jan-11 - Lochwinnoch Online

Nuisance Helpline
Anti-Social Behaviour
Noise problems
Support and Advice
Every day 9am – 10pm
Tel: 0800 169 1283
Historical Society
The next meeting is on Thursday 20th
January at 7.30pm in the Parish
Church guild room.
Helen Calcluth guest speaker will tell
us about Kilbarchan in the 18th & 19th
centuries.
Cost for an evening visit is £2 and tea/
coffee cake and biscuits will be served.
Gordon Nicholl
Country Dance Club
The Country Dance Club will be
starting back on 11th January at
7.30pm in the McKillop Hall.
We will be delighted to welcome new
members to an enjoyable evening
keeping one of our Scottish traditions
alive.
Calder Drama
Calder Drama would like thank all
those who helped behind the scenes
during our December Production of
Last Tango / Last Panto in
Lochwinnoch.
We would specially like to thank the
audiences on both nights for braving
the ice and snow and for their
participation and laughter which
created such a marvellous
atmosphere.
Finally we would like to extend our
best wishes to everyone for 2011.
Cold-Weather Forecasting
It was autumn, and the Indians on the
remote reservation asked their new
Chief if the winter was going to be cold
or mild.
Since he was a new Indian Chief in a
CHATTERBOX
No 205 January 2011
www.lochwinnoch.info
Community newsletter produced by Lochwinnoch Community Council
What’s On & Dates for your Diaries
Village events, clubs, classes, etc are in the centre pages this month
modern society, he had never been
taught the old secrets, and when he
looked at the sky, he couldn't tell
what the weather was going to be.
Nevertheless, to be on the safe side,
he replied to his tribe that the winter
was indeed going to be cold and that
the members of the village should
collect wood to be prepared. But also
being a practical leader, after several
days he got an idea.
He went to the phone booth, called
the National Weather Service and
asked, "Is the coming winter going to
be cold?" "It looks like this winter is
going to be quite cold indeed," the
meteorologist at the weather service
responded.
So the Chief went back to his people
and told them to collect even more
wood in order to be prepared. A
week later he called the National
Weather Service again.
"Is it going to be a very cold winter?"
"Yes," the man at National Weather
Service again replied, "it's going to
be a very cold winter."
The Chief again went back to his
people and ordered them to collect
every scrap of wood they could find.
Two weeks later he called the
National Weather Service again.
"Are you absolutely sure that the
1
winter is going to be very cold?"
"Absolutely," the man replied. "It's
going to be one of the coldest winters
ever." "How can you be so sure?" the
Chief asked.
The weatherman replied, "The Indians
are collecting wood like crazy!"
Keep Fit
Keep fit starts after holidays Monday
17th January 2011 at 7pm in McKillop
Hall.
Lochwinnoch SWRI
The first meeting of the New Year is
on Wednesday 19th January when
Angela Neil will give a presentation on
the work of The Yorkhill Children’s
Foundation.
The competitions are:
ASIST
Anti-Social
Investigation Team
Office 8:45am – 4:45pm
Tel: 0141 840 2163
A Small Open Sandwich
A Cross Stitch Picture (6” x 6” max)
Paisley Musical and operatic Society
Show ‘Oliver’ King’s Theatre 21st
March 2011, bus from the McKillop
Hall, cost £21 Open to all.
To book a place contact Mrs Glenys
McKee 01505 842419

Lochwinnoch Playgroup
Enrolling now for Jan 2011
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
9.30- 11.30am
All children aged between 2 ½ and
5 years welcome.
Playgroup can help your child to:
Build friendships with other
local children.
Help build their confidence
in preparation for nursery.
Develop social skills and
independence.
Your child will take part in many
creative activities including:
art, singing and movement, group
games and free play.
Interested?
Please collect a slip from
Playgroup’s door in McKillop
Institute and return it to Playgroup
leader ASAP.
Otherwise email your name,
address, telephone, child’s name
and date of birth to
lochwinnochplaygroup@hotmail.c
om
Please put ‘PLAYGROUP PLACE’
in the subject box.
Renfrewshire Licensing
Forum Vacancies
The Forum is independent from
the Licensing Board but a the same
time it shares the common goal of
having the local community's best
interests at the heart of its decision
making.
One of the Forum's key aims is to
review the operation of the
Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 in
Renfrewshire.
It also gives advice and makes
recommendations to the licensing
board about policy and strategy
issues.
About the Forum
It meets at least four times a year.
On of these meetings is with the
Renfrewshire Licensing Board.
Notice of Forum meetings is
given on the council website and
in Renfrewshire House, Cotton
Street, Paisley, at least a week in
advance. Meetings are open to
the public. Notice includes the
meeting date, time, venue and
availability o f the agenda and
reports.
Forum members must be aged 16
or over, demonstrate interest in
the licensing system, and be able
to represent the views of the
sector they represent.
While the Forum comments on
issues it feels are appropriate – it
does not advise the board on
individual cases.
Members
Local residents
Young People
Education
Social Work
Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue
Health
Licence Holders
Licensing Standards Officer
If you would like to become a
member, please contact
Robert Devine
Committee Services
Renfrewshire Council
Renfrewshire House
Cotton Street Paisley
The Chatterbox Team
would like to wish
everyone a very
Happy New Year
2
Burns with a Difference
"Burns meets Mozart" is the
intriguing title of the first Beith
Arts concert of the New Year.
It will be performed by
"Capricorniche", a group of four
singers with piano
accompaniment, and was
commissioned by the Burns
Mother Club in Greenock for the
Scottish Homecoming year and the
250th anniversary of Burns` birth.
The show is based on imaginary
letters between the two famous
men, whose short lives coincided
almost exactly in the latter half of
the 18th century. In addition there
will be a selection of their most
appealing musical compositions.
The group`s accompanist is our
very own Gordon Mabbot, who is
very well-known as a musician and
teacher, especially in Beith where
he lives. He is also of course Vice-
President of Beith Arts. An
alternative title for this
performance might well be
"Gordon Mabbot and Friends".
The two great men never met or
wrote to each other in real life, but
it is fascinating to contemplate
what they would have imparted if
they had. Perhaps their views on
politics, religion, certainly music
and lyrics, and maybe many other
more surprising topics than
those.
Come and find out what
"Capricorniche" have to offer in
the way of ideas about that, and
enjoy a "Burns Night" with a
difference at the Beith Community
Centre, Kings Road, at 2.30 on
Sunday afternoon , 23rd January
2011.
Tickets £8 (concessions £6),
students and children £1. All are
very welcome.

Lochwinnoch Poet
Congratulations to Lochwinnoch poet Mary Thomson who
has had one of her handmade books, The Skylark, added to
the National Collection held at The Scottish Poetry Library
collection.
Mary was born in Cheshire, she spent her childhood on a
farm but her working life in Yorkshire was spent in the arts
as a curator, critic, gallery owner and writer of art
interpretation. She moved to Scotland in 2006.
She has published three collections of her poems and
makes handmade books of collections and individual
poems embellished with her own photographs.
In 2009 and 2010 she exhibited at By Leaves We Live at
the Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh and at the Scottish
Pamphlet Poetry event at the Edinburgh International
Book Festival. In 2010 she also exhibited at the Scottish
International Artists Bookfair in Glasgow.
She is currently preparing a new collection for publication.
© Barbara
3
Brambling : © Billy Phillips
© Barbara
Searching for Hazel
Kelly’s Brothers
Hazel Kelly also known as Hazel
Todd Kelly born 08.01.60 and
left the area around 1980 to join
British Caledonian/ BA as Cabin
Crew.
She is now unwell and has been
asking for her two brothers
Robert and Jimmy (presumably
Kelly or Todd Kelly).
Does anyone know the
whereabouts of a Jimmy or
Robert Kelly or Todd Kelly. (Sons of Heather and Grandsons
of Granddad Peters.)?
If so please contact Hazel’s friend Mike Brain
Mike.brain@hotmail.co.uk or phone: 07902 024309 or
email barbara@lochwinnoch.info

© Karen Gavin Horsburgh
Malcolm
© Karen Malcolm
4
© John Delaney
© Karen Malcolm © Barbara Gavin Horsburgh
© Barbara
© John Delaney
© Barbara

The Laird Who Never Was
The son of a rich Lochwinnoch
land-owner turned his back on a
life of luxury on a family estate to
become a backwoodsman and
environmental pioneer in Canada.
James Shand Harvey was in line to
inherit the prestigious Castle
Semple mansion and woodland
policies where he learned about
birds, wild animals, plants and
trees during his boyhood. But he
had other ideas and emigrated to
Canada in 1905. This was just two
years before the sale of Castle
Semple and its farm tenancies in
1907.
So James was known as 'the laird
who never was.' He lived for the
rest of his long life in a log cabin in
the western province of Alberta.
There he earned a living as a
trapper, forester, gold prospector
and packer on the
Transcontinental railway.
His cabin was dwarfed by the snow
-capped Rocky Mountains and
encircled by mighty conifer forests,
vast lakes and torrential rivers.
Wolves, caribou, lynxes and
vultures were everyday sights. He
mingled with pioneering
surveyors, railroad engineers and
land-hungry immigrants eager to
buy farms where they could bring
up their families.
After working as a scout for the
Alpinian Club Smithsonian
scientific expedition in 1911, he
became the first district ranger for
the 4000 square miles Athabasca
Forest Nature Reserve in 1912. He
lived among the Cree Indians,
learned their language and
defended their territorial rights
against acquisitive government
land-grabbers.
He refused to enforce game laws
which would make the Indians go
hungry. And, for their own benefit,
he refused them access to alcohol
because of the damage it would do
to their health.
In 1940 James was appointed
assistant chief ranger for the
massive forest park. But by then
much of the wilderness
atmosphere had disappeared
with the coming of more roads,
telephone lines, railways. bridges
and mechanised transport. But
he remained loyal to his
environmental principles. He
lived a simple, uncomplicated life
at his log cabin until he died in
1968.
Today the spirit of James Shand
Harvey lives on at his ancestral
home at Castle Semple which is
now a country park - albeit on a
smaller scale than the one
managed at Athabasca by 'the
laird who never was.'
Derek Parker
Derek Parker worked as a
countryside ranger at Clyde
Muirshiel Regional Park from
1985 until 1999.
Lochwinnoch Group needs
volunteers and guests
Contact the Elderly is a national
charity which provides a lifeline
of support to lonely older people
over the age of 75 who live alone
in their own home.
Since 1965 we have provided
much needed companionship to
thousands of socially isolated
older people, and now have over
380 groups nationwide. Our
service is entirely free.
5
How do the groups operate?
We have volunteers drivers, who
collect one or two older ‘guests’
once per month on a Sunday
afternoon. They drive them to a
volunteer host’s home, where the
group meet for afternoon tea and
friendship.
What do we need volunteers
for?
We currently require more
volunteer hosts for the
Lochwinnoch group. Hosts provide
a warm welcome, a friendly
atmosphere and a simple
afternoon tea for 6-8 older people
and the volunteer drivers once or
twice a year. You would need to
have a downstairs toilet, few or no
steps into your home, and enough
seating to accommodate the group.
Please contact Margaret Oliver,
contact details below.
Do you have any spaces in the
group for members?
Yes, the Lochwinnoch Group
currently has spaces for older
people over the age of 75 who are
socially isolated. If you, or
someone you know, could benefit
from attending a monthly outing,
please contact:- Margaret Oliver
Contact the Elderly
PO Box 5207,
DUMBARTON
G82 9AP
Tel No. 01389 605915
Email: margaret.oliver@contactthe-elderly.org.uk

What is that wire for?
I suddenly realised I was from a
different age when a visitor asked,
when looking at my radio aerial ”
What is that wire for?”
How times have changed. When I was
a lad almost everyone had some sort
of piece of wire up in the garden to
receive the National or Regional
Wireless stations.
As an eight year old it was that
'wireless' part on the end that puzzled
me as I looked around the box in the
corner of the dining room and
wondered how a man's voice could
come out of that box with just a wiggly
wire. My Dad and I had to use a tight
string between two cans!
“It's a wireless” Auntie said and when
I asked how could that be because it
had a wire going to the out doors
where it dangled from another one.
“Ask Charles at the weekend” came
the prompt reply so as soon as Charles
my cousin put his head in the front
door I put it to him. And he was really
helpful. “After lunch, we will build a
crystal set and then you will find out
what this wireless business is all
about”. That was eighty years and a
few days ago and I am still finding
things out.
The piece of wire some of you have
seen at my house is one of my
windows on the world. At any time of
the day or night I can go into my back
room, turn the radio on and put out a
call and somewhere in the World
another Radio operator will answer
and no matter what nationality he is
we can talk to one another.
I often have the most wonderful days
discussing everything under the Sun
with like minded friends. The aerial
that stands on top of my TV aerial
enables me to talk to people much
closer at hand mainly in or around
Paisley where we also have a club at
Kerr College.
It is from there that we set off to
discover how other people use radio
communications. Last week it was
with the people who control and fly
the helicopters we see. Not so long ago
it was the Police and before that the
Fire Brigade.
In an emergency the Police or the local
authority can commandeer my station
and ask me to use the radios in the
National interest. There is one thing
that we can do that not all of the
public services can do. We can talk to
other amateurs. Not many public
services can talk to each other. Police
can talk to police but not to the Fire
Brigade or the Ambulance service or
the Army, Navy or Air Force. These
matters are being resolved but as at
Locherbie, it is often the amateurs
who bridge the communications
gaps.
People are quite often surprised that
Radio is used as we use it and they
forget that TV and mobile phones
are also radio machines but going at
different speeds. What is even less
known is that a lot of the research
that has brought these devices about
starts with amateurs in back rooms
making things.
I think they would be even more
surprised to know that some
members of the University space
exploration teams currently building
the next generation of satellites here
in Scotland belong to our radio club.
They’ve come along to find out how
we do things and to get themselves
qualified and licenced so that when
the satellite is launched they will talk
to it using our kind of equipment
and our special frequencies.
Look on the Internet for: http://
www.paisleyarc.wordpress.com
Alan Lovegreen
Teenage Cancer Trust
Thanks
A big “Thanks” from The Teenage
Cancer Trust to Laura and Fergus
and staff at the Brown Bull for
organising the Annual Christmas
Auction for TCT.
Big thanks too to everyone who
donated their skills or an item for
the auction and raffle.
The auction raised a magnificent
total of £4,300 for the charity on the
night, with more to come from the
raffle, which will be drawn at
Christmas.
Finally, thanks to everyone who
came along to the auction for their
generosity and support.
John Delaney
6
Met Iona Biggar-Carr
HELLO DAHLING! How lovely to see
you again. GREAT NEWS in the
Biggar-Carr household, ISOLDE is
ENGAGED! Yes dear, a WHIRLWIND
ROMANCE! Apparently Isolde was
holding one of her deportment classes
(which have to be held outdoors,
KAYAKS, you understand), when a
dashing chap appeared and asked if
she was at school with Itsy
Castenellenbogan. Isolde and Itsy
were practically inseparable at school
until Isolde... hum....left. This chap,
Walter Chambyre-Potte – one of THE
Chambyre-Pottes !– had been on a
sort of Grand Tour, got a little lost,
spotted a friendly face (they'd met at a
Castenellenbogan shoot in Perthshire)
and two weeks later they're engaged!
SOOO romantic!
DAHLING, SUCH a match! The
Chambyre-Pottes are an ancient and
noble family. They were VERY BIG
under Henry VIII and there
apparently hasn't been a monarch
since who hasn't had a Chambyre-
Potte to hand in an emergency. NO
DEAR, they're NOT one of those that
lost all the money. Quite the contrary!
Apparently they were ahead of their
time - got into waste management
very early and made PILES!
Walter (his friends call him Glazed,
and so shall we), is SOMETHING in
the CITY. No darling, I don't know
exactly what but he dresses
BEAUTIFULLY. He is apparently
being trained-up before entering the
family business.
I'm in SUCH a tizzy – a wedding to
plan! Darling, with all my charity
commitments I don't know how I'll
cope. It has become so complicated, I
mean one wouldn't want to clash with
dear William and Kate's nuptials (I
think the Chambyre-Potts are
EXPECTING an INVITATION!).
We're thinking a Spring wedding and
a reception on the West Lawn (need to
keep people away from the East
Wing). I was thinking of hiring a
marquee (have you seen the prices!)
but Ivor thinks the Sea Scouts may
have something suitable and as we
discussed before khaki is SO practical.
There is a TEENSY bit of tension with
the Chambyre-Pottes. They wanted
the wedding in Westminster Abbey
and a reception for 500 at the
Dorchester – CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!
– and they're NOT offering to pay! I
suggested that the Abbey and

Dorchester are rather old hat and,
dare I say it, the Dorchester a touch
VULGAR! Well, darling, EYEBROWS
were raised. I'm trying to promote the
idea of the tasteful, exclusive, country
wedding with just the immediate
family – say 25 (or whatever the tent -
I mean marquee – holds). WATCH
THIS SPACE!
When we last met I was off to
demonstrate my famous liquorice and
fig traybake to the Ancients' Circus.
They were so appreciative! The
following day I was inundated with
requests for the recipe from people
telling me how moved they were by it.
It is so wonderful to be appreciated for
one's gifts!
Have you HEARD about Fenella
Fishslice? Apparently she was locked
all weekend in a laboratory at the
University of the West of
Renfrewshire! They found her in an
awful state – DRUNK and
DISHEVELED! Although she WAS
smiling!
She had been visiting a Visiting
Professor (nudge) and mistook a
cupboard door for the way out and
was locked in. Sounds fishy to me!
Apparently, in the dark, she found a
big bottle of alcohol - of which she
imbibed - and only later discovered
there was a giant hissing cockroach
pickled in it. I'm surprised she didn't
recognise it – it takes one to know
one! OH, I am NAUGHTY!
MUST DASH - I'm off to help a man
with double vision rig his ship-in-abottle.
BYEEE!
DRAUGHT BUSTERS
Draught Busters are in Town !
Do you have wooden windows or
doors that are letting in cold
draughts ?
Can you feel the breeze of cold air
where your wooden window frame or
door surround meets the walls or
floor ?
LEAP is running a number of
DRAUGHT BUSTER
WORKSHOPS at the end of
January. The workshops are a fun,
hands-on opportunity to learn how
to use the right materials to draught
proof wooden framed sash or
casement windows and wooden
doors.
We will show you how easy and
inexpensive it is to draught proof
your windows and doors, making a
big difference to the heat loss and
comfort in your home.
If you’d like to attend a workshop or
find out more please go to:
www.lochwinnoch.info/leap
e mail leap@lochwinnoch.info
or phone Carol Gemmell on 842 040
Councillor Arthur’s Report
It was great to see such a large turnout
for our Christmas Lights switchon
back in early December. It is this
support that makes the event so
worthwhile.
For those who don’t know, this is the
5th year that the lights have been
organised on a voluntary basis by
LMEG (Lochwinnoch Millennium
Events Group) but the whole event
would not be possible without the
support of our helpers, our sponsors,
Renfrewshire Council’s Amanda
Moulson, Renfrewshire Council’s
Environmental Services Department
and our Community Police team who
made sure that our procession was
safe from road traffic.
My thanks to you all and to the other
members of LMEG, Mr Christmas
Lights himself Graeme Skelton,
David McCusker, Duncan Bremner,
Carol Gemmell, and Sue Richardson
for their continued enthusiasm.
Our thanks to Renfrewshire
Council’s Local Area Committee
(LAC) and Leader fund for the grants
that we received and also to Dan
Morrison, who keeps the clock at
7
Auld Simon ticking to the second, for
performing the first switch-on of the
evening.
Well done to Zoe Dutch, the winner of
the Community Council competition,
your Christmas tree on the wall of the
McKillop looks great.
My next Surgery is on Saturday 15th
January at 11:30am in the McKillop
Institute but there is no need to wait
for a Surgery if you require my help,
you can contact me on 843507 or
e m a i l m e a t
cllr.david.arthur@renfrewshire.gov.uk
and we can agree a time when we can
meet.
May I take this opportunity to wish all
our community groups, organisations
and clubs a prosperous 2011.
Lochwinnoch Online
www.lochwinnoch.info/
weather
Live Weather—the village
has a digital weather station which
feeds data into the website.
Temperature, pressure, rainfall,
humidity wind speed and direction
can all be viewed live on the site.
Another useful feature is the historical
data. Use the Graphs section to view
varations over the day/week/month/
year etc. Use the data to practice your
weather forecasting skills! Great for
school geography projects too.
Bin Uplifts—Lost track of the bin
uplift rota? The front page shows
when the bin schedule.
Snow photos—a selection of photos
sent in by website users can be seen on
page 4. Check ot the Photo Gallery
online for more.

From the Parish Church
Those were the days, my friend,
we thought they’d never end,
we’d sing and dance forever and a
day.
We’d live the life we choose,
we’d fight and never lose,
for we were young
and sure to have our way.
© Gene Raskin
A Happy New Year to you all. I love
Mary Hopkin’s recording of this song
and as a child used to sing along not
realising the irony of a child singing
“those were the days”. When we are
young we can be so caught up in our
own little world that we do not realise
that everything we do has an effect, for
good or bad, on other people.
Children are not, usually, caught up
in the philosophical questions of life
– they just get on with the important
task of living life to the full. Children
and adults can have a different
approach to life. This was seen
during the recent snowfalls.
Children delighted in their extra
days off school which gave them
time to go sledging and to build
snowmen. Meanwhile their parents
were caught between a rock and a
hard place trying to arrange
emergency child care and
grandparents may well have been
stuck at home, too afraid to risk the
icy pavements. Many people would
have been sitting a home afraid to
turn up the heating, fearing the next
round of energy bills. I heard
recently that as many as a third of
the population is suffering fuel
poverty.
Yet as the snow and the
temperatures fell, the community
spirit, for which Lochwinnoch is
famed, came to the fore. Folks
bought extra shopping for
neighbours who couldn’t get out and
about; child care was shared and
exchanged and the children had a
ball. I am quite sure that when our
children are old enough to sing
“Those Were the Days” the two
winters of 2010 will be high on their
list of memories.
Gene Raskin’s words are particularly
poignant at this time for, as a
community and as individuals, hard
times are upon us and the worst
may yet be to come. Now one yet
knows the full effects of the
Strategic Spending Review, yet it is
something that will affect all of us
in some way or another. There is
no doubt that the most vulnerable
people in our community will
suffer. As a community we are all
called to find a way to support one
another in the hard times ahead
and ensure that no one suffers
beyond their ability to cope.
We already know how some of the
cut backs will affect us locally, with
the Council proposals to move
Library Services to the McKillop
Institute and to close the Annex. It
is right that we as a community do
what we can to save these services,
yet we must do so in a way that
supports the community. Newton’s
Third Law of Motion states, “To
every action there is always an
equal and opposite reaction.” What
is true for natural philosophy is
also true for daily life. Everything I
do has an effect on the people
around me; every choice I make
impacts on the lives of other
people – some of whom I do not
know and will never meet. We talk
about the world being a global
village where my choices in the
supermarket affect farm workers
across the world. How much more
true is that within our own village.
There are many, many people who
are working hard for our
community. They need our
support. However, we also have to
remember that at times we will
disagree. In working to save
services, we should be careful of
adopting an attitude which states
that if you are not for me, you are
against me. It is more important to
find a solution which enables the
whole community to move
8
forward, together.
As many of you will know, in recent
years there has been a lot of debate
within the Church of Scotland over
the place of homosexual men and
women within the leadership of the
Church. I am not going to open that
can of worms on these pages,
however I do want to comment
about the process of the debate. On
both sides of this “issue” is a lot of
hurt and pain. Some men and
women feel they are being denied
the ability to answer a call from God
to serve in a ministerial capacity.
Others feel that anything other than
a literal interpretation of the Bible is
not Christian and they genuinely
fear for the salvation of their
brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet
throughout the debate there has
been a genuine concern from people
with very different points of view to
sit down together and share. Who
knows how the debate will conclude
when it returns to next year’s
General Assembly? However, I do
know that new friendships have
developed as people have sought a
way to move forward together as one
church.
Within our village there will be a
range of views on how best to
respond to the Council’s proposals.
Yet everyone in this village has a
right to be heard and our actions
must not impact in a negative way
on another part of our community.
Nor can we allow any one to be
personally abused over these
proposals or their solutions. One of
the reasons we enjoy living in
Lochwinnoch is the friendship which
is shared among people of differing
faiths and people with none; people
with political passions and people
with none. Let us all pray and hope
that we can indeed find away to
work together, so that our actions
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never cause a detrimental effect to
others and we can truly have a
Happy New Year, together.
May God bless you in 2011 with
health, happiness and contentment.
Yours,
A library in your living
room!
www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/
libraries
All the high quality products below
are free to use from your home PC
24/7
To access these products from home,
you must be a registered member of
Renfrewshire Libraries.
If you are not currently a member,
join online to use the e-resources or
at any Renfrewshire Library by
taking along identification with your
names and address, this allows you
access to all of the library services.
Oxford Language Dictionaries
Online Online access to bilingual
dictionaries in French, Spanish,
Italian,German, Russian and
Chinese. Supporting your language
learning every step of the way.
Who's Who and Who Was Who
Who's who has been published every
year since 1849. It is the leading
source of information about over
32,000 influential people in British
public life today.
Grove Art The ultimate source of
information on all aspects of art.
This online resource can tell you
everything you need to know about
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people and processes involved in
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online.
Grove Music This award- winning
resource covering all aspects of
music, from the past to the present
day. Information about anything
and everyone related to the world of
music.
NewsUK Searchable database of UK
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social issues : links to newspapers,
websites and lobby groups.
Oxford Reference Online Premium
for all your information needs.
Oxford Dictionary of National
B i o g r a p h y
Biographies of people who shaped
history.
Lost for words? Use the Oxford
English Dictionary Encyclopedia
Britannica for ages 18 plus News,
videos, statistics, timelines and a
blog
Britannica Junior for ages 5-11
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and want some fun? Primary
s c h o o l l e v e l
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people, big events : CBBC News
CREDOreference
Encyclopaedias : Dictionaries :
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Dictionaries : Crossword Solver :
Measurement Conversions
If you are logging on from home
using your library card, type in the
word renfrew before the barcode
number (no space in between).
Now available
A collection of MP3 Digital Books
( Approx. 50): Playaway, the
world's first pre-loaded digital
audiobook, has proven enormously
popular with listeners, and is
already an established product in
libraries across the UK. The
versatility and simplicity of the
format have been key factors in
this growing popularity.
Playaway is lightweight, compact,
and very easy to use - simply plug
in the earphones and press play.
9
Lochwinnoch Library Bookbug
Rhymetime
Every Tuesday at 10.15am
Come along and join in the
fun……….
Suitable for children aged birth – 4
years
Bookbug's Library Challenge
Bookbug's Library Challenge is a
free programme that encourages
children aged birth to four to
discover and enjoy their local
l i b r a r y .
On their first visit to the
participating library children are
issued with the Bookbug's Library
Challenge collector card.
Every time they visit the library the
collector card will be stamped, and
your child can exchange four stamps
for one of our beautifully illustrated
Library Challenge certificates.
Your child's name will be written on
the certificate to encourage them to
feel proud that they have become
members of their local library.
There are five different limited
edition certificates to collect. So start
collecting now – it's never too early
or too late to join your local library...
and it’s FREE!

What’s On
(Regular clubs, classes and local
groups)
Healing and Creativity
Workshops & Classes. For details
or to book a place, please Tel Becky:
0141 8816700 or Libby on: 015105
842604.
Lochwinnoch Community Walks
- Mondays (ex. Public Holidays), meet
at 10.30 am at The McKillop Institute.
Lochwinnoch Playgroup - For
under 5’s, every Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday from 9.30-11.30am at the
McKillop Institute.
Lochwinnoch Toddlers - Mondays
and Wednesdays from 9.30 - 11.30am,
McKillop Institute.
Lochwinnoch Gymnastics Club -
For primary school-age children every
Monday, 5-8pm at the Annexe. Phone
Coby for details on: 0772 9051615.
Lochwinnoch Writers Group—
Monday mornings from 9.30-11.30am
in the Library.
Knit @ The Junction—10am-noon,
all levels and learners welcome,
Advice Works - Surgeries BY
APPOINTMENT ONLY - Mondays 2-
2.30pm at the Library. *
Morag’s Keep Fit - Mondays and
Thursdays from 7pm, in the
McKillop Institute.
Lochwinnoch Choral Society.
Rehearsals on Monday evenings,
Parish Church/ Hall. Juniors 7-
7.45pm, Intermediates 7.30-8.30pm
and Seniors 8pm-9.15pm.
Club Latino - weekly Merengue,
Salsa and Mambo classes for adults
on Monday evenings at
Lochwinnoch Bowling Club from
8.30-9.30pm. Details from Hazel
on: 07812 023343.
Lochwinnoch Art Group
Meet fortnightly on Monday
evenings, 7.30pm, McKillop
Institute.
Keep Fit - Improving With Age
classes, every Tuesday from 10am-
11am at the Annexe building in the
Park.
Drop-in T Bar - Lochwinnoch
Elderly Forum. Every Tuesday and
Thursday from 10am-1pm, McKillop
Inst. For details, Tel Reta: 01505
842054.*
Linda Margaret School of
Dancing - Tuesdays from 4pm-
8.45pm, McKillop Institute. For
details, Tel: 0141 581 9104.
TaeKwon-Do Fitness and Selfdefence
classes for youths and
adults. Tuesdays from 5-6pm,
McKillop Institute and Thursdays
from 7pm-8pm at Lochwinnoch
Primary School. For details Tel:
01259 210716.
Lochwinnoch Scottish Country
Dance Club Every Tuesday, from
7.30-9.30pm, McKillop Inst.
Jogging Buddies - Wednesday
evenings. Meet at McKillop Inst. at
6.30pm. For details, Tel: 0141 887
1357 or 07947 763704.
Girls Brigade - 1st Lochwinnoch
Company Wednesday evenings from
6pm-9.15pm at the Parish Church
Hall for various age groups.
Boys Brigade - Anchor Boys and
Junior Sections meet on Tuesday
nights and Company
Section on Friday evenings,
Parish Church Hall.
Yoga Classes - Wednesday
evenings: at 6pm and 7.30pm,
McKillop Inst. Yoga, breathing
practice, intro. to meditation. Tel
Mary: 01505 842877.
Happy Harminis - Fun for pre-
10
school children on Thursdays 10am-
11am, McKillop Inst. Tel: Frankie :
01505 612248.
Slinky Strollers - on Thursday
mornings
ROAR Lunch Club - every Thursday
from 11.45am PROMPT at the
McKillop Institute. Please Note -
ONLY ONE SITTING.
TaeKwon-Do Little Tiger Cubs.
Classes for 3-5 year olds, on Thursdays
from 4.15pm-5pm at McKillop Inst.
Tel: 01259 210716 for details.
Calder Drama Club—Thursdays,
from 8pm-10pm McKillop Institute.
Scottish Slimmers - Thursdays,
7/7.30pm, McKillop Inst.
Lochwinnoch Pre-School
Gymnastics ( for children from 18
mths to 5 yrs). Fridays, from 10.15am
- 1.45pm at the Annexe. Further
details from Coby on Tel: 0772
9051615.
Dog Training at the Annex (prebooking
necessary). Anne Moss, Tel:
01505 842367, e-mail:
dogtraining@f2s.com
Mondays
9.30am-Adv/Intermediate
10.30am-Juvenile/Intermediate
Tuesdays
6.30pm - Puppy Course
7.30pm - Juvenile/Intermediate
8.30pm—Adv/Intermediate
Thursdays
6.30pm - Puppy Course
7.30pm - Juvenile/
Intermediate
8.30pm - Adv/Intermediate
Editorial and Copy for
Chatterbox
Let us have your stories, notices,
news, information, events and items
of interest – either hand-deliver them
to the Chatterbox drop-box in the
Library or preferably e-mail them to
us at: chatterbox@lochwinnoch.info.
Electronic submission with full
colour pictures are preferred.
To advertise in Chatterbox
Tel: 07866 373254
chatterbox@lochwinnoch.info
COPY DEADLINE FOR FEBRUARY
CHATTERBOX IS
THURSDAY 25 TH JANUARY

Diary Dates
Saturday 8 Jan - RSPB Young
Volunteers Group11am – 4pm at the
Reserve. Join us for the monthly Young
Volunteers club, with activities including
bird surveying, outdoor work, finding
out more about RSPB campaigns and
much more.
Tuesday 11 Jan - Country Dancing
restarts at 7.30pm in the McKillop Hall
Monday 17 Jan - Keep Fit restarts at 7
pm McKillop Hall.
Saturday 15 Jan - ‘Petition in a Book’,
meet outside the Library at 11.30 where
the book/petitions will be collected for
delivery to Renfrewshire Council.
Monday 17 Jan - Art Group meeting
7.30 pm McKillop Institute Bar Lounge
Tuesday 18 Jan - Lochwinnoch
Reserve Twilight Talk: Cambodia &
Vietnam, a cycle adventure by Claire
McCormick 7.30pm – 9.00pm Booking
essential. £2: members. £4: nonmembers
Thursday 20 Jan - Art Group
Exhibition Preview 7pm -8.30 pm,
Castle Semple Visitor Centre.
Thursday 20 Jan - Historical
Society 7.30pm in the Parish Church
guild room.
Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 Jan -
Lochwinnoch Reserve Get Ready for the
Big Garden Birdwatch 11am – 4pm his
weekend is your opportunity to learn all
about the RSPB’s biggest and most
popular bird survey event, carried out by
over half a million people! Free Event.
Sunday 23 Jan - Beith Arts Concert of
the new year. Burns meets Mozart, Beith
Community Centre 2.30 pm,Tickets £8
(concessions £6), students and children
£1.
Thursday 27 Jan - Elderly Forum in
The McKillop at 1.30pm.
Friday 28 Jan - Burns Night at the
Golf Club 7 pm tickets £20
Friday 28 Jan - St Vincent’s
Hospice A Touch Of Burns & Tartan at
Watermill Hotel, Paisley. Why not
come along and enjoy a Burns Night
with a difference. Traditional Burns
food, followed by some great speakers
with some great poems written by the
man himself. Tickets for the night are
£30 (including a 3 course meal) call
01505 705635.
Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 Jan -
Optics Weekend at the Reserve Visitor
Centre 10am – 4pm
Monday 31 Jan - Art Group meeting
7.30 pm McKillop Institute Bar
Lounge
Thank You
In the run up to Christmas, I, along
with so many of you, were extremely
busy and I owe a huge debt of thanks
to many people who helped me
prepare for Christmas.
There are so many Christian angels
in Lochwinnoch – some of them
gritted and snow-ploughed the
Church car park; others made trips
to the cash and carry and also
organised a discount while there!;
countless people helped with the
Lochwinnoch Nativity Play;
members of the Church were
wonderful in the way that little jobs
were just done, before I asked for
help and others have no idea how
much a cheery greeting lifted my
spirits as I walked around the
village.
Thank you all, God bless
you.
Burns Night with a Twist
Celebrate Burns Night with a bit of a
twist at Lochwinnoch Golf Club!
Dine in style with a full selection of
'Scottish Tapas' including dessert.
Dance the night away to a top
11
Scottish Ceilidh Band. Also Burns'
songs from Pauline Vallance
7.30 Friday 28th January. Tickets on
sale now from the Golf Club £20.
Telephone: 01505 842 153
Elderly Forum
The St Andrew's Day lunch at the Golf
Club was much enjoyed by the 61
members who attended. The meal
once again was excellent and as was
the music provided for dancing
afterwards.
The forum was delighted to be given a
generous cash donation towards the
cost of the St Andrew's Day lunch by
Brian at the Post Office. Thank you
Brian. Many thanks to those listed for
donating raffle prizes:
The Junction
The Garthland Arms
The Brown Bull
The Corner Bar
Penmans Pharmacy
Cut n Care
Now & Then
The Paper Shop
John Wilson - The Baker
La Dolce Vita
Douglas Alexander
Trish Godman
& lots from forum members
Our next meeting is on Thursday 27th
January in The McKillop at 1.30pm.
We look forward to being entertained
by a representative from RC
Environmental Services telling us
what happens to everything we recycle
in the blue, green and brown bins.
A reminder that the T bar is open for
business on Tuesday 11th and the
ROAR lunch club returns on Thursday
13th.
Gordon Nicholl
DRAUGHT BUSTERS
We’re running Draught Buster Workshops in January.
If you have breezy wooden windows or doors find out
how to fix them inexpensively:
Visit www.lochwinnoch.info/leap or email
leap@lochwinnoch.info or phone 842 040

RSPB Lochwinnoch
Events
The vast majority of our events are
suitable for families, however, if this
is not the case, further explanation
will be given in the event’s
description.
Children aged eight and under must
be accompanied by an adult for all
events.
Access for disabled visitors:
Our visitor centre, toilets, nature
trails and viewing hides are
accessible to wheelchair users. We
aim to make our events programme
suitable for all. However, if you have
any special requirements, please tell
us in advance.
Saturday 8 January
11am – 4pm
Young Volunteers Group
Join us for the monthly Young
Volunteers club, with activities
including bird surveying, outdoor
work, finding out more about RSPB
campaigns and much more.
Booking essential and places are
limited, so please enquire
beforehand. Young persons aged
between 12 and 18 can participate.
Participants will be registered as
RSPB volunteers.
Tuesday 18 January
7.30pm – 9.00pm
Twilight Talk: Cambodia &
Vietnam, a cycle adventure
Claire McCormick tells us all about
her adventures by bike in Cambodia
and Vietnam and the amazing sights
along the way.
Booking essential. £2: members. £4:
non-members
Sat 22 and Sun 23 January
11am – 4pm
Get Ready for the Big Garden
Birdwatch
Ever wanted to take part in the Big
Garden Birdwatch but don’t know
how? This weekend is your
opportunity to learn all about the
RSPB’s biggest and most popular
bird survey event, carried out by
over half a million people!
The Big Garden Birdwatch takes
place on 29th & 30th Jan.
Free event.
Sat 29 and Sun 30 January
10am – 4pm
Optics Weekend
An opportunity to choose from a
wide range of competitively priced
binoculars and telescopes,
including RSPB Optics, with the
added bonus that 100% of the
profits go directly to helping
conservation. FREE expert advice
available all weekend.
Booking, prices and enquiries:
It is often necessary to book onto
our events in advance as certain
events may have limited space. If
this is the case, the phrase ‘booking
essential’ will appear in the event
information.
To book a place or to find out more
information, phone 01505 842663,
email Lochwinnoch@rspb.org.uk
or visit us at the visitor centre.
Many of our events are FREE or
HALF PRICE to RSPB & Wildlife
Explorer members!
Where to meet:
Events start from the RSPB
Lochwinnoch visitor centre unless
otherwise stated.
Stout footwear and waterproofs
recommended. Be prepared for
changeable weather conditions.
Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve
Wildlife viewing all year round
Nature trails and hides
Visitor Centre open 10am – 5pm daily
Superb RSPB shop
Bird feeding station and tree-top tower
12
Daily activities for everyone, especially
families
Drinks and snacks
Join in our monthly ‘Wildlife Challenge’
An ideal day out for everyone from
beginners to experts!
Guided Walks throughout the
year:
The reserve hosts a whole range of
guided walks covering a range of
different topics and areas of the
reserve, so hopefully you’ll be able to
find one that suits you. We are also
available to run walks for groups
and organisations both during the
daytime and in the evenings. For
more information about this,
including cost and content, please
phone the reserve on 01505 842663
or email Lochwinnoch@rspb.org.uk.
Follow RSPB Lochwinnoch
online:
Get regular updates for our events,
wildlife sightings and daily goings
on, on
RSPB website: www.rspb.org.uk/
lochwinnoch for information and
recent sightings.
Facebook: www.facebook.com
search for RSPB Lochwinnoch
and become a fan!
Twitter: http://twitter.com
RSPBLochwinnoch & follow
our tweets!
Lochwinnoch Blog: http://
www.rspb.org.uk/community/
blogs/lochwinnoch/
default.aspx
weekly Lochwinnoch updates.
St Vincent’s Hospice
Charity Shop
Since the revival of interest in
knitting we are asked regularly if
we have wool for sale.
A big thank you to those who
have already donated however
we will always sell as much as we
can get.

Save Your Regional Park
Excellent News for Clyde
Muirshiel and the
Renfrewshire Core paths
The Appeal against the refusal by
Renfrewshire Council for an
Anaerobic Digester in the policies
of Glenlora House, Corsefield Rd,
Lochwinnoch and in Clyde
Muirshiel Regional Park, has been
REFUSED by the Reporter
appointed by Scottish Ministers.
An announcement was issued by
the Scottish Government’s
Directorate for Planning and the
Environmental Appeals (DPEA) on
2nd December 2010 and we
congratulate the Reporter on a
wise decision.
SYRP and a large number of
supporters had objected to
Renfrewshire Council and had
made submissions to the DPEA in
connection with the applicant's
appeal against Renfrewshire
Council's refusal of the application.
The Reporter made two site visits
and concluded that Corsefield Rd,
as a narrow, single track Core path
was not suitable for increased
industrial traffic and neither were
the access roads off the A760
(Lochwinnoch to Kilbirnie) which
were also Core Paths extensively
used for recreational exercise by
many users.
As the many users of Corsefield
road are only too aware, it is
extensively used for informal
exercise and users will be delighted
that the Reporter came to the right
conclusion.
Other concerns were the potential
adverse impact on neighbours
from noise, dust, use of water,
waste water treatment and traffic;
the stated uses of the heat
produced by the plant for what
appeared to be non-existent
purposes and the lack of
identifiable end users for the
digestate.
Wings Law Wind (originally called
Ladymoor) Turbine Power Station
near Kilbirnie
As readers will recall, we have
been campaigning vigorously
against this development for over
five years! Initially it was
proposed that their would be 125
x 410 ft / 125 m high turbines
straddling the Renfrewshire /
North Ayrshire border on the
hills above and all along the hills
between Lochwinnoch and
Kilbirnie.
The proposal was finally reduced
to 24 turbines of the same
dimensions and the planning
application submitted to North
Ayrshire Council was refused.
Wind Hydrogen Energy then
lodged an appeal with the
Scottish Government against the
North Ayrshire decision and once
again SYRP and the Scottish
Campaign for National Parks
formed a joint team which was
appointed as a 'Relevant Party' to
appear at and partake in the
Public Local Inquiry which was
due to commence in Radio City,
Kilbirnie on 13th January 2011.
A massive number of hours work
had been put into preparing our
Precognitions and Productions
which were finally completed
after midnight on the 14th Dec
2010. In the afternoon of the
same day, we received the very
welcome news that Wind
Hydrogen had withdrawn their
appeal and therefore the Inquiry
will not now go forward!
Readers will recall that for the
last 5 years one of our many
major concerns was the likely
detrimental effect of this
windfarm on the primary radar
systems at Glasgow and
Prestwick airports. This was
confirmed earlier this year with
the issue of a Scottish
Government report which clearly
stated that Wings Law windfarm
was 'unmitigateable' as far as
airport radar safety was
concerned. WHL decided they
knew better and insisted in going
forward with their appeal - that
is, till 14th Dec when they finally
got the message and withdrew
the appeal. December has been a
good month for decisions in
favour of our campaign.
13
Fairtrade Activities
The Lochwinnoch Campaign
group participated in the Scottish
Fair trade Forum national
campaign day which was held in
Paisley on November 13. It
marked the beginning of its
efforts to make Scotland a
Fairtrade nation next year. Along
with other groups from across
Scotland,we discussed how we
could help this to happen by
continuing to actively support
small producers and farmers of
Fairtrade products in poorer
countries and help them make a
living for themselves.
In the run up to Christmas, we
held a Fairtrade stall at the
Lochwinnoch Farmer’s Market in
the Castle Semple Centre selling
a wide range of goods supplied
by Cucina Minucci which also
sold a range of Fairtrade
hampers over the festive period.
Finally, plans for Fairtrade
Fortnight 2011 are underway. For
two weeks, from February 28 –
March 13 we want people to get
loud and proud about Fairtrade
by asking everyone to ‘Show off
your label’: – tell the world about
your cake made extra special by
using Fairtrade sugar and spice,
your most tempting bottle of
wine, your comfiest pants.
We want to load the FAIRTRADE
Mark with meaning, telling them
the tangible difference Fairtrade
makes to producers. Various
local events are planned
including coffee and wine
tastings as well as a poster
competition involving the pupils
at Lochwinoch Primary school.
Look out for further details in the
next Chatterbox and notices
around the village.

THE STIRRUP
CUP
Mauchline Ware Part 3
WEST BANKSIDE
FARM, GEIRSTON RD,
KILBIRNIE,
We specialise in
vintage & modern
jewellery, antiques,
curios, art and local
crafts
Great for Gifts or treat yourself
Previously we have covered the
popularity and success of one of
Scotland’s most famous and long
running manufacturers, concentrating
on its origins and product ranges. This
final piece will discuss the most
recognisable part of Mauchline ware,
the decoration.
More items were produced with
transfer decoration than any other
finish. Transfer ware was true
souvenir ware, in that each piece was
decorated with a view associated with
the place of purchase.
From the 1850’s the transfers were
applied to the finished articles prior to
their receiving several coats of slowdrying
oil copal varnish.
This process was said to take from 6 –
12 weeks to complete, although, it
seems certain that an accelerated
means of varnishing must have been
developed to cope with the sheer scale
of production. However this lengthy
and careful process must largely
account for the extreme durability of
these products, many of which have
survived in near mint condition.
While the majority of Mauchline ware
items were small, requiring only one
transfer, it was by no means unusual
for 6 or even more related transfers to
be applied to some larger pieces,
either by subject or geographically.
‘Burnsian’ views form by far the
largest single grouping.
For over 80 years of continuous
production there was hardly a location
in Scotland that was not recorded. In
addition a vast number of beauty
spots, country houses, churches,
schools, ruins, and cottage hospitals
have been immortalised in transfer
ware. The remainder of Great Britain
was also well represented, although
views were in the main of many
seaside resorts and spa towns that
were becoming more accessible as a
result of the rapidly expanding rail
network.
France was the most important
European customer with many
locations such as Nice and Boulogne.
Holland, Belgium and even Spain
have also been recorded with
transfer print. The British Empire
was another obvious market.
Many items of Mauchline ware are
found with a photographic
decoration as an alternative.
Although photographic ware was
probably introduced some 20 to 30
years after the first transfer printed
items, examples will be found on
most of the Mauchline ware product
range.
The obvious exceptions are snuff
boxes, tea caddies and other earlier
products, manufacture of which had
virtually ceased by the time the first
photographic ware came on to the
market.
In the early 1840’s, the inventive
Smiths of Mauchline designed an
ingenious machine capable of
‘weaving’ tartan designs on to paper.
The machine employed a series of
pens, each using a different coloured
ink, the result being an accurate
representation of the so-called
authentic tartans. Today these
command the highest prices among
collectors, especially among our
Scottish cousins across the pond.
The Victorians were extremely fond
of ferns as a decorative motif. This
interest had really begun in the late
1830’s when the British countryside
attracted increasing numbers of
amateur and professional botanists.
It is no surprise therefore, that ferns
were also used as a finish for many
14
Antiques, Curios and Crafts
A dynamic selection of oils, watercolours and Limited Edition prints
Bespoke crafts by local artisans, vintage and contemporary jewellery
Well worth discovering for yourself
The Barn on the farm, open 10am till late every day
Contact Greta Logan on Tel: 01505 683338
Email: greta@thestirrupcup.com www.thestirrupcup.co.uk
West Bankside Farm, Geirston Rd, Kilbirnie, KA25 7LQ
Just opposite the Golf Course on the Largs Rd
Mauchline ware products. In most
cases actual ferns were applied to the
wooden surface which was then
subjected to a dark brown stippled
paint effect before removal of the fern
and subsequent varnishing.
In 1861 Great Britain was plunged into
mourning following the death of
Prince Albert. It seems highly likely
that the large quantity of Mauchline
ware produced with black lacquer
finishes relates to this. Production
continued for the next 40 years until
Queen Victoria’s own death in 1901.
The black lacquer finish was relieved
with a more colourful addition, often
taking form of a printed transfer or
photographic view in a floral
surround. Coronations and jubilees
were also too good to be missed for
decoration.
That remarkable man James Sandy,
inventor of the hidden hinge in 1819,
cannot have dreamt that his design
would have been so popular. It led to
Mauchline, a small town in Ayrshire,
becoming household name for over
100 years.
Indeed, Mauchline ware still
maintains its name among collectors
after nearly 200 years.
Greta Logan

Library and Annexe
Action Group (LAAG)
Update
The Action Committee has written
to all Renfrewshire Councillors,
Council Leader and Chief
Executive and to MSPs explaining
that the decision made on 4th
November by Renfrewshire
Council to downsize and move the
Library was faulty as it was based
on an Asset Management Report
that is factually incorrect and not
fit for purpose.
The Report claimed the Library is
under-performing when it is one of
the top three in Renfrewshire as
judged by the Council's own
statistics. The costs of moving the
Library are a great deal higher
than the £80K suggested in the
report as it didn't consider the cost
of moving the Out of School Club
to the Primary School.
Locating a library next to a hall
where you have noisy activities like
Children's Dance Classes, Country
Dancing, etc is inappropriate and,
while the Council spoke of selling
the existing library building (old
school) to raise extra income, there
is a clause in the Deeds that make
it unlikely the Council would
benefit financially if they tried to
do this.
One issue for parents is what effect
moving the Out of School Club into
the Primary School hall will have
on all Lochwinnoch Primary
School children. Parents may want
to ask what the impact will be on
current after-school activities (so
important to the new Curriculum
for Excellence) if the school hall is
unavailable due to occupation by
the Out of School Club.
The issue of the Annexe and its
displaced users was also discussed,
especially the situation of
Calderglen FC and the need to
guarantee appropriate changing
facilities next to Lochwinnoch
Park.
Response from Councillors has, so
far, been disappointing.
Councillors Bibby, Holmes and
McMillan have responded with
offers of help and support as has
Trish Godman MSP. Sadly no
SNP councillors have yet replied
with offers of support.
The Action Committee continues
to work to keep the library where
it is and more updates will follow.
Meetings take place on Saturdays
10 am in the Parish Church, come
and join!
Library Action
Collection Boxes
Thanks to the businesses in the
village who have agreed to host a
collection box for donations to
the Library Action Fund.
The monies collected are used to
pay the various costs incurred
fighting to save the Library e.g.
costs of Deeds, Freedom of
Information requests, copying,
other document costs etc.
We have been fortunate to have
legal advisors (who wish to
remain anonymous) volunteer to
help us without charge but
obviously we must cover their
extra costs. So please be as
generous as you can.
Any monies left at the end of the
campaign will be donated to the
Community Council to be used
for the benefit of the village.
If anyone wants to make a
donation and specify how
unspent funds should be used
then contact Dave Mellor or any
member of the Action Group.
15
Library
‘Petition in a Book’
Campaign’
One way of drawing media
attention to a petition campaign is
to make it unusual. Since we are
trying to save our library service
someone had the bright idea of
writing petitions on the flyleaf of
books - the Council then have to
open the books to note the petition
details.
You may have noticed that some
village businesses already have
some discarded books available for
those who don’t have their own
books for the purpose. You could
always buy a used book from the St
Vincent’s Shop and help two
causes at the same time.
You might like to write something
like:
Dear Renfrewshire Council,
Please save Council Tax Payer’s
money by leaving the Library in
the Library and the Out of School
Club where it is in the McKillop
Institute.
Your Signature
Your Address
Bring your book (or books if you
have extra) to the front of the
Library (outside) on Saturday 15th
January at 11.30 where they will be
collected, hopefully with the media
in attendance, for transport to
Renfrewshire Council.

Clyde Muirshiel Regional
Park Round Up of 2010
Happy New Year
The Park Authority and staff at Clyde
Muirshiel would like to wish all
readers the best for a happy and
healthy 2011 and trust you will
continue to support the events and
activities that take place within the
Regional Park. A lot is planned
including 40th anniversary
celebrations for Castle Semple
Country Park, travelling theatre visits,
a classic car rally, photographic
competition plus a wide range of
wildlife viewing opportunities,
outdoor activities and environmental
improvements.
Highlights of 2010
These have included the exceptionally
cold and clear weather conditions at
the start of the year, Castle Semple
Loch was frozen solid for at least 21
days. Office staff got stranded at
Barnbrock with Ranger staff coming to
their assistance in the 4x4 vehicles.
More snow in February especially in
the north end of the Park made access
to the Greenock Cut Visitor Centre
difficult by road for nearly 3 weeks.
Stargazing continued to be very
popular at Muirshiel with monthly
sessions running in conjunction with
the Coats Observatory in Paisley. The
site is ideally suited as there is little
light pollution in the hills, despite
being so close to Glasgow and Paisley.
The arrival of spring brought better
weather, daily opening hours at the
Visitor Centres, the official completion
of the £1 million restoration and
access improvement works on the
Greenock Cut in conjunction with the
renaming of the Visitor Centre, a
Processional Play at Castle Semple as
well as events and activities to
encourage responsible access to the
countryside (Pawsitivity Action Days,
Inverclyde Access Festival, Go
Renfrewshire!).
Staff and volunteers were out on the
hill planting aspen and willow trees
at the Cample Burn as part of the
Juniper Restoration Project.
Countryside Rangers enabled a
‘Black and Ethnic’ group visit, for
many it was their first experience of
seeing and being in the countryside
or of walking on grass since their
arrival in Glasgow more than 2 years
ago. They were so interested in
everything it took an hour and a half
to walk the mile from Lochwinnoch
Railway Station to Castle Semple
with the Rangers.
Seasonal staff (Countryside Rangers
and Instructors) where delighted to
be really busy with school visits for
environmental education activities
especially at Muirshiel where they
had anticipated a reduction in
numbers due to education budget
cuts and the ending of the
Renfrewshire Schools Hop-Out
programme. Outdoor Instructors
worked in partnership with
Renfrewshire Schools throughout
the year to help the Intensive
Support Units retain and develop
children who were having problems
in main stream education as well as
delivering taster sessions and
outdoor activity courses such as
sailing, kayaking, archery, mapreading
skills, raft building and
mountain biking to loads of young
and not so young people from near
and far (eg Perth, Newcastle, Irvine,
Port Glasgow!). In June the Semple
Trail project received £37 000 of
16
stage 1 funding from the Heritage
Lottery Fund to enable fully costed
conservation, interpretation and
access improvement activties to take
place.
The elusive Hen Harriers returned to
the moors and we managed to secure
LEADER funding to provide cameras
to allow live images from the Hen
Harrier nest to be displayed at
Muirshiel – unusually this year the
birds nested late and live pictures
were transmitted, just as the football
world cup finished during July and
into August. The project also included
funding from HLF for information
panels, giant jigsaws and self guided
trail leaflets.
We joined the twittering world and
have been able to quickly report on
Hen Harrier activities as well as other
topical events. Swallowcam remained
popular at the Greenock Cut Visitor
Centre along with Biodiversity week
activities that include Looking for
Lizards, First Steps with Flowers as
well as wildlife displays and reports on
survey work undertaken by Ranger
staff throughout the year. With the
help of volunteers from Johnstone
High School a wildflower meadow,
wetland area and archery site was
created at Johnshill, by the end of
summer there were over 30 different
species in the meadow.
During spring and summer ‘The
Clubs’ (rowing, sailing, kayaking and
windsurfing) based at Castle Semple
Loch enjoyed the good weather of May
and June and were very active with
club nights, regattas and training
days. At the Greenock Cut Visitor
Centre the felling of the conifer
plantation took place, Scottish Power
felled the trees beside the power lines
and our Estate Team had a rolling
programme to clear the rest of the site
with assistance from Rangers and
volunteers who cleared the bashings
and kept the area tidy.
The summer brought a host of
different events and activities,
including the Pound and Pace walk of
the Greenock Cut which raised £405
for Ardgowan and St Vincents
Hospices.
The weekly summer holiday
programme organised by the Rangers
at the Greenock Cut Visitor Centre was
particular popular this year as was the
events organised at Garnock Park,
Seamill and Largs. The zorbs or ‘water
rollers’ arrived at Castle Semple and
resulted in a steady following of
people keen to walk on water. Ninety

January Pines at Misty Law
students from Langside College had an introduction to
outdoor activities day at Castle Semple in August and
Barnbrock campsite hosted its second wedding.
In September the Instructors hosted a Disability Snowsport
Family Funday for 45 people, this included helpers, carers
and clients trying kayaking, canoeing and power boating on
Castle Semple Loch. After 32 years of service at Clyde
Muirshiel Regional Park, Len Howcutt retired from the
Ranger Service, we said a big thank you to him and soon
afterwards the same to the seasonal staff – most summer
contacts finished at the end of September.
The theme for this years Photographic Competition was
‘Biodiversity at Clyde Muirshiel’ a record number of entries
where received with the best photographs being exhibited
17
CMRP CS HLF Stage 1 Funding
March Exhibition Opening Wee shieling deep in snow
Len Howcut retires after
32 years service
over the winter months.
With the darker evenings a
new season of monthly star
gazing got underway at
Muirshiel, the first evening
was a wash out (!), the
second resulted in 29 visitors
– pretty good given the cloud
levels – who knows how many will come along when we get
a clear night.
With the shorter days, the usual round of paperwork and
forward planning got underway. Visitor Centre staff
organised what was a popular pre Christmas evening
shopping opportunity at Castle Semple, St Andrew’s day
marked the arrival of the Regional Park on Facebook – do
look for our logo and ‘like’ us, we hope to keep readers up
to date with news and events.
The year has gone full circle. It started of cold and snowy
and could well end the same way. Snow arrived Saturday
27 November, thanks to the dedication of our local
producers and the snow clearing efforts by the Ranger
Service the Lochwinnoch Farmers Market in December,
the fourth of the year, was one of the few markets in
Scotland to take place. Christmas Trees have been selling
well at Castle Semple as local people came to collect them
on foot rather than risk taking the car out in the icy
conditions.

Postcard from Picardy December 2010
Friends Reunited - despite the snow!
There was an Englishman, a German, a Scotsman and an
Italian...It's a bit like an old music-hall joke, but for Chris
Smith, Juergen Hoffmann, Folco Bencini and myself, early
December usually sees us celebrating Chris' birthday at his
home just south of Paris in a town called Antony. The party
went ahead despite the chaos which was caused by
the snowfall in France and in Scotland, even Madame
Pauline Vallance managing to fly in through a window of
opportunity between snowstorms for what has become a
kind of friendly pilgrimage over the last few years.
Many of Chris' friends had come from afar to join in the
fun: Paris, Bonn, Florence, Nimes, Vienna, Beith and of
course Lochwinnoch via Beauvais!
This international group of friends and chancers has been
interlinked for over 30 years now, having been brought
together via European Youth Exchanges in the 1970s. I
met Juergen and Folco in Port Leucate in the south of
France in 1978 and Juergen introduced me to his English
friend Chris when we were visiting Juergen at home in
Bonn, former capital of what was then known as West
Germany for his birthday party a few years later.
December 2010 was a special reunion for us, as Juergen
had undergone surgery for cancer earlier in the year, and
was by then well enough to return to work and even travel
by train from Bonn to Paris for our get-together. Even the
happy faces in the photograph do not show the degree to
which we were delighted and relieved to be able to be
reunited one more time.
The day after the party, a few of us met in the centre of
Paris. So the Scots and the Italians had a rendez-vous at
the place St Michel, followed by animated chat and a hot
chocolate in a nearby cafe. My friend Folco took a picture
of Pauline and myself inside the cafe, and if you look
carefully you can see his reflection in the mirror, just
between our heads. It reminds me a bit of ancient
18
paintings or even Hitchcock films where the artist or
director plays a cameo role.
Thereafter, Pauline and I had a stroll around the
concourse and then the interior of Notre Dame Cathedral,
soaking up the Christmas atmosphere before heading for
the airport at Roissy/Charles de Gaulle for Pauline's flight
home. It's surpising what you can cram into 24 hours,
n'est-ce pas?
The magnificent facade
of Beauvais Cathedral
has been cleaned up and
now beams benignly over
the Christmas Market in
the town centre. Its
imposing Gothic style,
especially when
illuminated at night,
makes it look like an
ancient architectural
animated character
offering protection to
the juxtaposed modern
buildings which now
radiate throughout the
streets of Beauvais:
something which you'd expect to see in one of the many
ranges of Bandes Dessinees (Illustrated Comic Books)
which are very popular in France. The Christmas market
seems to come to life at night, with a veritable village of
Alpine chalet-style shops being erected around the
special attraction of the outdoor ice rink which
miraculously appears every December in the square just
in front of the Hotel de Ville (town hall). Due to the
intense cold which has been prevalent this year, I wonder
if they could simply have flooded the square with a few
inches of water and let nature provide the freezing
power? Maybe I'm thinking too much of Castle Semple
Loch last year!

The rink was filled with young and
not-so-young folk whizzing around
like dervishes. It was a spectacle to
be enjoyed with a warming glass of
Vin Chaud (mulled wine) in one hand
and a hot crepe au chocolat in the
other. I bought mine from the stand
manned by a national charitable
organisation known as Les
Restaurants du Coeur, (Restaurants
Which Care) founded by the late
comedian Coluche. This exists to
raise funds to provide food and
assistance to homeless people
throughout France, and in fact one of
our friends from Fouquenies, Lucien
Boulet is an active volunteer worker
with them: you can imagine how busy
they must be at this time of year.
The drag artists referred to above
were not in fact ice-skating drag
artists (easily misinterpreted) but a
cabaret show due to appear just after
the deadline for submitting articles
for Chatterbox. Having seen some of
the Lochwinnoch men portrayed in
some of the village website
photographs in ladies' attire, (No
names, no pack drill, Charlie and
Greg) I realise that there might well
be great interest in such a soiree, so I
will try to attend the forthcoming
event and provide an overview for
the February edition of Chatterbox.
Purely in the interests of cultural and
artistic critique, of course.
Finally, did you know that in
Lochwinnoch we have the first ever
British judge of the Tour de France? I
am pleased to announce that fluent
French speaker Gerry McDaid has
volunteered to assist with our
unofficial twinning with Fouquenies
and is also happy to help translate
messages received or to be sent.
Contact me at rory905@hotmail.com
for details. Thank you Gerry.
So: I hope you have had un Joyeux
Noel, une Bonne Annee and, to one
and all, 'Lang May Yer Lum Reek' in
2011 and beyond.
A bientot, chums. More next month.
Ronnie McCorrisken
Lochwinnoch Arts Festival
2011
The 2011 Lochwinnoch Arts Festival
will run from Thursday 17th March till
Sunday 27th March. Make a note of
the dates in your new diary.
Some features for this year are:
Paintings and Crafts
Calder Church Scottish/Burns night
Susie Lamont’s pupils’ concert
Author Christopher Brookmyer
Tea dance
Classical, jazz and folk music
A Lochwinnoch village play
Childrens crafts
Lochwinnoch choir concert
and more!!
Morag and committee
‘CatFord’ Headlines
Lochwinnoch Arts Festival
Continuing in its tradition of
attracting some of the biggest names
in Arts and Entertainment to the
quiet Renfrewshire village of
Lochwinnoch, on March 26th 2011
the Lochwinnoch Arts Festival will
proudly be hosting ‘CatFord’ and
guests, as part of their ‘Chronicles’
tour, at the McKillop Institute in
Lochwinnoch.
The CatFord members are Davy
Cattanach (formerly of the Old Blind
Dogs) on lead and backing vocals,
rhythm guitar, percussion and
drums, ace vocalist Steve Crawford
on lead and backing vocals, lead and
rhythm guitar, mandolin, percussion
and drums, and Jonny Hardie
renowned musician with the Old
Blind Dog on backing vocals, guitar,
fiddle and mandolin. Their guests
will be Ali Hutton multiinstrumentalist
who specialises in
pipes, whistles and guitar, and is
also from the Old Blind Dogs, and
Nigel Hitchcock sax player
extraordinaire who, as well as having
his own quartet, has played with
artists such as the Peatbog Faeries,
19
Stan Tracey, Claire Martin and
Laurence Cottle.
With such a virtuoso line-up the
audience can expect a delightful mix of
music featuring new material from
CatFord’s current CD ‘Chronicles’,
plus traditional music ingeniously
expanding upon and harnessing the
resonance and the timeless themes of
British Isles’, Scottish in particular,
roots music, welding them into new
rhythmic frameworks, dynamic arcs,
and textural expanses. Nigel’s
saxophone will also be bringing new
depths and tones to some of these
renditions, plus will feature on a
couple of ‘solo’ numbers.
The evening’s entertainment will
commence with a set of new material
written and performed by a fusion of
two local groups, the Semple Tones
and the Shed Inspectors.
The Concert is at 8.00pm on Saturday
26th March 2011 in the McKillop
Institute, Main Street, Lochwinnoch,
P A 1 2 4 A J :
Tickets - £12.00 each – available
from: Crafts of Calder, Gallery and
Framing, 8 High Street, Lochwinnoch
PA12 4DA. Tel: 01505 844 980, and
Cucina Minucci at the Junction, 2-4
High Street, Lochwinnoch PA12 4DA.
Tel: 01505 842 225
Knit @ The Junction
Knitting Group meets Mondays from
10am - noon (sometimes longer). All
levels and learners welcome. Come
and be inspired and partake of Jo and
Ivan's great food.
Contact Linda Collison for
more information
lcollison@tiscali.co.uk

Lochwinnoch Art Group
January promises to be a busy month
for the Group. Our fortnightly,
Monday meetings in the Bar Lounge
of the McKillop Institute, 7.30pm -
9.30pm, are planned for the 17th and
31st of the month.
We hope that the snow and ice will not
cause either of our meetings
to be cancelled this month, as
happened on the 6th December, 2010,
when the McKillop Institute was
closed owing to the adverse weather
conditions.
In addition we have been invited to
hold an Exhibition of our work in
the Castle Semple Visitor Centre,
down at the loch. "Art in the Park"
has become an annual event for us and
we are very grateful to the
staff of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park
for this opportunity. All the
paintings will be original work and
will be for sale. The exhibition
will run from Friday 21st January until
Tuesday 8th February.
We extend an invitation to all
Chatterbox readers to join us at the
Exhibition Preview on Thursday 20th,
7 - 8.30pm, when you can meet the
artists.
Chat from the Chair
As with everything else, the
Community Council’s activities have
been hampered by the snow – there
was a time I’d have had the skis out to
get to the shops, but now I’m suffering
like everyone else! We moved our
December meeting from the Bowling
Club to the Brown Bull at the last
minute for easier access. My apologies
to the Bowling Club, and particularly
the members who turned out to warm
the place up and let us in on a pretty
cold and snowy night. Also my thanks
to the pub for letting us use their
restaurant for the meeting.
However, only four of us and one
member of the public braved the
night.
As you will have noticed, Chatterbox
was late, another victim of the
weather, as the printers were not all
able to get to work every day and
also suffered from paper deliveries
not getting through.
The Community Council is still very
concerned by the council’s plans for
the Library and Annexe, and is
working with the action group to
confound these.
I hope you all had a good Christmas
and wish you a happy and successful
2011.
We still don’t have a permanent
meeting venue, but are hoping to
20
keep to the first Tuesday of each
month. The next meeting will be on
Tuesday 1st February but we don’t
know where yet! Everyone is welcome
to attend – the venue will be
publicised once it has been agreed.
This is my personal take on things –
for the official Community Council
line you’ll have to read the minutes!
Chris Gould
Chairman, Lochwinnoch Community
Council
CHATTERBOX
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