CHATTERBOX - Lochwinnoch

Nuisance Helpline 

Anti-Social Behaviour 

Noise problems 

Support and Advice 

Every day 9am – 10pm 

Tel: 0800 169 1283 

Never a Shush..... We'll 

Miss Them! 

Margaret Gilmour, after 25 years, and 

Dorothy Donn after 6 years, have left the 

(Library) building. We miss them 

already. 

Margaret and Dorothy have smiled, 

answered our questions, offered us 

sweets, chat and a friendly ear – not to 

mention stamping and recommending 

books, and generally made a visit to the 

Library such a pleasant experience. We 

appreciate all you've done for us. 

We hope the next phase of their lives are 

happy, healthy and full of fun. 

Dorothy and Margaret – hope to see you 

around enjoying yourselves! 

Thank You One and All! 

Pat and Bert Matthews would like to 

thank everyone who helped them 

celebrate their recent Golden Wedding. 

Thank you for all the flowers, cards, 

good wishes and for the generous 

donations, totalling £1,035, received in 

aid of the Pancreatic Unit at the Glasgow 

Royal Infirmary. 

Special thanks to The Corner Bar and to 

Gloria for all arrangements. 

Counting down the 

Kilowatt hours 

Having accepted that we could do no 

more to insulate the house, my power 

supplier then came up with another 

idea. This time to keep an eye on the 

electricity I was using as I used it. Would 

I like a special meter as a gift? The 

gadget arrived and was set up in clear 

view. 

The meter, about as big as a pocket 

calculator, displays what is going on as 

black segments that can seen from 

across the room 

CHATTERBOX 

No 208 April 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 

It was equally clear that I was using 

about 30% more power than I should 

so where was it all going? I found my 

life starting to revolve around this hole 

in the bottom of the coffer. How could 

I plug it? What was using all the 

electricity all of the time? With my 

best Sherlock Holmes attitude and a 

good torch to see the meter readings I 

turned detective; switching off first 

one thing and then another and 

watched both the new meter and the 

electricity company one. 

The biggest culprit is the dishwasher 

because the hot water takes a minute 

to get to it and then it adds some 

power to get the system really hot. 

Then came a small immersion heater 

and the microwave oven. My computer 

takes more than a 100 watt lamp and 

even when asleep is still hungry, the 

printer on standby night and day takes 

a enough to light a little room and so 

do the speakers, the radio, and the Hi- 

Fi while the TV takes a good amount, 

about the same as the freezer. 

So far I had managed to reduce the 

number of kilowatt hours by about a 

third just by switching things off as 

soon as I finish with them but still I 

was left with a steady drain of about 

120 Watts, until tonight. And the 

penny dropped. Do you remember 

when we had power cuts as regular as 

clockwork just when you were doing 

something on the PC or the TV was 

good? A light flashing reminded me i 

still had an unbreakable power supply 

unit. That is something I can really 

1 

manage without because the power is 

now OK. I plugged the PC straight in. 

So within a week I have reduced my 

power usage to half. Lots of 20p’s a week 

nicely plugging that hole. 

Alan Lovegreen 

www.Wudja.co.uk 

Handbag Appeal 

Donated handbag sales raised 

hundreds of pounds for St 

Vincent’s Hospice last year. 

Each and every contribution is greatly 

appreciated, Ravel to Radley, Primark to 

Prada. 

Please gift your unused or un-loved 

treasures. 

Donations can be made at any of our 

shops. 

The charity shop is looking for 

volunteers. If you can spare some time 

and would like to meet new people and 

become part of a team then contact the 

volunteer co-ordinator, Christine 

Haddock on 01505 705635 or by email 

at christine.haddock@svh.co.uk. 

No experience necessary. 

Thank you everyone! 

ASIST 

Anti-Social 

Investigation Team 

Office 8:45am – 4:45pm 

Tel: 0141 840 2163

LOSC Consultation 

Lochwinnoch Out of School Club have 

submitted a proposal to Renfrewshire 

Council outlining some ideas of what 

could happen to the Library building if, 

as seems likely, the Council move the 

library service to the McKillop Institute. They recently 

presented this proposal at a meeting of the Community Council. 

The proposal is that once the Library has moved to the 

McKillop and LOSC has (temporarily) moved to the school that 

LOSC would move permanently into the library building and 

make as much of the building available for community use. 

The key points of the proposal, as it currently stands, is that the 

old museum room at the back of the building would be available 

for community use at all times. 

The main existing library area would be available for 

community use when the out of school club are not using it. 

The probable times that the out of school club will be using the 

rooms are 7:30 - 9:30am and 2:30 - 6:30pm Mon-Fri and 

7:30am-6:30pm Mon-Fri during school holidays. The rooms 

would be available for community use at most other times. 

Should the proposal be accepted by Renfrewshire Council LOSC 

are keen to involve the whole community in the plans and 

intend to fully consult with the community in the next couple of 

months. In the meantime they are open to suggestions of how 

the space could be used. The community room would be a 

flexible space so multiple uses are planned, some current 

suggestions are: 

1. Traditional meeting/lecture room. With formal 

seating and tables plus whiteboard, projector and screen. 

(Community Council meetings etc) 

2 

2. Comfy seating (armchairs) with smaller tables. 

Intended for use by smaller, informal groups (writers group 

etc) 

3. Cinema 

4. Craft/Hobby space. Seating / workbenches / 

workspaces to be discussed. 

5. Anything else - open to suggestions 

LOSC are keen to discuss the proposal with any groups, 

organisations or individuals that may wish to make use of the 

space. 

email : community@lochwinnoch.info 

phone: 01505 842768 

Beith Arts Sunday Concerts 

The last concert of this season will provide a very melodious 

farewell to our audience. 

"Close Shave", a multi-prize-winning barbershop chorus from 

Paisley, will be presenting a programme of well-known popular 

songs dating from the early 1900`s to the 1960`s. This 16strong 

choir sings unaccompanied, in tight four-part harmony, 

and has won many prizes for doing just that. They have been 

top male-voice choir in the Glasgow Music Festival four times 

since 2000 and in 2005 were the overall winners of the choral 

section. 

So this will be a very popular way to close this season, and all 

are welcome to join us at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday, 17th April in the 

Community Centre, Kings Road, Beith. Tickets are £8, 

concessions £6, students and children £1. 

Although the concerts will be finished until the next season 

begins in September, we still have our annual Art Show to look 

forward to. That opens on Sunday, 29th May and lasts for a 

week, closing on Sunday, 5th June. More details of this very 

popular event will be published here in May. 

Elderly Forum 

We are all saddened by the recent passing of two of our 

members. Morag Wishart and Liz Glen will be very much 

missed. 

Due to Morag's funeral taking place on Tuesday 22nd much of 

the special event organised by Morag Thow as part of the Arts 

Festival was postponed. However we did enjoy a fine display 

from Lochwinnoch Scottish Country Dance group while having 

tea and cakes. 

The rest of the programme will be arranged for a later date. The 

country dance group will visit again, there's to be an audiovisual 

history of Lochwinnoch and then the tea dance. 

Something to look forward to. 

The Sewing & Craft club will meet on Wednesday 13th and 

fortnightly thereafter. Give it a try. Those who are attending 

find the projects enjoyable and you work at your own pace. It's 

£2 for the two hours 10.30am till 12.30pm. Coffee, tea and 

biscuits are served and the company's good. 

Tbar on Tuesdays 10am - 1pm and lunch club on Thursdays at 

11.45am as usual. 

Gordon Nicholl 842632

Golden Wedding Celebration 

The Golden Wedding Anniversary of Pat and Bert Matthews 

was celebrated at a big party held at the McKillop Hall on 12th 

March and a great time was had by all who attended. 

Pat and Bert were married at Skelmorlie & Weymss Bay North 

Church by Revd. Dr. Donald C. Caskie on 11 March 1961. They 

started married life living in Lochwinnoch but then had to 

move around the country for work. They returned to the 

village five years later (1967) and moved into their house in 

Crookhill Gardens where they have lived happily ever since. 

Much of their time nowadays is spent on their garden for 

which they have won many trophies over the past years and 

they are still working hard hoping to continue this success. 

Best wishes for future good health and happiness. 

3 

Lapwing 

Castle Semple Rowing Club (CSRC) News 

The club is off to a flying start for the 2011 season despite (or 

perhaps due to) being confined to rowing machines for most of 

the winter. In the indoor rowing championships in January 

Emma McDonald (16) achieved a gold medal in the U17 event 

and Alex Afuakwah (14) came away with a silver in the U15 

event. 

Growing numbers meant we were able to enter a men's and a 

women's eight in the Glasgow Rowing Club's Head of the River 

race (no pennants but they all made it back and were able to 

smile afterwards) and we had a good set of entries for the 

Clydesdale Head in February too. 

Martin Holmes and Pete Murray left younger crews standing at 

the Inverness 8's and small boats race, producing the fastest 

small boats time in both divisions. Emma McDonald won the 

J16 single in the GB Junior trials at Boston, Lincs, making her 

the fastest 16 year old sculle, in that category, on the day. 

Finally, this month saw the first ever entry of a CSRC crew in 

the London Women's Tideway, the world largest women only 

race. 

The club has been running learn to row courses for several 

years now and the number of older members and recreational 

rowers has increased dramatically. This year we've started 

Learn to Row Saturdays which means that you can pop down 

and have a go without committing to a full training course. The 

next Learn to Row Saturdays are on 2nd and 30th of April. If 

you're interested email captain@castlesemplerc.co.uk for more 

details. 

Preparations are already underway for the Castle Semple 

Regatta which will take place this year on Saturday May 21st. 

2011 is the 40th anniversary of the first CSRC Regatta, which 

many will remember used to be funded by the Milk Marketing 

Board. CSRC will be producing a history board for the day 

showing images from the event over the years. If you have any 

pictures you'd like to see included (or would like to sponsor us 

NOT to display) please drop us a line. More information on the 

event next month. 

More CSRC news and information about the club on 

www.castlesemplerc.co.uk

Fairtrade Fortnight: 

Wine Tasting 

The annual awareness raising 

campaign in Lochwinnoch is 

aimed to get folk to think about 

what Fairtrade goods they could 

wear, eat, drink or use to cook 

with. 

The free Fairtrade wine 

tasting, hosted at The Junction 

by Ivan Minucci, recent winner of the Renfrewshire Spirit of 

Fairtrade Award, was a very successful event. It was 

sponsored by the Cooperative membership's South West 

area committee, represented by Liz Armstrong (Coop and 

Membership secretary), who introduced us to their range of 

wines . 

During the evening around 20 supporters and volunteers 

sampled and rated a sparkling wine, a rose, two reds and a 

white. In between tastings there was a film showing how the 

Fairtrade social premium has been used to build a 

secondary school in a wine producing area of Chile. There 

was also a quiz with prizes which got folk thinking more 

deeply about Fairtrade. 

Generous donors helped to raise funds for the local 

Fairtrade campaign group. The group's activities include 

sponsoring prizes for the poster competition at 

Lochwinnoch Primary school, paying for stalls and 

supporting hurricane-devastated Fairtrade banana 

producers in St Lucia. 

All in all, it was an enjoyable and informative evening. 

4 

Chips & Opera 

In aid of Teenage Cancer Trust 

Due to huge demand, Chips & Opera is back! 

Another fabulous , fun-filled night with a drinks 

reception then a 3 course “chis and fips” meal, some 

beautiful Opera before strutting your stuff on the 

dance floor to the fabulous Shootin’ The Breeze. All 

dressed up in black tie and big frocks, this lighthearted, 

hugely enjoyable evening is a fun way to help 

raise funds for an incredible charity, the Teenage 

Cancer Trust 

http://www.teenagecancertrust.org/ 

Harry Ramsden’s Restaurant, Glasgow 

Friday 6th May 2011 

Drinks Reception 7:30pm 

Carriages 12:30 

Tickets £25 

from Karen Kelly or John Delaney 

Or send a cheque (made payable to TCT 

GladRags & Gowns) to 

Karen Kelly Designs Ltd 

14 High Barholm, 

Kilbarchan, PA10 2EF 

Tel: 01505 705767

LCBG and the Library 

Members of Lochwinnoch Community 

Buyout Group (LCBG), like many other 

people in the village, are keen that the 

library service remain in the library 

building. That downsizing and moving 

the Library into the McKillop would 

mark its death knell. Also, we are 

concerned that the upheaval being 

caused to the village by these proposals, 

not least to the out of school club who 

are being evicted to make way for the 

library, is intolerable. 

LCBG members, along with many other 

villagers, couldn’t believe that 

Renfrewshire Council wouldn’t accept 

the mounting evidence that the basis for 

the decision on closing the library 

building was wrong. But as time has 

gone on, it seems that our councillors 

are intractable on this. So after 

discussing the matter with other 

villagers, LCBG decided to put in a 

proposal to the council at the 11th hour 

that could provide a solution. 

Renfrewshire Council has stated that 

they wish to manage fewer buildings, to 

save money ‘achieving a leaner, fitter 

property estate’ (from ‘Report by 

Director of Property and Housing 

Services, Property Asset Management, 

4.11.10’) Therefore LCBG’s plan is that, 

through them, villagers run the library 

building, leasing it from the council. 

This would then mean that the library 

could stay where it is - the council would 

pay a reasonable rent to the community 

group and no longer be responsible for 

the building themselves. 

The other available spaces in the library 

building could also be rented out to local 

businesses or community groups. The 

combined incomes would support the 

running and maintenance of the 

building. 

Obviously, it would be ideal if villagers 

didn’t have to take on the management 

of the library building. If only the 

council would acknowledge the paucity 

and inaccuracy of the information on 

which they based their decision to 

downsize the library and close the 

building. 

LCBG (Lochwinnoch Community 

Buyout Group) 

East Lochhead 

Self-Catering Cottages 

Met Iona Biggar-Carr 

Oh Hello DAHLING its come, its 

COME! We're invited to ZARA'S 

WEDDING! Of course Zara and Isolde 

were in the same form at school – they 

are intellectual equals! Although I 

must admit Isolde's seat is not quite up 

to Zara's standard. Ivor has always 

been a great admirer of Zara's seat – 

strange really as he isn't usually 

interested in horsey stuff. 

Yeees, when I said we are INVITED, 

we won't ACTUALLY be going IN to 

the church, we have more of an AL 

FRESCO supporting role. Alright YES, 

DARLING, it does mean we'll be 

standing outside but we've been 

INVITED to stand outside! Oh ARE 

you? HOW DID THAT COME 

ABOUT? WELL, I suppose if you ARE 

one of Zara's sponsors they HAVE to 

invite YOU. NO don't bother waving – 

I'm sure you'll be too busy finding the 

best pose to... shall we say, DISPLAY 

yourself. 

We have a TEENSY diplomatic 

problem. The senior Chambyre-Potts 

are also attending Zara's wedding and 

have indicated they may come to visit 

us. I may have mentioned that they are 

TERRIBLY GRAND. GOSH, that 

means MAJOR redecoration unless 

d'you think we could persuade them 

that the water stains are HISTORIC? 

No, I suppose not. There is also the 

problem of the cracked loo next to the 

good guestroom. NO, its FINE unless 

of course you USE it and MIND having 

wet feet. Not to mention the east wing! 

The main problem is that they didn't 

take kindly to Isolde postponing her 

wedding. I really feel they might have 

been more understanding. What girl 

wouldn't jump at the chance of being 

taken up the Amazon by last year's 

Oxford boatrace crew? What an 

experience! I believe her fiancé, 

Glazed, is SIMPLY JEALOUS, silly 

fellow. He could have gone too but he 

is allergic to plants, trees, fish and 

doesn't care for boats! That is hardly 

Isolde fault! Still fences must be 

5 

Contact 

JANET ANDERSON 

East Lochhead Self-Catering Cottages 

Kilbirnie Road, Lochwinnoch 

Renfrewshire PA12 4DX 

Tel: +44(0) 1505 842610 

Mob: 07885565131 

admin@eastlochhead.co.uk 

www.eastlochhead.co.uk 

mended! 

And how is Kirsty? I heard she had a 

little problem at school. OH WELL, YES 

Honor did have a problem too. I KNOW! 

I've told her that it just isn't on to waste 

eggs like that. You would think the 

teachers would have more of a sense of 

humour! I do think Honor is RATHER 

CREATIVE. Would you have thought to 

place doggy doo-doo/egg and milk mix 

in the staff room light fitting? I shall 

certainly ask the school for a discount 

for the weeks she is suspended – a nice 

discount would be MOST useful. 

Selly is fine, thank you! Ivor has taken 

him in hand and confiscated his illgotten 

gains – a tidy sum that came in 

handy when the gardener simply 

INSISTED on being paid for the last 6 

months – the cheek! It was most 

awkward and after all the manure we've 

GIVEN him! 

Selly and Ivor are off to London to see 

Sid Slyme – you remember he is the 

owner of the Peppermint Hippo gallery 

where Ivor and the male members of the 

Art Group exhibited? Apparently Mr 

Slyme is QUITE the entrepreneur and 

he is anxious to meet Selly and it seems 

he is impressed with what he's heard of 

the boy. Just as well that Selly is allowed 

back to London after … that 

UNFORTUNATE incident. It was all a 

MISUNDERSTANDING! How the 

Organised Crime police can IMAGINE 

that a teenage boy is a master criminal 

just AMAZES me! Well, YES, 

TECHNICALLY he is a little older than 

most schoolboys but practically a 

teenager. 

I MUST DASH! I'm modelling for the 

ART GROUP as a burlesque dancer, 

YES, SUCH a charming idea! Do you 

happen to have tassels? NO? Thought 

not. I'll pop round to the Ancient's 

Circus, some of them have LIVED and 

probably have a tassel or two. BYEEE!

Surgery News 

As many of you will have been aware, the surgery has been extremely busy over the 

past few weeks, which has resulted in a shortage of appointments. We are doing our 

best to resolve this and thank you for your understanding and help by notifying us if 

you no longer need or are unable to attend your appointment, thereby freeing it up 

for someone else. 

In many cases it might be possible to discuss your problem by telephone-please feel 

free to ask for a telephone consultation. 

Until Dr Waterston retires in June 2011 the doctors are available as follows: 

Lochwinnoch Beith 

Morning Afternoon Morning Afternoon 

Monday Dr Kirk & Dr Kirk & Dr McLaughlin Dr McLaughlin 

Dr Fraser Dr Fraser 

Tuesday Dr Fraser & Dr Fraser & Dr McLaughlin Half Day 

Dr McLaughlin Dr McLaughlin 

Wednesday Dr Kirk & Dr Kirk Dr Waterston Dr Waterston 

Dr Fraser 

Thursday Dr Waterston Dr McLaughlin Dr Kirk Dr Kirk 

Dr McLaughlin 

Friday Dr Waterston & Dr Waterston Dr McLaughlin Dr McLaughlin 

Dr Kirk 

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park 

Regional Park Round Up for April 2011 

Fortieth Birthday at Castle Semple Centre in July. 

On July 17th, 1971 the centre was officially incorporated into Clyde Muirshiel 

Regional Park and this July 17th, park staff are planning a big celebration. 

They say that life begins at forty and certainly the watersports club scene has never 

been healthier. The sailing, rowing, kayak and windsurfing clubs are all participating 

in a relay pentathlon (the fifth event being running) which will provide one of the 

highlights on the big day. 

The fun event is in aid of charity and entries individuals or teams of up to 5 people) 

are needed. Don’t worry if you don’t have a team. The Ranger Service is acting as a 

clearing house for individuals or two’s or three’s who need team mates. 

The day will have a seventies theme with a fancy dress parade, seventies music and 

other period items. 

Ranger staff are also keen to hear of people’s memories of the last forty years in 

order to mount a display. 

Rehabilitation at Home 

I offer physiotherapy services in the comfort of your 

own home including : 

Injury rehabilitation / Relief from back pain 

Managing long term conditions 

(eg COPD, Parkinsons, stroke or heart problems) 

Massage – remedial and relaxing 

Palliative physiotherapy 

If you think I can be of service, please contact me: 

Sabita Stewart BSc (Hons) MCSP 07940 587943 

sabitathephysio@gmail.com 

Health Professions Council: PH91860 Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy: 083677 

6 

Apart from the watersports clubs, all 

other village clubs are welcome to 

participate in the day. Some have 

already been approached but please 

contact the Ranger Service if you think 

you can play a part. 

Finally, do you know anyone who will 

have their own fortieth birthday on 

Sunday 17 July this year? We are looking 

for someone to officially open the event. 

For further details contact Fiona 

Carswell, Development & Marketing 

Officer, CMRP tel 01505 614 791 

Spring & Summer Events 

The Summer 2011 what’s on guide is hot 

off the press – pick up at a Visitor 

Centre or look online. 

Volunteer Days at Greenock Cut 

Visitor Centre 

Invites are out to join the Rangers for 

some healthy outdoor exercise on Sun 

10 April and Sun 17th April, call the 

Rangers on tel 01475 521 458 for more 

details. 

Photographic Competition 2011 

It’s time to get snapping! There is £250 

to be won. Look online or pick up a 

leaflet at a Visitor Centre for details. The 

theme is Woodlands of Clyde Muirshiel’ 

as it is International Year of Forests. 

Highlights from the 2010 competition 

can be seen at Muirshiel Visitor Centre 

until 10 April. 

Lochwinnoch Farmers Market 

It was a cold day for the Spring Market – 

thanks to all who supported our local 

producers – next market is Sun 5 June, 

11am start at Castle Semple. 

Mountain Bike pals? Enjoy getting 

out on your bike but would like some 

local company? Send us an email to 

routes@clydemuirshiel.co.uk and we’ll 

let you know when folk are going out. 

‘Calling all Cyclists’ 

We’d like to know were you cycle within 

the Regional Park and what 

developments you would like to see in 

the future. Please get in contact 

preferably by email to 

routes@clydemuirshiel.co.uk. Thanks to 

those that have been in contact, your 

input is most appreciated. 

New sports development group 

formed at Castle Semple 

The Castle Semple site at Lochwinnoch 

hosts several successful watersports 

clubs as well as being the “Gateway” site 

of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. 

Now these organisations have come 

together with an agreed draft vision. 

The vision states that “Castle Semple is a 

place where sports and active recreation 

improves the quality of life through 

partnership between the Park Authority, 

sports clubs and community groups;

Lochwinnoch Community 

Library 

Library Opening Hours 

Monday, Wednesday & Friday 2pm – 

5pm, 6pm – 8pm 

Tuesday & Saturday 10am – 1pm, 2pm- 

5pm 

CLOSED THURSDAY 

Services available: 

Free Broadband Internet 

Free document Shredding facility 

Photocopier & printer (15p per black & 

white copy) 

Fax (Charge depending on UK or 

Overseas destination) 

New titles for April 

Lesley Pearse : Belle London 1910 : 

Fifteen year-old Belle has lived in a 

brothel in Seven Dials all her life, with 

no understanding of what happens in 

the rooms upstairs. Her innocence is 

shattered when she witnesses the 

murder of one of the girls and, 

subsequently snatched from the streets 

by the killer, she is sold into prostitution 

in Paris. 

No longer mistress of her own fate, Belle 

is blown across the globe to sensuous 

New Orleans where she comes of age 

and learns to enjoy life as a courtesan. 

Yet thoughts of home - and the 

knowledge her status as golden girl 

cannot last - compel her to break out of 

her gilded cage. 

Belle finds escaping tougher than she 

imagined, for her life is threatened by 

desperate men who crave her beauty and 

attention. Armed only with 

resourcefulness and spirit, she has a 

long and dangerous journey ahead of 

her. Will courage be enough to sustain 

her? Can she make it back to her family 

and friends and find her chance at true 

happiness? 

Simon Kernick : The payback 

Dennis Milne is a man with a past, and a 

past that involves murder. A former cop, 

he's earned his living killing the bad 

guys - drug-dealers, corrupt business 

men - people who, in his opinion, 

deserve to die. For the past two days, 

he's been in Manila, waiting for his next 

target: a young woman who's made 

herself some poor life-choices, and 

some even worse enemies. 

DI Tina Boyd is a woman on a mission. 

Tough, spiky and determined, she's 

looking for the man she holds 

responsible for the death of her lover. 

She knows he's ruthless. She knows 

he's dangerous. He's in Manila, and 

she's determined to find and kill him - 

before he kills her. 

Two cops with pasts that haunt them - 

and a present that could see them both 

dead. They are about to meet. And 

when they do, it's payback time… 

Mary Higgins Clark : I’ll walk 

alone Thirty-two year old Alexandra 

Moreland is a rising star in the 

architectural world and lives in 

Manhattan. But when she is plagued 

by identity theft, her successful life is 

turned upside down. Someone has 

gained access to her bank accounts, 

credit cards, personal background, and 

is now impersonating her. 

Then, with overwhelming 

circumstantial evidence stacked 

against her, Alexandra is arrested for 

the murder of a woman she claims 

she's never met. Or has she? 

Robert Crais : The Sentry Dru 

Rayne and her uncle fled to L.A. after 

Hurricane Katrina; but now, five years 

later, they face a different danger. 

When Joe Pike witnesses Dru's uncle 

beaten by a protection gang, he offers 

his help, but neither of them want itand 

neither do the federal agents 

mysteriously watching them. 

As the level of violence escalates, and 

Pike himself becomes a target, he and 

Elvis Cole learn that Dru and her uncle 

are not who they seem- and that 

everything he thought he knew about 

them has been a lie. A vengeful and 

murderous force from their past is 

now catching up to them . . . and only 

Pike and Cole stand in the way. 

Wilbur Smith : Those in peril 

Hazel Bannock is the heir to the 

Bannock Oil Corp, one of the major oil 

producers with global reach. 

While cruising in the Indian Ocean, 

Professional Freelance Wedding Florist 

Elaine Lamont 

Free home consultation 

Tel: 01505 506169 

Mob: 07505 735733 

Email: elamont@live.co.uk 

www.elainelamont.co.uk 

8 

Hazel's private yacht is hijacked by 

African pirates. Hazel is not on board at 

the time, but her nineteen year old 

daughter, Cayla, is kidnapped and held 

to ransom. The pirates demand a 

crippling twenty billion dollar ransom 

for her release. 

Complicated political and diplomatic 

considerations render the civilized 

major powers incapable of intervening. 

When Hazel is given evidence of the 

horrific torture which Cayla is being 

subjected to, she calls on Hector Cross 

to help her rescue her daughter. Hector 

is the owner and operator of Cross Bow 

Security, the company which is 

contracted to Bannock Oil to provide all 

their security. He is a formidable 

fighting man. Between them Hazel and 

Hector are determined to take the law 

into their own hands. 

Cecelia Ahern : Girl in the mirror 

Two powerful and unforgettable stories 

from the Number One bestselling 

author. 

Girl in the Mirror Lila knows how lucky 

she is to have found the man of her 

dreams. But when a secret from her 

family's past comes to light on her 

wedding day, her destiny changes in the 

most unexpected of ways! 

The Memory Maker: They say you never 

forget your first love. But what happens 

when those cherished memories start to 

fade? Some people would do anything to 

hold on to the past and, for one 

heartbroken man, that means finding a 

way to relive those precious moments! 

Coming soon…………… 

��Nora Roberts : Chasing fire 

��Michael Connelly : The Fifth witness 

��Jean Marie Auel : The land of 

Painted 

��Caves (Earth’s Children Book 6) 

��Quintin Jardine : The Loner 

A library in your 

living room! 

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libraries 

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To access these products from home, 

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Renfrewshire Libraries. 

If you are not currently a member, join 

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Bookbug Rhymetime 

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aged birth – 4 years 

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On their first visit to the participating 

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9 

Arthritis Research UK 

The Lochwinnoch Branch of Arthritis 

Research UK are holding a Jennie a' 

Things sale in the Parish Church Halls 

on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th April, 

10am till 3pm, tickets £1.50. 

There will be tea, coffee, home baking, 

Nearly New, Tombola and Jennie a' 

Things stall which will include books, 

greetings cards, ornaments and other 

interesting things. There will be 

something for everyone. 

Donations will be welcomed by Norma 

Bell (842 558), Agnes Smillie (842 407) 

and Glenys McKee (842 419) from 

whom you can also buy tickets. 

Castle Semple 

Sailing Club 

The long cold winter 

finally seems to have left us just in time 

for the start of the 2011 sailing season at 

Castle Semple which will officially will 

start on Sunday 3 April. If you are 

interested in joining us, why not come 

along. Racing starts at 2.00pm but come 

down around 1.00pm and a member will 

be on hand to help or contact Dawn 

(email mirtosanatoli@yahoo.co.uk ). 

We sail on Sunday afternoons and 

Wednesday evenings from April through 

to the end of October. The Club has an 

active programme on an off the water 

throughout the year. A social 

membership has recently been 

introduced, so even if you are not a keen 

sailor, but would like to get involved 

with the Club, why not come down and 

meet us. CSSC is a small friendly club, 

known for its warm hospitality and has 

frequently received thanks from visiting 

sailors and their families. 

The predominant boats are GP14's but 

many other types of boats are sailed 

including Lasers, Enterprises, Vago and 

National 12. The Club also has several 

boats which may be sailed by non boat 

owning members. 

See web site for details: 

www.castlesemplesc.co.uk.

What’s On 

Regular clubs, classes and groups 

��First Friday of Month—Semple 

Tones host an open mike session at 

Lochwinnoch Golf Club. Come 

along, don't be shy 

��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 on: 0772 9051615. 

��Lochwinnoch Writers Group— 

Monday mornings from 9.30- 

11.30am in the Library. 

Q 

J Quinn & son 

Memorials 

Personal Service & Quality 

Guaranteed 

New Memorials 

Additional Inscriptions 

Cleaning & Renovations 

SALE ITEMS ALWAYS IN STOCK 

42 MAIN STREET 

KILBIRNIE 

Please Call 01505 68 5455 

Mon & Fri 10am-5pm 

Tue-Thur 10am-2pm 

Sat 10am—1pm 

��Knit @ The 19th at the Golf 

Club— Monday 10am-12 noon (or 

longer), all levels and learners 

welcome. 

��Advice Works—At the Library by 

appointment only. Contact 382328 

��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 Tues from 10- 

11am at the Annexe in the Park. 

��Drop-in T Bar - Lochwinnoch 

Elderly Forum. Every Tuesday 

from 10am-1pm, McKillop Inst. 

For details, Tel Betty 703727 

��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, Parish Church Hall. 

��Yoga Classes—Wednesday 

evenings: at 6pm and 7.30pm, 

10 

McKillop Inst. Yoga, breathing 

practice, intro. to meditation. Tel 

Mary: 01505 842877. 

��Happy Harminis—Fun for preschool 

children on Thursdays 10am- 

11am, McKillop Inst. Tel: Frankie : 

01505 612248. 

��Slinky Strollers—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 

��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: 01505 842632 

chatterbox@lochwinnoch.info 

COPY DEADLINE FOR MAY 

CHATTERBOX IS 

MONDAY 25TH APRIL

Forthcoming Events 

��Sat 2 April—Mothers Day Craft 

Making, 11am-4pm, RSPB, £2 

Wildlife Explorer Members half 

price. 

��Sat 2 April—Learn to Row 

Saturday at Castle Semple Rowing 

Club 

��Sun 3 April—Castle Semple Sailing 

Club Racing starts at 2.00pm 

��Tues 5 April—Community Council 

meeting, 7.30pm, Bowling Club. 

��Thurs 7 April—Lochwinnoch Golf 

Club House will be hosting a Quiz 

night. Food will be available. 

��Fri 8 April—RSPB Lochwinnoch 

Holiday Club, 11am-2pm, £4 

Wildlife Explorer members, £6 nonmembers. 

Bring packed lunch. 

��Fri 8 Sat 9 April—Jennie a' Things 

sale in the Parish Church 

Halls,10am till 3pm, tickets £1.50 in 

aid of Arthritis Research 

��Sat 9 April—RSPB Young 

Volunteers Group 11am-4pm 

��Sun 10 April—Volunteer Day at 

Greenock Cut Visitor Centre 

��Sun 10 April—Daffodil Tea, 

Barrmill Community Centre, 2-4pm, 

£1.50 

��Sun 10 April—Pawsitive Action at 

Muirshiel Visitor Centre 11am-4pm 

��Mon 11 April—RSPB Scavenger 

Hunt, 12noon-3pm, £4 Wildlife 

Explorer members half price, adults 

free. 

��Fri 15 April—RSPB Lochwinnoch 

Holiday Club, 11am-2pm, £4 

members, £6 nonmembers. 

Bring packed lunch. 

��Sat 16 April—“How to Make a 

Heron Happy” book reading for 3 to 

6 yr olds 11am-12noon and 1pm- 

2pm, RSPB, £2, half price for RSPB 

members 

��Sat 16 April—Special Prize Bingo, 

Barrmill Community Centre, 7pm. 

Cost £5 includes books and supper. 

��Sun 17 April—Volunteer Day at 

Greenock Cut Visitor Centre 

��Sun 17 April—St Vincent’s 

Zumbathon Charity Event, 

Johnstone Town Hall 1-4pm £10 

��Sun 17 April—Beith Arts Sunday 

Concert 2.30 p.m. Community 

Centre, Kings Road, Beith. Tickets 

are £8, concessions £6, students 

and children £1. 

��Mon 18 April—Lochwinnoch Art 

Group, 7.39-9.30 pm, McKillop 

Institute. 

��Wed 20 April—Elderly Forum 

Sewing and Craft Club, 10.30am - 

12.30 pm, £2 incl. coffee, tea and 

biscuits. 

��Thurs 21 April—Historical 

Society, 7.30pm in the Parish 

Church. The speaker is Graeme 

Smith with "The Theatre Royal - 

Entertaining a Nation" Visitors £2 

which includes the tea/coffee/cake 

and biscuits. 

��Sat 23 April—Finnieston Crane 

Abseil in aid of St Vincent’s 

Hospice 

��Sat 23 April—RSPB A Quacking 

Good Easter 11 am-3pm £2, half 

price for Wildlife Explorer 

members, adults free. 

��Sat 30 April—Learn to Row 

Saturday, Castle Semple Rowing 

Club 

��Fri 6 May—Richard Mulhearn 

and his Jazz Band entertain diners 

at Lochwinnoch Golf Club. Call 

01505 842153 to book 

��Sat 21 May—40th anniversary 

Castle Semple Rowing Club 

Regatta 

Historical Society 

Irene Hughson entertained us last 

month with her talk on the Battle of 

Renfrew an engagement which took 

place in 1164 but is largely unknown. 

We are now familiar with the event 

and the circumstances leading up to 

it. 

Next meeting is on Thursday 21st at 

7.30pm in the Parish Church. The 

speaker is Graeme Smith with "The 

Theatre Royal -Entertaining a 

Nation" 

Visitors £2 which includes the tea/ 

coffee/cake and biscuits. 

We meet again on Thursday 

September 15th this being the start 

of the 2011-12 programme. 

Gordon Nicholl 842632 

11 

Daffodil Tea 

Barrmill and District 

Community Association 

are holding a Daffodil Tea on Sunday 

10th April in Barrmill Community 

Centre, Barrmill from 2pm to 4pm 

cost is £1.50 towards Hall funds. 

We will also be holding a Special Prize 

Bingo on Saturday, 16th April from 

7pm. The cost is £5 and includes 

books and supper. There will also be a 

raffle in aid of Hall funds. We would 

be please to see you at any of these 

events. 

Parish Church 

Easter Family 

Fun Day 

Easter family fun day at Lochwinnoch 

Golf Club, Easter Sunday 24th April 

from 2pm. 

Bring decorated easter Eggs and Easter 

Bonnets for the Easter parade! 

Various Competitions and fun activities. 

All ages welcome 

Pawsitive Action 

We would just like to take this 

opportunity to say a huge thank you to 

the Rangers from the Cut and all the 

volunteers who braved the miserable 

weather to lend a hand. We had a great 

time and we hope you did too. 

It's a pity the rain plagued us for most of 

the day, but we all had a good laugh. We 

handed out some valuable up-to-date 

information to visitors to the tent. The 

dogs all got great walks in beautiful 

surroundings whilst we chatted to fellow 

walkers and handed out more leaflets 

and dog bags. The Rangers have 

expressed their appreciation to all those 

who came to help highlight The Outdoor 

Access Code, Ground Nesting Birds, Dog 

Fouling, and the updated Out of Control 

Dog Law which was brought into effect 

in February 2011. Clyde Muirshiel 

Regional Park 

Rangers welcome all "Responsible Dog 

Owners" getting Out & About using our 

country parks. 

Come join us and support our Rangers: 

10th April, Muirshiel Visitor Centre 

11am-4pm and again at Castle Semple 

14th May. All volunteers and dogs 

welcomed. 

Jacquie Dougan and Tony Gibb 

www.k9chat.co.uk

Councillor 

Arthur’s Report 

The recent annual Provost’s 

Community Awards proved 

very successful for 

Lochwinnoch. This year’s 

Spirit of Fairtrade Award 

went to Ivan and Jo Minucci who run 

the Junction Bistro at the cross. Ivan 

and Jo not only played a major role in 

Lochwinnoch achieving the status of a 

Fairtrade Village but also in making sure 

that the Fairtrade status is maintained 

by the village. 

Lochwinnoch resident Betty Blackwood 

won the Carers Award for the years of 

help and caring that she provided to 

members of her family and particularly 

to her daughter May, who was 

diagnosed with MS 20 years ago and 

who passed away in October last year. 

Sadly Betty’s husband Jim also passed 

away recently. 

It was an honour for me, not only to 

attend the awards but to be part of a 

fabulous day with Ivan, Jo and Betty. 

Congratulations to Lochwinnoch 

resident Vicky Lee who won the Social 

Enterprise Innovator award at the 

national John Logie Baird Awards. This 

win follows on from Vicky’s success in 

early 2010 when she was crowned 

Scotland’s next top entrepreneur by 

scooping first prize in the Bright 

Business Idea competition. 

My congratulations also go to 

Lochwinnoch born, Ian Guy who also 

reached the final stage of the John Logie 

Baird Awards. 

If anyone would like to volunteer for the 

role to keep Auld Simon ticking and the 

bell chiming then please contact me. 

Due to the Easter holidays, my next 

Surgery is on Saturday 21st May 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 email me at 

cllr.david.arthur@renfrewshire.gov.uk 

and we can agree a time when we can 

meet. 

A Letter to America 1887 

During the period when I worked as a 

countryside ranger at Castle Semple 

country park we received many visitors 

from the United States claiming they 

were descended from the Sempill family 

who occupied the lochside fortification 

bearing their name between 1500 and 

1727. 

Americans exploring their family links 

with the Sempills has a long tradition. A 

letter loaned to me by Dr Christopher 

Lee, curator of the former Lochwinnoch 

Community Museum, recalls the visit 

to Lochwinnoch in July, 1887, of a 

Miss Ellen C Semple. It described her 

travels to family members at home in 

the USA. 

Miss Semple, who was lodging at 

Cockburn Hotel in Bath Street, 

Glasgow, told how she journeyed by 

rail with friends to Lochwinnoch to 

visit the seat of her Sempill ancestors. 

On arrival, she and her party were 

given directions, by the station-master, 

to Castle Semple mansion which was 

owned at that time by the Shand- 

Harvey family. 

They walked down to the village with 

their luggage and hired a 

'machine' (probably a horse-drawn 

carriage - DP) at the Eagle Inn to take 

them to the 18th century house. This 

replaced the original Castle Semple 

stronghold which was demolished by 

the Macdowall family in 1727 and first 

occupied in 1735. 

"We drove along the shores of Castle 

Semple Loch for quarter-of-a-mile 

before we came to the gateway of 

Castle Semple (Now the West Gates - 

DP). The gateway and lodge were very 

old and in Gothic architectural style. 

Over the gate was a tall stone arch 

flanked on either side by two small 

stone buildings used by the gatekeeper." 

remembered Miss Semple. 

"When we said we were Semples, the 

porter opened the gate with alacrity. 

The road up to the house wound along 

the bank of the lake for two miles. Old 

trees formed an arch over our heads 

while ferns and wild flowers grew 

down to the water's edge. I never saw a 

more beautiful road. It had the loch on 

one side and a hill grazed by cattle and 

sheep on the other. 

"The castle was more modern than we 

expected. In the centre was a square 

building with wings on either side 

forming a semi-circle. We went up the 

stone stairs and rang a bell and the 

door was opened by a nice-looking 

maid. She said the family (Shand- 

Harveys - DP) were in London but we 

could meet the house-keeper. 

"The house-keeper told us Mrs Harvey 

would have been delighted to see us if 

she had been at home. She informed 

us that Mr Harvey, the uncle of the 

present owner, bought the house 

around 1813 (from the Macdowalls - 

DP) . 

"The first Mr Harvey died a bachelor 

and left his estate to his nephew, Mr 

JW Shand, who added the Harvey 

name to that of Shand. This Mr Shand 

is a young man with a wife and two 

little children. His father, Sir Charles 

Shand-Harvey, is still alive and 

resident in London. But because he is 

only a knight his son won't inherit the 

12 

title." 

Miss Semple and her friends were 

shown through Castle Semple House 

which she described as 'an interesting 

place with exquisite furniture and rare 

old pieces of bric-a-brac." She added: 

"Mrs Harvey's boudoir was perfect and 

there was a billiards room in one of the 

front wings while Harvey family 

portraits hang on the walls." 

The visitors then drove up the hill in 

their carriage to the ruined early-16th 

century Collegiate Church. There they 

saw Sempill and Harvey family tombs as 

well as an altar and other church 

architectural remains. They described 

the church visit as the most interesting 

part of their pilgrimage to Castle 

Semple. 

Miss Semple concluded her letter to 

America by informing her family that 

she and her company would be 

travelling to Oban the next day before 

going on to Edinburgh where she would 

research her family tree at the city's 

university library. 

When I spoke to our American heritagehunters 

at Castle Semple country park 

during my time there, they were 

fascinated when I revealed they were 

following in the footsteps of one of their 

compatriots (Miss Semple) who trod 

those very same trails a century earlier 

in the quest for their Sempill family 

links. 

Derek Parker 

Derek Parker worked as a countryside 

ranger at Clyde Muirshiel Regional 

Park from 1985 to 1999. 

Lochwinnoch Art Group 

Would all members please note that 

there is only one meeting this month on 

Monday April 18th owing to the Easter 

Public Holiday. 

As usual this will take place in the Bar 

Lounge of the McKillop Institute from 

7.30 - 9.30pm. Please be prepared to 

enjoy life drawing with a live, clothed 

model. 

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.

Heartfelt Thanks 

Words cannot express how we feel about 

the sudden passing away of Jim 

Blackwood, our much loved husband 

and father, on 3rd March 2011, after a 

short illness. The blow is all the harder 

only four months after May (our 

daughter and sister) died. Words 

however may express our sincerest 

thanks to the many friends and relatives 

who have been so kind and supportive. 

Your thoughts, your cards, your flowers 

and kind gestures mean so much, and 

are a great help at this difficult time. 

We especially thank Archie Ford of 

Calder United Free Church for 

conducting the funeral service in 

Archie’s own special way, a way which 

Jim himself admired. We thank our very 

special neighbours whose unbounded 

support gives us strength. And we thank 

the fine staff at St Vincent’s Hospice, for 

we now know why nurses are sometimes 

called “angels”. 

Your kindnesses make it clear that Jim 

was a popular man in Lochwinnoch and 

beyond. He will never be forgotten. 

Betty Blackwood & Jim Blackwood 

(Jnr). 

Big Jim 

Jim patted his coat pocket. 

Inside. Secure. Secret. 

Mallard flew over to Semple’s steely 

water. 

Buds of hawthorn, tight in the chill, 

Led the way. 

As Jim reached within, he 

Counted 

Krugerrands and sovereigns. 

Where should they be buried? 

Over by the hawthorn, 

Or beneath the graceful gean? 

Daffodils will nod each spring. 

Jim Blackwood (Jnr) 16/3/11 

Save Your Regional Park 

Campaign 

Glenlora Turbine, Lochwinnoch - An 

application for 1 x 85m turbine 

(800KW) lodged with Renfrewshire 

Council by Tom Coakley, Glenlora 

House. 

At a meeting of the Renfrewshire 

Planning Board on 22nd March 2011, 

the members wisely accepted the full 

and well-argued recommendation of 

their Department of Planning & 

Transport that this application should 

be refused on the following grounds:- 

1. Safeguarding from an aerodrome 

safeguarding perspective and 

concluded that it is potentially a 

hazard due to its effects on Glasgow 

Airport Primary Radar. The proposal 

is considered to be contrary to the 

terms of Policy Airport 4 of the 

Renfrewshire Local Plan. 

2. The application proposal is 

considered to be unacceptable because 

the applicant has been unable to 

demonstrate Ministry of Defence 

clearance. 

3. That due to its unacceptable visual 

impact the proposal will be contrary to 

Glasgow and Clyde Valley Structure 

Plan policies 7 and 8 and Renfrewshire 

Local Plan policies Ren 1 and ENV 10. 

In addition to objections from the 

SYRP campaign and supporters, 

objections had been received from 

CMRP Authority, Scottish Campaign 

for National Parks, five Community 

Councils (including Lochwinnoch CC), 

British Airports Authority and Scottish 

Natural Heritage. 

We thank everyone who objected to 

this inappropriate industrial 

development proposal. 

Library Action Group 

Update 

Sometimes being a pain the neck 

works. The tenacity of Action Group 

members in pursuing Renfrewshire 

Council for information is bringing 

results. 

With the help of Cllr David Clews 

(Con) we found out how much 

Lochwinnoch contributes to 

Renfrewshire Council's coffers. 

Lochwinnoch has 2% of total domestic 

properties in Renfrewshire and 

contributes £2.2 million in Council 

Tax each year. £2.2 million is 2.9% of 

the total Council Tax revenue. So we 

more than pay our way. You might ask 

what then we receive for this money. 

We now also have updated figures for 

the library. 

Gifts Cards Jewellery 

Leather Home 

8 Church Street 

Lochwinnoch 01505 843311 

Open 9-5 Monday-Saturday 

and 12-4 on Sundays 

13 

The Asset Management Report (AMR) 

given to Councillors in November stated 

that it would cost £80,000 to move the 

library and save £15,400 per year so 

there would be savings within 5 years. 

Now we find that it will cost £85,000 to 

move the library, £8,250 to upgrade the 

school for Lochwinnoch Out of School 

Club (LOSC) and £10,000 plus (all the 

legal costs not yet in) to secure title to 

the library building. That is at least 

£103,250. 

Through Freedom of Information 

requests we have discovered that the 

potential saving is not £15,400 as 

Councillors were informed in the AMR 

but only £10,200 per year! Thus it will 

take over 10 years to break even. Does 

that make sense to you? Maintaining 

the status quo would immediately save 

£85,000! 

At the moment it seems as though the 

SNP/LibDem-ruled Renfrewshire 

Council want to play musical chairs with 

the Library and LOSC while wasting 

tens of thousands of pounds. Why on 

earth is the village being put through all 

this trouble to save £10,200 per year in 

10 years time? Remember this when it 

comes to casting your vote in May. 

The Action Group is preparing a leaflet 

that we plan to deliver to households 

within the next couple of weeks. 

Action Group meetings continue 

(thanks to Laura and Fergus) upstairs 

in the Brown Bull on Wednesdays at 

7.30 pm, all welcome, or you can 

email the group at 

laag@lochwinnoch.info 

Thanks Mr Arthur 

The Toddler Group would like to thank 

Councillor Arthur for his help in 

negotiating with Renfrewshire Council. 

The group were faced with potentially 

having to disband after Renfrewshire 

Council imposed a huge and, for them, 

unaffordable increase in the let for their 

sessions in the McKillop Hall. Thanks to 

Councillor Arthur's assistance they will 

be able to continue although their costs 

will still increase. 

Lazy Sunday afternoons 

Sleep late. Have a walk. Breathe fresh 

air. Go for lunch. Have a browse around 

that little shop in Church Street that you 

never get the chance to explore during 

the working week. 

You might just be surprised by what’s on 

your doorstep. Now doesn’t that sound 

better than driving to a shopping mall? 

We’re here every Sunday from now til’ 

Christmas. Come visit.

THE STIRRUP 

CUP 

Forthcoming Events 

Zumbathon Charity Event 

WEST BANKSIDE 

FARM, GEIRSTON RD, 

KILBIRNIE, 

We specialise in 

vintage & modern 

jewellery, antiques, 

curios, art and local 

crafts 

Great for Gifts or treat yourself 

www.thestirrupcup.co.uk 

On Sunday 17th April in Johnstone 

Town Hall 1pm – 4pm. 

Join us for our first ever three hour 

Zumba Party lead by local instructors. 

This will be a fantastic fun filled 

afternoon workout to a mix of energetic 

tunes from Latin to Hip Hop to Pop. 

It is an exhilarating, effective and very 

easy to follow, Latin inspired calorieburning, 

dance party! 

So come along and join the fun! 

Entry fee is £10 with optional 

sponsorship forms to raise additional 

funds. 

For more information and to get an 

information pack please contact the 

fundraising department on 01505 

7 0 5 6 3 5 o r e m a i l 

Lorraine.valentine@svh.co.uk or 

download the form via our website 

www.stvincentshospice.co.uk. 

April Door to Door Collections 

Can you help with our Door to Door 

collections in Bishopton, Johnstone, 

Howwood or Linwood in April? 

All this involves is posting a collection 

envelope through the doors and 

returning at the end of the week to 

collect them in and send back to the 

Hospice. 

So can you, your family or friends help 

St Vincent’s Hospice with the collections 

either in your street or surrounding 

streets on the dates below? 

Bishopton – Mon 25th to Sat 30th 

Johnstone – Mon 25th to Sat 30th 

Howwood – Mon 25th to Sat 30th 

Linwood – Mon 25th to Sat 30th 

If you can help please contact either 

Lorraine or Ashley in the Fundraising 

Dept on 01505 705635. 

Braehead Bucket Collection 

St Vincent’s Hospice are doing a 

Bucket Collection at Braehead 

Shopping Centre on Sunday 3rd April 

from 11am to 4pm. 

If anyone can spare a couple of hours 

or the full afternoon to help out with 

collecting, please contact either 

Lorraine or Ashley in the Fundraising 

dept on 01505 705635 or email 

Lorraine.valentine@svh.co.uk. 

Finnieston Crane Abseil 

This is one for all you adrenaline 

junkies out there looking for a 

challenge that is just a little bit 

different and the best part, you can 

help raise funds for charity at the same 

time! 

On Saturday 23rd April St Vincent’s 

Hospice will be watching their valued 

supporters take a jump of faith and 

abseil off the Finnieston Crane all in 

the name of charity. 

If you are interested in booking a place 

for the event please contact Ashley in 

the Fundraising dept on 01505 705635 

or email Ashley.moran@svh.co.uk. 

You can also download an information 

pack via our website 

www.stvincentshospice.co.uk. 

RSPB Lochwinnoch 

Reserve 

��Wildlife viewing all year round 

��Nature trails and hides 

��Visitor centre open 10am – 5pm 

daily 

��Superb RSPB shop 

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 

��Bird feeding station and tree-top 

tower 

��Daily activities for everyone, 

especially families 

��Drinks and snacks 

��Join in with our monthly ‘Wildlife 

Challenge’ 

��An ideal day out for everyone from 

beginners to experts! 

The past month has been full of unusual 

and spectacular sightings on the reserve, 

here are just a few of the highlights. 

Firstly, a stunning male SMEW has 

been present for several weeks, with his 

striking white and black plumage – 

some of you may remember that we had 

one last year. He was seen pretty 

regularly throughout late Feb/Early 

March and he has continued to 'hang 

around' with the goldeneyes and display 

to them. We were then even more 

surprised to find a juvenile 1st winter 

male smew, initially mistaken for a 

female, again, present in with the 

goldeneyes. This is a duck worth seeing 

and they may well stay around for a bit 

longer. 

There have been quite a few large flocks 

of greylag and Canada geese passing 

overhead, stopping on the Aird Meadow 

and in the field across the road, and 

landing on the Barr Loch. Up to 233 

greylags and 50 Canadas. We were lucky 

enough that in amongst these was a 

rather rare type of goose and a first for 

Renfrewshire, the TAIGA BEAN 

GOOSE. Once a bird that had a 

stronghold in Scotland, this goose has 

declined in numbers and is now 

considered a rarity. 

On the 11th March, whilst being driven 

through Johnstone, I got a phone call 

from Zul (the reserve manager) telling 

me that we'd just had a WHITE 

TAILED EAGLE on the reserve! I 

think my exact words were "What! You 

are kidding!" before we quickly turned 

the car around and darted along the 

A737 to attempt to catch a glimpse. Zul 

informed us that it had been hunting

over the Aird Meadow and seen by 

several of our visitors. It had two yellow 

wing tags, which suggested it was one of 

the birds released in Fife last year. We 

carried on driving and suddenly saw this 

humongous bird flying above us along 

the roadside, by the Howwood cut-off. It 

was being mobbed by crows, which, in 

comparison to the eagle, looked like 

sparrows. 

What a magnificent bird and an amazing 

thing to see in Renfrewshire. There had 

been several reports of a tagged bird in 

Millport, (which is not that far away 

when you're as big as a sea eagle), so we 

suspect it is the same young bird. This 

bird was a first for the reserve (which is 

the second first in two weeks, after the 

Taiga bean goose last week) and we hope 

not the last! 

LAPWINGS have been roosting and 

displaying on the Aird Meadow, taking 

advantage of the pools that had built up 

during the wet weather. Up to 20 along 

with teal, mallards and a grey heron. 

Other highlights have included our first 

warbler sighting/sounding. A 

CHIFFCHAFF was heard singing very 

briefly along the Aird Meadow trail on 

1st March, probably an overwintering 

bird rather than a returning migrant as 

chiffchaffs and blackcaps do overwinter 

in Scotland so it may just be claiming its 

territory early before the others arrive. 

We'll be keeping our eyes open over the 

next few weeks for sand martins and 

shortly after that, the others should 

follow. 

We have had good numbers of male 

REED BUNTINGS at the feeding 

station, up to 5 at a time, which is quite 

unusual. They are all in their breeding 

plumage and looking very dapper too! 

We've continued to have BRAMBLING 

at the feeders, up to 4 along with large 

numbers of chaffinches. We've also had 

redpolls (including another possible 

mealy redpoll as opposed to the normal 

lesser redpolls), siskins, goldfinches, 

bullfinches, curlew, oystercatchers, 

tufted ducks (up to 124), 16 whooper 

swans, long tailed tits, lots of sightings 

of a great spotted woodpecker and 

plenty of the regular stuff too! 

RSPB April Events 

Saturday 2nd April, 11am – 4pm 

Mothers Day Craft Making 

Show Mum how much you love her by 

making her an extra special wildlife 

themed gift just in time for Mothers 

Day. Cost: £2, half price for members 

Saturday 9th April, 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. 

Friday 8th April & Friday 15th 

April, 11am – 2pm 

Lochwinnoch Holiday Club 

On Fridays during the Easter, 

summer and October school holidays, 

join us to take part in a wide variety of 

activities which could range from mini 

-beast safaris, pond/river dipping, 

survival skills, wildlife gardening or 

indoor activities if the weather is poor. 

To receive an update on what the 

activities will be, please email 

Lochwinnoch@rspb.org.uk. 

Please bring a packed lunch and 

be sure to book in advance. £4 

Wildlife Explorer members. £6 

non-members. Adults must 

accompany children aged 8 and 

under. 

Mon 11th April, 12noon – 3pm 

Scavenger Hunt Join us for the 

reserve’s biggest ever scavenger hunt! 

Visit unknown places on the reserve 

with the assistance of the RSPB team 

and join the chance to win a prize! 

Cost: £4. Half price for Wildlife 

Explorer members, adults go 

free! 

Sat 16 April, 11am – 12noon and 

1pm – 2pm ‘How to Make a 

Heron Happy’ book reading for 3 

-6 year olds Lari Don, author of How 

to Make a Heron Happy, will be 

coming to the reserve to do a special 

book reading for 3-6 year olds. 

Afterwards, we will learn all about 

herons and play some heron games. 

Please book in advance. Cost: £2 

or half price for RSPB members. 

Saturday 23rd April, 11am – 3pm 

A Quacking Good Easter. 

Are you an egg-cellent egg painter? We 

15 

have plenty of wildlife-themed Easter 

activities for children of all ages, 

including egg decorating, a treasure 

hunt and face painting. 

Cost: £2, half price for Wildlife 

Explorer members, adults go free. 

Where to meet: Events start from the 

RSPB Lochwinnoch visitor centre unless 

o t h e r w i s e s t a t e d . 

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 01505842663, email 

Lochwinnoch@rspb.org.uk or visit us at 

the visitor centre. 

Keep up to date Although most of our 

events are listed in this programme, we 

often run new, exciting activities 

throughout the year such as pond 

dipping and bug hunting, and the best 

way to keep up to date with these is by 

joining our ‘Events by Email’ mailing 

list. You will be sent an update on 

reserve activities once a month. To 

subscribe, please email 

Lochwinnoch@rspb.org.uk. 

Follow RSPB Lochwinnoch online: 

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.

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. 

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. 

How do I find out more about 

joining the group as a guest? 

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: 01389 605915 

Eat In, Don't Cook 

Take Away! 

Sometimes you're too tired to cook, 

fancy something different or want a 

quick lunch. The village has a range of 

different tasty options you can choose. 

For that quick lunch how about: 

John Wilson the Baker 

Soup, pies or delicious filled rolls from 

John Wilson the Baker in Main 

Street. 

Cucina Minuccci at 

The Junction 

offer a take away service for breakfast 

and lunch ciabatta, rolls and 

sandwiches. You can even save time 

and phone ahead to order (01505 

842225). 

Shimla Take-Away 

Shimla has been serving the 

community for over 17 years. 

Shimla has enjoyed serving customers 

over the years and providing delicious 

indian cuisine in Lochwinnoch. 

A new menu is due out very soon with 

various mouthwatering dishes using 

fresh ingredients. 

It is important to ask our customers 

their requirements when ordering to 

suit their taste buds so that they can 

enjoy their meal. 

We would like to thank all our 

customers for their custom, for it's 

been a pleasure. 

We would like to thank all our 

customers for their custom, for it's 

been a pleasure. 

15 High Street 

01505 843384 

Open 4PM-11PM Monday to Sunday 

16 

La Dolce Vita 

We are a family run business who have 

been established in the village for over 

30 years & counting, serving a mix of 

traditional fish & chips and stone-baked 

pizzas. 

We rely on repeat business which means 

our standards & quality of produce are 

always of the highest level and even in 

these tough economic times we hope to 

remain in the village for a long time to 

come. 

Heritage Farmers Market 

Shop 

If you want to cook a delicious meal you 

will find the ingredients you need here. 

We offer quality, locally sourced meats – 

Spring Lamb is a favourite at the 

moment - steak pies, real Ayrshire 

bacon, sausages and burgers. We also 

stock fruit, vegetables. local dairy 

products, smoked seafood and store 

cupboard essentials. 

Phone anytime to discuss special orders. 

The shop is now open 7 days, including 

lunch time. 

Mon – Wed 10am-5pm 

Thurs, Fri 10am-5.30pm 

Sat 9am-4pm 

Sun 10am-2pm 

39 High Street 

Tel: 01505 844941 

Danny’s Back in Town! 

Chung Lee House 

It’s great to be back in Lochwinnoch 

again! Danny’s take-away is called the 

Chung Lee House. It is a family run 

business serving Cantonese and 

European dishes. 

You might remember Danny from when 

he used to be across in the Garthland 

Arrms lounge area a few years ago. It’s 

nice to be back in the village again and 

meeting familiar faces. 

Sunday—Saturday 5:00—11:00pm 

Closed every Monday 

Delivery from £1.50 

10 Church Street 

Lochwinnoch 

Tel: 01505 843886

18 

Arts Festival Photos 2011 

Thanks to Zul & Paul 

(more next month)

From the Parish Church 

Are you searching for the spirit of 

Lochwinnoch? 

Have you looked in sky above and earth 

below? 

Was it sparkling in the river? Did it whistle 

through the trees? 

Did it come to you in birdsong, or the buzzing 

of the bees? 

Oh, I’m sure it did; I know it did, it breathed 

through all of these ... 

But as soon as you had found it, it went flying 

on the breeze … 1 

Due to the convenience of modern 

technology I am typing up this article as 

Primary 3/2, along with the School 

Choir are rehearsing for the 

Lochwinnoch Primary School Easter 

Service. Each and every time I work in 

any capacity with pupils from 

Lochwinnoch Primary School I am so 

impressed with the level of commitment 

and competence they show and the level 

of dedication demonstrated by the 

teachers. This is not something that 

happens by accident, it is an ethos, 

running through the whole school, 

which demands the very best from 

everyone associated with the school. It is 

an ethos that feeds into the Spirit of 

Lochwinnoch. 

Last night I watched the premier of 

Franzeska Ewart’s play, “The Spirit of 

Lochwinnoch”. The play revolves around 

the problem of how to spend a grant of 

£7.5 million to preserve the Spirit of 

Lochwinnoch. While the committee 

appointed to decide such matters have 

various self-serving ideas, the children 

want to preserve the stories of old and 

through the power of poetry they 

convince the adults that this is the way 

forward. 

For the swallows come and go again, 

the flowers bloom and die. 

The river always flows from shore to shore, 

for our world is always changing, nothing 

ever stays the same. 

Only stories can go on for evermore. 

Yes, the stories of the people, of the 

people who were there. 

The stories can go on for ever more. 

The poems the children shared were 

written by themselves and were about 

real people who have lived or worked in 

our community. They are ordinary 

people with what they believe are 

ordinary stories to share. The truth is 

that all of them tell stories of a world 

that is disappearing very rapidly and if 

we do not record these stories we will 

lose part of our heritage. 

Are you searching for the spirit of 

Lochwinnoch? 

Have you listened to the music of the past? 

Did it echo from the churches or the 

ancient castle wall? 

Did your hand reach out to grasp it? Did you 

sigh and let it fall? 

Oh, I’m sure you did; I know you did, you 

heard its distant call 

but as soon as you had heard the sounds, 

they vanished, one and all ... 

It would be so easy to let these 

stories vanish and while we have 

the technology to save them, we 

need your help. If you know 

someone who has worked in any 

of the factories or mills that used 

to grace our village; if you or a 

friend attended school in the 

Library or the Struthers 

buildings or if you have 

memories of a way of life that is 

disappearing, please contact the 

editors of the Chatterbox. 

For the swallows come and go again 

The flowers bloom and die 

The river always flows from shore to 

shore 

For our world is always changing, nothing 

ever stays the same 

Only stories can go on for evermore 

Yes, the stories of the people, of the 

people who were there 

The stories can go on for ever more … 

Very often we feel that our story is 

nothing special, sometimes we feel 

that the past is where these stories 

belong. Yet I remember the day that 

for me history changed from being an 

academic pursuit to being about real 

people with real lives. We were 

discussing the problems of trench 

warfare in the First World War. Our 

teacher had shared the horrors the 

soldiers had to suffer on a daily basis. 

When she told the story of her father 

coming home for some well earned 

R&R and her grandmother putting his 

kilt in the oven to kill the lice and fleas, 

the subject became real; it was about 

real people with real lives suffering 

real horrors. 

History has of course to record the 

decisions taken by world leaders, 

decisions that can lead to war or to 

peace; yet we must also preserve the 

stories of the ordinary men who go to 

war and work for peace; we need to 

remember the stories of the women 

who worked in factories to keep the 

supplies going, the men and women 

19 

who turned to the land to make sure the 

country had enough to eat; we need to 

remember the anyone who helped to 

shape our village and our community, so 

please do get in touch. 

The Spirit of Lochwinnoch is something 

we all share. I was so proud of the 

Primary 7 pupils who took part in the 

Spirit of Lochwinnoch: some were 

acting, some sharing their own poems, 

many were singing the wonderful song 

“The Spirit of Lochwinnoch”. All were 

giving their best. At the end of the first 

performance, Mae Wylie the producer of 

the play announced to the audience, 

“What a lot of talented people we have in 

Lochwinnoch.” How true. As I write, we 

are only three quarters of the way 

through the Arts Festival and already we 

have seen and heard the talents of local 

folk as we have listened to our writers, 

heard our children play and sing, 

enjoyed dancing and watched the 

wonderful play. 

Over the weekend we’ll have the chance 

to enjoy the talents of our folk musicians 

and the choir as they entertain us with 

Songs from the Shows. At each Arts 

Festival event, people are thanked for 

their contribution – often the result of 

many hours of preparation. Yet one 

person who is rarely thanked is Morag 

Thow who convenes and motivates the 

Arts Festival committee. While Morag is 

more often in the background she 

undertakes an immense amount of work 

organising the events and producing 

tickets, banners, fliers and programmes. 

Without her the Arts Festival would not 

happen and through her work the Spirit 

of Lochwinnoch is not just kept alive it is 

seen and heard by many people in our 

community. 

Yes, we’ve got to keep the 

spirit of the people who were 

there. 

We must keep the stories safe 

for ever more. 

1 All the poetry is from The Spirit of 

Lochwinnoch, written by Franzeska 

Ewart

Chat from the Chair 

This may well be my last Chairman’s 

Chat as I will probably stand down when 

the new Community Council starts up. 

At least there will be a new Community 

Council – at least 13 nominations were 

submitted, eight of these from new 

candidates. 

On the 16th of March, the Community 

Council hosted another public meeting 

to keep the village informed about the 

latest position regarding the Library. 

The meeting was ably chaired by 

Graeme Brown, as I felt that I had made 

my position clear on this matter, so I 

wouldn’t be seen as an unbiased 

chairman. Speakers from the action 

group (LAAG), the out-of-school club 

(LOSC) and the buy-out group (LCBG) 

told a large audience of the latest 

developments and ideas. Why 

Renfrewshire Council is so determined 

to go ahead with this scheme is beyond 

me. 

The next Community Council meeting is 

on Tuesday 5th April at 7.30pm in the 

Bowling Club and, as are all our 

meetings, is open to the public. The 

dates and locations of future meetings 

will be decided then. 

This is my personal take on things – for 

the official Community Council line 

you’ll have to read the minutes! 

Chris Gould 

Chairman, 

Council 


Quintin McKellar CBE 

Local man Quintin McKellar was 

awarded the CBE for services to 

science in the New Year's Honours list 

and was recently in Windsor, with his 

family, to receive his medal from Her 

Majesty the Queen. 

Quintin was educated at Lochwinnoch 

Primary School, Johnstone High and 

Glasgow University where he studied 

Veterinary Medicine and eventually 

became Professor of Pharmacology at 

the Vet School. 

He then joined the Moredun Research 

Institute in Edinburgh where he was 

Principal and Scientific Director and 

then moved to London as Principal of 

the Royal Veterinary College. This year 

he took on the position of Principal 

and Vice Chancellor of Hertfordshire 

ESTABLISHED 1989 

20 

University. 

He still finds time and energy to indulge 

in his favourite sport, rowing, which he 

learned to enjoy at Castle Semple Loch. 

Index of Forbidden Books 

for Children 

��The Boy Who Died From Eating All 

His Vegetables 

��Curious George and the High- 

Voltage Fence 

��Fun Four-letter Words to Know and 

Share 

��The Kids' Guide to Hitchhiking 

CHATTERBOX 

Chatterbox is produced and distributed on 

behalf of Lochwinnoch Community 

Council, with support and financial 

assistance from local sponsors and 

advertisers. 


Council welcomes all items for possible 

inclusion for publication in print, web or 

audio format or any way as thought 

appropriate by the editorial team 

All views are of individuals. The Editor 

accepts no liability for errors or 

statements and claims made in 

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