter. When we started filming the otters we discovered we had a dog who we nicknamed Bob, and two females, one of which had 3 almost full grown cubs. Unfortunately Bob was killed on the road in November 2012 (which led to the installation of the Slow Baby Otters then the official Caution Otters signage). This resulted in a bit of turmoil for the two females when another dog appeared on the scene whom both didn’t seem to be keen on. The three cubs were last seen in February 2013, one of which we knew to be a male with easily recognisable white markings on his lips and chest. Things went quiet with the otters for the rest of 2013 with glimpses of different otters passing through the area until, on Christmas Day 2013, a large dog otter appeared on camera. By the markings this turned out to be the male cub and he quickly established the Lochs as his territory and we nicknamed him Rob. There were also two different females seen on the cameras. One of these females was smaller than the other and was the first of the females to be filmed with cubs in 2014. She had three cubs which

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were regularly seen on camera in the autumn but after a while there only appeared to be one and then unfortunately that cub disappeared too. The larger female was seen during this time but with no cubs spotted. Moving on to 2015 the larger female was spotted with 2 cubs, one female and one male. Rob was still being filmed and we even caught some interaction between him and his family. The smaller female was still about and was showing signs that she was due to have cubs. In July 2015 a short period of bad weather led to the water levels in the lochs starting to rise quickly and the female was seen in the early hours one morning running back and forth across the road. Unfortunately she was hit by a car and when I examined her she showed signs of just giving birth. A few weeks later we also lost the male cub on the same stretch of road due again to the unseasonal flooding of the road due to heavy rainfall. The female cub survived and went on to eventually leave her mother. A mixed bag of fortunes for the otters but the current situation with them now is that Rob, at 6 years old, is still Top Dog in the area with one female being regularly seen, although there may be a third and a glimpse of two otters together were seen last week. I’m unsure whether this was Rob with a female or a female with a full grown cub but we will continue to film and keep you updated. Next month I’ll fill you in with the history of our badger clan. Event News Ever wanted to see the birds up close? Why not pop up to Muirshiel Country Park on the 9th of October anytime between 10am and 3pm where a bird ringing demonstration will be taking place. Learn how we monitor their health and see if we can retrap any birds caught previously. October also sees the return of our winter Swan Chats. These will take place on the 15th and 29th between 1pm and 2pm at Castle Semple. Come along and find out that there’s more to these birds than chasing you for bread. Pop along at any time for this keeper style talk. More Info… Details can be found on the Parks website page www.clydemuirshiel.co.uk or by emailing wow@clydemuirshiel.co.uk. Footage can be viewed on the Park’s Youtube channel or on the WoW Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ WindowsonwildlifeatClydeMuirshiel. Talks to groups can be arranged if you are interested in finding out more about your furry and feathered neighbours.

22/09/2016 13:00:51

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october 2016

55 55

LOCAL

history Johnstone History Society

Black Cart Mills 2 Continuing our trip down the burns forming the Black Cart. Minor Mills on Millbank Burn and the Calder Several burns flow into Barr Loch on the way to the Black Cart. The largest of these burns is Millbank Burn which powered Millbank Mill, a traditional grain mill. Until about a decade ago the mill’s grinding stones and large water wheel were still Millbank Mill gearing - between water intact. wheel and grindstones Between the burn and Barr Castle, water was collected from a copious spring to turn another waterwheel to pump water out of the then drained Barr Loch (discussed in a previous Advertizer article). The main watercourse in the headwaters of the Black Cart is the Calder which falls into Castle Semple Loch at Lochwinnoch. The Calder falls 400 metres from Queenside Loch down to Castle Semple Loch. The stream and its smaller feeder burns, particularly the Cloak Burn, powered numerous mills which ranged in size from the humblest grain mills to the biggest cotton mills. This month we look at the Calder’s smaller mills. Up on the moors at Muirshiel, the Calder powered a mill for grinding Barytes (discussed in a previous Advertizer article). Further down the Calder were two lint mills, at Loups and at Bridgend, the latter of which at one time was also a grain mill. Another lint mill sat on the Cloak Burn. There were also several bleachfields on the edge of Lochwinnoch village, for whitening and finishing cloth. One lay beside the Calder at Burnfoot, at the bottom of the minor Garple Burn. Another two, the Old and New Bleachfields, at Calderhaugh, were advertised from 1793. It took considerable ingenuity to power a variety of mills from such a powerful and unpredictable burn as the Calder. Water rights were a thorny issue and even the mighty Castle Semple owners did not escape disputes. From the 1790s the flow in the Calder in dry spells was controlled by the owners of dams recently built on the Calder at Queenside Loch and on the Cloak Burn at Knockbartnock. James Adam of Barr owned the Glen Mill on the Cloak Burn, which had been a corn mill for at least 150 years. It had full rights to the mill dams and lades on the Cloak burn, including the Black Linn, Boghead and Kaim dams. However the owners of the new cotton mills had closed the dam sluices for weeks to store up water for dry weather. This stopped the working of Glen Mill. However the traditional water rights were upheld and the cotton mill owners were instructed to provide enough water for Adam to drive his modest grain mill. Cotton mills will be the subject of a future article. (Previous Advertizer articles can be found at www.rlhf.info) © 2016 Stuart Nisbet, Renfrewshire Local History Forum Renfrewshire Local History Forum’s next archaeology lecture takes place on Thursday, 13th October, at 7.30pm in the Shawl Gallery at Paisley Museum. The speaker is Colleen Batey, archaeology lecturer at Glasgow University, who will give us an interesting insight into Vikings in Lowland Scotland - it’s all change. Visitors are welcome at all our lecture meetings.

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Tuesday 11 October at 7.30pm, Masonic Hall, Collier Street, Johnstone Our speaker this month is Tommy Lawton who is a former Chairman of the Forth and Clyde Canal Society. He will be talking about the Canal past and present. Visitors and new members will always be made welcome. Our annual membership is £10 visitors £2. We had a very successful two days at Doors Open and three special displays for children will be left in place till after the October school week Our first meeting of the year was very well attended with a lot of new faces which is very encouraging. Mr Sweeney was very interesting and gave us a lot of information about many of the big Houses in the area. The Museum sited in Morrisons at the Collier Street end continues to open Wednesday Friday and Saturday from 10.30 am till 4pm. we have many books and publications on sale and have recently added a new book called “Supreme Sacrifice” about the men of Bridge of Weir who died in the First World War priced at £9.99. All of our items are available to purchase online at johnstonehistory.org

Supreme Sacrifice Bridge of Weir and the Great War 100 years ago this month – October 1916 Private David Cummings, 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, Lance Corporal James Brooks, 9th Royal Scots attached 5th Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) On the Western Front in October 1916 the Somme Offensive was in its fourth month. Encouraged by the taking of Thiepval, Haig ordered another push for October which became the Battle of the Ancre Heights. On the 1st October 1916, the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles were given the objective of capturing and holding part of Regina Trench. The War Diaries describe a fiercely fought assault and holding operation of 34 hours of near continuous fighting, only for the gains to be lost in a German counter attack. David Cummings was one of 45 “Other Ranks” from his battalion killed that day. David was born in 1888 in Bridge of Weir, the second of three surviving children of David Cummings, a tanyard labourer originally from Ireland, and Magdalen Blair. In 1911 the family was living in the Mimosas and David junior (23) was a commercial traveller in cotton yarns. David senior was now a tanner, and a deacon in Freeland Church. By 1915 young David had emigrated to Canada where, like many fellow expatriates, he volunteered for the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force and on 29 March 1916 returned to Britain to provide reinforcements to Canadian fighting battalions. The trench he fought and died for was taken later that month by which time it had been bombed into “a mere depression in the chalk”. Four weeks later the weather had deteriorated and heavy rain had turned the Somme battlegrounds into thick, clinging, chalky mud with flooded shell-holes. But the Battle continued. About 8 miles to the South-East of Regina Trench, the 5th Cameronians were tasked with an unnervingly challenging objective – to take Hazy Trench at 5.45am on 29 October when the enemy was still at “stand-to” (ie all ranks assembled in the trenches alert for any enemy dawn attacks). The element of surprise was to dispense with any artillery barrage before the attack. Predictably, it was a disaster. “D” Company went over the parapet and were machine-gunned. Three reserve sections were sent over, with similar results. The whole attack was over in two minutes with 27 men left dead or dying, including James Brooks from Bridge of Weir. James was born in 1896 one of a family of 11 (with two sets of twins) born to William Brooks, a shoemaker from Northern Ireland and Mary McKay. The family were doing well, and by 1911 had upgraded to a 3-roomed flat in Windsor Place. James enlisted in Edinburgh with the 9th Royal Scots, and was later promoted to Lance Corporal, attached to 5th Cameronians. He served in France from 12 December 1915 and saw action at Bethune and High Wood. But James’s burial ground, like 65,000 others between July and November 1916, was not in a cemetery but somewhere in the muddy quagmire of the Somme battlefield.

Read more about David and James’s life and untimely death at http://www. bridgeofweirmemorial.co.uk and in the book “Supreme Sacrifice: A Small Village and the Great War” published by Birlinn available from themastertons@btinternet.com for £9.99 delivered free within five miles of Bridge of Weir. Gordon Masterton

22/09/2016 13:01:30

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Bridge of Weir Primary Last month saw a new intake of very well dressed and excited P1 children and after a summer of mediocre weather the sun was out to celebrate the return of school session 2016 / 2017. It was a busy start with P4 already completing the first trip of the year to Vikingar in Largs. Here the children experienced the temporary Viking village where they got an insight into the Vikings’ daily lives – to see how they dressed, worked and ate. The boys in particular loved watching the food being cooked over the open fire and of course how to handle the weapons. The Ancient Egyptians will be the topic for P3 this year and class teacher Mrs Simpson confirmed that the children can look forward to studying maps, learning about farming techniques and finding out where the Egyptians lived as well as tasting some of the cuisine! P3/2 started the year on a high with an Olympic mini topic. After Team GB’s success in Rio during the summer the class were very enthused and loved competing and performing. A quiz completed the topic. The school is proud to announce that they have won the FairAchiever Award from the Fairtrade Foundation, an amazing accolade championed by P4 teacher Mrs Murnane. This was achieved by the school being involved in the community such as the choir performing at local Fairtrade events and a Fairtrade stall in the school selling chocolate and groceries. The children also enjoy playing with the Fairtrade football. It is safe to say that there are many topics being started and open days and educational trips being organised that all parents and guardians will be informed of in due course.

Kilbarchan Community Nursery

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Gryffe High School Practical Cake Craft learns some new Icing Skills The S5/6 Practical Cake Craft class enjoyed a visit from Mrs Aileen Shaw who put their modelling skills to the test as they worked with sugarpaste. They made a range of very colourful animal models, including elephants and cats.

EVERY

MONDAY

Lochwinnoch Baby & Toddlers McKillop Hall, 9.30am - 11.30am

£2/family fee incl tea & children’s snacks.

Kilmacolm Playgroup

St Columba Church Hall, Kilmacolm, 9.30am - 11.40am

Howwood Baby & Toddler Group

Howwood Parish Church, 10am - 12noon

Kilbarchan Parish Church Tots’ Club East Church Hall, 9.15am - 11.30am

EVERY TUESDAY

Bridge of Weir Toddlers

Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Cres, BoW

Pop along and see us from 9.30 - 11.30am

Baby Social

Three Sisters Bake, Quarriers Vill. 11 am Meet mums, drink coffee, eat cake.

Kilmacolm Playgroup

St Columba Church Hall, Kilmacolm, 9.30am - 11.40am

Howwood Playgroup

Howwood Church Hall, 9.45am - 11.35am

45th Scouts (Quarriers) The rain held oﬀ for the weekend as the 45th Greenock and District held their group camp at Auchenfoyle Camp. Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers enjoyed lots of activities including hiking, orienteering, cooking s’mores on a campﬁre.

EVERY

WEDNESDAY

Kilmacolm Toddlers

St Columba Church Hall, Kilmacolm, 10am - 11.30am For children from birth to 3 years.

Lochwinnoch Baby & Toddlers McKillop Hall. 9.30am - 11.30am

£2/family fee incl tea and children’s snacks.

Howwood Playgroup

Howwood Church Hall 9.45am - 11.35am

EVERY THURSDAY

Houston Toddlers

Church Hall, Main Street, Houston

The children, new and returning have all settled well into nursery routines. This term we are learning about Pets. They have been busy drawing pictures and bringing photographs of their pets as well as visiting the Primary school rabbit and have turned the role play area into a pet shop and vets. A group of children were also lucky enough to have a visit to the vet in Kilbarchan where they got the chance to listen to the dog’s heartbeat and brush his coat. Earlier in the month the children enjoyed a visit from Wilma and William from the Eco drama ‘The worm’. The children learned about how to reduce food waste and how worms help to grow and produce soil for planting.

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The weekend camp ended on a high with a boat race of vessels created from recycling material. In the closing ceremony, Scouts Andrew McColl and Will Flemming being presented with their Chief Scout Gold Awards.

Langbank Playgroup We have some new faces and new activities/ experiences for the children to experiment with. At Langbank playgroup, children have the opportunity to develop their social skills, independence, creativity, numeracy, literacy skills and many many more….. The children are offered a variety of experiences and this term we have already had a visit from “Skoobmobile” where the children boarded the adapted bus for story telling and fun activities. We have a close relationship with the local Primary school which provides a smooth transition in their pre-school year when moving into Primary 1. To support this, we already have our first activity planned where playgroup children are offered the opportunity to work alongside Primary 1-3 in an exploratory underground adventure….. All about worms! Do you have a child aged between 2.5yrs to 5yrs old? Are you looking for a fun, friendly and welcoming place to go on a Friday morning? Then why not come along and join us!

Pop along and see us from 9.30 - 11.30am

Kilmacolm Playgroup

St Columba Church Hall, Kilmacolm, 9.15am - 11.40am

Howwood Playgroup

Howwood Church Hall 9.45am - 11.35am

EVERY

FRIDAY

Langbank Playgroup

Langbank Village Hall 9.45 - 11.45am For 2.5 - 5yr olds. Contact Jen Burrows 07947 983025.

Langbank Under 3’s

Church Hall, Langbank 10am - 11.45am For children from birth to 3 years

1ST & 3RD FRIDAY

Renfrewshire Inverclyde Twins Club McKillop Hall, Lochwinnoch 10am - 11.30am

£3. Bring a mug along for a cuppa.

22/09/2016 16:43:01

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I am delighted to launch Little Studio Kilmacolm, offering both studio and on-location photography. I live and work in Kilmacolm where I have my purpose built studio which provides a flexible and relaxed environment to accommodate my client’s busy lives. I like my photo-sessions to be as relaxed as possible which allows kids and parents to be themselves and capture their unique personalities. Whilst I have been running the studio part-time for 4 years, I have recently graduated with a BA in Photography and can now dedicate myself to offering a wide range of family, maternity, newborn, pet and wedding photography. Please check out Little Studio Kilmacolm at www.littlestudiokilmacolm.co.uk I have recently launched my Christmas packages with a specially designed and elegantly festive set, which is ideal for young children and babies over 5 months. If you have older children, we have some cool and fun winter inspired themes which would get everyone in the festive mood! Get a head start on your Christmas shopping with beautiful images of your children to give as gifts – perfect for family presents or unique Christmas cards. Packages start from £25. I look forward being able to welcome you to Little Studio in the future.

Lauren Russell

october 2016

57 57

St Fillan’s Primary The Primary 1 children at St Fillan’s have settled in well to the new routines of school. Their P7 buddies have been very caring and helpful to them allowing all of them to experience success. We had a very colourful day early in September when all our pupils came to school wearing their house colours of blue, yellow, green or red. This helped to give everyone a sense of belonging in their house and motivated them to work together as a team. Primary 1 have been learning to count to 10 and have started to write some sounds. Primary 2 have been studying the seaside and will be making a trip to Greenock Cut Visitor Centre where they will take part in pond dipping and looking for minibeasts. Primary 3/4 are learning about the rainforest while P4/5 and P5/6 have been studying the work of some famous artists and P6/7 are learning about China. To celebrate our love of reading, our media team organised a pyjama day and bring a book to share.

Kilmacolm Primary School We have been very busy over the last few weeks with two major events taking place in school. To continue our links with our partner school, Phinda Primary in Malawi, we held a day of celebration where the boys and girls learned all about Malawi and the life of the boys and girls who attend Phinda Primary. We enjoyed visits from John McIndoe and Billy Paul, who are ambassadors for Malawi from the Inverclyde Malawi Partnership, and who have visited and kept in touch with our partner school and others, across Inverclyde. John & Billy visited our classrooms to show video clips of their experiences in Malawi and to pass on the best wishes of Phinda primary, who sent us a lovely message. Our celebration ended with a whole school assembly where we; showcased our learning, sang a song from Malawi, were entertained by Billy playing his guitar and finally we sent our message of best wishes, which we hope John & Billy will take back to Phinda for us. Our boys and girls also kindly collected items to fill backpacks to send to Malawi through the Mary’s Meals project September 13th would have been Roald Dahl’s 100th birthday and to celebrate we held a Roald Dahl’s Dahliscious Day, full of phizz-whizzing fun, whoopssplunkers language, revolting rhymes, and jumpsquiffling and gloriumptious food. We gathered together to perform our ‘Juicy’ dance moves, which we had all been learning, and show off our splendiferous costumes. A delumptious day was had by all.

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22/09/2016 16:43:06

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Gryffe High Media Team

Kilmacolm Playgroup & Toddlers

The Gryﬀe Media Team travelled to Livingston to the amazing Sky Academy Skills Studio. The 16 pupils had a fabulous afternoon making a news report on ‘Rubbish and the Impact on the Environment’. The pupils made use of 3 ‘state of the art’ Studios and loved using high quality television cameras, auto cues and a full video editing suite. Some of them, who chose to be presenters, took their pick of the costumes available – even choosing some jewellery to add to the authenticity. With the pressure of the countdown clock on them, they had 1 hour to produce the entire video. They quickly learned the value of teamwork. The clips from the 3 studios were pieced together and after a tour of the Sky call centre, the team moved back to the plush theatre. All they had to do now was sit back, relax and watch their afternoons work on the big screen. The pupils were also presented with a USB wristband, loaded up with their ﬁlm. They did very well and had a most enjoyable afternoon.

Join us in your scariest fancy dress at our Under-5s Halloween Party to celebrate in spooky style, with music, games, crafts, lunch for the children - and a prize for the best carved or decorated pumpkin! Friday 28th October in the Upper Hall at St. Columba’s Church. Doors open at 11.30am, with games starting at 12.00. Until 2pm. Tickets cost £5 for one child, plus an extra £2 for each additional sibling. Contact victoria.ﬁnnigan@hotmail. com to reserve a place. Playgroup is in full swing and here we are enjoying snack, which is usually a very sociable and enjoyable event. It’s fun to sit down with friends and discuss what we have to eat and drink, and the talk usually turns to our favourite foods; usually sausages and ice-cream but hopefully not together! At snack, we also practice our hand hygiene skills by having a good wash, then show some independence and dexterity by picking up what we want, not forgetting the very important skill of tidying-up afterwards. Many thanks to our Playgroup families for continuing to provide our healthy snack - we welcome the variety. Milk and water are always provided to drink at snack and during the morning. We welcome visits at any time so please pop in any Monday, Tuesday or Thursday morning in term-time to see what goes on. For more information on Playgroup or our Wednesday morning Toddlers group, see our website: http://kilmacolmplaygroupandtoddlers.jimdo.com, or email kilmacolmplaygroupandtoddlers@gmail.com for Playgroup, or kilmacolmtoddlers@outlook.com for Toddlers.

Houston Primary School This month the nursery pupils are raising funds by going on a sponsored animal themed treasure trail on Wednesday 21st September. The following week keeping with the animal theme, Zoolab will be visiting with lots of interesting creatures. The children want to learn about unusual pets and how to care for them. Primary 1 have settled in well this month and have been learning about numbers, letter sounds, letter names and have been doing lots and lots of writing! ‘P’ for Pirates and ‘t’ for the tiger who came to tea have been the favourites. They have also received tennis coaching from Graham of Strathgryffe Tennis Club and have been working on throwing, catching, stopping and starting. Primary 2 have been learning about animals that live in the local woodlands and are making their own giant floor book to share their learning journey. They had an interesting visit from Hayley of Clyde Muirshiel Country Park, who brought in real skeletons to examine. Primary 3 are off to a great start by participating in the daily mile and have also been working on their dribbling skills at P.E. They have started their topic on Joseph and are learning about his magical coat of many colours. Primary 4 have been learning about vandalism in Houston village. They went on a walk and were disappointed by the amount of graffiti that they found. Primary 5 have been learning about charities. Ewan Robertson and Charlie Cunningham were so inspired that they decided to sell cakes to their neighbours and raised money for Macmillan Cancer Research. Primary 6 are delighted to have Mr. Milligan as their gym specialist this year. The children have started training for the Linwood Road Race and they hope to be as successful as last year’s pupils. Primary 7 have been learning about Hindu weddings and were delighted to have Mrs Prashant as a special visitor, who shared her knowledge and showed them how to put on a sari. She kindly donated a sari to the school for the children to practice with. The Eco Committee have started work and received a delivery of two tonnes of sand for Houston beach. The Rag Bag appeal was very successful and we thank all those who donated their old clothes. Another big thank you goes to Mr McAllister who managed to get more tyres to help the Primary 1 and 2 pupils with their outdoor number work. A very busy first few weeks!

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Kilmacolm Nursery Class The staff and children at KPS nursery class would like to give a huge thank you to SGN for not only providing man power but also lots of resources in order to help us develop our nursery garden. The nursery garden required a refurb in order for the children to fully access it on a daily basis. Like everything, finance and manpower were going to be a problem. That’s when SGN stepped in. They wanted to give something back to the local community. SGN met with nursery staff and children in order to assess what we required. It was decided that a tidy up of the garden which included jet washing the concrete areas. Painting and repairing of the fence and shed, including re felting the roof of the shed. SGN also purchased planted flowers for all our flower boxes .The workers spent several days in the garden and the final outcome was fantastic. The nursery would not have had funds to cover the cost of all the work so we were delighted that SGN provided this.

Duchal Nursery School We are delighted that our new extended hours have been received so enthusiastically by both parents and children. Afternoon Club has got off to a great start, we have been looking at Julia Donaldson’s books including The Gruffalo, Room on The Broom, Tiddler and Zog . The children have had fun doing some artwork around these stories and there are still lots to read and enjoy! We have also been taking advantage of dry afternoons to make the most of our outdoor area and get some fresh air and exercise - so let’s hope for an Indian Summer to prolong these opportunities. The morning sessions are the core hours for nursery, we are learning our colours through fun activities, and have created our own green dragons with bubble wrap painting! Our Active Starts are great fun which we do each week getting the children moving first thing. Our wonderful French teacher has introduced our younger children to the wonders of another language and country, we are so lucky to have a specialist French teacher! Our Open Morning is being held at the nursery on Saturday 1st October from 10am – 12noon – anyone with pre school children is welcome to look round the nursery and meet current parents and the teachers. It is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in Duchal to visit the nursery and see the wonderful facilities and opportunities that we offer. We are always happy for prospective parents to come and visit the Nursery at any time so please contact Head Teacher Jean McCarthy on: Tel. 874358 to arrange a convenient date. Also visit our website at: www.duchal. com and our facebook page to keep up to date with all the latest news.

22/09/2016 16:43:10

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october 2016

OPEN WEEK

Creative Communities – Story Detectives

Visit us during our Open Week from 31st October to 4th November to see our Early Years, Junior and Senior Schools at work and play. We provide an all-through education with a wide range of opportunities for your child and offer wrap-around care from age 3. Our success is evident not only in the excellent academic results achieved, but also in the polite, articulate and quietly self-assured young people that you will meet in our classrooms, at an international debate, or on a rugby field. We pride ourselves in creating an environment that allows us to identify and nurture the unique talents and skills of each student, and encourage each one of them to realise their full potential. We also offer a wide range of Advanced Higher subjects to those who wish to join us for their sixth year, and are happy to discuss your options with you.

Story Detectives is a free creative writing club for children in J5 – S3. There are two classes, one for J5 – Transitus (P7), and for S1 – S3. It’s open to all children who live locally. We have an exciting programme lined up, including short story writing, writing for comics, screen writing (TV and ﬁlm), and creating super heroes and villains. The club runs every Thursday from 22nd September to 1st December 2016 and 12th January to 2nd February, and 2nd March – 30th March 2017; 4pm – 5.15pm in the Kilmacolm New Community Centre. To register your child for this unique opportunity, please email Victoria Finnigan at Vﬁnnigan@st-columbas.org.

To book an appointment for Junior School please call 01505 872768 or 01505 872238 for Senior School and visit st-columbas.org to ﬁnd out more about us. We would love to show you what we can oﬀer your child.

Pupils excel at Highers This year’s SQA results proved very successful overall and we are delighted that five St Columba’s pupils achieved five A band 1s at Higher. A further 16 pupils achieved five As; taken together this represents more than one third of the year group. The Rector is very pleased that St Columba’s pupils achieved 65% of Higher results at grade A, which is the third highest in the School’s history.

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WoSPEG Competition Three pupils represented the School in the annual West of Scotland Physics Education Group (WoSPEG) competition and spent an evening at the University of the West of Scotland, where they conducted a series of fun experiments in the University lab before being quizzed on their Physics knowledge. We are delighted that after a turbocharged round on the buzzers, the impressive trio’s answers secured them a place in the semi-ﬁnals. We now wish them all the very best for the next stage in the competition, which will be held at Glasgow Caledonian University on the 5th of October.

Defibrillators We are pleased to announce that we now have two defibrillators on our premises, one at Junior School and one at Senior School reception. Defibrillators are used to restore the heart rhythm if a person goes into cardiac arrest and reception staff have been trained in their use, however the defibrillators also actively guide users through the procedure. In case of a medical emergency the School’s defibrillators will be available to anyone in the School’s vicinity, and we would encourage everyone to spread the word in the wider community. We are very grateful to the Parents’ Association who generously supported the purchase of this lifesaving equipment.

To ﬁnd out more about St Columba’s School please visit www.stcolumbas.org

22/09/2016 16:43:13

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The sailing club recently had a very good weekend away at Dumfries and Kippford. With some good results for the club. On Saturday 2 September we took part in what has now become part of the club’s calendar - the “Nith Raid” - this is sailing from Carsethorn up the River Nith to Dumfries to arrive at a festival celebrating the history of Dumfries. On the past 2 occasions when we have taken part (and won on the second visit) Castle Semple Sailing Club has made up the majority of the ﬂeet but word had spread and there were 17 boats taking part giving us some good competition. The Nith Raid is known as the dangerous dinghy race as it involves being given some “cargo” eg sugar or oranges and negotiating your way up the river avoiding the sandbanks and as you enter Dumfries to either capsize or de-mast your boat to sail under 3 bridges. The race starts from the Steam Boat Inn (excellent pub!) at Carsethorn with a Le Mans shotgun style start on the beach with competitors racing around 500 metres along the beach to their boats to navigate their way to Dumfries. Upon arrival you must then deliver your “cargo” to the Salty Cow. A great time was had despite some damp weather. The CSSC managed to have its 5 boats in the top 12 which was excellent. On the Sunday we took part in the Palanackie pursuit race, racing from Kippford to Palanackie and back. In contrast to the previous day it was a glorious summer’s day starting with very little wind but by the time we returned to Kippford a good steady breeze had build to end the weekend on a high! 23 boats took part in this race and again we ﬁnished in the top 12 giving a good result for the club. Already plans are afoot to return next year! See website for further info: castlesemplesc.co.uk

Linwood Parkrun Parkrun is a free to enter timed 5k run that happens 9:30 am every Saturday morning at Linwood ON-X. All ages and abilities are welcome to join in. For further details please see www.parkrun. org.uk/linwood, or simply come on down to join in any Saturday. The course through Linwood Moss was ideal, weather ideal and wind virtually zero. Many parkrunners came with their “Personal Best” shoes - from the 100 runners, 41 achieved PBs on the day. Among our 25 first-time runners and visitors, there was a special visitor today, G-Man, the mascot from Glasgow Airport Flightpath Fund. G Man and his colleagues were instrumental in contributing to help setup Linwood parkrun, and came along to see the progress and receive thanks from all who run at Linwood. Photographs from the run show the excellent route and the enjoyment of the parkrunners. Happiest parkrunner seemed to be Isla Hill who is clearly enjoying whizzing around the course with her Dad, Steven doing all the work. At the front end of the run, Ewan McKerral from Kilbarchan AAC, was first over the line in 16:57 - first time in 2 appearances. For the women, Jennifer Rooney of Kilbarchan AAC, was first over the line in 19:15.

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New General Manager for the Club Kilmacolm Golf Club is pleased to announce the appointment of their new General Manager, David Muir. David joined the Club on August 1st and will be managing the day to day activities of the Club. David has a long history of working within the golf industry and started as a teaching professional at Dumbarton before moving on to be the Head Professional at Milngavie Golf Club. From there David took on the role of General Manager at Bearsden Golf Club and was working there until his recent appointment at Kilmacolm Golf Club. David is currently working through the Management Development Programme with Scottish Golf and brings that experience to Kilmacolm. Customer service is David’s passion and plans are in place to drive the Membership experience here at the Club. We have already seen the impact that David is having at the Club and we are already excitedly looking forward to the new golfing season in 2017 when we will be bringing many new initiatives, benefits and offers for Members, guests and visitors alike! It is an exciting time to be a Member at Kilmacolm and David would be more than happy to hear from anyone that is considering joining Kilmacolm this year or in the near future.

Ladies Tri-am - 4th September 2016 On a sunny Sunday, the ladies tri-am was played & won by Lynda Bradley, Pat Briggs & Irene Hicks with a wonderful score of net 59. 24 ladies enjoyed the day. The prizes were donated & presented by Elspeth Hamilton, with Lady Captain Susan Reid presenting the Tri-am Shield; a trophy given by Elspeth’s family many years ago. A very happy day for all.

Freedman Trophy Sunday 4th September In a thrilling match, Jack Currie (Greenock GC) beat Stuart Percy (Caldwell GC) 2 & 1 in the Renfrewshire Junior Matchplay Finals. A thrilling demonstration of golf, with Jack accumulating five birdies during his round, closely matched by Stuart who had three birdies and one eagle. The Trophy was presented by Gillean Freedman and his sister Alison Murray. Gil just happened to be on a visit from Canada coinciding with the rescheduled date for the Trophy. It’s the first time Gil has seen the Trophy since it was donated in 1979, won that first year by a young Stephen McAllister. Gil was the Kilmacolm Club Champion in 1973, when the event was based on the aggregate gross scores of two rounds on the same day. Gill recalled that he won by a margin of two clear shots and a hole in one at the twelfth in the afternoon round certainly contributed to that winning margin.

22/09/2016 16:43:18

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EVERY

MONDAY

Adult Jazz Class

Bridge of Weir 10am Tel: 01505 690757 for further information.

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october 2016

Inverclyde Leisure hosted their annual Kilmacolm Running Festival at Birkmyre Park Fitness Gym in Kilmacolm on Sunday 11th of September. We had over 500 participants in the 3k, 10k and Half Marathon events and over 100 more friends and family in the Park to oﬀer their support and enjoy the atmosphere. We were fortunate to have the weather on our side and it stayed dry for the duration of the event. The scenic route takes the runners through the beautiful countryside from Birkmyre Park, along the roads of Kilmacolm and onto the cycle path towards Bridge of Weir and back.

Adult Beginners Ballet Class

The Kilmacolm Running Festival commenced with the Toddlewoddle at 9am for a walk around Birkmyre Park led by IL’s Louise Stewart.

Tel: 01505 690757 for further information.

Kilbarchan Athletic Club

The 3k race for Juniors and Adults started at 9.15am and the 1st boy to ﬁnish was Ryan Gray of Inverclyde AC in a time of 09:42. The 1st girl was Leona Murray of Kilbarchan AAC in a time of 11:05.

All abilities welcome. Tel: 07941 686990.

The Half Marathon began at 10am and the Male winner was Matthew Sullivan who ﬁnished the course in 1:13:48. The female winner in the Half Marathon was Judith Grieve with a time of 1:37:06.

Bridge of Weir 11.30am On-X, Linwood, 7pm

5-a-side Football

Powerleague Paisley, 6pm Tel: Jim on 01505 874215; or jimbretherton@aol.com

Bridge of Weir Ladies Badminton Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Cres, 7.30pm

Callanetics

Brookfield Village Hall, 7.15pm

Strathgryffe Motorcycle Club

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

The Shotokan Karate Club

Woodlands Primary, Linwood, 7-8pm/8-9pm

The 10k was the final race to start at 10.30am and the Male winner was Chris Mooney of Greenock Glenpark Harriers coming home in 35:17. The Female winner of the 10k was Ruth Fraser-Moodie who completed the distance in 39:36 minutes. Inverclyde Leisure would like to congratulate all of the participants on their efforts and thank all who turned up on the day for making such a fun, friendly atmosphere. There was music playing in the Park, a BBQ supplied by Nardini’s Café and Sports Massage available before and after the races. A massive thank you to all the volunteers who helped with Registration and Marshalling duties, the event couldn’t go ahead without them and they offered plenty of encouragement to the runners as well. The staff at Birkmyre Park Fitness Gym put in a lot of hard work, time and effort (off shift) to prepare for the event and help make it a success.

www.linwoodkarate.co.uk

Inverclyde Leisure would also like to thank our sponsors Unico, Kingsley Wood & Co, Lucozade, Lidl and Good2Run.

Bridge of Weir Walking Group

Strathgryffe Tennis Championship Finals

EVERY TUESDAY Outside the Co-op, BoW 10.30am

1 hour walks. Call Senga on 0141 842 3000.

Gryffe Badminton

Strathgryffe Tennis Club, 8pm

Football Training

Johnstone High School, 6pm - 9pm Call Ali on 07775 578795 for details.

EVERY

WEDNESDAY

Greenock Hockey Club Inverclyde Academy, Greenock, 6.30 - 8pm Contact Liz Baldwin, mobile 07944 607005.

Callanetics

Brookfield Village Hall 5.15, 6.15 & 7.30pm

EVERY THURSDAY

Kilbarchan Athletic Club On-X, Linwood, 7pm

All abilities welcome. Tel: 07941 686990.

Kilmacolm Walkers

Birkmyre Park Pavilion, Kilmacolm, 10am David 01505 874192 kilmacolmwalkers@talktalk.net

Callanetics

Brookfield Village Hall, 9.15am & 10.30am

The Shotokan Karate Club Woodlands Primary. Linwood, 7pm - 8pm & 8pm - 9pm www.linwoodkarate.co.uk

Football Training

Johnstone High School, 6pm - 9pm Call Ali on 07775 578795 for details

EVERY

FRIDAY

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Thankfully the sun shone at Strathgryffe on Saturday 10th September to allow over 20 Club Championship Finals to take place on the outdoor courts. Members, families and friends who came down to the club to support enjoyed a fine display of tennis which went on well into the evening. The Open Singles finals were a repeat of last year with Lee Wishart beating his brother Robbie in the Gents Singles and in the Ladies Singles Anna Daisley beat Katherine McPhie. Lee went on to take all three Open titles by winning the Gents Doubles with Robbie, defeating James Reid & Gary White, and also, the Mixed Doubles with Katherine. Katherine and Anna took two titles each as they partnered each other in the Ladies Doubles and defeated Claire De Lange & Karen McArdle. The Open, Vets & Handicap trophies will be presented on Friday 21st October at the Club Dinner. The mini & junior winners and runners up were presented with their trophies on the day. For more information on tennis, squash or fitness please visit www.strathgryffe. net

USWCA Tour of Scotland 2016 Twenty ladies from the United States will touch down in Scotland on 5th November for a 20 day Curling Tour of Scotland, one of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club’s friendship tours. They will be playing against local teams at Greenacres Curling Rink on 7th November at 3.30pm. If you would like to see an International friendly match, you are welcome to come along to Greenacres Curling Rink, Bowﬁeld Road, Howwood Renfrewshire A9 1DA from 3.30pm until 6pm. They will play 8 ends of curling and there is no charge for spectators.

Callanetics

Brookfield Village Hall, 9.15am & 10.30am

18 Movement (Tai Chi) Chi Kung

St Fillans Church Hall, Moss Rd, Kilmacolm 10.15am - 11.15am Gentle, relaxing exercise class. 0141 954 2456.

EVERY

SATURDAY

Adult Tap Lessons

Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm. Lunchtime. Call Gail Ashley on 01475 531336 for details

EVERY

SUNDAY

Birkmyre Rugby Club, Kilmacolm Youth Rugby Section 11am - 1pm www.pitchero.com/clubs/birkmyre

56-63 SCHOOLS-SPORTS_265_OCTOBER16.ind.indd 61

22/09/2016 16:43:21

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Top Curling Action Sweeps Intu Howwood Curling Club Braehead Come & Try on 5th October Renfrewshire will once again play to a host to a major event with elite-level curling sweeping into the intu Braehead Arena from 19-26 November. Normally home to ice hockey heroes Braehead Clan, the arena will host what will be one of the biggest sporting events in Scotland this year. Renfrewshire Council is supporting the event, the Le Gruyère European Curling Championships, which forms part of EventScotland’s International Events Programme and UK Sport’s Major Event Programme and is also supported by Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and The Royal Caledonian Curling Club. The event will crown the European Champions in curling for both men and women and determine qualification for the World Curling Championships in 2017, forming the pathway to Olympic qualification and the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Scotland’s representatives for the 2016 championships will be decided in October when its elite curlers including former European Champions and Olympic medallists Eve Muirhead and David Murdoch will battle it out for the right to be named in Team Scotland. Tickets start from £10 per session and are available from Ticketmaster or the intu Braehead Arena Box Office.

The new curling season is about to start and Howwood Curling Club are looking for new members to join our friendly curling club which meets at Greenacres, near Howwood. It is a great way to keep ﬁt through the winter months and socialise with people in a friendly atmosphere. Current club members come from Renfrewshire, Glasgow and North Ayrshire. We have organised a Come & Try session at our opening Bonspiel, which takes place on Wednesday 5th October at 7:30pm at Greenacres. Anyone who is interested is welcome to come along and try out curling. No experience is necessary. Everyone is welcome, whatever your age or ability. We will provide a qualiﬁed coach to give you the tuition you need to try out curling. You will also meet with our club members and get to play. All the equipment you need will be provided. The cost on the night for ice fees is £6. Free refreshments for newcomers will be provided by the club. Follow up coaching sessions will then be organised for those who are interested in taking up curling and joining our club. Please contact Lachie Carmichael (see below) if you wish to attend. Even if you cannot attend on this night but are still interested in curling, please get in touch. We can organise other sessions. Contact: E: lachiedcarmichael@hotmail.com T: 01294 823643

Ranfurly Castle Ladies We are nearing the end of the golfing season and many of the competition finals have now been played. Sunday 21st August saw the Lady Captain’s team take on the Captain’s team for the Haldane Cup. As usual, the matches were played in a very friendly atmosphere but, despite the generous putts given to the ladies, the gentlemen were the winners! Everyone enjoyed an excellent lunch after the event. The Championship finals were played on 28th August with a very good crowd out supporting the game between Denise Cowan and Lesley Robertson. It was perfect weather conditions for golf, with not a breath of wind, and a very keenly fought match took place. Lesley was the eventual winner 3 and 2 and is now the new Ladies Club Champion. She is no stranger to the limelight having won the trophy on 7 previous occasions! The winner of the Bronze Championship is Eleanor Cannon and in the Warpleston Trophy Jan and Stuart Macnab defeated Marion and Stuart Munro. 24 ladies enjoyed a lovely day of golf at Prestwick St. Nicholas course in Ayrshire on 31st August. Despite the conditions being very windy, everyone had fun on the day and not too many balls were lost! The final silverware of the season, the Mitchell Trophy, was played for on 14th September with the winner being Pamela MacKenzie with a score of net 73 and Runner-up Mary Craig with a score of net 75.

Ranfurly Castle Golf Club Finals Day at the Castle is the culmination of the main knock-out competitions of the summer, with the winners as follows: Gents Club Championship Final: Winner Stephen Thomson Runner-up Paul Davis Ladies Club Championship Final: Winner Lesley Robertson Runner-up Denise Cowan Junior Final: Winner Angus Frood - Runner-up Jonathan Devine Seniors Final: Winner Peter Dickie - Runner-up James Andrew Ranfurly Quaich Gents Singles: Winner John Robertson Runner-up Ian Crawford Holms Plate Winner: David Stewart 70 (BIH) Runner-up Hunter Paterson 70 Worplesdon Mixed Foursomes: Winners Jan & Stuart Macnab Runners-up Marion & Stuart Munro

Stephen Thomson being presented with Gents Championship trophy by captain Paul Morrell

Lesley Robertson being presented with Ladies Championship trophy by captain Joy McLeod

Kilmacolm Scout Group Beavers, Cubs and Scouts from Kilmacolm Scout Group, and Birkmyre Explorers thoroughly enjoyed a September weekend in sunshine at Lapwing Lodge exploring the diﬀerent “worlds” of pioneering, sky (high ropes), survival, science, cooking and entertainment. There were many highlights but Malcolm D (cub) captured what it was all about: “my favourite bit of camp was when people who felt scared to try the high ropes decided to give it a go and succeeded!” Thanks go to all the young people, leaders, parent helpers and staﬀ/volunteers at Lapwing.

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Angus Frood, winner of the Junior Championship and Peter Dickie being presented with Senior Championship trophy by captain Paul Morrell

22/09/2016 16:43:25

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october 2016

It’s time to Try Curling

Gavin Makes History Again

The new curling season is here and Kilmacolm Curling Club are oﬀering you the opportunity to get involved in the sport with introductory Try Curling taster sessions and beginner classes.

Lochwinnoch’s Gavin Horsburgh makes history for the second time after becoming World Champion again.

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Kilmacolm Curling Club curl at Greenacres Ice Rink in Howwood and The Waterfront Ice rink in Greenock. All equipment is supplied but once you have started most players acquire their own shoes and curling brush. If you’ve watched Scotland’s top curlers on television at the Scottish Championships or the Winter Olympic Games and want to experience curling yourself now is the time to take to the ice and try your hand at delivering a stone and sweeping! If you want to know more about curling go the RCCC (The Royal Caledonian Curling Club - the National Governing Body for Curling in Scotland) Website. [link: www.royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org ] Try Curling sessions provide a great taster to the sport with an introduction to the basics and how the game is played and if you’re looking for something a bit more in depth Greenacres Ice Rink in Howwood offers regular coaching sessions for players of all abilities from beginner to expert to get you started or improve your technique. [link: www.curl-greenacres.com ] Try Curling sessions are delivered by RCCC qualified coaches. Beginner Class Sessions are scheduled for Saturday 1st October @ 9:45 & 12:00, Sunday 2nd October @ 12:00 at Braehead Curling. Visit www.trycurling.com to find a session near you. New players can book a session by looking at the Try Curling site and popping in their Post Code. Alternatively, contact Stuart Naismith, Secretary Kilmacolm Curling Club: snaismith@stirlingmair.com

Sporting Blog Whey Protein

by Lesley Handley

Weight is so easy to put on and a lot harder to get back off. No matter what diet you are following protein will be included somewhere. High protein diets are quite popular – where you fill up on steaks, chicken, beef, turkey etc. There is a reasonable amount of research to back up the benefits of this but essentially, protein fills you up more than carbohydrates which can help to stop the urges to snack between meals. Some proteins are more effective than others as the body can absorb them more easily. One of these is whey protein – the body absorbs this quickly thus providing that fuller feeling. Whey protein is considered a complete protein and contains all 9 essential amino acids. If you have ever opened a yogurt to see liquid sitting on the top – this is actually a form of whey. Traditionally, whey protein was more commonly known to help body-builders increase muscle mass, however ongoing research has shown the benefits of taking a whey protein supplement in the general sense. It can aid weight loss, it can help lower cholesterol and it can promote increase muscle tone/mass along with other things. Sometimes, when you are looking to lose a bit of weight, a daily whey protein drink or smoothie may help you to feel fuller allowing you to stop snacking and begin to reduce your portion size. You don’t have to be an athlete or a competitor to take whey protein – general keep-fit individuals and gym goers can benefit from a whey protein smoothie in the morning to set them up for the day. One word of warning though, taking a whey protein supplement without having a calorie deficit could result in weight gain therefore it is essential to gain individual advice prior to introducing this change. (Please note, whey protein isn’t for everyone and can contain ingredients some people are allergic to, for further advice please speak to your doctor or trainer) Lesley For further information on Personal Training/Nutrition please contact me on 0773 627 4925 or e-mail Lesley@fitsmartfitness.co.uk

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Scotland’s Gavin Horsburgh has achieved the rare feat of winning back to back world titles after taking gold in the men’s lightweight quadruple scull at the Under 23 World Rowing Championships in Rotterdam today. A year ago Horsburgh (18), from Lochwinnoch, won a historic first ever gold for GB in the under 18s quad scull along with Glasgow’s Josh Armstrong. But since moving up age group this year to under 23 level few would have expected him to win gold again. Yet, in the lightweight quad Horsburgh and crewmates - England’s Hugo Coussens, Oliver Varley and University of Edinburgh’s Matthew Curtis Horsburgh won gold by a margin of 1.53 seconds over Germany, making history again as the first-ever men’s quadruple scull to win gold medal at U23 level. “To be part of another GB crew to make history is just amazing,” said Horsburgh,. one of a record nine Scots competing in this year’s World Championships. “Tunnel vision – that’s what we’ve been saying all week, focus on our own race, and thanks to the powerhouses in our boat we were able to push through.” The win shows that Horsburgh has adapted well to the higher training demands of moving up and age level. “The jump from junior to Under 23 is big, as I had been told by many people, and to make that jump and be in the team is something special to me,” he said before heading to Rotterdam this week. “It shows that all my hard work throughout the year has gone towards something.” Meanwhile, in the men’s four final, Aberdeen’s Lewis McCue came within four-tenths of a second of winning another gold moments later but had to settle for silver. Racing with James Johnston, Tom George and James Rudkin today, it was a second successive silver for McCue, who said: “It was a great race and we put everything out there, it just wasn’t quite enough. Austria were the better crew on the day, well done to them.” The increased number of Scots progressing to the GB level for this year’s World Championships reflects the investment targeted at the Under 23 age group. Scottish Rowing works in partnership with the sportscotland institute of sport on a high performance model that supports under 23 athletes to develop them for British Rowing’s senior programme. The institute currently supports nine rowing athletes. Horsburgh describes his last two months’ training camp with the British team as an ‘eat, sleep, row, repeat’ existence. But he’s revelling in the experience and has become a better athlete as a result. “Being on the GB training programme is really quite something. But I’ve stepped up to the mark and I’m challenging myself to see how much I’m able to push myself. It’s showing me that I can pass what I thought were old boundaries and exceed what I expect I can do.” This year’s World Championships marks the beginning of a new Olympic cycle and Horsburgh certainly has an eye on the future. “This is a key year for our Under 23s as we look towards the Tokyo Olympic cycle,” he said. “Our rowers have the chance to impress at the Championships and stake a claim to a step on the Olympic ladder for 2020.”

Table Tennis Houston Village Hall on Monday nights from 7.30pm - 9.30pm. All welcome. Donation £2. Contact Mark on 07968 052538.

22/09/2016 16:43:26

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MISCELLANEOUS

SITUATIONS VACANT

CHILDCARE Houston registered childminders. For an informal chat to ﬁnd your best childcare, call Elizabeth Waddell T: 614925

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22/09/2016 17:51:37

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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

Fri 14 October

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November ‘16 Issue: • Deadline: 14 Oct • Delivery: 28 Oct December ‘16 Issue: • Deadline: 11 Nov • Delivery: 25 Nov ROOM TO LET

october 2016

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churches

BRIDGE OF WEIR

Freeland Church: Rev KN Gray BA BD. Morning Service 10.30am. Crèche, Sunday School, Lynx and Cornerstone. Evening Service 7pm www.freeland.org.uk St Mary’s Church Scottish Episcopal Church: Services Sundays at 10am. For further information, to ask for special prayers, or in pastoral emergency, please call the Rector on 01475 705378. St Machar’s Ranfurly Church: Sunday services 10.30am, Junior Church & Youth Church, hearing aid loop system. For more information on activities and events find us online – stmacharsranfurlychurch.org.uk or Facebook. Come along – all welcome. Hope Hall: Sun 1pm Sunday School, 4.30pm Gospel Service; Mon 6.30pm Investigators for Kids, 8pm Bible Study and Prayer.

ELDERSLIE

Elderslie Kirk: 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 Wed from 10.30am for Tea/Coffee followed by a short Service of Worship at 11am.

HOUSTON

Houston and Killellan Kirk: Church of Scotland, Scottish Charity no SC 012822. www.houstonkirk. o r g . M i n i s te r Rev. D o n a l d Campbell B.D. Conducted by the Rev. Donald Campbell unless specified. 2nd Oct. 11am. 2pm & 6.45pm The Sacrament of Holy Communion. 9th Oct. 11:00 Morning Worship 16th Oct. 11:00 Morning Worship: The Sacrament of Baptism. 23rd Oct. 11:00 Morning Worship: The Sacrament of Baptism. 30th Oct. 09:45 Early Service: The Sacrament of Holy Communion 11:00 Morning Worship: The Sacrament of Baptism. Note:- We celebrate Holy Communion on the first Sunday of March and October. There are 3 services on each day 11am, 2.00pm and 6.45pm. A common cup is used for elders on duty and available to any members of the congregation who wish to use it. It is served in the front two rows of the church. Fortified wine is used in the common cup. The rest of the congregation are served bread and wine in individual glass thimble containers using non-alcoholic wine. We also celebrate Holy Communion at the early morning service on the first Sunday of each month at 9.45am. (Except July & August). The common cup is used filled with fortified wine.

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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. 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. All are welcome. 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. T: 01505 612046, F: 01505 610556. E: parish@ stfillan.org.uk. www.stfillan. org.uk Church of the Nazarene: Village Hall, Main St, Houston PA6 7EL. Rev Benito S Coetzee. Family services at 10.30am with full toddler, children & youth activities running concurrently with the service. Youth meets at 6.30pm - 8pm on Sundays. Word and Table Quiet Service held from 9am - 9.30am every 3rd Sunday. www.houston.nazarene. org.uk

HOWWOOD

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.

KILBARCHAN

Kilbarchan Parish Church: Services continue at 11am each Sunday throughout October, conducted by Rev. Stephen Smith. Sunday School and the creche meet in the large hall from 10.45am each week and refreshments will be served after the service as usual.

KILMACOLM

Kilmacolm Old Kirk: Church of Scotland (Charity no. SC009291). www.kilmacolmoldkirk.org.uk. Minister Rev Dr Peter McEnhill (01505 873174). Morning Worship – Sundays 11 am, all welcome Sunday School and Crèche available. Night Kirk, a short reflective service 1st Sunday each month at 6pm. Sòlas Bereavement Group, 2nd Thursday each month at 6:30 pm in Kidston Hall. St Columba Church of Scotland: (charity no SC007992) Morning Worship Sundays at 11am. St Colm’s Catholic Church, Smithy Brae Kilmacolm. Rev Vincent Byrne. Family mass Sundays 10am with children’s liturgy, followed by tea and coffee. Eucharistic service Thursdays 1 1 a m . R o s a r y Tu e s d a y s 6.30pm. Prayer group meets Thursdays 7.30pm. Further information and contact details www.stcolmsparish.co.uk. All welcome.

Grace Church Kilmacolm: in association with Downavale Free Church of Scotland (Charity No: SCO38274) - Sunday Service at 10.30am in Kilmacolm Guide Hut, Woodrow Avenue, PA13 4QF - all welcome. Buddhist meetings: Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. Phone Margaret on 01505 871343. St Fillan’s Episcopal Church (in Anglican Communion): Everyone welcome at our Church in Moss Road. The Rector is the Revd David Gifford and the Associate Priest the Revd Heller Gonzalez (resident in Kilmacolm Rectory). Regular Sunday Service 11.30am with monthly Evensong on last Sundays at 6pm. Family Service 11.30am on the last Sunday of the month. Contact Maureen Russell (Pastoral Assistant) 01505 872905.

LANGBANK

Langbank Parish Church: Rev Dr Ken Forrest. Sunday Services 10am with Sunday School, Crèche and young people’s group, the Welcomers. Tea/ coffee after the service. Church service starts at 10am. Come along and meet in the Hall f ro m 9 . 5 0 a m . C h a r i t y N o SC015085.

LOCHWINNOCH

Parish Church: Rev May Bell. 11.30am Morning Ser vice Sunday School and Crèche. Calder United Free Church: ( C h u rc h S t L o c h w i n n o c h ) Sunday: 11am Morning worship with Sunday School and Crèche. 6.30pm Evening Fellowship group, 7.30pm ABC’s Teen group. Wed 6.30pm - 7.30pm. Spiritualist Church, Lochlip Rd: All services commence 7.30pm.

QUARRIERS

Mount Zion Church: Rev. Andy Lunn BSc, (01475 791282) Mount Zion Church, Law View Road, Quarriers Village, PA11 3FD. Sunday Worship: 10:30am, Bible Study and Prayer Meetings: Wednesday at 7pm and Friday at 10 am. “Mozzy” Youth Club Thursdays at 6:30 for young people of high school age. Half night of prayer: 7pm – midnight, 4th Friday of each month. Feel free to come along at any of these times. ‘The Gatherin’ is at 7pm on the fourth Sunday of each month, at Mount Zion Church in Quarriers Village. The Gatherin’ for people to come together who hunger for more of the presence of the Lord and to be fed from His word. Please come and invite others: all welcome!

22/09/2016 17:51:49

the advertizer

t: 01505 613340

07731 923970

e: info@advertizer.co.uk

you can contact us @GryffeAds using #Advertizer

or by email info@advertizer.co.uk or phone 01505 613340

ITEMS FOR SALE BABY EQUIPMENT Chicco high chair (red & grey). Reclines 3 positions. Immaculate condition. Original packaging. £20. Tel: 07913 957426. Mama’s & Papa’s baby snug chair. Putty in colour. Immaculate condition. Original packaging. £20. Tel: 07913 957426. Phillips AVENT combined baby food steamer and blender with instructions and recipe booklet. Good condition. Smoke free, pet free home. £30. Tel: 01505 672175. Fisher Price rainforest jungle gym. Excellent condition with instructions. Smoke free, pet free home. £15. Tel: 01505 672175. Phillips AVENT microwave bottle steriliser. Excellent condition, with instructions. Smoke free, pet free home. £5. Tel: 01505 672175. BT baby monitor. Digital sound quality, 5 lullabies, parent unit. With instructions. Good condition. Smoke free, pet free home. £15. Tel: 01505 672175. Konfidence roll and go neoprene baby changing mat. Good condition. Smoke free, pet free home. £5. Tel: 01505 672175 Large rotating car backseat mirror for kids’ safety. Good condition. £4. Tel: 01505 672175. Mamas and Papas cream baby bath. Excellent condition. £6. Tel: 01505 672175. Babybjorn baby carrier in black. Suitable 8lbs to 26lbs. Excellent condition. Smoke free, pet free home. £25. Tel: 01505 672175. CLOTHES & SHOES Men’s full length Dannimac raincoat in grey. Removable lining. Size large. Good condition. £40. Tel: 01505 672175. Men’s waxed Barbour gilet in dark green. Size large. Good condition. £50. Tel: 01505 672175. Men’s M&S waxed casual coat in dark green. Size large. As new. £60. Tel: 01505 672175. Purple peplum-style maternity dress by Seraphine in size 14. £8. Tel: 01505 672175.

Blooming Marvellous maternity dress in navy blue and white. Size 12. £8. Tel: 01505 672175. JoJo Maman Bebe maternity tunic-style t-shirt dress in navy blue and white stripes. Size medium. £8. Tel: 01505 672175. JoJo Maman Bebe maternity t-shirt in white and navy blue stripes. £5. Tel: 01505 672175. New, unworn safety shoes, Dr. Martens FS57 Air-Wair, black leather, size 9, still in box. Cost £70 new - sell for £30. Tel: 01505 690247. HOUSEHOLD & GARDEN Recliner “leather” effect, manual, with footstool, new, cost £240, sell £135, could deliver. Tel: 07986 812483. New pine table and 2 new high back stools £40. Tel: 01505 612726. Large lounge mirror. Heavy gilt ornate bevelled edge. £30. Tel: 01505 612726. Four large curtains 48” x 102”, red / cream interlined - suit large or bay windows. Cost £1,000 - sell £100. Tel: 01505 613741. PC Home Work Station – Teakeffect. Castors for easy moving. Incorporates screen desk top, retracting key board shelf, PC shelf and printer shelf. Ideal for home study / student’s room. W 64cm, D 45cm, H 83cm. Photograph available. £35. Tel 01505 872674. Stag “Cherry” bedside cabinet. Two drawers and with retracting tea / coffee shelf. Very good condition. W 54cm, D 43 cm, H 52cm. Photograph available. £60. Tel 01505 872674. Yew Hall Console Table. Two Drawers - VGC. W 66cm, D 32cm, H 76cm. Photograph available. £60. Tel. 01505 872674. Nest of three tables (W 60cm, D 44cm, H 43cm) and matching single side table (W 58cm D 58cm H 43cm) - wood veneer. VGC. Photograph available. Combined £50. Separate £30 each. Tel. 01505 872674. Adjustable executive office/ desk chair. Cream leather effect with light oak bent wood arms and base, mounted on castors. Lovely chair in very good condition. £20. Tel: 01505 690247.

2 drawer metal, grey, filing cabinet. £10. Tel: 01505 704628. Heavy Cast Iron Roller 68 cm wide x 60 cm diameter in excellent condition ideal for cricket / bowling / tennis club. £75. Tel: 01505 610408 / 07535 861584. Two white Ikea bedside cabinets good condition: £20. Call: 07400 222 188. Ikea armchair, black and red good condition: £20. Call: 07400 222 188. Ikea armchair white with black cushion and storage compartment good condition: £20. Call: 07400 222 188. Ikea rocking chair good condition: £20. Call: 07400 222 188. Two Ikea book shelves/cases good condition: £20 ono. Call: 07400 222 188. Black Ikea coﬀee table: £10 ono. Call: 07400 222 188. ELECTRICAL & GAS 20’ AOC LCD PC Monitor, with cables - £20. Tel: 07968 048446. Freezer, Zanussi undercounter, white, £25. Tel: 01505 704628. Yamaha PSR 140 electric organ. £20. Tel: 01505 704628. Electrical hoist lifts power wheelchair into car. Excellent condition. £150 ono. Tel: 07950 823932. PETS Large birdcage suitable for Parakeets. £40. Tel: 01505 337675. Ferplast bird cage and stand in brilliant condition: £50 ono. Call: 07400 222 188. SPORTS 1950s vintage ladies cycle, new chain, two new tyres, Peugeot, good condition, working order. £70. Tel: 07517 447946. Gents Saracen bicycle, 21 Shimano Gears, 55cm frame, good condition. £50. Tel: 07432 091606. Raleigh 12” bike suitable for 3 years and over with helmet £20. Tel. 01505 614010. Raleigh 14” bike suitable for 4 years and over with helmet £30. Tel. 01505 614010. Raleigh activator mountain bike, front and back suspension. £20. Tel: 01505 704628. Ice skates girls, white size 33. £10. Tel: 01505 704628.

Ice hockey skates Bauer, boys size 4. £10. Tel: 01505 704628. Inline roller blades, size 4. £5. Tel: 01505 704628. Dunlop golf bag and clubs. 1, 3, 5, Drivers. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 clubs, with putter. £50. Tel: 07432 091606. Dawes ‘Redtail’ bike in excellent condition, suit boy seven plus. £50. Tel: 01505 328044. Salopettes - girls 26”, Dare2B, dark grey, waterproof, windproof, leg, front & back pockets. Very good condition. £10 Tel: 01505 872442 Salopettes - girls age 13-14, pale lilac, waterproof, windproof, phone pocket, goggle pocket. Very good condition. £10 Tel: 01505 872442 Avico Bicycle. 14 inch wheels. Colour white/black. Also Spiderman helmet. £30. Tel: 01505 341206. Large trampoline. £20. Tel: 01505 704628. TOYS/GAMES/DVD Little Singing Alﬁe toy unused and in original box. As new. Smoke free, pet free home. £5. Tel: 01505 672175. Little tykes country kitchen plus 2 large bags of plates, cups food etc. £30. Tel: 01505 704628. OTHER ITEMS Camera tripod, Bilora, never used. £20. Tel: 01505 704628. Camera - Fujifilm Finepix S1700, complete with leather carry case, instructions and in original box. Excellent condition. £40. Tel: 01505 690247. Panasonic portable stereo CD system. Good condition. £15. Tel: 01505 672175. Galvanised metal bucket 12 Litre. Ideal for coal/ash. £4. 01505 672175.

WANTED ITEMS

14” dolls for people suﬀering with dementia. Tel: 01505 874447. Dining table and chairs. Can uplift. Tel: 07587 158910. Cash paid for Music CDs ( a few or a lot ). Tel: 0141 882 5594 or 07765 115347. Local lily grower requires the use of a greenhouse/polytunnel in Kilmacolm area in return for light gardening duties. Tel: Vince 01505 872082.

ADVERTISING sales & wants ad rates:

UP TO £200 ....... FREE £201 to £500 ..... £5.00 £501 to £1000 ... £10.00 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 The Business Advertisements (Disclosure) Order 1977

64-67 CLASSIFIED_265_OCTOBER16.ind.indd 66

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

FREE

CYCLE

Two sliding door mirrors from wardrobe each 1.75 m tall and 0.75 m wide. (69” X 29.5”). Must collect and uplift. Telephone 01505 871261. Full size table tennis table, with net, bats, etc. Tel: 01505 874491. Bush HDMI DVD Player - unused. Tel: 01505 341206. Rabbit run 4 foot square. Tel: 01505 704628. Old upright freezer (Proline) with all 8 drawers intact and a fast freeze function. Still in working order. Pick up only. Tel: 01505 873116.

Studying fashion? Fabric, patterns, etc old vogue magazines to good home. Tel: 0746 667 6779. Old furniture and electrical items etc. Including two large good quality arm chairs, various electrical items, including suit press, gardening and TVs. Tel: 0746 667 6779.

LOCAL INFORMATION 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 Tuesday 7pm. (NB: no meetings July, August and January) www.bridgeofweir.org BROOKFIELD: Brookfield Village Hall: 7.30pm in February, April, June, August, October and December on 2nd Thursday of the month. 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: Bowling Club: 1st Tues at 7.30pm

community halls to let Bridge of Weir, Freeland Church. Tel: 612245 Brookﬁeld, Village Hall. Tel: 335562 Houston, Carrick Centre. Tel: 612203 / 331488 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: 874428 Kilmacolm, Masonic Hall. Tel: 873059 Linwood Masonic Hall. Tel: 07825 222944

Please add your community hall details to our list email to info@advertizer.co.uk

local

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 & Lochwinnoch: Councillors Derek Bibby, Andy Doig and Christopher Gilmour Ward 9 - Houston, Crosslee, Brookﬁeld & Linwood: Councillors Stuart Clark, Audrey Doig, Anne Hall and Allan Noon Ward 10 - Bishopton, Bridge of Weir & Langbank: Councillors 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

22/09/2016 17:51:52

@GryffeAds

www.advertizer.co.uk

october 2016

67 67

ADVERTIZERS - A TO Z

BY CATEGORY Accountants & Financial

Electricians

Aﬄuent Financial Planning . . 28 Cheetham & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 CLA Accountancy Services Ltd . . 16 Fergusons CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Fiona Christie Accounting Serv . . 15 Stewart Independent Financial . . 1

DMS Electrical Services . . . . 8 GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Lamont Electricians . . . . . . . . 3 MAS Electrical & Security . . 2

Architectural Services

Highland Hustle . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7 Grid Design Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Art, Gifts & Flowers Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 14 Portraits by Irene Marcuson . . 48

Audio & Music Services David Leigh Piano Tuition . . 14

Automotive Services AK Vehicle Rental . . . . . . . . . 1 ARC Fleet Services . . . . . . . . . 2,34 Chips Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Collins Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Gryﬀe Garage Motor Engineers . . 34

Bathrooms Aﬀordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7 G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6 Instyle Kitchens & Bathrooms . . 17

Bedrooms Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 9

Blacksmith & Metalwork McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 43

Building Services A O’Hare - Building Services . . 5 B Hughes Builders - Houston . . 2 Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6 Clippens Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 4 DJD Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2 James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 38 JBC Joiners and Builders . . . 6 KC Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 15 M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3 MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 42 SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 2 SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 14 Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 13 Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 57

Business Services Laptop and PC Repairs . . . . . . 30

Care Services & Homes Conﬁdent Care Ltd . . . . . . . . . 6

Catering Karen Rankin Catering . . . . . . 16

Charity St Vincent’s Hospice Ltd . . . 26,27

Cleaning & PowerWash CleanDryCarpets . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Come Clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 16 Gryﬀe Rooﬁng Services . . . . 15 KC Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MattVac Carpet & Upholstery Cl . . Bk Nutech Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 45 Platinum Cleaning Services . . 5

Entertainment Fencing Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 43

Firewood & Logs Auldton Stoves . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Miller BioFuels Ltd . . . . . . . . 37 W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Framing Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 14 Johnstone Art & Framing . . . . 16

Funeral Services Beaton Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . 30 John Roach Funeral Directors . . 43

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

Garden Service & Design 3D Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . 53 A Peebles Landscape Contractor . . 52 Apple Tree Garden Design . . . 51 Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7 Craig Kennedy Gardening . . . . 53 DJD Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 DMG Garden Services . . . . . . . . 52 Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 52 I & J Building & Rooﬁng Serv . . 2 M&M Garden Services . . . . . . . . 15 MJ Lawnmowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 R Williams Tree Surgeon & Grou . . 53 SP Groundcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 50 West of Scotland Landscape . . 52

Gas & Heating Services A&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 16 C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 2 CGS Gas Scotland Ltd . . . . . . . 12 GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 10 Mackie Plumbing & Heating . . 18 Phoenix Gas Services . . . . . . . 1

Glazier 1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 3 Cloudy2Clear Windows Glasgow . . 5 JayBee Double Glazing Repairs . . 3 TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Hairdressers & Barbers Arlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 40 Nix Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . . 41

Health, Beauty & Fitness

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

Arlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 40 Bluewater Dental . . . . . . . . . . 7 Decorus Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Ferringtons Hypnotherapy . . . 5 Flu Clinics - Dr Smith & Partn . . 36 Healing Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Highland Hustle . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Kilbarchan Chiropodists . . . . 44 Kilbarchan Dental Practice . . 11 LaserLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Lauras Nail & Beauty . . . . . . . 9 New Vision Opticians . . . . . . . 10 NLP Positive Changes . . . . . . . 38 Sole Solutions Podiatry . . . . 40 Wellcentred UK . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Driving Instructors

Home Hardware

Alistair Stewart - Driving Ins . . 14 Paul Ferguson - Conﬁdence . . 7

Gibb Stuart . . . . 4,14,15,16,19,57

Coﬀee Shops Bernie’s Cafe Deli . . . . . . . . . 38

Computer, IT & Web ColCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Computer Repairs . . . . . . . . . . 1 Laptop and PC Repairs . . . . . . 30

Driveways

Education St Columba’s School . . . . . . . . 59

Home Improvements

Property, Sales & Let

Alvic Sliding Wardrobes Ltd . . 5 Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7 Conservatory Conversions . . . Bk Ideal Flooring Service . . . . . 11 Orchard Flooring . . . . . . . . . . 31

Corum Property . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,33 Hames Estates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1,31 Lind Letting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk

Home Interiors

@ease Removals & Transport . . 7 The Right Move . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Baytree Interiors . . . . . . . . . 5 Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 9 Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 45 The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 4

Home Security Brookﬁeld Alarms Ltd . . . . . . 10

Removals Restaurant & Bars Ardardan Estate . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Bernie’s Cafe Deli . . . . . . . . . 38

Retail

Joiners

Ardardan Estate . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Gibb Stuart . . . . 4,14,15,16,19,57 Tasty Treats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 4

CLH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 DJY Joinery Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 29 James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 38 JBC Joiners and Builders . . . 6 JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3 McGowan Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 16 SMG Rooﬁng & Building Contrac . . 2 SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 14 Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 13 TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Woodburn & Beattie Joiners . . 15

Roofing Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6 Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 11 Clippens Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 4 Gryffe Roofing Services . . . . 15 I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2 KC Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 15 MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 42 SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 2 SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 14 Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 57

Kitchens

Solicitors

Aﬀordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7 Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 9 G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6 Instyle Kitchens & Bathrooms . . 17 JBC Joiners and Builders . . . 6 Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 13

Aﬃnity Family Law Experts . . 3 Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1,31

Insurance Hamilton Leonard & Co . . . . . . 29,41

Locksmiths Arco Locksmith . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Elliott Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Painters & Decorators A Gallagher Painter&Decorator . . 14 David Kennedy Decorator . . . . 3 Ian Livingston Decorating . . 15 James Martin - Painter & Decor . . 3 John H Barney . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 John Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 M&E Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Ranfurly Decor . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Pest Control RED Pest Control . . . . . . . . . . 7

Pet Services & Training Husse Pet Food . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 PetVets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Portraits by Irene Marcuson . . 48 Smart Dog Grooming . . . . . . . . . 48 Suzanne’s Grooming Pad . . . . . 49

Photographers Little Studio Kilmacolm . . . . 57

Plasterers Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 11 Charlie Orr Plasterer . . . . . . 2 James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 38 Kilellan Rooﬁng . . . . . . . . . . 15

Plumbers A&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 16 C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 2 G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6 GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 10 JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mackie Plumbing & Heating . . 18

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

Stoves Auldton Stoves . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Taxis & Minicoach hire ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk Johnstone TOA Taxi Co . . . . . . 34 Minicoach Tours Scotland Ltd . . 13

Tiling Gordon James Ceramic Tiler . . 16 Scott Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Travel Agents Travel Actually . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Tree Surgeon Branch Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 52 LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 50

TV & Satellite Derek McBride Aerials . . . . . . 39 Kieran Turner Aerial&Satellite . . 3

Upholstery Services P Thomson Upholstery . . . . . . . 37

Window Cleaners DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 16 Gryﬀe Rooﬁng Services . . . . 15 Matthews Cleaning Services . . 15

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

@ease Removals & Transport . . 7 1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 3 3D Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . 53 A Gallagher Painter&Decorator . . 14 A O’Hare - Building Services . . 5 A Peebles Landscape Contractor . . 52 A&G Driveways . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk A&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 16 ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk Affinity Family Law Experts . . 3 Affluent Financial Planning . . 28 Affordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7 AK Vehicle Rental . . . . . . . . . 1 Alistair Stewart - Driving Ins . . 14 Alvic Sliding Wardrobes Ltd . . 5 Apple Tree Garden Design . . . 51 ARC Fleet Services . . . . . . . . . 2,34 Arco Locksmith . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Ardardan Estate . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Arlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 40 Auldton Stoves . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 B Hughes Builders - Houston . . 2 Baytree Interiors . . . . . . . . . 5 Beaton Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Bernie’s Cafe Deli . . . . . . . . . 38 Bluewater Dental . . . . . . . . . . 7 Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Branch Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6 Brookfield Alarms Ltd . . . . . . 10 Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 11 Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 9 C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 2 Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7 CGS Gas Scotland Ltd . . . . . . . 12 Charlie Orr Plasterer . . . . . . 2 Cheetham & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Chips Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 CLA Accountancy Services Ltd . . 16 CleanDryCarpets . . . . . . . . . . . 39 CLH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Clippens Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 4 Cloudy2Clear Windows Glasgow . . 5 ColCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Collins Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Come Clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Computer Repairs . . . . . . . . . . 1 Confident Care Ltd . . . . . . . . . 6 Conservatory Conversions . . . Bk Corum Property . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,33 Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 14 Craig Kennedy Gardening . . . . 53 David Kennedy Decorator . . . . 3 David Leigh Piano Tuition . . 14 Decorus Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Derek McBride Aerials . . . . . . 39 DJD Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 DJY Joinery Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 29 DMG Garden Services . . . . . . . . 52 DMS Electrical Services . . . . 8 DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 16 Elliott Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fergusons CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Ferringtons Hypnotherapy . . . 5 Fiona Christie Accounting Serv . . 15 Flu Clinics - Dr Smith & Partn . . 36 G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6 Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . . 53 GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Gibb Stuart . . . . 4,14,15,16,19,57 Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 52 Gordon James Ceramic Tiler . . 16 Grid Design Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Gryffe Garage Motor Engineers . . 34 Gryffe Roofing Services . . . . 15 Hames Estates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Hamilton Leonard & Co . . . . . . 29,41 Healing Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Highland Hustle . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Husse Pet Food . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2 I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 10 Ian Livingston Decorating . . 15 Ideal Flooring Service . . . . . 11 Instyle Kitchens & Bathrooms . . 17 James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 38 James Martin - Painter & Decor . . 3 JayBee Double Glazing Repairs . . 3 JBC Joiners and Builders . . . 6 JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 John H Barney . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 John Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 John Roach Funeral Directors . . 43 Johnstone Art & Framing . . . . 16 Johnstone TOA Taxi Co . . . . . . 34 Karen Rankin Catering . . . . . . 16 KC Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Kieran Turner Aerial&Satellite . . 3 Kilbarchan Chiropodists . . . . 44 Kilbarchan Dental Practice . . 11 Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 15 Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1,31 Lamont Electricians . . . . . . . . 3 Laptop and PC Repairs . . . . . . 30 LaserLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Lauras Nail & Beauty . . . . . . . 9 Lind Letting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk Little Studio Kilmacolm . . . . 57 LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3 M&E Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 M&M Garden Services . . . . . . . . 15 Mackie Plumbing & Heating . . 18 MAS Electrical & Security . . 2 Matthews Cleaning Services . . 15 MattVac Carpet & Upholstery Cl . . Bk MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 42 McGowan Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 16 McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 43 Miller BioFuels Ltd . . . . . . . . 37 Minicoach Tours Scotland Ltd . . 13 MJ Lawnmowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 New Vision Opticians . . . . . . . 10 Nix Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . . 41 NLP Positive Changes . . . . . . . 38 Nutech Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 45 Orchard Flooring . . . . . . . . . . 31 P Thomson Upholstery . . . . . . . 37 Paul Ferguson - Confidence . . 7 PetVets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Phoenix Gas Services . . . . . . . 1 Platinum Cleaning Services . . 5 Portraits by Irene Marcuson . . 48 Powerdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk R Williams Tree Surgeon & Grou . . 53 Ranfurly Decor . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 RED Pest Control . . . . . . . . . . 7 Scott Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Smart Dog Grooming . . . . . . . . . 48 SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 2 Sole Solutions Podiatry . . . . 40 SP Groundcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 St Columba’s School . . . . . . . . 59 St Vincent’s Hospice Ltd . . . 26,27 Stewart Independent Financial . . 1 Suzanne’s Grooming Pad . . . . . 49 SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 14 Tasty Treats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 13 TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 4 The Right Move . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 57 Travel Actually . . . . . . . . . . . 3 W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Wellcentred UK . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 West of Scotland Landscape . . 52 Woodburn & Beattie Joiners . . 15

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October 2016 No.265

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