april-13 - Lochwinnoch Online

Cllr Andy DoigAt the last meeting of LochwinnochCommunity Council, representatives fromDevelopment Trust Association Scotland,whom I had invited along, gave a verypositive presentation to members aboutthe work they do across Scotland to helpcommunities, like Lochwinnoch, takeassets similar to the Annexe intocommunity control. It was decided to lookat the possibility of a village audit ofamenities which DTA Scotland werewilling to assist with, and I am very muchin support of Lochwinnoch maintainingand utilising as many community assetsas possible and will give this audit myunequivocal support.By the time this issue of Chatterbox hitsthe stands hopefully the Scottish GasRoadworks in Lochwinnoch will befinished. The original workings weretimetabled for ten weeks but followingconcerns raised with me fromLochwinnoch traders I immediatelycontacted Scottish Gas management tolobby them and to tell them that thistimescale was not acceptable, due to theimpact on local traders and the disruptionto the village as a whole. I am pleased thatScottish Gas listened to the concerns ofthe village. Transport links are vital forLochwinnoch and my campaign toimprove disabled access at Lochwinnochtrain station is continuing apace, and atmy request, my parliamentary colleague,Stewart Maxwell MSP, asked a questionon the matter in the Scottish Parliament.On 8th March I was delighted to be ableto attend the opening of the Castle SempleHeritage Trail which is a tremendous newinitiative to encourage walking andrambling to showcase the beautifulcountryside and historic features in andaround Lochwinnoch, various partnershipbodies which made this possible, such asSRANI, Lochwinnoch CommunityCouncil, and the Heritage Lottery Fund,were present, as well as scores ofenthusiastic children from LochwinnochPrimary School.On a less positive note the new Labourcontrolled Renfrewshire Council set theirrecent Council budget which saw themslash free school meals for children inclasses P1 to P3 in the most deprivedareas in Renfrewshire. Interestingly, theCouncil also recently agreed to a new linkup between Renfrewshire and StPetersburg. As our drains are constantlyblocked due to lack of maintenance, andsome potholes are like moon craters, thelast thing we need money spent on isforeign junkets for Councillors.I very much want to make myself availableto local residents in Lochwinnoch and myLochwinnoch advice surgery is on thefourth Wednesday of the month, at8:00pm in the McKillop Institute. You canalso follow me on Twitter atCllrAndy4Ward8. Please come and seeme if you have any issues you wish toraise, or alternately call me on 07534148224, or e-mail me atcllr.andy.doig@renfrewshire.gov.uk.Yours Sincerely, Cllr Andy Doig(SNP)ChristianAid WeekBite back at hungerChristian Aid is a Christianorganisation that insists the world canand must be swiftly changed to onewhere everyone can live a full life, freefrom poverty. We provide urgent,practical and effective assistancewhere need is great, tackling theeffects of poverty as well as its rootcauses.Christian Aid Week gives poorcommunities the tools they need to liftthemselves out of poverty. We arecommitted to making your moneywork as hard as it can for those whostruggle for a better quality of life andfor their voices to be heard.To achieve this we need your helpduring Christian Aid Week anamazing seven days of fundraising,prayer and action against globalpoverty. Add your time, money andvoice this week, and see themmultiplied to make an impact aroundthe world through Christian Aid.LOCHWINNOCH Christian AidGroup will be active in and around thevillage on Christian Aid Week –12th –18th May.Please give generously in your supportwhen the red envelope comes throughyour letterbox.Every pound given will help ChristianAid fund projects throughout theworld where there is genuine need.Take this opportunity to make adifference to the lives of those blightedMobile: 07585 447561Email: info@carolinestewartphotography.co.ukwww.carolinestewartphotography.co.ukwww.carolinestewartphotography.co.uk/facebookby disease, famine and war.Make an even bigger difference byfilling out the Gift Aid part of theenvelope before it is collected. Thissimple act will ADD almost 20% to yourdonation.The Group will be working hard to giveall in the village the opportunity tomake a donation. Please give asgenerously as you are able to do.Christian Aid WeekBite back at HungerIf You Have a Plaid…Not yet confirmed but we’ve heard thatMel Gibson is to make a follow up toBraveheart. Applications for extras tobe accepted in April from the areaaround the village as much of thefilming will be done at Muirshiel.It will be an advantage to look wild, owna horse or highland cattle and be skilledin sheep rustling.Elderly ForumExpected guest speaker from RenfrewCouncil roads department was unableto attend the February meetingdisappointing members who were readywith their questions. However at thetime of writing we anticipate a visitfrom senior management of roads alongto answer these questions at the Marchmeeting.The April meeting on the 25th is theAGM when the office bearers areelected. The meeting will be followed bysandwiches and wee cakes provided byThe Golf Club, marital aids and lingerieby Anne Summers, wine and orangejuice provided by The Forum.We ask those hoping to attend the AGMto add their names to the list in the Tbarand lunch club so we can have an ideafor catering numbers. Membership duesof £3 for year will be collected. Nocharge for the food and drink.13