257 February 2016 - Gryffe Advertizer
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<strong>February</strong> <strong>2016</strong> No.<strong>257</strong><br />
FREE<br />
COPY<br />
1<br />
Distributed to:<br />
• Bishopton<br />
• Bridge of Weir<br />
• Brookfield<br />
• Elderslie<br />
• Houston<br />
• Howwood<br />
• Kilbarchan<br />
• Kilmacolm<br />
• Langbank<br />
• Lochwinnoch<br />
• Quarriers<br />
FOLLOW US<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong>Ads<br />
Snowdrops at Finlaystone Estate, Langbank<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong><br />
ADVERTIZER<br />
your LOCAL community magazine <strong>February</strong> <strong>2016</strong> No. <strong>257</strong><br />
PLEASE TAKE A FREE COPY OF YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY MAGAZINE
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Expert Gutter Cleaning<br />
With Winter now well and truly here the wind has now blown the last<br />
of the leaves off the trees and unfortunately many of them are now<br />
lying in our gutters along with moss, twigs, etc blocking the gutter and<br />
stopping the water from flowing down the spout where it should go.<br />
We use a state of the art carbon fibre gutter vacuum system which<br />
is safer for your gutters and safer for us giving a more efficient &<br />
effective clean than old fashioned methods whilst potentially saving<br />
you money. Call now for a free quote. 01505 863 863.<br />
Marie Curie Daffodil Appeal<br />
Every March, thousands of people across the country join together and pull out<br />
all the stops to get behind the Great Daffodil Appeal.<br />
Why not join us for just two<br />
hours to collect donations<br />
and give out daffodil pins?<br />
Every £20 pays for an hour<br />
of nursing care – giving<br />
peace of mind to people<br />
living with terminal illness<br />
and a chance for their<br />
family to rest.<br />
You’ll see daffodils<br />
everywhere in March –<br />
from your local high street<br />
to national TV – and we want you to be part of it.<br />
Sign up with a friend if you like at https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/get-involved/<br />
daffodil-appeal and get involved!
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
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contact us<br />
The <strong>Gryffe</strong> <strong>Advertizer</strong><br />
Neva Place, Bridge of Weir PA11 3PN<br />
t: 01505 613340 or e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
For more information please call us on 01505 613340<br />
or check our website at www.advertizer.co.uk<br />
Next Issue: No.258 March <strong>2016</strong><br />
Deadline: Friday 12th <strong>February</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without<br />
written permission is strictly prohibited. The <strong>Gryffe</strong> <strong>Advertizer</strong><br />
cannot be held responsible for unsolicited materials. The views and<br />
opinions by contributors in this magazine may not represent the<br />
views of the publishers. The <strong>Gryffe</strong> <strong>Advertizer</strong> takes no responsibility<br />
for claims made by advertisements in this publication.<br />
contents<br />
local news..........................8-12<br />
dental blog.............................13<br />
photography hints & tips.......16<br />
what’s on.............................14-20<br />
business news.....................25<br />
financial blog.........................25<br />
it blog..................................25<br />
local history...........................28<br />
on the road...............................29<br />
pets...............................22-23<br />
pet blog ............................22<br />
village news....................30-39<br />
outdoors..........................40-43<br />
sports & clubs news.............49-51<br />
sporting blog..........................51<br />
schools news.....................44-48<br />
advertiser directory................55<br />
business classified...........52-53<br />
church listings....................53<br />
deadlines dates...................53<br />
property classified.................53<br />
sales & wants......................54<br />
This Month<br />
Do you remember what happened in 2007?<br />
Did you know we’ve got all our back issues online? All the way back to 2007 with<br />
a couple even older than that! I received a notification that one of our online<br />
issues (Jan 2008) hadn’t been looked at for some time and would be taken<br />
down, so a quick review and a share on facebook got that one reactivated. In<br />
reading through the January 2008 issue, I noticed that I had commented on<br />
the completion of extensions at both <strong>Gryffe</strong> High and Houston Primary schools.<br />
Also, the three new sets of traffic lights: 1. Houston Road / Kilmacolm Rd,<br />
Bridge of Weir; 2. Torr Road / Main St, Bridge of Weir; 3. Magnus Road /<br />
Houston Rd, Houston. The traffic lights may not be perfect, but it’s hard now to<br />
remember how awful these junctions were before.<br />
By the end of 2007, the new gym at Birkmyre Park, Kilmacolm was almost<br />
complete and in Lochwinnoch the Community Buy-out Group was awarded the<br />
‘right to buy’ the former Struthers bottling plant, while the dangerous junction<br />
at the Beith Road was being sorted out with a new roundabout. Sadly the<br />
Struthers purchase didn’t go ahead and that building still sits empty, but the<br />
new roundabout at the Beith Road is a huge improvement.<br />
Local funding<br />
It was reported in the news a couple of weeks ago that council tax in Scotland<br />
has not increased since 2007. This was a strategy by the Scottish Government<br />
to freeze council tax, which seemed like good idea at the time, but as councils<br />
have struggled year after year under ever-reducing budgets, maybe it is time for<br />
a rethink. We hear now that Moray Council have decided enough is enough and<br />
are proposing an increase of around 18%. They have calculated that this is the<br />
figure they need to maintain the level of service the public expect. Of course,<br />
if they had made increases year on year in line with inflation, it would probably<br />
be far more than the 18% rise suggested now. But the public will perceive this<br />
as a huge increase and there will be complaints; although I’m sure there will be<br />
even more disgruntled constituents if their services were cut even further.<br />
Tale of a Dog<br />
This time last year, we reported on a happy ending for a wee dog who’d gotten<br />
lost. The power of social media works well in these circumstances. A couple of<br />
weeks ago, a lovely dog found in Kilmacolm had her photo posted on Facebook<br />
by a concerned villager. After The <strong>Advertizer</strong> shared the post, we got a message<br />
from a reader saying their friends visiting from afar had just lost their dog.<br />
Putting the two in touch with each other, we quickly established it was indeed<br />
the missing pooch and everyone was happy again. Like it, or not, (no pun<br />
intended) Facebook has it’s uses.<br />
On the Road<br />
We hear there are to be improvements at the roundabout on the A8 at Langbank.<br />
Much needed many will say, following an increasing number of ‘near-misses’<br />
as traffic speeds through that junction. We’ll update as plans progress.<br />
Check out proposed roadworks by visiting www.roadworksscotland.org or via<br />
our two local council websites, www.renfrewshire.gov.uk and www.inverclyde.<br />
gov.uk. We’ll try to keep you updated too on Facebook and Twitter - please<br />
follow our facebook page, “<strong>Gryffe</strong> Roadwatch”, for regular updates on road<br />
repairs and conditions. Facebookers can also post to this page, so if you’re out<br />
and about and see a hold-up, please let us know.<br />
Next deadline Friday 12 <strong>February</strong>!<br />
The <strong>Advertizer</strong> is the ideal platform to tell the community your news as we<br />
reach over 13,000 homes and businesses in the <strong>Gryffe</strong> area.<br />
Send in your news and photos to: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
Rona
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
5 5<br />
Volunteers required to help with Snowdrops<br />
Regular visitors will be aware that<br />
<strong>February</strong> is Snowdrop time at<br />
Finlaystone and many hours are spent<br />
lifting, splitting, selling and replanting<br />
these magnificent plants. If you would<br />
like to be part of this activity, even if<br />
it is just for a couple of hours, please<br />
contact Norah or Fraser on 01475<br />
540505 or email shop@finlaystone.<br />
co.uk
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Call To Yarns! A Community Project<br />
It is time for The Renfrewshire Tapestry<br />
Andrew Crummy, Scottish artist and designer - who drew the panels for the<br />
Battle of Prestonpans, the Great Tapestry of Scotland and the Scottish<br />
Diaspora Tapestry - will be working together with an eclectic group of people to<br />
create a tapestry for Renfrewshire. It will be a celebration of the amazing global<br />
importance of this part of Scotland, a tourism draw and have its part to play in<br />
the City of Culture bid 2021.<br />
Want to know more? Want to<br />
take part?<br />
Everyone is welcome to our Call<br />
to Yarns! – The Renfrewshire<br />
Tapestry project launch on<br />
Saturday 20 <strong>February</strong> at<br />
Paisley Abbey from 11am<br />
until 1pm<br />
Andrew Crummy will be<br />
introducing the project, as<br />
well as leading a workshop.<br />
You can also:- Take part in a textile walk; - Chat to historians<br />
and meet up with a monk, walk with Wallace, greet a gallus Mill Girl…; -<br />
Tell your stories and memories; - Try your hand at a stitch or more; - Please<br />
also - Donate your tapestry wool - authentic Anchor tapestry wool is needed<br />
to sew the tapestry. We are determined the tapestry will only be sewn with<br />
authentic Anchor yarn. Please look out any tapestry wool that you have in your<br />
households… and bring it with you.<br />
The Renfrewshire Tapestry will reflect the wonderful history of Renfrewshire.<br />
Everyone who is involved will be acknowledged in this stepping stone in the<br />
continued celebration of the unique status of Renfrewshire.<br />
WELCOME to Call to Yarns! - The Renfrewshire Tapestry Launch<br />
Further details or any questions – call: 07702 961301<br />
Image copyright of Andrew Crummy, Alex Hewitt and Weaving Musical Threads [WMT]
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Carol Thomas - cycle track at Kilbarchan<br />
<strong>Advertizer</strong> readers are being given an exclusive 15% early bird discount for<br />
the RAMH <strong>2016</strong> Dinner & Quiz on Friday 13th May at the Normandy Hotel,<br />
Renfrew. This year’s fabulous event is sponsored by University West of Scotland<br />
and includes a fizz reception, delicious 3 course meal and celeb-hosted quiz.<br />
Guests can compete for the champions’ trophy either as a business, or a team<br />
of fab friends.<br />
Save 15% by booking before Friday 26th <strong>February</strong>; tickets are only £29.95 p/p<br />
when you contact enquiries@ramh.org or 0141 847 8900 quoting RAMH1605.<br />
Bookings made after 26th Feb return to the regular price of £35 p/p. Teams<br />
are of 10 guests maximum.<br />
The complementary reception begins<br />
at 7pm with dinner commencing<br />
at 7.30pm. There are 8 rounds of<br />
quiz questions ending at midnight<br />
followed by dancing until 1am. Dress<br />
is smart/casual.<br />
This fun filled event is terrific value for<br />
money and your support will enable<br />
local people to recover from mental<br />
ill health and build independent,<br />
fulfilled lives. RAMH looks forward to<br />
seeing you there!<br />
With the Christmas holidays being a<br />
distant memory and an Easter break<br />
still a long way away, staying mentally<br />
healthy at work is key to sustaining<br />
yourself. Top tips include:<br />
• Go home on time<br />
• Take a lunchbreak<br />
• Set realistic deadlines<br />
• Take your holiday leave<br />
• Allocate time to do the things<br />
you enjoy<br />
RAMH is here for you 365 days a year.<br />
If you live in Renfrewshire and need<br />
urgent support call 0141 848 9090<br />
or (freephone from landlines) 0500<br />
829 093. For information about other<br />
available services visit www.ramh.org<br />
or call 0141 847 8900.<br />
15% early bird discount<br />
for the RAMH <strong>2016</strong><br />
Dinner & Quiz !<br />
Save The<br />
Children<br />
Noel and Holly are pleased to<br />
announce that they were successful<br />
in finding a loving home for Christmas.<br />
The winner of the raffle was Isobel<br />
Evans who has twin-grandchildren –<br />
we know we will be very happy with<br />
them.<br />
Tricia and Lyn are pleased to donate<br />
the £100 raised to help to improve<br />
the often appalling and tragic lives<br />
some children have to endure in the<br />
UK and worldwide. Many thanks to<br />
all who purchased raffle tickets and<br />
made this possible and to Three<br />
Sisters Bake who hosted the raffle.<br />
Dream children meet<br />
the cast of Aladdin<br />
Two young Inverclyde girls, Hollie Watt and Emma<br />
Mackintosh enjoyed a special time when they were<br />
able with their families to enjoy the pantomime Aladdin<br />
at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock and then meet the cast.<br />
Arranged by Dreams<br />
Come True in<br />
Inverclyde with the<br />
help of the Beacon, the<br />
girls’ parents said that<br />
they all greatly enjoyed<br />
the occasion. Chris<br />
Jewell, Inverclyde Coordinator<br />
for Dreams<br />
Come True, added,<br />
“We were very pleased<br />
to make this happen<br />
for the girls and are<br />
extremely grateful to the Beacon staff and to the cast for their help.”<br />
Both girls recently received their dreams come true, Holly’s being to receive a<br />
new sensory ball pit while Emma went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.<br />
Chris added, ‘We hope to make many more dreams come true for children and<br />
young people aged 2 to 21 who are seriously ill or who have life limiting medical<br />
conditions. Anyone can nominate a child or young person to receive a dream on<br />
the charity’s website www.dreamscometrue.uk.com or by getting in touch with<br />
me on 01475 783000 or by email to me at chris@dreamscometrue.uk.com<br />
Louise is a hit with singer<br />
Jason Donovan<br />
A Slimming World Consultant from Houston<br />
is feeling ready to make any (weight-loss)<br />
dream come true after meeting legendary<br />
soap actor and pop star Jason Donovan.<br />
Louise O’Neill, who runs a Slimming World<br />
group at New Tweedie Hall, Linwood every<br />
Tuesday, was delighted to get a chance to<br />
cuddle up to the Australian heartthrob when<br />
he swapped Ramsay Street for the annual<br />
Slimming World Awards. He co-hosted the<br />
event with the organisation’s chair and<br />
founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE.<br />
Louise said meeting Jason was a wonderful<br />
way to round off a fabulous year for the<br />
Linwood Slimming World group, as well as a<br />
great way to get ready for another successful<br />
12 months: “I couldn’t be prouder of the<br />
members of the Linwood group. They’ve lost<br />
fantastic amounts of weight throughout 2015, with many of them making their<br />
weight loss dreams come true by hitting their target weight, improving their<br />
health and more.<br />
Please Give Blood<br />
Boglestone Community Centre<br />
Dubbs Place, Port Glasgow PA14 5UD<br />
Monday, 15 <strong>February</strong><br />
4pm - 7.30pm<br />
Slimming World Consultant Louise<br />
O’Neill meets former soap star and<br />
singer Jason Donovan.<br />
Kirklandneuk Community Centre<br />
Ness Road, Renfrew PA4 9DE<br />
Thursday, 18 <strong>February</strong><br />
2pm - 3.45pm & 5.15pm - 7.30pm
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
A Gem in the Crown<br />
of Inverclyde<br />
9 9<br />
One of Scotland’s oldest registered charities is on<br />
our doorstep and yet many local people are unaware<br />
of its charitable objectives and the good work that<br />
it does. It is Greenock Medical Aid Society, and as it<br />
exists today, was constituted through the merger of<br />
two organisations with similar objectives in the field of<br />
charitable work.<br />
The Greenock Destitute Sick Society was founded in 1798 to provide assistance<br />
to widows and other women who had been abandoned and who lived in poverty<br />
within the rapidly developing township of Greenock. The local merchants of<br />
that time provided funds which purchased food and other essentials for these<br />
vulnerable families who lived in abject poverty.<br />
The Greenock Medical Aid Society was inaugurated in 1876 to provide care<br />
for those who had fallen ill and could no longer be assisted by the Greenock<br />
Destitute Society<br />
In 1917, The Greenock Medical Aid Society joined with The Greenock Destitute<br />
Sick Society to be known as Greenock Medical Aid Society.<br />
Over the years, the Society has evolved and developed its services to meet<br />
the needs of the people of Inverclyde and Renfrewshire in changing times.<br />
Nowadays, the Society operates two care homes for older people with nursing<br />
support at Glenfield and at Bagatelle, both located in the west end of Greenock.<br />
Admissions are accepted from anyone resident in the west of Scotland and<br />
from those who have a past or present connection with the area.<br />
The Society has set as its main objective the provision of the highest standards<br />
of care and nursing support for those who live in Bagatelle and Glenfield.<br />
Recent reports issued by the Care Inspectorate confirm that the Society’s prime<br />
objective of providing care of the highest quality is being achieved.<br />
For further information and admission procedure, contact: Greenock Medical<br />
Aid Society, Admin office, 47 Eldon Street, Greenock PA16 7RA Tel: 01475<br />
729424 Email: admin@gmas.org.uk Website: www.gmas.org.uk<br />
Blanket Appeal!<br />
In March <strong>2016</strong>, at The Quilting Show in Glasgow, WMT is<br />
exhibiting ‘Comfort for Kindness’ - 40 quilts from the Canadian Red Cross Quilt<br />
Research Group collection, quilts made and then sent all the way from Canada<br />
for displaced people in the UK, during WWII:<br />
Alongside, it is our hope that the compassion and kindness shown by the women<br />
of Canada and their Canadian Red Cross Quilts will be echoed in this Scottish<br />
Blanket Appeal – and not just by women this time, by everyone.<br />
We are asking crafters, groups, and individuals throughout Scotland and further<br />
afield, to donate handmade blankets that we will hand on to the Scottish Refugee<br />
Council – an independent Scottish charity which helps refugee families to meet<br />
the challenges of settling in<br />
Scotland.<br />
As with the WWII Quilts,<br />
we will also attach a label<br />
to each blanket but with a<br />
swatch of tartan; to express the message of love,<br />
to celebrate our heritage and culture and to raise<br />
awareness for the Incorporation of Weavers of<br />
Glasgow and the Scottish Tartan Authority. We are<br />
very grateful that the swatches of tartan are being<br />
supplied to WMT by Houston’s of Paisley.<br />
The blankets can be: quilted, fleece, woven, knitted,<br />
crocheted or sewn.......<br />
Sizes can vary from infant shawls to children’s<br />
blankets and single bed covers, please.<br />
We plan to gather so many blankets that we also<br />
have enough to be able to gift some to Mary’s<br />
Meals – a second Scottish charity - that provides<br />
food and education for children in the world’s<br />
poorest communities, and raises awareness of<br />
people’s plights.<br />
We hope that you can help us.<br />
Contact details: Weaving Musical Threads (WMT),<br />
Tel: 0141 882 4520 / 07990 981682<br />
Email: info@weavingmusicalthreads.com<br />
www.weavingmusicalthreads.com
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www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
Morrison’s Smooth Operators<br />
11 11<br />
Back in November, four brave employees from Morrison’s<br />
Johnstone undertook a hair-raising challenge for St<br />
Vincent’s Hospice.<br />
The four employees, Stephen Blane, David Jelphs, Chris Toogood,<br />
and David Kenny took to the waxing table and braved the clippers to raise just<br />
under £1,000 for local patient care. Long-haired Stephen agreed to have his<br />
locks sheared (but drew the line at allowing his beard to be shaved!), while the<br />
two Davids and Chris writhed in pain as their legs were waxed by Kat from ‘Be<br />
Gorgeous Hair ‘n’ Beauty’. Customers got involved too, with many donating £5<br />
to wrench a strip of wax from the boys’ legs.<br />
Chris Toogood<br />
Stephen Blane pre-head<br />
shave<br />
Stephen Blane post<br />
head shave<br />
Audrey Cave, manager of ‘Be Gorgeous’, said, “As a new business, it was a<br />
privilege to get involved in this community event. My team thoroughly enjoyed<br />
the day, and we were delighted to help such a worthwhile local charity.”<br />
Scones and Songs<br />
(Back row from left) Cheryl Mahoney, Audrey Cave, Chris Toogood, Stephen Blane,<br />
David Kenny, David Jephs.<br />
(Front row from left) Katrina McLeod, Louise Strachan, Andrew Cassidy.<br />
Julie Scott, Morrison’s Community Champion organised the event and said, “I<br />
always enjoy my community work with Morrison’s,<br />
and being able to support local charities and local<br />
businesses is a fantastic feeling.”<br />
Louise Strachan, Community Fundraiser at St<br />
Vincent’s said, ‘Julie and all the team at Morrisons<br />
Johnstone are great supporters of St Vincent’s<br />
Hospice, and teaming up with Be Gorgeous resulted<br />
in a fantastic event and wonderful fundraising<br />
result. Support like this from the community makes<br />
a huge impact on the lives of local patients living<br />
with life-limiting illnesses. I’d love to hear from<br />
anyone who would like to arrange a similar event<br />
for St Vincent’s Hospice – give me a call!”<br />
Dinner & Dance<br />
Langbank Parish Church are holding an evening of Scottish Songs, on Friday<br />
5th <strong>February</strong> at 7pm in the Church. This evening will showcase Scottish music,<br />
and will include guest performers and audience singalong. A supper of both<br />
sweet and savoury scones, and other Scottish treats will be served after the<br />
concert.<br />
Tickets, which includes your delicious supper, cost £5 adult £2 children, and<br />
are available from Church members.<br />
Every Saturday night from 8pm - 11pm at Willow Bank<br />
Hotel, 96 Greenock Road, Largs. Booking essential.<br />
Call 01475 675435 for further information.
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Thank you for making 2015 another successful year at<br />
LEAP. We’re delighted and proud to have helped our<br />
community throughout the year, with our Free Energy<br />
Saving Advice, LEAP Car Club, Bike Swaps, Big Energy<br />
Saving Week, E-bike hire, LEAP YEP! Workshops<br />
and Summer Space programmes for young people,<br />
Meddle and Make workshops, External Wall Insulation,<br />
Make It Happen energy measures and installations, and<br />
representing local rural needs through our work with Tackling<br />
Poverty in Renfrewshire and Energy Action Scotland. Thank you all for your<br />
support and to celebrate we’ve prepared a few of the highlights of 2015 in our<br />
Time-Line:<br />
Winter 2015<br />
Spring 2015<br />
January 2015 – LEAP launched it<br />
keep warm this winter programme<br />
with it thermal images service, helping<br />
residents identify where their homes<br />
were losing heat and providing advice<br />
on a range of home energy measures<br />
that would assist them.<br />
<strong>February</strong> 15 – LEAP Futures Eco Film<br />
Clip competition for young people is<br />
announced and the winners share<br />
their experience with other junior<br />
climate challenge projects across<br />
Scotland.<br />
Summer 2015<br />
June 15 – Bike Swap in Lochwinnoch<br />
gets residents swapping and recycling<br />
children and adult bikes and LEAP<br />
E-bikers get off to a good start<br />
combining a cycle and train journey<br />
to get to work.<br />
July 15 – YEP Summer programme<br />
begins with Young People with choices<br />
of workshops including Bike and<br />
Trailer Building, Animation, Clothing<br />
Re-design and Print and Tie-dying.<br />
August 15 – LEAP Energy Advisor<br />
and local Bridge of Weir resident<br />
appear on the front cover of Energy<br />
Saving Scotland’s Energy Review to<br />
tell their story of the how the LEAP<br />
‘make it happen’ service has helped<br />
vulnerable and often elderly residents<br />
combat rising fuel bills, by practical<br />
home energy improvement actions in<br />
their homes.<br />
Winter 2015<br />
December 15 – energy advisors<br />
prevent draughts in homes for<br />
vulnerable householders by installing<br />
loft insulation, and draught proofing<br />
measures in homes. ‘Make it Happen’<br />
home energy measures continue<br />
to help those in need to make their<br />
homes cosier and warmer for winter.<br />
March 15 – LEAP secured new<br />
funding from the Climate Challenge<br />
fund to launch the Calder and <strong>Gryffe</strong><br />
community project and engage the<br />
new villages and residents from<br />
Kilbarchan, Houston, Crosslee and<br />
Brookfield in home energy, transport<br />
and fuel efficiency services.<br />
April 15 – LEAP’s Youth Engagement<br />
Project, YEP! receives Climate<br />
Challenge funding to provide a<br />
series of hands-on green vocational<br />
workshops for young people to learn<br />
more about their environment and<br />
gain practical skills they can use to<br />
reduce their carbon emissions.<br />
May 15 – LEAP Car Club launches<br />
the new Toyota Yaris Hybrid car in<br />
Kilbarchan and re-launches the<br />
Eat Lochwinnoch Organic Fruit and<br />
Vegetable Delivery Club.<br />
Autumn 2015<br />
September 15 – LEAP Meddle and<br />
Make workshops for adults had local<br />
people designing and screen printing<br />
bags, recycling and re-fashioning<br />
clothes, tie dying with onions,<br />
cabbage and wood, to create some<br />
of the most impressive and artistic<br />
individual creations ever made in one<br />
day.<br />
October 15 – LEAP ‘s Big Energy<br />
Saving Week was sponsored by Home<br />
Energy Scotland and featured LEAP’s<br />
Green Homes Tours where local<br />
people got the opportunity to find out<br />
first-hand about other villagers home<br />
energy efficiency measures and<br />
renewables.<br />
November 15 – LEAP Energy saving<br />
and car club films are launched at<br />
the Energy Savings Trust’s national<br />
conference in Peebles.<br />
Do you want the skills<br />
to help save a life?<br />
BHF <strong>February</strong> <strong>2016</strong> FREE - Lead by Lochwinnoch and Howwood<br />
Heart Start. We have more dates available for the FREE two<br />
hour course.<br />
Wednesday 17th <strong>February</strong> from 7-9pm at<br />
the Bowfield Hotel, Howwood.<br />
If you are interested in attending contact Morag on morag.Thow@gcu.ac.uk or<br />
01505 843183.<br />
The course is practical and deals with;<br />
• An unconscious casualty • Cardiac arrest • How to use a AED<br />
• Suspected heart attack • Choking • Serious bleeding<br />
Dr Morag Thow
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
Dental Blog<br />
13 13<br />
by Sheila Macintyre, Practice Owner,<br />
Kilbarchan Dental Practice<br />
Are you nervous about going<br />
to the dentist?<br />
It is not at all uncommon to be nervous about a visit to the dentist – particularly<br />
if it has been some time since your last check up or you think treatment is<br />
required.<br />
In extreme cases this can even prevent some people getting the treatment<br />
they need as they avoid seeing a dentist at all. To help nervous patients<br />
overcome their fears dentists have developed sedation techniques to help ease<br />
apprehension and make the experience entirely pain free using a combination<br />
of drugs that take away anxiety (anxiolytic) and take away pain (analgesic).<br />
Some even cause you to forget about the treatment you have just had!<br />
Intravenous conscious sedation delivers drugs directly into the bloodstream<br />
for an immediate and controllable effect. The patient will become drowsy,<br />
relaxed and unaware of any treatment whilst remaining conscious and able<br />
to communicate.<br />
Don’t worry if you are afraid of needles as oral sedation (in liquid form) is<br />
one of the most popular methods now offered as an alternative to Inhalation<br />
sedation (gas and air) which is rare in general practice these days.<br />
In order to help you sleep the night before any treatment you may also be<br />
prescribed an oral sedative (in pill form) to take at home.<br />
Modern practices like ours offer both oral and intravenous sedation. Prior to<br />
any type of sedation we take a full health history and go over the procedure<br />
with you in full. You are closely monitored during and after the procedure.<br />
If you would like to find out more about<br />
sedation and anxiety services offered<br />
by dentists don’t hesitate to visit us<br />
at the practice, call us on 01505<br />
704969 or check out our website at<br />
kilbarchandental.co.uk
14 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
<strong>February</strong> events<br />
Sun 31 January<br />
Come And Sing Mozart<br />
Paisley Abbey, Abbey Close, Paisley<br />
6.30pm<br />
Rehearsal: 2.30pm Performance: 6.30pm (entry<br />
from 2pm) Singers: Adult £15, Students/school<br />
pupils £5 Audience: £5 at the door. Information for<br />
singers on how to apply, pay and hire scores etc.<br />
Can be had at 0141 848 1392 or from proutley@<br />
talktalk.net<br />
Wed 3 <strong>February</strong><br />
St Fillan’s Angel Voices<br />
Greenock Town Hall, Cathcart Square,<br />
Greenock PA15 1LS 6.30pm<br />
St Fillan’s Angel Voices Community Children’s<br />
Choir will be singing at the Inverclyde Music<br />
Festival. The Choir will be in the Mixed Choir<br />
Section as the children of Angel Voices attend<br />
five different schools in the area.<br />
Thu 4 <strong>February</strong><br />
Wedding Open Evening<br />
Ingliston Country Club, Old Greenock<br />
Road, Bishopton 6pm to 9pm<br />
Free admission with complimentary canapés and<br />
sparkling wine on arrival. Email general@ingliston.<br />
com or tel: 0845 301 1010 for further information.<br />
Main advert on page 9 of this issue.<br />
Fri 5 <strong>February</strong><br />
RSPB Local Group<br />
McMaster Centre, Donaldson Drive,<br />
Renfrew 7.30pm<br />
There will be an illustrated talk entitled The<br />
Sparrow (and the arrow), the ecology and<br />
conservation of swifts and house sparrows by<br />
Toby Wilson. All Welcome.<br />
Fri 5 <strong>February</strong><br />
Kilbarchan Agricultural Show<br />
Whist Drive<br />
Guide Centre, Barn Green, Kilbarchan<br />
7.30pm<br />
Price £3 including refreshments. Contact<br />
Secretary, Aileen on 07766 221369. Everyone<br />
welcome.<br />
Scones and Songs<br />
Parish Church, Main Road, Langbank<br />
7pm<br />
This evening will showcase Scottish music, and<br />
will include guest performers and audience<br />
singalong. A supper of both sweet and savoury<br />
scones, and other Scottish treats will be served<br />
after the concert. Tickets, which includes your<br />
delicious supper, cost £5 adult £2 children, and<br />
are available from Church members.<br />
Fri 5 - Sun 21 Feb<br />
Art in the Park<br />
Castle Semple Visitor Centre, Lochlip<br />
Road, Lochwinnoch 10am to 4pm<br />
The Lochwinnoch Art Group return to Castle<br />
Semple to splash a little colour in the Centre’s<br />
Sempill Rooms. All works are for sale and use local<br />
areas and often natural themes as inspiration! For<br />
info call 01505 842 882 Ex 20<br />
Sat 6 <strong>February</strong><br />
Test our Binoculars & Telescope<br />
in the Field!<br />
RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch<br />
2pm to 4pm<br />
Test our telescopes and binoculars under<br />
field conditions! Go for a guided walk with our<br />
knowledgable staff and try out a range of different<br />
optics out on the reserve! Enjoy the scenery and<br />
wildlife, whilst finding out what binoculars or<br />
telescope suits you best. Please book, as places<br />
are limited. Cost: £3 (refunded if you purchase a<br />
pair of binoculars, or a telescope, from the reserve<br />
shop on the day!)<br />
Sat 6 <strong>February</strong><br />
LEAP’s Bike Swap<br />
The Annexe, Lochlip Road, Lochwinnoch<br />
12noon<br />
Dust off your bikes for the approach of spring and<br />
get cycling! If you have no bike to swap, come<br />
along at 1.30pm to see if we have one that suits<br />
you. For more information, please email susie@<br />
myleapproject.org or check out our facebook page<br />
www.facebook.com/myleapproject or website<br />
www.myleapproject.org<br />
Tue 9 <strong>February</strong><br />
The Annual Shrove Tuesday<br />
Coffee Morning<br />
St Fillans Church, Kilmacolm<br />
10am to 12pm<br />
Tickets £3 – lovely pancakes, home baking And<br />
various stalls.<br />
Fri 12 <strong>February</strong><br />
<strong>Advertizer</strong> Deadline<br />
The <strong>Advertizer</strong> Office - Neva Place,<br />
Bridge of Weir<br />
If you want something placed in the March issue<br />
of The <strong>Advertizer</strong>, please either send an email to<br />
info@advertizer.co.uk or call the office on 01505<br />
613340. Don’t miss out!<br />
Stargazing Evening<br />
Muirshiel Visitor Centre, Calder Glen<br />
Road near Lochwinnoch 7pm to 9pm<br />
Join the Rangers and staff from Coats Observatory<br />
Paisley for an evening of galactic exploration<br />
in Renfrewshire’s darkest sky. For more in call<br />
01505 842 882 Ex 20<br />
Fri 12 - Tue 16 Feb<br />
Wild Challenge: Be a bird!<br />
RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch 10am-4pm<br />
Simply pop into the Visitor centre any time and<br />
the friendly staff will give you a map and get you<br />
started. (Allow approx 1hr for the challenge.)<br />
Then visit different stations along our main trail<br />
to find out what it might be like to be a bird! When<br />
you have finished, come back to the centre to<br />
complete the challenge and tell us all about it!<br />
Cost: £3 (RSPB members £1)<br />
Sat 13 <strong>February</strong><br />
Valentine’s Bistro Evening<br />
Bernie’s Cafe Deli, Neva Place, Bridge of<br />
Weir 6.30pm<br />
Stunning 3 course Bistro Menu and a glass of fizz.<br />
£19.95pp BOOK NOW!<br />
Kilbarchan Hill Organ Open Day<br />
West Church, Church Street, Kilbarchan<br />
2.30pm<br />
All organists and everyone interested in the organ<br />
are welcome to attend. This former church is no<br />
longer used for worship. Tom Ferguson, organist<br />
at Kilbarchan West from 1979 till 2015, will talk<br />
about and demonstrate the Hill organ (listed<br />
Grade 1).<br />
Build a bird a home<br />
RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch 11am-4pm<br />
Help us celebrate National Nest Box Week and<br />
give birds a home this Spring! Build and decorate<br />
your very own nest box to help provide a pair of<br />
love birds with a home in time for the breeding<br />
season. Who knows, if you put it up in your garden,<br />
you may even see some baby birds in a few months<br />
time... Please book a time slot (1st slot is at 11am<br />
& last is at 3pm). Cost: £10 (RSPB members £6)<br />
per box made.<br />
Sun 14 <strong>February</strong><br />
Habbie Tat<br />
Performing Arts Centre, Steeple Square,<br />
Kilbarchan 1pm<br />
Each month, there is a different batch of bric-abrac<br />
and collectables presented and there will be<br />
several new stallholders bringing along items for<br />
sale in <strong>February</strong>. Doors open at 1pm and all of the<br />
admission money collected (tickets are 50p) go to<br />
Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Centre.<br />
Tue 16 <strong>February</strong><br />
6 Legal Must-do’s for older<br />
people<br />
Carrick Centre, Main Street, Houston<br />
7pm to 8.15pm<br />
A free 45 minute talk everyone over 50 should<br />
attend! Discussing Wills, Power of Attorney and<br />
Advance Directive. Please call Kingsley Wood &<br />
Company, Solicitors on 01505 874114 to book a<br />
place or for more information.<br />
Thu 18 <strong>February</strong><br />
Embroidery and Coiling with Jane<br />
Campbell-Smith<br />
Langbank Village Centre, Middlepenny<br />
Road, Langbank 7.30pm<br />
We would like to invite anyone who is interested<br />
in this subject to come along, enjoy the demo and<br />
have a cup of tea, you will be more than welcome.<br />
We look forward to seeing you.
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
15 15<br />
Sat 20 <strong>February</strong><br />
Sun 21 <strong>February</strong><br />
Fri 19 <strong>February</strong><br />
Kilmacolm & Port Glasgow<br />
Agricultural Society Whist Drive<br />
Kilmacolm Community Centre,<br />
Lochwinnoch Road, Kilmacolm 7.30pm<br />
Tickets £3 includes light supper.<br />
A Night With Musicality<br />
Lochwinnoch Parish Church 7pm<br />
Lochwinnoch Arts Festival - Tickets £5 (con £3).<br />
A very talented group of artists who have been<br />
great supporters of our Arts Festival.<br />
Sat 20 <strong>February</strong><br />
Call To Yarns!<br />
Paisley Abbey, Abbey close, Paisley<br />
11am to 1pm<br />
Everyone is welcome to our Call to Yarns! – The<br />
Renfrewshire Tapestry project launch Andrew<br />
Crummy will be introducing the project, as well<br />
as leading a workshop. Further details or any<br />
questions – call: 07702 961301<br />
Swan Chat<br />
Castle Semple Visitor Centre, Lochlip<br />
Road, Lochwinnoch 2pm to 3pm<br />
There’s more to our swans than eating bread and<br />
chips by the lochshore. 01505 842 882 Ex 20<br />
Wildlife Explorers: Colourful<br />
Nature!<br />
RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch<br />
10am to 12noon<br />
Please wear suitable clothing for being outdoors.<br />
Ages: 5 to 14 years. Please note that all children<br />
aged 8 and under must be accompanied by an<br />
adult. Booking essential. Cost: £5 (£3 RSPB<br />
members)(adults go free)<br />
Sun 21 <strong>February</strong><br />
Scotlands Gardens Scheme<br />
Ardgowan Open Garden<br />
Ardgowan Estate, Inverkip 2pm to 5pm<br />
Enjoy woodland walks carpeted with masses of<br />
snowdrops in a lovely setting overlooking the<br />
River Clyde. Admission is £2 and beneficiaries are<br />
Greenock Medical Aid Society and SG charities.<br />
Wetland guided walk<br />
RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch 12-2pm<br />
If you have interest in wildlife, or would like to hone<br />
your birdwatching skills, then this is the walk for<br />
you! Stout footwear and clothing suitable. Please<br />
book, as places are limited. Cost: Adults: £5;<br />
Children: £3 (RSPB members: £3/£2)<br />
Wed 24 <strong>February</strong><br />
Tartan Walk<br />
Castle Semple Visitor Centre, Lochlip<br />
Road, Lochwinnoch 11am<br />
The Renfrewshire Walking Network will again be<br />
out in force donning their tartan for a leisurely<br />
stroll and homage to Scottish folk tunes. Form<br />
more info call 01505 842 882 Ex 20<br />
Evening Talk<br />
RSPB, Largs Rd, Lochwinnoch<br />
7.30pm to 9pm<br />
A Naturalist’s view of the Canadian Arctic – bears,<br />
birds and other beasts of the Yukon by Prof<br />
Paul Tatner. Please book as places are limited.<br />
Cost: Adults: £5; Children: £3 (RSPB members:<br />
£3/£2)<br />
Sun 28 <strong>February</strong><br />
Mother’s Day Gift and Craft Fair<br />
Kilbarchan Guide Centre, Barn Green,<br />
Kilbarchan 1pm to 4pm<br />
Stalls to make your Mother’s Day (Sunday 6th<br />
March) special from local artists, beaded and<br />
silver jewellery, pottery, make-up, cushions, cakes,<br />
candles, homebaking, confectionary and much<br />
more. Entry includes Tea and Coffee: Adults £1.50<br />
Children 50pence.<br />
Beginners Spoon Carving<br />
Workshop<br />
The Cut Visitor Centre, Cornalees Bridge,<br />
Greenock 10am to 3.30pm<br />
A very rewarding skill to master, come away with<br />
a hobby and product at the end of the day! Cost:<br />
£25. Must be 16 or over to take part for more info<br />
call 01475 521 458 booking essential.<br />
Quarriers Ladies Lunch<br />
The Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow<br />
12.30pm - 4pm<br />
Get the girls together for a fun day out and raise<br />
much needed funds for Quarriers at the same<br />
time! Great food, shopping, goody bags, guest<br />
speaker and live music from the fantastic Paulo<br />
Martini. It really is an event not to be missed. Call<br />
01505 616054 for tickets (£40 each).<br />
Fri 4 March<br />
World Day of Prayer<br />
St Columba Church Hall. Kilmacolm<br />
1.30pm<br />
The children from St Columba’s Junior School<br />
will be able to join us with their singing and<br />
music. Refreshments after the Service. Everyone<br />
welcome! Call Maureen Russell Convenor<br />
(telephone 872905) for further details.<br />
follow The <strong>Advertizer</strong> on twitter<br />
and facebook for regular updates<br />
t: @<strong>Gryffe</strong>Ads<br />
f: www.facebook.com/<strong>Gryffe</strong>Ads
16 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY HINTS & TIPS<br />
ISO<br />
With The Studio<br />
Bridge Of Weir<br />
The ISO – often referred to as film speed, is a measure of how sensitive your<br />
film or chip is. The higher the ISO the less light you need to expose the image.<br />
With a Digital camera you have the ability to vary the ISO from shot to shot<br />
without having to change films. ISO – can range from 100 to 36,000.<br />
As you increase your ISO your images become more grainy as noise is introduced<br />
into the image. Turning up the ISO on a digital camera is similar to turning up<br />
the volume on a sound system amplifier, the higher you go the more distortion<br />
of the signal you get.<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong><br />
Camera Club<br />
Our Last Competition in 2015 was<br />
our league competition judged by<br />
Members.<br />
The winners were Rick Bolton (A<br />
Prints), Malcolm Martin (B Prints),<br />
Rick Bolton<br />
(Mono Prints),<br />
Roger Calvert<br />
(A Digital)<br />
with Callejo<br />
Harbour<br />
Lights and<br />
Malcolm<br />
Martin (B<br />
Digital) with<br />
Crested Tit.<br />
In your camera this shows itself as grainy images and odd colours in the shadow<br />
areas.<br />
At the extreme end the images are almost unusable.<br />
When to change ISO?<br />
If the subject is well lit or you are using a tripod and you are not concerned<br />
about shutter speed then choose the lowest ISO setting possible.<br />
If the subject is dimly lit or you are trying to achieve a faster shutter speed to<br />
capture some action then increase your ISO.<br />
You can leave your camera in AUTO ISO and it will choose the ISO for you, but<br />
you may get noisy pictures when you could have avoided them.<br />
Typically you need to use higher ISO when indoors, at concerts, if you are trying<br />
to capture some atmosphere etc. Also there are some churches and galleries<br />
where flash is not allowed so high ISO becomes essential.<br />
Every Month The STUDIO – Bridge of Weir (07904 419578) will bring you hints and tips to<br />
improve your photography - regardless of what kind of camera you have.<br />
More detail on each tip can be found on the <strong>Advertizer</strong> web page<br />
http://www.advertizer.co.uk/blog<br />
George Kennedy - Style and Speed<br />
Our first evening in <strong>2016</strong> was our<br />
league competition judged by Angus<br />
Campbell.<br />
The winners were Rick Bolton (A<br />
Prints), Malcolm Martin (B Prints),<br />
Rick Bolton (Mono Prints), George<br />
Kennedy (A Digital) with Style and<br />
Speed and Joe Gillick (B Digital) with<br />
Mum Me.<br />
Joe Gillick - Mum Me<br />
Duncan McEwan Showed us “The<br />
Games”, his photographic skills used<br />
during the Commonwealth Games.<br />
We have various competitions with<br />
other clubs during the coming weeks<br />
through <strong>February</strong>.<br />
Anyone interested can come along<br />
on Wednesday Club nights. Joining<br />
is now half price for the rest of the<br />
session before the end of May.<br />
Wedding Fayre<br />
Sunday 28 <strong>February</strong> from 1pm<br />
- 5pm at Paisley Town Hall,<br />
Paisley. Call 0141 258 3380 for<br />
further information. FREE Entry
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
17 17<br />
Paisley Colour Photographic Club<br />
Borbasket Trophy 2015/16<br />
Last month at the McMaster Centre in Renfrew, Paisley Colour Photographic<br />
Club’s annual competition for the Borbasket Memorial Trophy was held.<br />
For this competition entry consisted of three images judged as a set with the<br />
first image in each set either a table-top, a portrait or a still life photograph.<br />
Judging the competition were the last year’s winner of the trophy, Duncan<br />
McEwan and the winner of last season’s Henderson Trophy, Richard Bennett<br />
and they had the difficult task of having to rank the top three sets in a high<br />
quality and varied entry.<br />
In turn the judges gave a detailed critique of each image making encouraging<br />
comments and also making suggestions as to how an image could be improved<br />
either at the time of taking the image or at the processing stage.<br />
This year the award for the top set of<br />
images by a non-advanced member<br />
was made to Ken Dow for his set<br />
including close-up butterfly image<br />
“Meadow Brown”.<br />
For the main trophy, Duncan and<br />
Richard judged Mike Cruise’s set of<br />
images in third place. This set included<br />
“The Look”, “Boys and Their Toys” and<br />
“Morning Mist”.<br />
Bill McCance’s set of three beautiful studio portraits was awarded second<br />
place and this set included images “Reverie”, “Coy” and “Solo”.<br />
Langbank Camera Club<br />
The Borbasket Trophy for this year was awarded to a new member of the club<br />
Ken McArthur for his impressive set including “After Crita”, “Hands Touchin’<br />
Hands” and the atmospheric and superbly composed image “Motorway”.<br />
For further details about PCPC and updated members galleries please view:<br />
www.paisleycolour.co.uk<br />
January’s print competition was<br />
“Waterscapes”. There were many<br />
entries of excellent and beautiful<br />
waterscapes.<br />
First place was awarded to Alf Todd<br />
for his early morning shot of the<br />
Zambezi River, above the Victoria<br />
Falls. Second place was awarded<br />
to Derrick McPherson for his image<br />
taken at the lagoon in Venice, looking<br />
towards the Church of San Giorgio<br />
Maggiore. Third place was awarded<br />
to Deborah Galloway for her striking<br />
image of Rathmullan Beach, County<br />
Donegal.<br />
This month’s lecture focused on the<br />
use of the camera’s aperture setting<br />
to demonstrate the difference and<br />
impact it can have on a photograph.<br />
The term used to describe this effect is called depth of field (DoF) which<br />
describes the degree of sharpness (focus) of the foreground and background<br />
in relation to main subject when it is in focus. Confused? Then come along to<br />
our meetings to find out more and potentially realise that inner photographer<br />
waiting to get out and about.<br />
Our PDI (digital meetings) which are held on the fourth Monday of the month<br />
(last meeting will be held in April) provides a different forum for our members<br />
where we showcase images on the big screen. We also provide many hints and<br />
tips on photo editing and things associated with digital photography.<br />
The <strong>February</strong> meeting will be held as usual on the second Monday of the month,<br />
8th <strong>February</strong> at 7.30pm. The next PDI meeting will be held on 22nd <strong>February</strong> at<br />
7.30pm. The print competition topic for <strong>February</strong> is “Glasgow”.<br />
Club meetings are held in Langbank Church Halls, Langbank. Visitors are<br />
always welcome at any of our evenings.<br />
Membership of the club is only £10 for the first year. If you wish to find out more<br />
about Langbank Camera Club please visit our website: www.langbankcameraclub.<br />
weebly.com or contact Derrick McPherson at langbankcc1@gmail.com with your<br />
enquiries.
18 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
9 to 5 The Musical<br />
The Lyric Club presents 9 to<br />
5 The Musical in The King’s<br />
Theatre, Glasgow from<br />
Tues 8th March to Sat 12th<br />
March. The musical is based<br />
on the 1980 film starring<br />
Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and<br />
Dolly Parton. The book is by<br />
Patricia Resnick who wrote<br />
the film screenplay and<br />
music and lyrics are by Dolly<br />
Parton. This is a story of 3<br />
girls in a 70s office and how<br />
they plan to get the better<br />
of their sexist boss. It’s<br />
fun, got some fab music,<br />
is a real feel good musical<br />
and is a little bit naughty in<br />
places!<br />
Maureen Todd from<br />
Kilmacolm is delighted to<br />
be playing Violet Newstead,<br />
the Lily Tomlin role, in<br />
this production and will<br />
be running a bus from Kilmacolm/Bridge of Weir to the Thursday evening<br />
performance (10th March) and the cost is £23 for the ticket and the bus. Times<br />
and prices for other performances are above.<br />
We will be supporting MND Scotland as our nominated charity this year and<br />
they will benefit from each performance. So, if you fancy a fun, laughter filled<br />
girls or work night out or just a night out with your other half, please get in touch.<br />
Although the show is in March, tickets are selling fast already and the bus is<br />
filling up so let Maureen know if you’d like to come along to any performance<br />
on 07789 077749 or 872094.<br />
Winter Concert Series<br />
Houston Old School Trust (HOST) is holding a series of classical music concerts<br />
in the Carrick Centre, Main Street, Houston this coming winter (<strong>2016</strong>/17).<br />
As a preview to this we are holding a concert on Saturday 19th March with a<br />
performance by the Barochan Quartet. This is a string quartet of local talent, all<br />
professional musicians, and members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.<br />
Ticket prices are £12 with concessions for children and students £5. Option<br />
is also available to have a 2/3 course meal (table service) before the concert<br />
in our cafe. Two courses + coffee £15. Third course available at extra cost<br />
(bring your own booze). We are also looking to enlist support from a working<br />
committee to help organise/promote suture concerts.<br />
To request tickets or register your interest in helping out, please call the Carrick<br />
Centre on 01505 229597 or email thecarrickcentre@gmail.com<br />
LEAP - Children’s Shoe<br />
Collection<br />
Are your children growing fast and leaving half worn shoes behind them? Fed<br />
up of sending perfectly good shoes to landfill?<br />
LEAP, along with several local primary schools and nurseries, will be organising<br />
a collection of children’s footwear (including sports shoes) from 22nd-26th<br />
<strong>February</strong>. Some schools will be holding a shoe swap or sale event at the end<br />
of the collection week - look out for flyers in your child’s school bag for more<br />
details. Surplus sports shoes will be donated to Linwood’s Kit & Caboodle,<br />
while other shoes will be passed on to the children’s shoe charity Sal’s Shoes,<br />
who will re-home them where they are needed most.<br />
For more information about your nearest collection point, or if you would like to<br />
get involved, please email susie@myleapproject.org or check out our facebook<br />
page www.facebook.com/myleapproject or website www.myleapproject.org<br />
Wedding Band Showcase<br />
Thursday 4 <strong>February</strong> from 6.30pm - 10.30pm at The Glynhill Hotel &<br />
Leisure Club, Renfrew - This is a free event<br />
Looking for the perfect evening entertainment for your wedding? Join us for a<br />
relaxed evening listening to five fantastic wedding bands all performing live,<br />
along with other great wedding suppliers. Call 0141 258 3380.
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
Reliable Service Meets<br />
Reliable Flooring<br />
Getting your floor refitted can be a stressful time, especially if you are not in the<br />
right hands, be it for your home or place of business.<br />
Whether your old floor is water damaged, fitted badly or simply needing a<br />
breath of fresh air, we understand that the process should be as smooth as<br />
possible for you. That is why Orchard Flooring’s professional fitting services<br />
have been recommended by<br />
customers for busy homes<br />
and businesses in the <strong>Gryffe</strong><br />
area for many years.<br />
When it comes to Karndean<br />
and Amtico, laying the sub<br />
floor correctly is crucial<br />
to ensuring a successful<br />
refit and here at Orchard<br />
Flooring we always say that<br />
preparation is paramount.<br />
Orchard Flooring<br />
have over 15<br />
years’ experience<br />
in fitting<br />
Karndean and<br />
offer a reliable<br />
and efficient<br />
service. We make<br />
sure that the very<br />
best materials<br />
are used and that<br />
the relevant time<br />
and expertise are<br />
applied to your<br />
floor.<br />
We pride ourselves on excellent customer service and clear communications. We<br />
want to walk out that door knowing that, not only do you have a floor that looks<br />
and feels spectacular, but that will continue to do so for many years to come. With<br />
a home sampling service, why not give us a call and be on your way to a stunning<br />
floor from Orchard Flooring? You can contact Scott on 01505 229584 or 07563<br />
633432 E: sjmproducts@hotmail.com web- www.orchard-flooring.com<br />
19 19<br />
Fairtrade Fortnight <strong>2016</strong> will be here<br />
soon, from 29 <strong>February</strong> - 13 March.<br />
This year’s theme is Sit down for<br />
breakfast, stand up for farmers! As<br />
Martin Luther King said, ‘before you<br />
finish eating breakfast in the morning,<br />
you’ve depended on more than half<br />
the world’. This recognises the variety<br />
of farmers in many countries who<br />
provide the foods that we consume<br />
for our breakfasts; tea, coffee, cereals, fruits and so on.<br />
So, during Fairtrade fortnight, local Fairtrade groups are encouraging everybody to have a Fairtrade<br />
breakfast, choose Fairtrade products and think about the support this gives to farmers around the<br />
world who need help to improve their lives<br />
and communities. We also remind people<br />
that choosing Fairtrade products all year<br />
round is the way to help in the long term.<br />
The Fairtrade principle is simple: when<br />
people are paid a fairer price for their<br />
goods they can have more control over<br />
their lives. Whether it’s the extra cash in<br />
their pockets, being able to expand their<br />
farms to grow more food to eat, or to invest<br />
in community facilities like health and<br />
education, it gives them help to a better<br />
life.<br />
The week or so before Fairtrade fortnight,<br />
two rice farmers from Myanmar (formerly<br />
Burma) are visiting Renfrewshire. They are<br />
part of the first ever Fairtrade food export<br />
operation from that newly democratised<br />
country.<br />
There will be a range of visits to schools<br />
and public venues soon to be announced.<br />
A chance to find out how your Fair Trade<br />
choices help in very poor countries.<br />
Fairtrade Renfrewshire needs help! There<br />
are Fairtrade campaign groups active in<br />
Kilbarchan, Bridge of Weir, Lochwinnoch,<br />
Houston, Bishopton. They all need some<br />
extra support from committed Fairtrade<br />
people to keep the Renfrewshire Fairtrade<br />
movement going.<br />
Anyone interested should contact their<br />
local group (you can get contact details<br />
from the Rainbow Turtle office or shop in<br />
Paisley (0141 887 1881). Rainbow Turtle<br />
also needs volunteers to help in its shop<br />
and warehouse so, to anyone with a bit<br />
of time to help we say, get in touch, get<br />
involved.<br />
We can finish by saying that Renfrewshire<br />
Council gives welcome support to the Fair<br />
Trade local groups.
20 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
How You Gonna Live Your Dash<br />
the<br />
This shattering piece explores the life-altering decisions we<br />
make in order to get the most out of our time on earth: giving<br />
up a high-flying career, confronting an addiction, dropping it<br />
all and moving to a new continent.<br />
Wednesday 3 <strong>February</strong> - 7.30pm - £8 to £10<br />
Guide Gods<br />
Using dance, live music, humour and interviews with<br />
religious leaders, academics and deaf and disabled people,<br />
acclaimed performer Claire Cunningham goes on a perilous<br />
quest to explore how the major world faiths view deafness<br />
and disability in this witty and illuminating new show.<br />
Thursday 4 <strong>February</strong> - 2.30pm & 7.30pm - £8 to £10<br />
Mum’s the Word 2<br />
One of the Scotland’s favourites “Mum’s The Word” laughs at<br />
the wonderful comedic horrors of child and teenager-rearing<br />
in this new and updated version of the hit show. Both funny<br />
and emotional by turn, this is a wonderful evening out.<br />
Friday 12 - Sat 13 <strong>February</strong> - 7.30pm Fri; 2.30pm & 7.30pm Sat - £18.50 to £20.00<br />
The Nutcracker<br />
An essential part of wintertime, a wonderful escape for<br />
children and ballet lovers of all ages into magical world of<br />
snow, sweets and the Sugar Plum Fairy.<br />
Sunday 14 <strong>February</strong> - 7.30pm - £12 to £16<br />
Francie & Josie<br />
A fantastic evening of Scottish entertainment, with special<br />
guests and a tribute to the Kings of Scottish Comedy –<br />
‘Francie & Josie’.<br />
A show for the whole family, featuring original routines and<br />
songs, this trip down memory lane will have you laughing<br />
out loud.<br />
Thursday 18 <strong>February</strong> - 2.30pm & 7.30pm - £14.50 to £16.50<br />
SCOCHA<br />
Scocha are undoubtedly one of the most entertaining live<br />
acts on the music circuit. The band’s unique blend of largely<br />
recognisable Scottish “folk ‘n roll” coupled with audience<br />
banter ensure a SCOCHA gig is never a dull affair.<br />
Saturday 20 <strong>February</strong> - 7.15pm - £15<br />
every Monday<br />
Lochwinnoch Community Walk<br />
The Cross, Lochwinnoch 10.30am<br />
This event will not take place on public<br />
holidays.<br />
every Tuesday<br />
Bishopton Belles Line Dancing<br />
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Hall 6.30 - 8.30pm<br />
Beginner/Improver class. All welcome. Call David<br />
or Mair 07886 034037.<br />
every Wednesday<br />
Knitting Group<br />
Three Sisters Bake, Quarriers 10am - 12noon<br />
Knitters of all levels welcome!<br />
Skinny Minnies<br />
Cargill Hall, Bridge of Weir 7pm-8pm<br />
For a healthier, slimmer, more energetic you!<br />
every Thursday<br />
Weekly Volunteer Group<br />
Castle Semple, Lochwinnoch 12.30pm - 3.30pm<br />
Conservation Volunteers - adult group.<br />
Newcomers always welcome.<br />
every Saturday<br />
Weekly Volunteer Group<br />
Greenock Cut Visitor Centre 10.30am - 2.30pm<br />
Conservation Volunteers, adult group. Newcomers<br />
always welcome.<br />
every Sunday<br />
Weekly Volunteer Group<br />
Castle Semple, Lochwinnoch 10am - 12noon<br />
Youth volunteer Group - age 12 - 18 years.<br />
Newcomers always welcome.<br />
1st & 3rd Thurs monthly<br />
‘Outlook’<br />
Kidston Hall, Kilmacolm 2pm-4pm<br />
Social activities group for the community in<br />
Kilmacolm. Guest speakers, afternoon tea, local<br />
issues of interest. Everyone welcome.<br />
Crafty Hobbies<br />
Carrick Centre, Main Street, Houston 7.30pm<br />
No previous craft experience necessary. Call<br />
Lorna on 01505 612844 for further details.<br />
2nd Wednesday monthly<br />
Inverclyde Carers Outreach<br />
Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm 11am-2pm<br />
Email enquiries@inverclydecarerscentre.org.uk<br />
or call: 01475 735180.<br />
2nd Thursday monthly<br />
Solas Bereavement Support Group<br />
The group meets in the Kidston Hall. 6.30pm<br />
to 8.30pm. Everyone welcome.<br />
3rd Friday monthly<br />
Hearing Aid Clinic<br />
The Bridge, Bridge of Weir 1-2pm<br />
Personnel are at The Bridge for the issue of<br />
hearing aid batteries and hearing aid checks.<br />
2nd Saturday monthly<br />
‘Brunch & Browse’<br />
St Fillan’s Hall, Kilmacolm 10am-2pm<br />
Home made soups, home baking, tea, coffee,<br />
books & lots of stalls. Great value! Disabled<br />
access. £4.<br />
last Saturday monthly<br />
Table Top Sale<br />
Linwood Parish Church, Blackwood Ave 11am-<br />
1pm<br />
This is a free event. Call 01505 328802 for<br />
details.<br />
1st Sunday monthly<br />
Messy Church<br />
Freeland Church, Bridge of Weir 4pm-6pm<br />
Free entry for all ages. Meal included. Just turn<br />
up. Tel: Catherine 07980 649377.<br />
1st Saturday<br />
Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm<br />
10am-2pm (“The Square”)<br />
1st & 3rd Sunday<br />
Loch Lomond Shores<br />
10am-3pm Tel: 07977 179 861<br />
2nd Thur & last Sat<br />
Paisley Cross<br />
10am-2pm Tel: 01655 770217<br />
3rd Saturday<br />
Erskine Garden Centre<br />
10am - 2pm Tel: 0141 814 4626<br />
A Night of Musicals - Kieran Begley & Friends<br />
Come along and support Kieran in his fundraising event,<br />
an exciting evening shared with special guests, children’s<br />
choir, his friends from Greenock Light Opera Club, Sideline<br />
Productions and Ayrshire Opera Experience.<br />
Sunday 21 <strong>February</strong> - 7.30pm - £8 to £10<br />
30:60:80<br />
A celebration of three lives, spanning fifty years with the<br />
women of one family and inviting audiences to consider the<br />
richness in their own maternal her story.<br />
When Amy’s grandma turned 30, she had three children<br />
and was thankful to finally live in a house with an indoor<br />
toilet. When Amy’s mum turned 30, she had a profession, a mortgage and was<br />
pregnant with her first child.<br />
Friday 26 <strong>February</strong> - 7.30pm - £8 to £10<br />
BEACON ARTS CENTRE, CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY, GREENOCK, PA15 1HJ<br />
INFO@BEACONARTSCENTRE.CO.UK TELEPHONE: 01475 723723<br />
A Night With Musicality<br />
(Glasgow Theatre Guild)<br />
Lochwinnoch Arts Festival early event <strong>2016</strong> Friday 19th <strong>February</strong> in the Parish<br />
Church doors open 7pm Tickets £5 (con £3).<br />
A number of the village went to<br />
see the Glasgow Theatre Guilds<br />
excellent production of Sweet<br />
Charity in Eastwood theatre<br />
in 2015. Their cast will be<br />
performing a selection of songs<br />
from film and theatre for us<br />
again. A very talented group of artists who have been great supporters of our<br />
Arts Festival.<br />
Tickets £5 (con £3) in Now and then, Cucina Minucci at the Junction café and<br />
Calder Gallery and framing. DON’T MISS IT!!
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
Jillian’s Cambodia Update<br />
I have been in Cambodia for 5 months<br />
now and every day I live here I am<br />
amazed by the country in a different<br />
way…be it beauty, culture or the crazy<br />
driving!<br />
We have had the most amazing festive<br />
season here. We started December<br />
with a bang and ran the Angkor Wat<br />
International Half Marathon race. We<br />
underestimated how big an event this<br />
was as in our race there were over<br />
1000 people! (Our race was one of 6).<br />
Although it was nearing 30 degrees by<br />
the end of the run, the experience was<br />
one of a kind. Being able to run through<br />
the temples was breath-taking and<br />
distracted us from the aching legs and<br />
struggle for breath.<br />
We celebrated Christmas by holding a<br />
massive party for the children from the<br />
village and at our project adding to a<br />
total tally of 500 kids throughout the<br />
day. The party was a huge success and<br />
included tug of war, musical statues, a<br />
talent competition and gift giving with<br />
a show of Santa at the end wishing<br />
everyone a Merry Christmas. I’ve never<br />
seen smiles so wide! With a 7.30am<br />
start and an 8pm finish the day flew by<br />
and was one that I’ll never forget.<br />
There is never a boring day at the<br />
project and we welcome the New Year<br />
and all the adventures it has to bring.<br />
So far we have attended two weddings<br />
and a festival celebrating the one year anniversary of a death. We have really<br />
settled here in Cambodia and made our self a home and many new friends.<br />
Best wishes for the New Year to everyone at home. Jillian<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> Valley Rotary -<br />
Burns Beats Blizzards!<br />
Despite blizzard conditions throughout the<br />
day, some 160 hardy souls battled through<br />
the snow to attend the annual <strong>Gryffe</strong> Valley<br />
Rotary Burns Supper at the River Inn.<br />
Unfortunately, amongst those unable to get<br />
there was renowned Burns speaker Jack<br />
Glennie who was scheduled to deliver the<br />
Immortal Memory. Incredibly, and with only<br />
3 hours notice, the Rev Donald Campbell of<br />
Houston’s Killellan Kirk agreed to step in to<br />
fill the breach – barely time to get changed!<br />
No sooner had Rotarian<br />
Ronald Aitchison<br />
given a large haggis a<br />
typically robust working<br />
over as he addressed<br />
anecdotes on<br />
it, than Donald was up<br />
Scots society with<br />
on his feet to deliver<br />
informed insights<br />
an array of amusing<br />
into the life and<br />
works of Robert<br />
Burns – a truly<br />
first class example<br />
of the Immortal<br />
Memory genre.<br />
Luckily there is<br />
no truth in the rumour that Rotarian Adam<br />
McCartney will reciprocate by delivering a<br />
sermon at the Kirk!<br />
Many people think that Jim Ferguson is<br />
Tam O’Shanter, and once again he held the<br />
audience in the palm of his hand with his<br />
rendition of Burns’ epic poem. Not only that,<br />
but he went on later to lead the gathering<br />
in rumbustuous community choruses of some well known Burns’ songs. This<br />
supplemented the rather more sophisticated and tuneful solos over the evening<br />
from Jan Cranston, accompanied by Helen Mills.<br />
The Toast To and the Response From the Lassies are always highlights of a<br />
Burns Supper, and <strong>Gryffe</strong> Valley Rotary was fortunate to have Graham Hill<br />
and Helen McLaughlan to perform these roles. Graham, who braved the<br />
snow although just back from Australia, used some hilarious tales from the<br />
school playground to illustrate some of Burns’ references to ladies and their<br />
relationships. His closing section on the kilt was delivered in humorous verse.<br />
Helen, the first lady President of the Paisley Callants Rotary club, gave as good<br />
as she got with some scurrilous tales to back up her premise that Burns would<br />
have said that “it is good to laugh”. Her closing section was also in verse, this<br />
time on a somewhat windy topic!<br />
Past President Alan Bowie, appropriately garbed in the kilt, rounded off the<br />
evening by thanking all those who had contributed to a great event. There was<br />
of course an ulterior motive for it all - beyond that of having a really good time!<br />
The Burns Supper is an important fundraiser for <strong>Gryffe</strong> Valley in support of its<br />
local good causes, especially this year’s major project to help develop a toy and<br />
therapeutic resource lending library based at Corseford School – this will be<br />
accessed by all children who attend specialist schools in the area, giving the<br />
opportunity of making a significant difference to their wellbeing, experience,<br />
play and development.<br />
With generous prizes from many, including corporate members the Malcolm<br />
Group and from Jason Andrews for the River Inn and the Fox and Hounds, the<br />
charity raffle helped boost the contribution from the event towards £3000 – a<br />
great testament to the hard work of President David Fairbairn, and convenor<br />
Angus Matheson with his team of organisers.<br />
21 21
22 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue is situated near Beith in<br />
North Ayrshire. It occupies a 20 acre site, including<br />
woodland, marsh and open water. This gives a variety<br />
of release sites for our patients. We aim to rescue,<br />
treat, rehabilitate and release birds and animals back<br />
to the wild, and we have the facilities and experience<br />
to treat all species of Scottish wildlife.<br />
Resources at the Centre include an intensive care unit,<br />
a swan/seal hospital with indoor pool, a hedgehog<br />
unit, a surgery and more than 60 outdoor aviaries,<br />
enclosures and release pens. The centre has a 24hr<br />
emergency service, and is available to give advice on<br />
wildlife problems throughout the day.<br />
Why not join us?!<br />
Support Hessilhead by becoming a member and get 2<br />
newsletters a year. Ordinary membership: £12 a year.<br />
Family membership: £16 a year.<br />
Sponsor A Patient<br />
Hessilhead is an independent charity. Funds are<br />
raised through the Membership and Sponsor-a-Patient<br />
schemes and through fundraising events.<br />
Sponsoring a patient is a good way to help an individual<br />
casualty. Receive a photo and reports on the patient’s<br />
progress. Sponsorship packages can also be sent with<br />
a card as a present for Christmas, Birthdays etc. Trust<br />
newsletters included. Cost: £25<br />
What can I sponsor?<br />
Choose from the following, which sadly, are all too<br />
common patients at the Trust:- Kestrel; Swan; Otter;<br />
Rabbit; Deer; Badger; Duckling; Fox; Owl; Hedgehog;<br />
Buzzard; Seal. Please give a second choice of<br />
casualty, and remember that some, such as ducklings,<br />
are in care only at certain seasons. You are welcome<br />
to email us at info@hessilhead.org.uk first to check the<br />
availability of your preferred species.<br />
How do I pay?<br />
You can make a payment to sponsor a patient - see<br />
our website for details. We have offered as many<br />
choices as possible, and have listed the pros and cons<br />
for us associated with each method. Please read our<br />
important notes beside each option. If you have any<br />
questions about any of the below please email us at<br />
info@hessilhead.org.uk.<br />
Visit our website for further information on how to help<br />
us - http://www.hessilhead.org.uk/<br />
Newspapers<br />
Wanted<br />
With so many hedgehogs in<br />
care, and other patients, our<br />
newspaper stock is running low.<br />
We’d be grateful if you could start<br />
saving them up and drop them off<br />
at the centre.<br />
Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue has<br />
facilities and experience to treat<br />
all species of Scottish wildlife.<br />
Facilities at the Centre include<br />
an intensive care unit, a swan/<br />
seal hospital with indoor pool, a<br />
hedgehog unit, a surgery with<br />
x-ray equipment and more than<br />
60 outdoor aviaries, enclosures<br />
and release pens.<br />
Contact us on 01505 502415 or<br />
Email: info@hessilhead.org.uk<br />
Website: www.hessilhead.org.uk<br />
Pet Blog<br />
by PetVets<br />
Let’s Talk About Eyes….<br />
Vision is very important to our pets and each species sees the world in<br />
a slightly different way.<br />
Dogs are very good at seeing moving<br />
objects but may struggle more with<br />
small, inanimate objects at a distance.<br />
This is why your dog can easily catch a<br />
flying Frisbee or ball but may struggle<br />
to find the toy once it has landed,<br />
despite it being obvious to you! They also see<br />
fewer colours than we do.<br />
Cats can see very well in low light conditions, with good vision in just<br />
an eighth of the light that a human would need. This is due to their<br />
vertical pupils allowing them to stretch their pupil wide to let in as<br />
much light as possible and a reflective layer at the back of the eye that<br />
bounces light back through the eye. This reflective layer is the reason<br />
your cats eyes glow in the dark.<br />
Rabbits have a larger field of vision than humans, cats or dogs. With just<br />
a slight turn of their head rabbits can see 360 degrees! They are good at<br />
seeing moving objects even in the far distance. This allows them to spot<br />
predators approaching. However their near site is not as good and they<br />
have a blind spot directly in front of their face, so can find it difficult to locate<br />
treats which are literally right under their nose!<br />
To protect their vision it is important to check your pet’s eyes regularly<br />
and if you spot any changes such as<br />
redness, excessive tears, discharge<br />
or signs of pain take them for a check<br />
with your vet.<br />
Common eye problems include:<br />
• Conjunctivitis<br />
• Entropian<br />
• Eyelash disorders<br />
• Cherry eye<br />
• Dry eye<br />
• Corneal ulcers<br />
• Glaucoma<br />
All these condition are treatable<br />
especially if diagnosed early, so if you<br />
have any concerns contact your vet.
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
23 23<br />
23<br />
Re-homing Pets<br />
Can you offer a home to any of our featured pets?<br />
Goldie - 2 year old female<br />
short hair tortoiseshell<br />
Goldie would need access<br />
to a garden. She would be<br />
best suited to a home with<br />
no or older kids and no<br />
other cats. It is unknown<br />
whether she would like to live with dogs. She<br />
has been waiting<br />
a long time here at<br />
the centre for that special someone, is that you?<br />
Tommy - 3 year old male short hair domestic cat<br />
Tommy (Tom for short), arrived at the centre as his<br />
owner became ill and could no longer look after him.<br />
He is a wee shy guy at the centre and needs time to<br />
settle into a new home. He is an indoor cat only and<br />
can be homed with other cats and dogs, but older<br />
children as he is timid.<br />
Cardyke Farm, Langmuirhead Road, Auchinloch,<br />
Glasgow G66 5LD - Telephone 0141 779 3341<br />
Randall - Male<br />
Rabbit - age<br />
unknown<br />
Randall is a lovely wee chap that came here<br />
through no fault of his own as a stray and<br />
is now looking for his forever home. This<br />
handsome man is very bright and is litter<br />
trained. He would be suited to a home with<br />
someone with previous rabbit experience<br />
as he can be slightly territorial over his<br />
enclosure. When he is out and about exploring he is a very sweet boy who<br />
loves his cuddles. He loves nothing more than running about like crazy and<br />
tucking into some fruit and veg.<br />
Oscar - Male Rat - Age unknown<br />
Oscar is a handsome male rat who came<br />
into our care as his owner could no longer<br />
look after him. He is a bit nervous around<br />
people but is starting to come around and<br />
become more curious with us. He is slightly<br />
overweight and is looking for a home where<br />
he can run around and explore, with lots of<br />
tunnels and toys to keep him active. Oscar will make a great companion for<br />
someone who can give him the love and affection he deserves.<br />
To contact the centre about any animals, please call 03000 999 999 or visit<br />
www.scottishspca.org/rehoming<br />
Buster - 11 year old male<br />
crossbreed<br />
Buster still loves to go<br />
for walks and runs in the<br />
car! His favourite treat is<br />
a dentastick! Buster can live with children<br />
who are 16 years old or over and needs his<br />
own secure garden to have a potter about<br />
in. Buster needs a calm, quiet home with<br />
few visitors to retire too. Someone who has<br />
owned rescue dogs previously would benefit<br />
him and help him settle. He needs a home who are around for most of the day<br />
and who are willing to give him the time and space he needs to come out of his<br />
shell. Buster must be kept on lead when out on walks.<br />
Molly - 2-5 year old female Terrier<br />
Molly loves to run around playing games<br />
with her ball and soft toys. Molly can<br />
live with children who are 16 years old or<br />
over and needs to be the only dog in the<br />
home. She needs her own secure garden<br />
to practice her training in. Molly is not a lap<br />
dog and needs a home who has previous<br />
experience of owning terrier types to give<br />
her the time and space she needs to come<br />
out of her shell. A home with calm, quiet<br />
areas for walking would also benefit her.<br />
Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre, 315 Hamilton Road, Uddingston, Glasgow, G71<br />
7SL. Open: 12noon - 4pm (inc weekends); 12noon- 7.30pm on Tuesdays; closed:<br />
Wednesdays<br />
LOST<br />
PETS<br />
If your pet has gone<br />
missing and you<br />
would like to place<br />
a notice in The<br />
<strong>Advertizer</strong>, please<br />
call 01505 613340<br />
or email info@<br />
advertizer.co.uk.<br />
We can also<br />
put updates on<br />
our website &<br />
Facebook.<br />
This is no charge for<br />
this service!<br />
Lost Cat<br />
£200 reward<br />
£200 reward for information<br />
leading to the recovery of<br />
Carmela an 11 year old Burmese<br />
cat missing since 27th October<br />
from Churchill Road Kilmacolm.<br />
She is a small, friendly brown<br />
cat and much loved companion<br />
for her owner.<br />
Anyone with any information,<br />
PLEASE phone 01505 874806<br />
Rescue Centres<br />
Johnstone<br />
Cat Rescue<br />
If you can help<br />
us with any<br />
f u n d r a i s i n g<br />
or donations<br />
of either food<br />
or bedding,<br />
please call Sheena on 01505<br />
337321.<br />
Thank you in anticipation.<br />
Dogs Trust Glasgow: 0141-773-5130 - www.dogstrust.org.uk<br />
Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue: 01505-502415 - www.hessilhead.org.uk<br />
Johnstone Cat Rescue: 01505 337321<br />
Cat Protection: 0141-779-3341 -www.cats.org.uk/glasgowac/adopt-a-cat<br />
Scottish SPCA: 0141-882-1688 - www.scottishspca.org<br />
These centres are always on the lookout for donations and fundraising.<br />
If you can help, please get in touch with any of the centres above.
24 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
25 25<br />
Financial Blog<br />
with Colin Fyfe of Colcom<br />
Office 365 has featured heavily at work recently.<br />
I feel that people’s<br />
resolve is slowly<br />
weakening to<br />
the prospect of<br />
paying an annual<br />
fee for the use<br />
of the program.<br />
When Microsoft<br />
started selling its<br />
unrivalled office<br />
application suite on a buy as you go basis a couple of years ago uptake<br />
was slow but with the amount of subscription based purchases we<br />
encounter these days it seems that we are getting used to the idea.<br />
I must say that I am quite impressed by the product too, 365 now uses<br />
the Office 16 version of the software, which is very good so far. For<br />
businesses, the professional version charged at £7 a user per month is<br />
very powerful, with cloud sharing at its heart.<br />
For anyone looking for another option,<br />
available free is Libre Office, available at<br />
www.ninite.com. This too is powerful and almost fully compatible with<br />
Microsoft’s offering.<br />
Having made an easy mistake last year to trial Amazon’s Prime<br />
membership, my trial slipped over into the following month which<br />
prompted a phone call from Amazon to ask if I was sure I wanted to<br />
pay for a full year. No, sorry that’s what might have happened if they<br />
were not a highly tuned profit making machine, I was charged the year<br />
the second my eye was off the ball. Anyway, a year passed where I felt<br />
damned if I wasn’t going to get value for my misplaced money so I used<br />
their services, TV offerings, music on my mobile and the free postage<br />
on selected products. I enjoyed using the services so much that this<br />
time I have intentionally allowed my subscription renewal. Another cog<br />
in the machine.<br />
by Carl Melvin,<br />
Affluent Financial Planning Ltd<br />
State support for<br />
Mortgage Interest to<br />
be reduced<br />
The government will pay your mortgage interest costs if you are ill or<br />
unemployed (called Support for Mortgage Interest or SMI). This is a<br />
means tested benefit and is paid after 13 weeks, if you meet the criteria<br />
and this is paid without time limit (with a few exceptions).<br />
However, this will change in April <strong>2016</strong> when new rules come into<br />
force. The initial waiting period will rise from 13 weeks to 39 weeks. So,<br />
you will have to fund your mortgage for almost 10 months before the<br />
Government will step in to help.<br />
Currently SMI payments are non-refundable, but this will change in<br />
April 2018 and the support payments from the Government will become<br />
loans – you will have to pay back the money you receive with interest<br />
when you return to work or sell your home.<br />
So what should you do?<br />
Initially, you should try to build up cash savings to provide the money<br />
you will need to pay your mortgage interest and other bills should you<br />
become ill of lose your job. So, regular saving is a good first step.<br />
Try to secure a line of credit that you can call upon if needed. Having<br />
suitable insurance is essential to cover you against death, illness or<br />
unemployment (not all payment protection insurance plans are poor<br />
value) so that you don’t end up losing your home.<br />
The changes are likely to affect young people with big mortgages most,<br />
as they may have borrowed heavily to get on the property ladder. Don’t<br />
rely on the Government - make sure you have your own safety net.<br />
Call 0871 702 9490 for a FREE financial review or pop into the Affluent office<br />
opposite Amaretto restaurant on Main Street, Bridge of Weir.<br />
www.affluentfp.co.uk
26 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
Diaporama<br />
We started <strong>2016</strong> with sequences from Adrian, Ronnie and Sue. Ronnie<br />
decided to go first with his AVs. He started with ‘Drivin’ Sister’ - an action<br />
packed combination of film and images and put to music by Mott the Hoople.<br />
We then visited the 2008 Glasgow ‘River Festival’ on the river Clyde. ‘Skye<br />
Fall’ was a look at autumn with all its fantastic colours on the Isle of Skye.<br />
For the next two sequences Ronnie had chosen the music then put the<br />
images to compliment the music - ‘Ghost Town’ was a look at a housing<br />
estate in Faifley and ‘GO! - East/West’ contrasted the east and west of the<br />
world. He finished with ‘The Future?’ where he had taken some images with<br />
his phone and it had made the sequences! We decided as a group we liked<br />
to be ‘in control’ and do it ourselves.<br />
Flat mountain - Ronnie<br />
River Festival - Ronnie<br />
Houses at Nanortalik - Adrian/Sue<br />
Statue - Ronnie<br />
Flowers - Tromso Botanic - Adrian /Sue<br />
After the tea break Adrian and Sue showed ‘Erskine Garden’ - a tribute to<br />
WW1 gardeners. This had been improved following comments received<br />
at Scotland’s Audio-visual day. They then did a series of AVs under the<br />
collective title of ‘An Arctic Odyssey’. This began with a short introduction to<br />
the places they had visited in the Arctic. At ‘Tromso’ (Norway) there was a<br />
quick look round the town followed by an in-depth look at the world’s most<br />
northerly botanic garden. We then travelled to Greenland to see ‘Nanortalik’<br />
-a coastal settlement with typical houses, a superb museum and beautiful<br />
scenery. They finished with a bit of fun - ‘G&T’ (Gin & Tonic) with a visit<br />
up close to the ice bergs floating in the harbour and sea (and around the<br />
ship!!). It was a fun evening & a nice way to start the New Year.<br />
This month it is Hugh and Gerry’s night on Monday 8th <strong>February</strong>, 7.30pm at<br />
the Carrick Centre, Houston. Everyone welcome.<br />
visit www.scottishwater.co.uk/winter<br />
Ice berg - Greenland -<br />
Adrian/Sue<br />
BIKE SWAP - Saturday 6 <strong>February</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Dust off your bikes for the approach of spring and<br />
get cycling! Bike the wrong size? Swap it for another.<br />
Unused bike lurking at the back of the garage? Donate<br />
it, so another can use it. No bike to swap? Come along to<br />
see if we have one that suits you.<br />
Bikes can be dropped off at 12 noon on Saturday<br />
6th <strong>February</strong> at The Annexe, Lochlip Road,<br />
Lochwinnoch, with the Bike Swap starting at<br />
12.30. If you have no bike to swap, come along<br />
at 1.30pm to see if we have one that suits you.<br />
For more information, please email susie@<br />
myleapproject.org or check out our facebook<br />
page www.facebook.com/myleapproject or website www.myleapproject.<br />
org.<br />
LEAP Year Pledges<br />
At LEAP we’re always looking for feedback from local people and villages<br />
about the actions and changes they are making to reduce their energy use<br />
in their daily lives and therefore their carbon footprint. For some people it’s<br />
about changing 6 of their bulbs to LED, cycling to work 2 days a week rather<br />
than driving, switching off their games consoles instead of leaving them on<br />
stand-by, turning the heat thermostat down one notch, car sharing to get to<br />
a local club in the evening, insulating lofts to save heat escaping, joining a<br />
car club to reduce carbon emissions, growing vegetables, recycling clothes<br />
and furniture, swapping bicycles…. This <strong>February</strong> to celebrate the LEAP<br />
year, and to help you re-energise those new year’s resolutions which have<br />
maybe slipped away in January we’d like people across our villages to let<br />
LEAP know about YOUR actions All you have to do is simply choose an<br />
action that suits you and tell others about your pledge. To help you decide<br />
what types of action people have already taken and the environmental<br />
impact of this measure, we’ll be dedicating a page on the LEAP website<br />
with this information. We’ll also showcase some of the actions people are<br />
taking as individuals, as families, as groups, as charities, as businesses<br />
and as villages. All we ask is that you make a pledge in <strong>February</strong> and March<br />
and let LEAP and other people know about it! For more details visit www.<br />
myleapproject.org email lesley@myleapproject.org or call 01505 842 530.<br />
Yep!<br />
LEAP’s Youth Engagement Programme<br />
rounded off 2015 with a visit to the Galgael<br />
boat building project in Govan and the<br />
placing of the all important ‘Whiskey Plank’<br />
in their own boat, in the Yep! Boat Hut at<br />
Lochbarr Services. The usual glass of our<br />
national drink - normally tippled on this<br />
occasion - was of course replaced with mugs<br />
of hot black current juice to help the boat builders to fend off the cold! Boat<br />
building will continue to be part of the workshop programme this year.<br />
Free Workshops for <strong>2016</strong><br />
If you haven’t already joined in at the workshops but want to start now,<br />
YEP! will be running the following free workshops until March: Thursdays<br />
from 4.30pm until 6.30pm - Boat Building at the YEP! Boat Hut, Lochbarr<br />
Services, Lochwinnoch. Fridays from 6pm until 8pm - Recycle or Dye,<br />
Clothing re-design, printing and making workshops at the Lochwinnoch<br />
Annexe.<br />
We’re hoping to re-start some activities in the Community Garden as the<br />
lighter nights creep in, including the completion of the Meet Hut’s grow roof.<br />
To take part just turn up or call Gillian on 07854468512 or email gillian@<br />
myleapproject.org for more details.<br />
Why own a car when you could join a Car Club?<br />
A lot of people don’t notice the true costs of running a car, but when you add<br />
up the cost of tax, MOT, fuel, servicing, repairs, depreciation and parking,<br />
you could be looking at an average of over a hundred pounds a week!<br />
And who wants all the hassle that goes with car ownership? What if you<br />
could walk down the street and climb into a clean, new car that has its own<br />
guaranteed parking space, and drive away? LEAP Car club is giving drivers<br />
and householders the opportunity to work out just how much their car or<br />
cars are costing to drive every year. If you go to LEAP car Club’s website<br />
pages www.myleapproject.org/leap-car-club you can calculate the true cost<br />
of owning and driving your car each year. Joining a car club can reduce the<br />
costs of driving especially if your car is sitting in the driveway or outside you<br />
home unused except for the weekly journeys you make to the supermarket,<br />
to visit friends to take the children to nursery and school. Make the right<br />
choices and save money with community car hire with LEAP Car Club in<br />
Lochwinnoch, Kilbarchan and Bridge of Weir.<br />
For more information about car club travel or to become a member of LEAP Car Club,<br />
email mike@myleapproject.org.uk or call 01505 842530.
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
27 27
28 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
LOCAL<br />
history<br />
The Barony of Auchinames<br />
For over four hundred years the long-forgotten Barony of Auchinames,<br />
on the west of Kilbarchan village, was the property of the Crawfurds of<br />
Auchinames. Reginald Crawfurd was granted the Barony by Robert the<br />
Bruce in 1320 for his services at the Battle of Bannockburn. It remained in<br />
the possession of the Crawfurds until the middle of the eighteenth century<br />
when Patrick Crawfurd, the 16th baron, sold the estate off in lots. The<br />
Crawfurd’s Castle of Auchinames was demolished, but the remains of their<br />
chapel, dedicated to St. Catherine, and an old knight’s gravestone can still<br />
be seen in the old Parish Churchyard.<br />
St.Catherine’s Chapel was built early in the 15th century by Thomas de<br />
Crawfurd, 3rd Baron of Auchinames. The function of this chapel was the<br />
salvation of his soul and the souls of his predecessors and successors. The<br />
patronage was vested in himself and his heirs. By the Foundation Charter of<br />
Next SOPS Presentation: 6 Legal MUST-DOs for older people<br />
Tuesday 16 <strong>February</strong><br />
Carrick Centre, Houston from 7.00-8.15pm<br />
A FREE 45 minute talk everyone over 50 should attend,<br />
discussing Wills, Power of Attorney & Advance Directive.<br />
Landlords Workshops - coming soon!<br />
These workshops are aimed at Landlords to include information/advice on<br />
setting up a residential tenancy; landlords obligations; legislation – costs &<br />
implications; repairs & taxation; management issues and controls.<br />
Also, advertising; management and documentation preparation; tenant<br />
credit referencing; lease preparation; regular property inspections;<br />
Bespoke letting and marketing recommendations for properties.<br />
Contact our office to book your place at our next events!<br />
1401, Crawfurd gave the rental of<br />
some of his lands for maintenance<br />
of a chaplain ministering in the<br />
chapel, which was about to be<br />
built; or ministering to the altar of<br />
the Holy Virgin Mary in the Church<br />
of Kilbarchan. The charter was ratified by King Robert III and St Catherine’s<br />
Chapel was built soon after.<br />
At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Crawfurds lost the<br />
chapel lands which were given over by charter ‘in feu’ to laymen. Mary<br />
Queen of Scots confirmed this by charter in 1565 and she ‘dispensed<br />
with the statues’. However, some years later, William Crawfurd, 9th Baron<br />
of Auchinames (1547-82), regained the endowments of St Catherine’s<br />
Chapel, and James Chalmers, a zealous Protestant, was the appointed<br />
patron. The chapel was still upstanding in 1696 when Archibald Crawfurd,<br />
9th Baron of Auchinames included ‘the chappell of Saint Katharine, situat<br />
within the church yeard of Killbarquhane’ in the property he wished to leave<br />
to his heirs.<br />
The chapel was shown as a ruin in the 1st ed. OS Map of 1856. The<br />
accompanying O S Name Book states that the walls of the chapel stood<br />
about 4ft high. The walls had been faced with dressed stone, and an iron<br />
railing placed on top, the enclosure being in use as a private burial ground.<br />
The iron railing has since been removed. The lower walls of the chapel still<br />
stand in the churchyard today as an enclosure where subsequent owners<br />
of former Auchinames lands were buried.<br />
An old medieval gravestone of a knight, irreverently used as building<br />
material, can be seen in the<br />
churchyard wall on the left of the<br />
entrance pillars in Church Street.<br />
The gravestone appears to show<br />
the spots of ermine of the Crawfurd<br />
coat-of-arms and is almost certainly<br />
from the burial place of an early<br />
Baron of Auchinames.<br />
Renfrewshire Local History Forum’s next Archaeology Lecture, Waterloo<br />
Uncovered: The Archaeology of Europe’s most Famous Battle takes place<br />
in the Shaw Gallery, Paisley Museum at 7.30.on 11th <strong>February</strong>. Our speaker<br />
on the night is Tony Pollard, Director, Centre of Battlefield Archaeology,<br />
Glasgow University. Visitors are always welcome at our lecture meetings.<br />
© <strong>2016</strong> Helen Calcluth<br />
Kingsley Wood & Co, Solicitors & Notaries, Burnside Chambers, Kilmacolm PA13 4ET<br />
Tel: 01505 874114 Email: mail@kingsleywood.co.uk Web: www.kingsleywood.co.uk
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
29 29<br />
Winter Road Safety<br />
The weather in Scotland is notoriously unpredictable at the<br />
best of times and none more so than winter. Whether you<br />
are a cyclist, driver or pedestrian, the information below<br />
should give you an understanding and awareness of what<br />
you should be doing to ensure that you are ready for winter.<br />
Consider keeping an emergency kit in your car for severe weather, this<br />
should at least include:<br />
• An ice scraper and de-icer<br />
• A shovel for snow<br />
• A torch and spare batteries<br />
• Warm clothes, boots and a blanket<br />
• Some food and a warm drink in a flask<br />
• A first aid kit<br />
• Battery jump leads<br />
• A map or device with offline maps for any unplanned diversions<br />
Driving in bad weather<br />
Be mindful of the road conditions when you drive; bad weather is often<br />
blamed for causing accidents however the real cause is often inappropriate<br />
driving for the conditions that exist.<br />
In wet weather, stopping distances will be at least double those required for<br />
stopping on dry roads. Aquaplaning can be a frightening experience; this<br />
is where a wedge of water builds up between the front tyres and the road<br />
surface. If this happens, the safest solution is to remove pressure from the<br />
accelerator, allowing the vehicle to lose speed which will help the tyres<br />
regain their grip.<br />
Ice and snow can increase stopping distanced by up to ten times so keep<br />
well back from the vehicle in front. Anticipate when you will need to be<br />
stopping and be alert to other road users. When the roads are icy, drive<br />
at a slow speed in as high a gear as possible; accelerate and brake very<br />
gently.<br />
Driving in fog drastically reduces visibility so it is important to make your<br />
presence aware to other road users. Use dipped headlights if driving in<br />
light fog and use fog lights if driving in thick fog. Fog lights must only be<br />
used if visibility is less than 100 metres and must be switched off if visibility<br />
improves.<br />
For more visit http://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/road-safety/winter-road-safety<br />
Johnstone History Society<br />
Tues 9th <strong>February</strong>, Masonic Hall, Collier St, Johnstone at 7.30pm<br />
The Speaker is Steven Sutcliffe and his topic is Dugald Semple (1884-<br />
1964) The Hermit of Linwood Moss and the Idea of Life Reform in the<br />
early 20th Century. This should be an interesting talk so we look forward<br />
to a good turnout of members and friends.<br />
Our <strong>2016</strong> session got off to a good start with an interesting talk about<br />
Lismore by Douglas Breingan. This was well attended and again we had<br />
a few new members which is very encouraging .<br />
The Museum is now open again, after the festive break, and the times<br />
are as usual 10.30am till 4pm - Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.We<br />
still have a few Johnstone Calendars left for anyone who still has not<br />
managed to purchase one. These can still be purchased online at<br />
johnstonhistory.org We also have a selection of books and publications<br />
on sale in the Museum.
30 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
bishopton, langbank<br />
& bridge of weir<br />
.....................................................<br />
The Bridge<br />
Spring is awakening. Get ahead - renew your stocks of stationery and prepare<br />
for all the birthdays and celebrations expected in <strong>2016</strong>.<br />
ADVERTISING FLYER - delivered with this copy of The <strong>Gryffe</strong> <strong>Advertizer</strong>. Please<br />
use our flyer to remind you The Bridge needs your support.<br />
YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED - to determine how we can improve our services<br />
within The Bridge we are asking customers to complete a SURVEY over a 6 week<br />
period. A pre-printed sheet will be available from 1st <strong>February</strong> for completion.<br />
There is no need to provide your name. A box will be provided for all completed<br />
sheets.<br />
POST OFFICE – all types of Insurance, Savings products and<br />
Mortgages are available through the Post Office. Please<br />
ask Donald, Pat or Anne for an information leaflet. Our<br />
unique identification code is provided on all leaflets.<br />
Use of this code allows The Bridge to earn income on all<br />
completed transactions.<br />
STATIONERY–we stock a comprehensive range of stationery items. We are<br />
delighted customers are using The Bridge as a “one stop shop” bringing items<br />
for posting, purchasing the necessary packaging, wrapping on site and posting<br />
all in one go.<br />
GREETING CARDS – we are continually replenishing our stock to cover life’s<br />
events. For those with milestone birthdays the range of cards covers from ages<br />
1 to 10 and 18 to 100. A small stock of Valentine cards are on sale – send<br />
your love in <strong>2016</strong>! Easter falls at the end of March this year – send your Easter<br />
Greetings - individual and packs of Easter Cards on sale from mid <strong>February</strong>.<br />
(Opening Hours: Mon – 9am to 5pm (PO closed 12 noon to 12.30pm); Tues &<br />
Fri – 1pm to 5pm; Wed & Thu – 10am to 2pm; Sat – 9am to 1pm)<br />
RagBag<br />
Recycle<br />
Bin -<br />
Langbank<br />
and the Winner is......<br />
The Winner of the Kid’s painting<br />
competition was Stella Charlecrafte<br />
and the second prize was shared by<br />
Erin and Lucy Daly.<br />
An independent judge, Art Teacher,<br />
Tom Murray (featured in photograph)<br />
was invited to choose the winner and<br />
present the prizes and certificates.<br />
The Bridge (post office) Main Street,<br />
Bridge of Weir will continue to feature<br />
artists and hopefully have more<br />
budding artists entering next year.<br />
Congratulations to the successful<br />
young artists.<br />
BoW Community Council<br />
Bridge of Weir Community Council will be holding its first meeting of <strong>2016</strong><br />
on Tuesday 2nd <strong>February</strong> at 7pm in the Cargill Hall.<br />
The guest speaker will be Fraser Carlin, Head of Roads at Renfrewshire Council,<br />
who will update members on the current planning proposals affecting the<br />
village as well as outlining the process for the next Local Development Plan. A<br />
list of concerns has been sent to him in advance of the meeting to inform the<br />
debate.<br />
On Saturday 5th December flooding caused the partial closure of the village.<br />
The Community Council will seek assurances that measures are put in place to<br />
prevent this re-occurring.<br />
Works have started at the Primary School to accommodate additional nursery<br />
places, and work has also commenced at Houston Road Park to alleviate the<br />
flooding problem. The Community Council will request information on the full<br />
works programme for both these projects.<br />
A letter has been sent to Renfrewshire<br />
Council with the Community Council’s<br />
concerns over the changes to the recycling<br />
depots with large items of waste having to<br />
be taken to the Underwood Road recycling<br />
depot at Paisley. The Community Council<br />
is also concerned about the stopping of<br />
the weekly food waste pick-up and having<br />
to use of the brown bins for this waste with<br />
a fortnightly pick-up throughout the year.<br />
Community Council meetings are open to<br />
the public.<br />
Bridge of Weir<br />
Lace Group<br />
We meet fortnightly, on Tuesday<br />
mornings, throughout the<br />
winter.<br />
If you are interested please<br />
phone 01505613967. Everyone<br />
is welcome.<br />
The permanent RagBag<br />
Recycle bin sited in<br />
the school car park of<br />
Langbank Primary School<br />
for any of your unwanted<br />
textiles (no duvets or<br />
pillows).<br />
Any money raised from<br />
this will go to Langbank<br />
Playgroup. If anyone has<br />
any items and is unable<br />
to get to the recycle bin<br />
please call Jacqueline on<br />
01475 540728.<br />
Thank you in advance.
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
31 31<br />
Memorial - Bridge of Weir and<br />
the First World War<br />
100 years ago this month – <strong>February</strong> 1916<br />
Malcolm Brodie, 1st Gordon Highlanders<br />
Since the horrors of the Battle of Loos, there had been no further bad news<br />
from the font. But the spring thaw in 1916 was the signal for renewed ferocity,<br />
and unwelcome telegrams being received back home. In the early months of<br />
the war, volunteers were mainly single men. But some married men had a zeal<br />
to serve that was stronger than their family ties. One of those was Malcolm<br />
Brodie, a nurseryman living with his wife Agnes and a family of four. They lived<br />
in Blackhall, next to Windsor Place in the Main Street. He was thirty-one when<br />
he volunteered for the Gordon Highlanders in September 1914, with whom he<br />
had served for a year in 1902.<br />
By March 1915 he was in the trenches with the 3rd Division, which was active<br />
in the Second Battle of Ypres. In October 1915, Malcolm was slightly injured<br />
by a falling trench, but recovered enough to enjoy a week’s home leave in<br />
November. But his luck ran out on 21 <strong>February</strong> 1916. The Battalion was still<br />
in Ypres, contesting ownership of a mound of earth spoil excavated from the<br />
Ypres-Comines Canal that formed a strategic ridge known as The Bluff. The<br />
Germans had captured it on 14 <strong>February</strong> 1916 and were subjected to fierce<br />
counter-attacks for the next two weeks until the British regained it on 2 March.<br />
On the 20th and 21st <strong>February</strong> Malcolm Brodie’s battalion was holding a trench<br />
in the Ravine at Verbrandenmolen at a time when artillery on both sides was<br />
exchanging high explosive shells. The front lines were so close that the risk of<br />
men being hit was equally great from British and German guns. A short entry<br />
in the Battalion war diaries completes Malcolm’s story: 21st <strong>February</strong> 1916:<br />
Dull. Frost in the morning. Considerable aerial activity. 1 killed by our guns.1<br />
wounded by sniper.<br />
Malcolm was killed by what we now call, ironically,<br />
“friendly fire”. He left a widow and four children<br />
under the age of ten. Agnes kept Malcolm’s<br />
Memorial Plaque, popularly known as the<br />
“Dead Man’s Penny.”<br />
Read more about Malcolm’s life and untimely<br />
death at http://www.bridgeofweirmemorial.<br />
co.uk<br />
Gordon Masterton<br />
Bridge of Weir SWI<br />
Next meeting Thursday 4th <strong>February</strong> at 7.15pm for 7.30pm at<br />
the British Legion hall. We look forward to an entertaining and<br />
thought provoking evening with Jo James, who is a performance reader and<br />
singer. We are happy to welcome guests, so please come along.<br />
Langbank<br />
SWI<br />
For our<br />
second<br />
meeting<br />
of the year<br />
we will be<br />
having a demonstration<br />
on Embroidery and<br />
Coiling with Jane<br />
Campbell-Smith.<br />
This will take place in<br />
The Village Centre on<br />
Thursday, <strong>February</strong> 18th<br />
at 7.30pm.<br />
We would like to invite<br />
anyone who is interested<br />
in this subject to come<br />
along, enjoy the demo.<br />
And have a cup of tea,<br />
you will be more than<br />
welcome.<br />
We look forward to<br />
seeing you.
32 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
<strong>February</strong> can be such a dreary<br />
month weather-wise, but don’t let<br />
yourself feel down - make yourself<br />
feel fabulous in <strong>February</strong> with<br />
Laura’s Nail & Beauty Lounge.<br />
Treat Your Feet Full Pedicure<br />
- £30<br />
OPI Gel Polish Manicures &<br />
The Lounge Eye Package (this<br />
includes brows shaped and tinted<br />
and lashes tinted) - £35<br />
Aveda Facial - £35<br />
Manicures ~ Pedicures ~ Waxing ~ Tinting ~ Massage Facials ~<br />
LVL Lashes ~ Spray Tanning<br />
Valentine's Day and Mother's Day<br />
will be upon us soon.<br />
A gift voucher is a great solution<br />
to show a loved one you care.<br />
Pop in to the Salon to collect or<br />
simply phone 01505 690090<br />
and we will post direct to you.<br />
37 Main Street<br />
Bridge of Weir<br />
01505-690090<br />
07872-929798<br />
The new build extension to Bridge of Weir Primary school is<br />
almost complete, with work anticipated to be complete at<br />
the end of <strong>February</strong>. This will enable the Council to offer and<br />
deliver enhanced nursery provision – giving our youngest<br />
children the best possible start.<br />
The exceptionally wet weather caused flooding across the<br />
ward with parts of Bishopton, Langbank and Bridge of Weir<br />
affected. I liaised with Scottish Water and the council to<br />
ensure problems were addressed as quickly as possible.<br />
I know Scottish Water are working with developers at<br />
Dargavel and increasing their inspections to ensure that any<br />
construction activities are not adding to the problem.<br />
For the first time since records began youth unemployment in Renfrewshire has<br />
fallen to below the UK average. It is now under 2%. Many people do not realise<br />
what councils can do to support the local economy – we made supporting<br />
our economy a priority and have invested in businesses and jobs. We are now<br />
seeing the results – but we cannot rest on our laurels and are working hard to<br />
ensure every young person in Renfrewshire who can gets into employment.<br />
As the Convenor of Finance I have spent the past few weeks trying to produce<br />
a budget that balances the books for Renfrewshire. This is well-nigh impossible<br />
without slashing services that I am simply not prepared to do. Our children<br />
deserve a world-class education service, our elderly deserve excellent social<br />
care services and you deserve to walk on decent pavements and drive on<br />
decent roads. However with the Scottish Government passing on double the<br />
cuts to local authorities they themselves are dealing with, and once again<br />
putting Renfrewshire at the bottom of the league table in terms of grant makes<br />
balancing the books whilst protecting people from cuts a real challenge.<br />
E-mail: cllr.michael.holmes@renfrewshire.gov.uk Surgeries: 4th Monday:<br />
Langbank PS (from 6pm) and Bishopton Library (from 6.45pm) and Cargill<br />
Hall, Bridge of Weir 4th Wednesday (from 6.30pm). Tel: 0300 300 1295.<br />
Bridge of Weir Tenants and<br />
Residents Association<br />
The first meeting of the new year was well attended with a number of issues<br />
raised and discussed. Our thanks go to Councillor James MacLaren, Andy<br />
Summers, Amenities Manager with Renfrewshire Council, the Police and<br />
Renfrewshire’s Wardens Service for their attendance.<br />
The Police report showed that there were eleven crimes committed within<br />
the village over the past month of which two have been detected. The crimes<br />
ranged from a common assault, to attempted break-ins at both commercial<br />
and private properties. Vandalism has been the biggest single factor affecting<br />
the figures, with four cases report over the month, two concerning cars.<br />
The Wardens Service have issued eight penalty notes for dog fouling over the<br />
past month and we have been informed that from the 1st April the fine for dog<br />
fouling is increasing from £40 to £80, which if the fine is not paid within 28<br />
days, sees the fine rise further to £100. Hopefully the increase in fines will give<br />
an incentive to those still reluctant to clean up after their pets, to bag it and<br />
bin it in future. Besides from dog fouling, fly tipping is rearing its head again<br />
with four fixed penalty notices given around the village, from Livery Walk to St<br />
Andrews Drive. If you see rubbish getting dumped illegally phone the Wardens<br />
Service.<br />
The continued maintenance of the drainage system at Houston Road Park is<br />
going to be with us for a little longer. The existing field drainage is needing<br />
to be tweaked and upgraded and the Council are endeavouring to have the<br />
works done as quickly as possible, which is no mean feat given the weather<br />
conditions.<br />
Photos and a report have been sent to all three local Councillors and Andy<br />
Summers by TARA, regarding the badly rutted path from the kids play area in<br />
the Glen, and this has been passed on to the relevant department.<br />
The next meeting of Bridge of Weir TARA is on Tuesday 16th <strong>February</strong> at 7.30pm<br />
in the Pirie Centre, Freeland Church. Why not come along if you have a local<br />
issue, or issues you’d like to discuss.<br />
kilmacolm<br />
& quarriers<br />
.....................................................<br />
Shrove Tuesday Spiritualist<br />
Coffee Morning Church<br />
St Fillan’s Church, Moss Rd, Kilmacolm<br />
on Tuesday 9th <strong>February</strong> 10am – 12<br />
noon. Tickets £3 – pancakes, home<br />
baking and various stalls.<br />
Angel Voices<br />
Hall to Hire - Kilmacolm<br />
Kilmacolm Community Centre,<br />
Lochwinnoch Road, Kilmacolm.<br />
Help every Tuesday at 7.30pm (doors<br />
open 6.45pm)<br />
St Fillan’s Angel Voices Community Children’s Choir will be<br />
singing at the Inverclyde Music Festival in Greenock Town<br />
Hall on Wednesday 3rd <strong>February</strong> at 6.30pm. The Choir will<br />
be in the Mixed Choir Section as the children of Angel Voices<br />
attend five different schools in the area.<br />
The Guide Hut on Woodrow Ave is a great venue with easy access near to the<br />
village centre. Newly refurbished main hall, with additional kitchen facilities<br />
and outdoor area. Perfect for children’s parties, weekly classes and one off<br />
special occasions. For further contact Carol on 01505 874428.
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
33 33<br />
The replacement and upsizing of culverts in Gowkhouse<br />
Road and Market Place has been estimated at £358k.<br />
Officers have identified where the flooding that affects<br />
Gowkhouse and Gillburn Roads emanates, but I am not sure<br />
when work will begin. Scottish Water are back in the village<br />
after the relief of December but disruption is considerable.<br />
It should be remembered that these works are redoing a<br />
previous unsuccessful job.<br />
I attended seven school nativities, carol services and<br />
concerts. All most enjoyable and a credit to the pupils and<br />
their teachers. 9 Lessons and Carols at St Fillans Episcopal<br />
Church is a most popular evening and for me marks the<br />
start of Christmas. St Columba’s Musical Celebration in a packed Greenock<br />
Town Hall under the Master of Ceremonies Ian McCrorie MBE, well known in<br />
Greenock music circles, gave us a wonderful performance of voice, orchestral,<br />
Jazz and Pipe Band music.<br />
Houston, Glencairn, Finlaystone, West Glen, East Green, Cloak, Dunrod and the<br />
Old Largs Roads are all scheduled for major resurfacing in 16/17. I know many<br />
villagers in these roads will welcome the investment.<br />
As I visit other Renfrewshire villages, I am constantly comparing how<br />
Renfrewshire Council treats its villages with Inverclyde Council’s understanding<br />
of Village life. Report after the Scottish Elections, it is good to take the best<br />
from both Councils.<br />
<strong>2016</strong> is the 25th Anniversary of Marcus Humphrey House in Quarriers Village.<br />
I visit its barbeque annually and there is always a short service which the<br />
residents enjoy and the company of the many Masons from the West of Scotland<br />
who attend, though the home is open to all in a resident and day basis.<br />
This year is the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. I visited Flanders<br />
and the Somme last year with the local Army Cadets of which I am the Honorary<br />
Patron. I was able to visit Beaumont Hamel where the 32nd Division of the HLI<br />
attacked on July 1st 1916 including the 16th Battalion HLI made up exclusively<br />
of Glasgow Boys Brigade members and old boys. Between 1st July and the last<br />
engagement of battle on the 25th November the Battalion of 1650 men lost the<br />
lives of 965 of their Pals plus many injured. It was a very little consolation that<br />
with 38 individual awards it was the most decorate British Battalion of WW1.<br />
I am giving a presentation to Old Boys of the Greenock and District Battalion<br />
of the Boys Brigade of the Battalion’s short history and its last stand at the<br />
Frankfurt German Trench on the 25th November 1916 in the last engagement<br />
of the disastrous and pointless Battle of the Somme.<br />
I can be contacted on david.wilson@inverclyde 01475 741969 and 712727<br />
mobile 07766 992294. My surgeries are 11th Feb 11am-12noon in the Cargill<br />
Centre, Kilmacolm and 15th Feb 5pm-6pm Boglestone Community Centre.<br />
OUTLOOK<br />
We meets in Kidston Hall at 2pm - everyone welcome<br />
to attend the community social afternoon group in<br />
Kilmacolm.<br />
On 4th <strong>February</strong> we are delighted to welcome Mr Kingsley<br />
Wood who will be speaking to the group on a few of his favourite subjects -<br />
Wills, Power of Attorney, Inheritance tax etc, covering useful information with<br />
his usual flair of light-hearted chat. Plus afternoon tea and community issues.<br />
On 18th <strong>February</strong> our guest is Eleanor Robertson from Inverclyde Tourism<br />
group, she will tell us of the group’s formation and their welcoming work ‘when<br />
the cruise ships come into the Clyde’. Everyone welcome.<br />
World Day of Prayer<br />
In St. Columba Church Hall, Bridge of Weir Road, Kilmacolm at 1.30pm on<br />
Friday 4th March. Written by the Christian Women of Cuba. Jesus said ‘Receive<br />
children, receive me’.<br />
The local WDP group of representatives from the local Churches warmly invites<br />
you to share worship and fellowship with people around the world who will be<br />
participating in the World Day of Prayer. We are delighted that the children from<br />
St Columba’s Junior School will be able to join us with their singing and music.<br />
There will be refreshments after the Service.<br />
Everyone welcome! Maureen Russell telephone 872905<br />
Kilmacolm Show Schedules<br />
Industrial Section Schedules now available for the Kilmacolm & Port Glasgow<br />
Agricultural Show at the usual outlets or can be downloaded at<br />
www.kilmacolmshow.co.uk<br />
Thankfully, Inverclyde Council, with £1.7 million of funding<br />
from the Scottish Government, is now working on a<br />
programme to tackle many local flood points throughout the<br />
district of which some are in Ward 1 in Kilmacolm, Quarrier’s<br />
Village and Port Glasgow. Where flood defence work has<br />
already started in some parts of Inverclyde it has proved to<br />
be effective in tackling flooding.<br />
The news that Greenock’s Ocean Terminal will attract 59<br />
cruise ships and over 100,000 passengers this year is most<br />
welcome as is the expected £10 million boost to the Scottish<br />
economy. The cruise industry continues to grow in Inverclyde<br />
and Scotland and while many passengers still board buses<br />
heading for Edinburgh, Loch Lomond or the Trossachs many of them decide,<br />
along with most of the crews, to stay locally spending their money here.<br />
In the next few years as part of the City Deal one of the three projects agreed<br />
in Inverclyde is to expand berthing at Ocean Terminal so hopefully we will be<br />
able to increase the numbers of cruise ships that can sail here this further<br />
enhancing our tourist industry.<br />
Recently I was contacted by a Kilmacolm constituent who is concerned that<br />
students from the Port Glasgow Community Campus are not using the safe<br />
traffic crossing on Kilmacolm Road to cross over to the former garage that sells<br />
food but instead some of them appear to think the red markings on the road is<br />
a crossing point. I have been told some cars are having to stop when students<br />
cross the road here. I urge any students attending any of the three schools<br />
on the Port Glasgow campus to cross the road at the appropriate traffic light<br />
crossing and not endanger themselves or motorists and their passengers. I<br />
have alerted the council education services about this.<br />
My next surgeries in <strong>February</strong> are in Kilmacolm Community Centre on Monday<br />
1st at 6.30pm to 7.30pm, Port Glasgow Community Campus Enterprise Centre<br />
on Monday 15th at 5.30pm to 6.30pm and Kilmacolm Community Centre on<br />
Tuesday 23rd at 6.30pm to 7.30pm. My surgeries will also be advertised on<br />
my surgery posters. Anyone wanting to contact me in between surgeries can<br />
do so by phoning<br />
me through my<br />
office on 01475<br />
712727 or my<br />
mobile number<br />
07747 765 839<br />
or by emailing me<br />
at jim.macleod@<br />
inverclyde.gov.<br />
uk or writing to<br />
me at Inverclyde<br />
C o u n c i l ,<br />
Municipal<br />
Buildings,<br />
Greenock, PA15<br />
1LY.
34 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
Coffee Morning<br />
MND (motor neurone disease)<br />
Coffee Morning on Saturday 5th<br />
March from 10am - 12 noon in the<br />
New Community Centre, Kilmacolm<br />
(upstairs). Ticket £3.<br />
kilmacolm<br />
& quarriers<br />
.....................................................<br />
Scottish Water’s contractor arrived back<br />
in Kilmacolm with a vengeance in early<br />
January. The disruption to village life has<br />
been considerable. Let’s hope the works<br />
are successful this time.<br />
We reported previously on the Council’s<br />
budget consultation, which closed on<br />
11 January. The responses from the<br />
consultation will be used to inform<br />
decisions to be taken by elected<br />
members either this month or in early<br />
March. Unfortunately the scale of the<br />
challenge facing us is significantly<br />
greater since the Scottish Government’s announcement in late December that<br />
they are slashing our grant by £6.5m in the next financial year.<br />
At the Council’s Environment and Regeneration Committee on 14 January<br />
approval was given for some carriageway improvements in Kilmacolm in the<br />
next financial year. The roads involved are Houston Road, Glencairn Road,<br />
Finlaystone Road, West Glen Road (the Lodge to the boundary), Blacksholm<br />
Road, East Green Road and Knockbuckle Road (from the end of the houses<br />
to Netherwood Road). A further report will be submitted in early March on the<br />
carriageway and footways resurfacing programmes for <strong>2016</strong>/17. We will provide<br />
details in our April report. The resurfacing of Port Glasgow Road is still due for<br />
completion this financial year once Scottish Water’s contractor is finished.<br />
An update was also given on the proposed flooding prevention plans for the<br />
Glenmosston Burn in Kilmacolm and Gotter Water in Quarrier’s Village. The<br />
specialist consultancy Aecom has been appointed to design appropriate<br />
schemes and hopefully these designs should be completed within the next few<br />
months. Following agreement with relevant landowners the next stage would<br />
be to put the works out to tender.<br />
Councillor McColgan<br />
My surgeries this month are on Tues 2 Feb, 6pm–7pm in Boglestone Community Centre and<br />
Tues 16 Feb, 6pm–7pm in Clune Park Resource Centre. You can reach me on 01475 712727<br />
(during office hours) and 07881 280016 (anytime) or by emailing me at james.mccolgan@<br />
inverclyde.gov.uk. Alternatively you can write to me at Inverclyde Council, Municipal Buildings,<br />
Greenock PA15 1LY. You can keep up to date with my work as a Councillor by visiting my<br />
website: http://jamesmccolgan.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @jamesmccolgan.<br />
Councillor McCabe<br />
My surgeries this month are on Tues 9 Feb, 6pm-7pm in St Francis’ Primary School and Tues<br />
23 Feb, 6.30pm–7.30pm in Kilmacolm Community Centre. You can also contact me directly<br />
to discuss any matters that are of concern to you by telephone on 01475 712020 (during<br />
office hours) and 871368 (home) or by<br />
email to Stephen.McCabe@inverclyde.<br />
Whist Drive<br />
Kilmacolm and Port Glasgow Agricultural<br />
Society. Friday 19 <strong>February</strong> at 7.30pm<br />
in New Community Centre Kilmacolm.<br />
Tickets £3 inc refreshments.<br />
gov.uk. Alternatively you can write to<br />
me at 10 Victoria Gardens, Kilmacolm<br />
PA13 4HL. You can keep up to date with<br />
my work as a Councillor by visiting my<br />
blog: http://councillorstephenmccabe.<br />
blogspot.com/ and follow me on Twitter<br />
@CllrSMcCabe.<br />
Can You Help To Save Inverclyde<br />
Off-Road Horse Riders Group?<br />
The Group at present is a fund raising group,<br />
which uses the funds to improve gateways<br />
and surfaces of roads, paths and tracks in the<br />
Inverclyde area. These are of benefit to horse<br />
riders who are keen to ride in quiet places away<br />
from heavy traffic.<br />
At present we are seeking to find some more<br />
riders, who would be interested in keeping the<br />
group active and in existence.<br />
We feel sure that there must be younger<br />
folk out there that would love to ride out<br />
with friends or family on safe off-road<br />
tracks. It would be a shame to allow this<br />
group, which was founded in 2002, to<br />
be disbanded.<br />
We are affiliated to BHS Scotland for<br />
Public liability insurance purposes and<br />
to date have improved several tracks<br />
and worked with the Local Access<br />
Forum to establish the current Core path network in the Inverclyde area.<br />
If you are interested in getting involved to help the continuation of this Group,<br />
please contact Gillian Conway on 01505 872380, gillain.conway@btinternet.<br />
com or Ann Kennedy on 01505 873756, anndkennedy2@aol.com<br />
howwood<br />
& elderslie<br />
.....................................................<br />
The recent consultation on the future of St Anthony's Primary<br />
school is now complete and its outcome will be reported to<br />
the Education Policy Board a few days after I have submitted<br />
this article at its meeting on the 21st January. If agreed it<br />
will mean the relocation of the Spateston Nursery into a<br />
refurbished St Anthony's. Over 90 per cent of people who<br />
took part in the consultation agreed with this proposal so<br />
good news for the children who attend St Anthony's and the<br />
nursery as both establishments being in the same building<br />
will bring many advantages.<br />
As I write this, the council are looking at what the Scottish<br />
Governments budget means for Renfrewshire Council by the<br />
time you read this some of the proposals might well be in the public domain. I<br />
hope to update you on any issues that might affect the village.<br />
At the recent Community Council meeting the issue of litter in the village was<br />
again raised. This problem seems to be worse at the entrance's to the village<br />
and it looks like some of it is thrown out of passing cars. I have asked the<br />
council to have a look at this situation to see what can be done.<br />
Further on the issue of litter, the Community Council have organised its annual<br />
litter pick and this year it's being held on the weekend of the 16th and 17th<br />
April. Volunteers will be most welcome. I will issue further details nearer the<br />
time.<br />
To close a reminder my surgery is between 6pm and 7pm in the village hall on<br />
the fourth Thursday of the month.
Ladies’ Day<br />
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
35 35<br />
A group of generous Renfrewshire ladies recently raised a wonderful £1400 in<br />
aid of St Vincent’s Hospice in Howwood.<br />
Julie Munro from Kilbarchan decided to organise an event when she realised<br />
that work commitments would prevent her from attending the Hospice’s annual<br />
Ladies Lunch. Around 60 glamorous ‘Friends of Friends’ attended Julie’s funfilled<br />
Ladies’ Day at the River Inn in Crosslee.<br />
Julie said ‘I’ll always be grateful to St Vincent’s Hospice for the care they gave<br />
my mum. The Ladies’ Day was great fun and I am delighted that we managed<br />
to raise so much for the charity.’<br />
Julie Munro welcomes the Ladies<br />
Lesley Miller, Fundraising Manager at St Vincent’s said, ‘Julie organised a<br />
fantastic event which not only gave the ladies an opportunity to have a party,<br />
but also raised vital funds to help us care for local families. I’d like to say a big<br />
Thank You! To Julie and her friends for their generous contribution to the work<br />
of the Hospice’.<br />
Howwood SWI<br />
Tuesday 16th <strong>February</strong><br />
Using Herbs at Home by Karon<br />
Grieve<br />
Competition - Candle Holder<br />
Hostesses - Cath Love & Isobel<br />
Brocket<br />
Julie Munro with helpers Carolynne<br />
Strachan (left) and Louise Dunn (right)<br />
Vote of Thanks - Irene<br />
MacTaggart<br />
Meetings in Howwood Village Hall at<br />
7.30pm<br />
houston, crosslee<br />
& brookfield<br />
.....................................................<br />
Subscription £18 per annum What’s on <strong>February</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Monday to Friday, Woodlands Out of<br />
School 01505 615438<br />
MONDAY<br />
Crafty<br />
Hobbies<br />
Crafty hobbies is what<br />
we do<br />
Come and join the crafty<br />
crew<br />
Come and learn some<br />
crafty makes<br />
followed by some tea and<br />
cakes<br />
We meet the 1st and 3rd<br />
Thursday in the month<br />
at 7.30pm in the Carrick<br />
Centre, Houston. No<br />
previous craft experience<br />
necessary. We are just a<br />
group of ladies who enjoy<br />
making things!<br />
Next night is Thursday 4th<br />
<strong>February</strong>.<br />
Call Lorna Cairns -<br />
612844 or Shirley White<br />
- 610721<br />
H.O.S.T. (Houston Old School Trust)<br />
The Carrick Centre, Houston<br />
Embroiderers Guild ( Weekly ) 10am –<br />
12noon<br />
Yoga (Weekly) 1pm Mary Laidlaw 01505<br />
610217<br />
Rockstar Tumbling Class (Weekly)<br />
4.15pm Roz Hart 07734 714131<br />
Young Farmers 1st, 22nd, 29th 7.30pm<br />
Handiwives 15th 7.30pm D Ure 614651<br />
Diaporama 8th 7.30pm<br />
TUESDAY<br />
Musical Theatre (Weekly) 3:30pm &<br />
5.45pm<br />
Yoga (weekly) 7pm M/s Lawson 01505<br />
613690<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong>bank Res. Association 2nd<br />
7.30pm<br />
Houston Show AGM 7.30pm<br />
WEDNESDAY<br />
Paint Pot Tots (Weekly) 10am Dawn<br />
Campbell 07789 262 350<br />
Galaxy Dance (weekly) 4pm Lauren<br />
07974 285 102<br />
Councillors Surgeries 17th 6.30pm<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> Melody Makers 3rd & 17th 7pm<br />
Camera Club (weekly) 7.30pm<br />
Houston Community Council 17th<br />
7.30pm<br />
Brookfield Ceilidh<br />
THURSDAY<br />
Burlex Fitness (Weekly) 9.15 – 10am<br />
07944 815 298<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> Quilting Group (Weekly) 1.15 -<br />
3.15pm 18th 10am -3pm<br />
French Class ( Weekly) 4pm F McDevitt<br />
Crafty Friends 4th & 18th 7.30pm<br />
Folk Club (weekly) 8pm Paddybullen@<br />
live.co.uk<br />
FRIDAY<br />
Galaxy Dancing (weekly) 4pm Lauren<br />
MP Surgery (12th) 12.30 – 1.30pm<br />
SATURDAY<br />
Galaxy Dancing (weekly) 9.30am Lauren<br />
Heyes Photography 10am<br />
SUNDAY<br />
Baptist Church (weekly) 11am and 6pm<br />
Booking enquiries to Ian Simpson,<br />
01505 612203 Sandy Young 01505<br />
331488 Bill Haddow 01505 690693<br />
hostbooking@outlook.com or The<br />
Coffee Shop<br />
Brookfield enjoyed a successful and energetic family ceilidh in the hall in<br />
January. We were accompanied by Colin Walker Ceilidh Sound who instructed<br />
our dance moves and kept our kilts whirling! Great fun was had by all who<br />
attended.
36 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
houston, crosslee<br />
& brookfield<br />
.....................................................<br />
Houston and Killellan Kirk<br />
The fanatastic sum of £895.82 was raised by the Kirk Postie. The money has<br />
been sent to Renfrewshire Christmas lunch and this made Christmas special<br />
for so many local people. Well done and thank you.<br />
The Guild are going to be busy this month on 2nd <strong>February</strong> Grant Young will<br />
be entertaining us with his adventure around Europe by bike. This is also bring<br />
a friend night. On the 16th <strong>February</strong> Mission Aviation Fellowship will be telling<br />
us of the great work they do. On Saturday 27th we will be hosting a Daffodil<br />
Tea in the West Hall from 10.30am until 12noon. Tickets available from Guild<br />
members £2 adults and £1 for children to include cream tea/coffee. Come<br />
along and enjoy! This year the World Day of Prayer will be held on Friday 4th<br />
March at 7.30pm in Houston and Killellan Kirk.<br />
Senior Citizens are looking forward to Wednesday 10th <strong>February</strong> hearing<br />
Kate Jackson tell of her tales of cycling across Scotland. On Wednesday 24th<br />
<strong>February</strong> a Bring and Buy sale is being held this being a fundraiser for the<br />
group. They meet in the Church hall at 2pm. Please come along everybody<br />
welcome.<br />
.....................................................<br />
My surgeries<br />
are held on the<br />
second Tuesday<br />
of each month in<br />
Brookfield Village<br />
Hall from 6pm to<br />
6.30pm then in<br />
Houston Village<br />
Hall from 7pm to<br />
7.45pm.<br />
I can be contacted<br />
by phone on<br />
01505 610018 or by e-mail at cllr.<br />
allan.noon@renfrewshire.guv.uk or<br />
through Renfrewshire Council on<br />
0300 300 1265<br />
Brookfield Village<br />
Council AGM<br />
Friday 18 March<br />
As all residents of Brookfield have an equal<br />
share in the land and property owned by<br />
the village, including the Village Hall itself, it<br />
is important to have your say, so we would<br />
really like to encourage as many residents as<br />
possible to join us on the evening of Friday,<br />
18th March.<br />
We will be discussing the important issues<br />
of the year, sharing news from the various<br />
Clubs and Associations, as well as garnering<br />
opinion on some constitutional items.<br />
However, please don’t think this is all serious<br />
stuff, as following the AGM we will be enjoying<br />
a fun social evening with our friends and<br />
neighbours, so please do come along.<br />
I will be holding<br />
surgeries at<br />
Linwood High,<br />
Tweedie Hall,<br />
Linwood and the<br />
Carrick Centre,<br />
Houston.<br />
To keep up to date<br />
with my work for<br />
the area, or to<br />
raise local issues,<br />
why not 'like' my<br />
local facebook page:<br />
www.facebook.com/<br />
CouncillorStuartClark<br />
Brookfield<br />
Art Show<br />
Sat 19 & Sun 20 March<br />
The ever popular Brookfield<br />
Art Show will be held on<br />
Saturday 19 March from<br />
6.30pm - 8.30pm and Sunday<br />
20 March from 12noon to<br />
4.30pm.<br />
We are supporting the Sport<br />
Relief Mile and holding an<br />
event in the village hall.<br />
You can also check us out<br />
on Twitter @brookfieldvpa,<br />
Brookfield Village on<br />
Facebook or on our website,<br />
brookfieldvillage.org.<br />
Houston and Killellan Kirk<br />
Carnival<br />
Star Wars “May The Force 14th Be With You” on Saturday 14th May. The Force<br />
Awakens and Houston will become the centre for Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker,<br />
Stormtroopers and soccer ball shaped droids and many others.<br />
This is an important event in the church calendar, and we welcome all. Who will<br />
be the First order trooper Snowtrooper or Flametrooper? This is an immensely<br />
successful event within the village and a tremendous amount of hard work is<br />
put into the day, dedicated helpers and extremely generous public.<br />
It is also the time for gardeners to think about the sowing of seeds, people<br />
clearing out bric a brac, toiletries etc., In next months edition more information<br />
and contact numbers will be available.<br />
kilbarchan<br />
& lochwinnoch<br />
.....................................................<br />
Villagers in Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch who may have<br />
heard rumours about the future of the Steeple Hall and<br />
McKillop institute, will be reassured by the commitment<br />
given by the current administration at the December<br />
meeting of Renfrewshire Council, that it has not, and will not<br />
close any of its community facilities, and is determined to<br />
enhance and improve all those facilities, a move approved<br />
despite some opposition councillors failing to back the<br />
administration.<br />
While I am seeking an accelerated programme of the work<br />
involved, the timing of and funding of these improvements<br />
and indeed others, sadly will be affected by the decision in<br />
the Scottish Government budget on the 16 December, to yet again cut funding<br />
to Renfrewshire Council.<br />
Such cuts cannot continue without having a serious impact on services,<br />
however I will continue to work to minimise the effects of these cuts, argue<br />
for a fairer deal for Renfrewshire, as well as work for the improvements to our<br />
community facilities.<br />
Thanks to those constituents who contacted me regarding the resurfacing work<br />
on Burntshields Road Kilbarchan, which was completed just before Christmas.<br />
This has been long awaited, but has been welcomed by those who regularly use<br />
the road, and who had made previous representation to me.<br />
Congratulations to Carrie McIntyre Renfrewshire South Member of the Scottish<br />
Youth Parliament and her colleagues, for their successful campaign assisted<br />
by Hugh Henry MSP, in getting McGills buses to remove their evening curfew on<br />
young peoples travel tickets. which are now valid up to 10pm.<br />
Thanks also to McGills for responding positively to the campaign.<br />
My surgeries are on the first Saturday of the month except January and July at<br />
9am in the McKillop institute and 10am in the Steeple Hall<br />
Please contact me any time at cllr.derek.bibby@renfrewshire.gov.uk or phone<br />
07534156007 or 0300 300 1274
Kilbarchan<br />
Parish Church<br />
We extend a warm welcome to join us<br />
at either our Sunday service at 11am<br />
or our Midweek Fellowship on a<br />
Wednesday morning at 10.30am. On<br />
a Sunday morning the Rev Stephen<br />
Smith, our minister, conducts worship<br />
in the Church building off Steeple<br />
Square and Crèche and Junior<br />
Church meet in the hall at 10.45am.<br />
All children from babies to 11years<br />
old will be made most welcome. On<br />
a Wednesday morning we meet in<br />
the small hall from 10.30am for tea,<br />
coffee and chat followed by a short<br />
informal service at 11am, taken<br />
either by Stephen or one of our<br />
worship leaders.<br />
The Guild has two meetings during<br />
<strong>February</strong>, both at 2.30pm in the<br />
church hall. On Tuesday 9th <strong>February</strong><br />
we welcome other Guilds and<br />
Fellowship groups to join us when<br />
we will be entertained by the Comrie<br />
Singers. On Tuesday 23rd <strong>February</strong><br />
Commissioner Banks of the Salvation<br />
Army will tell us of his work as an<br />
Airport Chaplain.<br />
During the week many other groups<br />
meet in the church halls – Tots Club,<br />
Men’s Club, Stitching Group, Country<br />
Dance Group, Badminton Club and<br />
all sections of the Boys’ Brigade. If<br />
you are interested in any of these,<br />
details can be found on our website<br />
- kilbarchan-kirk.btck.co.uk<br />
Kilbarchan<br />
Old Library<br />
Centre<br />
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
Kilbarchan<br />
Hill Organ<br />
Demonstration<br />
Come and hear one of Scotland’s<br />
best Church organs before it is too<br />
late.<br />
Kilbarchan East and West Churches<br />
united to form Kilbarchan Parish<br />
Church in December 2015, using<br />
the former East Church. The organ<br />
in the former West Church is one of<br />
the finest Church organs in Scotland.<br />
Built in 1904 by William Hill and<br />
Son, it remains today with very few<br />
alterations; it has three manuals and<br />
38 speaking stops. The instrument<br />
is listed by the British Institute of<br />
Organ Studies (BIOS) as Grade 1, the<br />
largest Grade 1 listed instrument in<br />
a Church in Scotland, and the only<br />
working Grade 1 instrument in the<br />
Paisley area. It is hoped a new home<br />
can be found for the organ.<br />
On Saturday 13th <strong>February</strong>, at<br />
2.30pm, Tom Ferguson, organist<br />
there from 1979 till 2015, will talk<br />
about and demonstrate the organ.<br />
All organists and everyone interested<br />
in the organ is very welcome to come<br />
and hear this wonderful instrument.<br />
There will be an opportunity at the end<br />
for organists to try the instrument.<br />
How about a New Year with a new<br />
start with a resolution which you<br />
can joyfully keep? Most importantly<br />
something which gives you pleasure.<br />
Kilbarchan is exceptionally well<br />
provided with many opportunities<br />
on offer. It may be that you already<br />
are part of a group and have a very<br />
satisfying programme. However,<br />
if you are thinking about a new<br />
beginning why not visit the Old<br />
Library.<br />
Stop this happening again<br />
The Centre is a community facility run<br />
for everyone by Kilbarchan Improvement Projects (KIPCo).<br />
Many people will remember the history of the formation of Kilbarchan<br />
Improvement Projects (KIPCo). When the Authority decided that the Kilbarchan<br />
Library had to close there was an enormous protest and appeal by Kilbarchan<br />
residents. This was to no avail. The Community Council decided to request that<br />
the building should remain in use by residents of Kilbarchan and surrounding<br />
area. On the submission of a business plan the Renfrewshire Council agreed.<br />
One of the conditions required by the Council was that a company had to be<br />
legally created. KIPCo was formed in 2001.<br />
The Company is a registered Scottish Charity and a Company Limited by<br />
guarantee. KIPCo is made up of a group of Directors and a team of helpers.<br />
The Old Library Centre building belongs to Renfrewshire Council with the<br />
maintenance, running costs and funding KIPCo’s responsibility. We are<br />
extremely grateful to the number of people, many of whom have been donating<br />
since 2001, who contribute annually to help finance this facility. Further income<br />
comes from the usage of the facilities many uses. Please look on www.kipcokil.<br />
com or call 01505 706070 for details of the opportunities for you to join.<br />
Lilias Day <strong>2016</strong><br />
Preparations are well underway for<br />
this year’s Lilias Day taking place on<br />
Saturday 4 June.<br />
The event continues to provide<br />
fundraising opportunities for good<br />
causes and organisers are currently<br />
inviting applications from charities<br />
and local organisations to take a stall<br />
on the day. A Stall Holders Evening<br />
has been organised for Tuesday<br />
15th March, 7pm, at The Old Library<br />
Centre, Kilbarchan with a 10%<br />
discount on stall prices being offered<br />
to those booking on the night.<br />
Local organisations and individual<br />
streets in the village are once again<br />
being invited to join in the fun by<br />
theming and decorating a parade<br />
float as part of the parade. Demand for floats has been high in the past and<br />
they are currently being allocated so get in touch by emailing the committee on<br />
info@liliasday.co.uk<br />
<strong>2016</strong> fundraising efforts begin with a Quiz Night on Saturday 12th March<br />
(venue to be confirmed). Following the success of last years’ big prize raffle<br />
another £1000 will be up for grabs for the top prize winner this year. Raffle<br />
tickets will be available to buy in the countdown to the event.<br />
Chair, Graeme Stockton, has been delighted with the ongoing support Lilias<br />
Day has enjoyed: “We really appreciate the way the community rallies round to<br />
support this important event each year. On behalf of the committee I would like<br />
to thank the organisations and groups, businesses, volunteers and individuals<br />
who all help make it happen.”<br />
For more information email info@liliasday.co.uk like “Kilbarchan Lilias Day” on<br />
Facebook or follow @LiliasDay on Twitter.<br />
Country Dance Classes<br />
Tuesdays in the McKillop Hall, Lochwinnoch at 7.30pm.<br />
We always have great fun and it's good exercise too! Phone<br />
Lorna Black 01505 843048 for more info.<br />
37 37
38 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
kilbarchan<br />
& lochwinnoch<br />
.....................................................<br />
Kilbarchan Coffee Morning<br />
Hosted by Kilbarchan Singers on Saturday, 5th March from<br />
10am ‘til 12noon in Kilbarchan Parish Church Hall, Steeple<br />
Square, Kilbarchan. Tickets £2.50 Various stalls, books baking<br />
& tombola.<br />
Kilbarchan NWR<br />
During the month of <strong>February</strong> we have 2 meetingseach<br />
of us to talk about something/someone<br />
beginning with the letter “M” and a Hat Night when<br />
members bring along a topic or newspaper cutting,<br />
serious or humorous, to be discussed.<br />
I am always keen to support community initiatives and with the good work of<br />
the Kilbarchan Smiles Group in mind, I proposed at the December meeting of<br />
Lochwinnoch Community Council that a representative from Kilbarchan Smiles<br />
attends a forthcoming meeting of the Lochwinnoch CC to talk about the Stalled<br />
Spaces programme. This is a council funded initiative which has enabled Kilbarchan<br />
to benefit from a targeted approach to rejuvenating unused open spaces in our<br />
villages, and Lochwinnoch community activists are keen to see how this can benefit<br />
their village also.<br />
LEADER is a major EU project which is aimed at boosting businesses, creating jobs,<br />
and regenerating our rural and village communities. Renfrewshire is to benefit this year<br />
from over £2 million LEADER funding for villages like Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch.<br />
Over the last year I have been fighting to get representation on the Local Action<br />
Group, which will decide how these crucial monies will be invested, for all local community councils. The<br />
ruling administration on Renfrewshire Council has did a U turn and selected two community councils as<br />
being representative, one of which is Kilbarchan Community Council.<br />
Risk of flooding is a major issue for parts of both Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch, and I am far from<br />
convinced that there is enough collaborative working between Scottish Water and SEPA. I have written<br />
to Scottish Water management demanding more action to resolve these challenges.<br />
My advice surgery in Kilbarchan is on the 2nd Wednesday of the month in the Steeple Hall at 7.45pm,<br />
and my advice surgery in Lochwinnoch is on the 4th Wednesday of the month in the McKillop at 7.30pm,<br />
excluding July. But I am also always available to constituents who can call me on 07534 148224, tweet<br />
me on CllrAndy4Ward8 or e-mail me at cllr.andy.doig@renfrewshire.gov.uk.<br />
Habbie Tat<br />
Renfrewshire Riding Club<br />
Fundraising Race Night<br />
Saturday 20th <strong>February</strong> - Kilbarchan Scout Hall<br />
- 7.30pm-late<br />
Fundraiser to raise funds for the Junior SJ<br />
Team who have qualified for the KBIS Winter<br />
Championships in Bedford, the Only Scottish<br />
Junior Team to do so.<br />
Tickets are priced at £5 and include light<br />
refreshments and race programme.<br />
Contact admin@renfreshirerc.org.uk or 07791<br />
698960 for more information and tickets.<br />
....................................................................<br />
Kilbarchan’s popular Habbie Tat event resumes with a<br />
St Valentine’s day flavour at the Performing Arts Centre<br />
in Steeple Square, on Sunday 14 <strong>February</strong>.<br />
“We have some different stallholders participating<br />
and given the date, we are all intending to present at<br />
least some items that will be suitable, given the date,”<br />
said organiser Brenda Temple.<br />
“I’ve collected vintage jewellery<br />
for years and have been looking out some of the pieces I can now live without,<br />
some from the Art Deco period and some from the ‘50s and ‘60s, and there will<br />
be items that could be bought as a nice gift for the man in your life too, such as<br />
exquisite American silk ties from the ‘40s and ‘50s”<br />
The Habbie tat events began after several friends spoke about wanting to clear<br />
the attic or tidy out the garage and generally de-clutter.<br />
Each month, there is a different batch of bric-a-brac and collectables presented<br />
and there will be several new stallholders bringing along items for sale in<br />
<strong>February</strong>.<br />
“We have one couple who are wanting to dispose of a selection of bits and pieces<br />
they were left after an elderly relative died, and a local picture framer is clearing<br />
out his workshop too, with many really beautiful frames for sale at a fraction of<br />
the usual price,” added Brenda.<br />
Doors open at 1pm and all of the admission money collected (tickets are 50p)<br />
go to Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Centre.
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
Lochwinnoch Arts Festival <strong>2016</strong><br />
early announcement!<br />
39 39<br />
This year's Lochwinnoch Arts Festival runs from<br />
9th March to 9th April <strong>2016</strong>.<br />
The headline performer is the legendry Dougie McLean on Saturday<br />
19th March, one of Scotland’s finest singer-songwriters.<br />
The Capitol Big Band 24th<br />
supported by the Factory Street<br />
Quartet. The fantastic Rose Room<br />
gypsy jazz swing bands supported<br />
by Witches Brew.<br />
Sunday 20th March -<br />
Classical classic with opera<br />
singers Hazel MacBain and Eirlys Myfanwy Davies, the Flute<br />
Phonics flute orchestra and the The Melville Wind Quintet.<br />
Tuesday 22nd March - A Scottish evening. The Govan Gaelic<br />
choir, fiddle player Alistair McCulloch - who has been Scottish<br />
National Fiddle Champion, Siobhan Miller - BBC ALBA singer of the Year 2014, and the Jimmy Blair<br />
Accordion Orchestra.<br />
Wednesday 23rd March - A charity concert on a fun sing along with the Lochwinnoch Small Fezzes<br />
ukulele band and other artists. The Lochwinnoch Choral Society and local artists will perform the<br />
final concert on Sunday 27th.<br />
Saturday 12th March - A real ‘drama’ will unfold with Rapid Departure. In partnership with<br />
Renfrewshire Leisure and Paisley Arts Centre present Rapid Departure the brand new immersive<br />
comedy from Right Lines who performed the successful musical Whisky Kisses at Pitlochry Festival<br />
Theatre in 2014.<br />
Thursday 17th and Friday 18th March - More drama is on offer from our wonderfully talented<br />
Calder Drama performing Ladies Day.<br />
Friday 25th March - Dominic Snyder and Nina Enemark will perform ‘wired’ - Dominic Snyder’s<br />
recent movement and dance.<br />
On Easter the Calder church will perform the Lochwinnoch Easter Passion with many local artists.<br />
Saturday 19th March - Well known authors at the Festival including Ron<br />
Ferguson an award-winning journalist, writing for The Herald, The Press<br />
& Journal and Life & Work. Previously, leader of the Iona Community and<br />
minister of St Magnus Cathedral on Orkney. He will be interviewed by Ruth<br />
Wishart who is one of Scotland’s leading journalists.<br />
A well-known musician and artist Ronnie Browne of Corries fame will<br />
talk about his book ‘That Guy Fae the Corries’. He will be interviewed by<br />
Professor Rowena Murray.<br />
Wednesday 9th till Saturday 19th March - The popular Art Exhibition<br />
opening in the library followed by the photography exhibition in the library<br />
from Wednesday 23rd till Sunday 9th of April.<br />
Many workshops and participatory events including Saturday 5th at the RSPB - children’s poetry<br />
workshop and competition, dance on Sunday 13th, photography on Saturday 19th and Sunday<br />
20th, mixed instrument on Sunday 20th with Nigel Gatherer and bodhran with Chris, Waite, Pottery<br />
workshop on Sunday 20th, Krafty Kids on Saturday 26th, Fiddle workshop with Alastair McCulloch<br />
and accordion with Ian Muir on Sunday 27th.<br />
Submissions are now welcomed for Lochwinnoch Arts Festival Art<br />
Exhibition.<br />
Details can be downloaded from the Festival Website, www.<br />
lochwinnochartsfestival.co.uk, hard copies are available from Calder<br />
Gallery & Framing, 8 High Street, Lochwinnoch<br />
Tickets can be purchased from Calder Gallery & Framing, The Junction café and<br />
Now & Then in Lochwinnoch. For more information look at the<br />
Lochwinnoch Web site http://lochwinnochartsfestival.co.uk/<br />
Lochwinnoch SWI<br />
The next meeting of the Lochwinnoch SWI<br />
is on Wednesday 17th <strong>February</strong> at 7.30pm<br />
in the McKillop Hall.<br />
Spring is almost upon us, hopefully, and<br />
summer not so far behind so our thoughts<br />
turn towards the new gardening season!!<br />
So, to encourage a village full of colour in our gardens,<br />
David Castelvecci is coming to talk to us about “ Plants for<br />
Hanging Baskets”.<br />
There will also be a sales table, so any donations of will be<br />
gratefully received.<br />
We look forward to welcoming members and visitors to<br />
this interesting evening. Any further information please<br />
contact, Elma Richmond Tel : 843193 or richmond32@<br />
tiscali.co.uk<br />
Kilbarchan Parish<br />
Church Bible Class<br />
and Fewsion<br />
We held our annual campaign for donations to Mary’s<br />
Meals leading up to Christmas. This year, all records<br />
were broken and with the government set to double all<br />
donations and Gift Aid reclaimed, the grand total is £2,300;<br />
a marvellously generous congregation once again!
40 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
Kilbarchan Beekeepers<br />
January’s Kilbarchan and District Beekeeping Association (KBA) meeting,<br />
marked the retirement of the outgoing Secretary Ian Craig. Ian has been the<br />
Secretary for KBA for 36 years (1979 to 2015) and a member for far longer<br />
than that. Ian started beekeeping as a 13 year old and in his seventies, is<br />
still one of the area’s most prolific beekeepers (although he has downsized<br />
significantly in the past few years). Ian’s services to the local, Scottish and UK<br />
Beekeeping agenda has been wide ranging and well recognised, even by the<br />
Queen when he was awarded his MBE for Services to Beekeeping in the 2013<br />
New Years Honours list. He joined the Scottish Beekeeping Association over<br />
43 years ago and has been a member of the SBA Executive (now Board of<br />
Trustees) since the early 1990s. Ian took on the role of Education Convenor in<br />
1994 until handing it on in 2012 (although he still performs examinations the<br />
width and breadth of Scotland), and has twice been President of the SBA.<br />
We presented Ian with a hamper for picnics, a gift certificate for a stay in Appin,<br />
all of which he will share with his lovely wife Aileen (who has accompanied<br />
Ian around the country on his beekeeping activities). He also<br />
received a cake (see picture), gloriously covered in fondant<br />
Honeybees, which was shared with the club during the Tea Break<br />
(sorry Aileen).<br />
Interested?<br />
If you are interested in beekeeping for yourself or the whole family,<br />
anyone is welcome. Contact Helena Jackson, the Kilbarchan<br />
and District Beekeepers Association Secretary via e-mail<br />
Helena.Jackson72@sky.com if you would like to know more!<br />
KBA hold evening meetings during Autumn & Winter months in<br />
The Steeple Halls, Kilbarchan between 7.30–10pm. To find out<br />
more about Honeybee husbandry and related topics, drop in to<br />
find out more at one of the remaining winter season meetings<br />
below, or contact us to come along to one of the Apiary visits in<br />
the Spring.<br />
Evening Programme 2015/16<br />
12th January Beekeeping DVD’s Daytime Programme <strong>2016</strong>/17<br />
with Peter Stromberg<br />
8th May Apiary Visit 1 Ian Craig<br />
9th <strong>February</strong> Basic Bee Anatomy<br />
with Alan Riach<br />
8th March A to Z of Swarm Control<br />
with Phil McAnespie<br />
5th June Apiary Visit 2 Duncan<br />
MacGilp<br />
Kilmacolm Horticultural Society<br />
Kilmacolm Horticultural Society will hold their <strong>February</strong> lecture on<br />
Wednesday 17th <strong>February</strong> at 7.30pm In the New<br />
Community Centre. Our guest speaker, Dr Sheena<br />
Wurthmann, will ask the question ‘Can Gardeners make<br />
a difference?’ The challenging facts of biodiversity and<br />
climate change figure prominently in our world today -<br />
come along and hear Sheena’s response as an Ecologist.<br />
Everyone welcome, refreshments follow the lecture.
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
41 41<br />
December was a very busy<br />
month with Christmas tree sales,<br />
conservation work and many children<br />
attending the New Santa’s Grotto,<br />
so many in fact that we completely<br />
sold out and had to add another two<br />
days. Although regarded by many<br />
as the quieter time of the year, the<br />
next few months will see much<br />
activity, not only conservation work<br />
in the woods and gardens but also<br />
gearing up for the snowdrop trails<br />
taking place throughout <strong>February</strong>.<br />
We all look forward to seeing you<br />
on the estate soon and the much<br />
anticipated opening of the NEW<br />
FALCONRY CENTRE.<br />
In the garden<br />
We can normally expect January to<br />
be our coldest month of the year,<br />
and probably the wettest also, with<br />
average rainfall in the region of 200-<br />
250 mm; however even in these<br />
poor conditions we can still enjoy<br />
the garden. Many shrubs and plants<br />
in our winter border will be blooming;<br />
The Silk-tassel bush (Garrya<br />
eliptica) looks stunning with its long<br />
silver catkins which can measure up<br />
to 14” (35mm) in length; Viburnum<br />
bodnantense with their rose tinted<br />
flowers,(which are sweetly scented)<br />
are still in bloom and are great value<br />
plants as they bloom for most of<br />
the winter. Even though flowers are<br />
scarce at this time of year, there<br />
are many evergreens; Conifers,<br />
Hollies, Mahonias etc which add<br />
great structure to the garden<br />
(especially when draped with fresh<br />
snow), they make great subjects for<br />
photographers and artists alike.<br />
Winter vegetables now in season<br />
include Parsnips, Red and Green<br />
Brussels Sprouts, Red Kale, Leeks<br />
and Purple Sprouting Broccoli.<br />
Press Cuttings<br />
We would be grateful if you see<br />
anything about Finlaystone in the<br />
press to cut it out and bring it in for<br />
our press files as these will help<br />
form the archives of the future!<br />
Volunteer news<br />
Are you interested in doing some<br />
survey work? This is a great<br />
opportunity for budding naturalists<br />
to hone their skills and for people<br />
interested in nature to learn as we<br />
are planning on setting up several<br />
easy to do monitoring schemes in<br />
<strong>2016</strong> – sampling lichens to assess<br />
air quality, bird watching and<br />
wildflower I.D. No prior experience<br />
needed. Your data will be used at<br />
a national level and could make a<br />
real difference to conservation in<br />
Scotland.<br />
And a big thank you to all the<br />
volunteers who help out in the<br />
woodlands and gardens, we couldn’t<br />
run this place without you and we<br />
hope to see you in the new year.<br />
Dates for your Calendar:<br />
Every Sunday in <strong>February</strong> we will<br />
have a ranger guided walk through<br />
the snowdrop trail, these are held<br />
from 1-3pm. We will have a “Special<br />
Moonlight Snowdrop Walk” on Friday<br />
the 12th Feb the cost of this is £5 per<br />
Adult and £3 per child aged three or<br />
over. This is a pre book event only.<br />
Waxwings Visit<br />
The waxwing is a round bird, which<br />
is smaller than a starling. It has a<br />
large Mohican-like yellow crest. It is<br />
reddish-brown with a black throat, a<br />
small black mask round its eye.<br />
Waxwings have been visiting the<br />
estate this winter to feast on berries,<br />
the birds don’t breed in Scotland but<br />
are winter visitors from Scandinavia.<br />
There has been a very good<br />
season for them and large numbers<br />
‘overflow’ their home territories<br />
in what is known as an irruption,<br />
we then see increased numbers<br />
stripping the bushes of berries.<br />
For further information<br />
telephone 01475 540505<br />
or visit the website at<br />
www.finlaystone.co.uk<br />
Ardgowan House, Inverkip - Sunday 21 <strong>February</strong> 2pm-5pm<br />
The first garden opening of the year<br />
- Ardgowan House, Inverkip - is<br />
open on Sunday 21 <strong>February</strong> from<br />
2pm-5pm. Enjoy woodland walks<br />
carpeted with masses of snowdrops<br />
in a lovely setting overlooking the<br />
River Clyde. The paths can be very<br />
muddy at this time of year so come<br />
prepared with sturdy waterproof<br />
footwear and clothing. The garden<br />
is not wheelchair accessible at this<br />
time of year but there will be delicious<br />
homemade teas and a plant stall<br />
at the house. Admission is £2 and<br />
beneficiaries are Greenock Medical<br />
Aid Society and SG charities.
42 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
Welcome to Scotland’s largest Regional Park<br />
Continue Your Good Work!<br />
Did you succeed with your New Year’s resolution or even if you ‘failed’<br />
don’t be disheartened and certainly don’t give up, get back on it and<br />
explore the Park’s roads, paths, trails and tracks by walking, running or<br />
cycling. Don’t think about it, just get yourself here and go! Need a goal to<br />
keep motivated? Sign up to Pedal the Park, details below…<br />
Pedal the Park <strong>2016</strong> – Sun 24 Apr<br />
We are proud to announce that this year Pedal the Park’s official charity<br />
partner is CLIC Sargent with £5 from every entry going to helping the<br />
children’s cancer charity. We have 2 exciting sportive options Classic<br />
75km and a Challenging 100km to choose from and just £15 entry fee!<br />
Also returning will be para cycle ride. Put Sun 24 Apr in your diary now<br />
and check Ride 63’s facebook page for link to the British Cycling Entry<br />
Form – now LIVE!<br />
Art in the Park Returns to Castle Semple<br />
The Lochwinnoch Art Group’s annual exhibition will run at Castle Semple<br />
from Fri 5 Feb until Sun 21 Feb. All paintings are for sale. Drop in and<br />
have a look or even a coffee!<br />
Beginners Spoon Carving Workshop – Sun 28 Feb<br />
Join us to learn how to carve wood at Greenock Cut Visitor Centre. It’s a<br />
great hobby and skill to learn plus there will be advice on what knives and<br />
types of wood are best too. Book in on this unique workshop call 01475<br />
521 458, time is 10am – 3.30pm and cost is £25.<br />
Duke of Edinburgh Programmes at Clyde Muirshiel<br />
The Park has expanded our range of expeditions and skills to suit<br />
Duke of Edinburgh participants of all abilities. Get in touch with dofe@<br />
clydemuirshiel.co.uk if you know of a group of 14-24 yr olds who could<br />
benefit from a tailored programme!<br />
Ride 63 Club News<br />
Save the dates now and get involved! Email the Secretary at<br />
ridesixtythree@gmail.com to become a member or email the Park at<br />
routes@clydemuirshiel.co.uk or more information.<br />
Windows on Wildlife<br />
The Clyde Muirshiel Windows on Wildlife Project aims to bring people<br />
closer to wildlife, gaining a unique insight to the furry & feathered<br />
inhabitants of Castle Semple Country Park. Countryside Ranger Hayley<br />
Douglas gives us an update.<br />
Wildlife News<br />
Well the weather has certainly been wild over the last wee while with<br />
the various storms hitting us and the water levels remaining high on the<br />
River Calder and on the lochs. There were many reports of little auks,<br />
a small black and white seabird, being blown inland although none of<br />
them appeared in Lochwinnoch. We did however, have three great blackbacked<br />
gulls hang around for a day before departing back to the coast.<br />
The number of wintering mute swans has increased and we are regularly<br />
getting 30+ birds looking to be fed. Whoopy the whooper swan is still about<br />
and visits regularly although he is more likely to be seen over at the RSPB.<br />
Please remember to throw all food into the water, particularly any bread,<br />
so it swells up before the birds eat it. We feed the swans barley on bad<br />
weather days which they really like if you wish to feed them something else<br />
or why not come along to one of the Swan Chats to get more info?<br />
With the higher water levels there has been an increase in swans getting<br />
tangled in fishing line as old discarded line gets moved about and caught<br />
on vegetation. We welcome responsible fishermen so please remember to<br />
clear up after you and if you see any line or affected wildlife, please let the<br />
Rangers or Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue know (01505 502 415).<br />
Some of the badgers have been very active during the recent mild spells<br />
with Rough and Salt regularly caught on camera. It is hoped that Tufty will<br />
again produce cubs in <strong>February</strong> although we won’t know for certain until<br />
April-May time. Don’t forget you can catch up on all the wildlife news on<br />
the project’s Facebook page as well as tuning in to Scotland’s City Safari<br />
on STV Glasgow on Friday nights at 8.30pm and STV (Channel 3) on<br />
Sunday at 12.30pm.<br />
Events<br />
The next Swan Chat, where you can pop along and find out more about<br />
the swans and wildfowl at Castle Semple Loch, takes place on 20th of<br />
<strong>February</strong> at 2pm.<br />
More Info…<br />
Details can be found on the Park’s website page www.clydemuirshiel.<br />
co.uk or by emailing wow@clydemuirshiel.co.uk. Footage can be viewed<br />
on the Park’s Youtube channel or on the WoW Facebook page. Talks to<br />
groups can be arranged.<br />
Regular Events<br />
Mondays (put not public holidays)<br />
Lochwinnoch Community Walks<br />
meet 10.30am at The Cross,<br />
Lochwinnoch.<br />
Weekly Volunteer Groups -<br />
Newcomers always welcome!<br />
Thursdays<br />
Castle Semple Conservation<br />
Volunteers, Adult group, from<br />
12.30pm – 3.30pm.<br />
Saturdays<br />
Greenock Cut Conservation<br />
Volunteers, Adult group, 10.30am<br />
– 2.30pm.<br />
Sundays<br />
Castle Semple Young Volunteers,<br />
12-18 yr olds, 10am – 12noon.<br />
Keep up to speed with events and activities taking place on the Park’s Facebook facebook.com/ClydeMuirshielRegionalPark or<br />
Twitter @Clydemuirshiel pages.
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
43 43<br />
Bridge of Weir Horticultural Society<br />
The Society’s guest speaker in January was local<br />
member Ewen Brown who spoke about his lifelong<br />
passion for cacti and succulents. His boyhood<br />
interest started with growing plants indoors on<br />
windowsills before his burgeoning collection moved<br />
into a 6’ greenhouse. His first cactus was the Peanut<br />
Cactus with its bright red flowers. Since then Ewen’s<br />
care of plants, seed germination and growing on of<br />
cuttings has required moves to a greenhouse 12’<br />
long and, at present, one 30’ in length.<br />
Cacti and succulents produce vibrant, stunning<br />
flowers like those of Mesembryanthemums or<br />
Livingstone Daisies which are the succulents we grow in our summer gardens. Like many sunloving<br />
plants their flowers tend to have a short life and, as a lad, Ewen took his collection with him<br />
on holiday, stashed along the back window of the car, so he would not miss any imminent display.<br />
Cactus and succulent are general names given to two plant groups. Some cacti are true desert<br />
dwellers but others grow in grasslands, mountainous areas and even on other plants. Succulent<br />
is a descriptive term for plants which store moisture in their fleshy leaves and stems. Cacti and<br />
succulents can grow in extremely hostile environments. They have developed cunning defence<br />
mechanisms, such as multi-sized spines and barbed or hooked ones.<br />
A south-facing windowsill is ideal for a small collection. During their growing season, which is spring<br />
to autumn, plants require a lot of water and a weekly feed. They then rest for the remainder of their<br />
year and need low temperatures and occasional watering, if they start to shrivel. Compost, which is<br />
gritty, is available commercially. If you want to make up your own, use an equal mix of horticultural<br />
sand, grit and loam. When growing on, cacti and succulents are best potted into slightly larger pots.<br />
Gently remove the grit from around the base and hold cacti by the roots. Alternatively, with great<br />
care, wrap a thick layer of newspaper or foam rubber around the plants before undertaking any<br />
change! Even sap can be an irritant as succulents are in the Euphorbia family.<br />
Like everyone, Ewen has had some greenhouse disasters but his enthusiasm<br />
for cacti and succulents remains undimmed and he hoped he encouraged<br />
others to try a greater variety of these intriguing plants.<br />
Our next guest speaker will be another member, Paul Matthews, formerly<br />
of the Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Paul will give us tips on “Pruning – to<br />
cut, or not to cut?” We meet on Thursday, 11th <strong>February</strong> at The Royal<br />
British Legion at 8pm. And, as always, guests are welcome to come along<br />
to pick up tips on this thorny subject.<br />
Brighter<br />
Bridge of Weir<br />
Winter Wonder<br />
Well, it’s been a funny old off-season for<br />
plants, so far. Although major snowfall had been forecast<br />
for last month, at the time of writing we’ve escaped the<br />
worst of it in our area, having had only a day or two of<br />
chaos. Before that, the average temperatures had been<br />
unseasonably warm. That, together with the heavy rainfall,<br />
meant that things were growing when they shouldn’t<br />
have been. We heard of someone who cut their lawn in<br />
October, expecting that to be the last time until the spring,<br />
but they had to cut it again just before Christmas. (Maybe<br />
they’re just fussy,<br />
though.) And not only<br />
were there Christmas<br />
roses this year, but we<br />
had Christmas daffodils,<br />
too!<br />
Perhaps by the time the<br />
<strong>Advertizer</strong>’s <strong>February</strong> issue is out, the snowdrops will be<br />
too, but there’s no sign of them as we prepare this report.<br />
The big worry is that all the plants are lulled into a false<br />
sense of season and emerge too early, only to be killed<br />
off by a sudden, prolonged cold snap.<br />
Still, let’s try to look on the bright side - spring is just<br />
around the corner. Well, if not this corner then the next<br />
one. And Brighter Bridge of Weir are once again setting<br />
out plans for the <strong>2016</strong> growing season. If you’re a resident<br />
of Bridge of Weir, or have a business in the village, let<br />
us know if you have any ideas on how to make things<br />
brighter than ever.<br />
You can contact us via our website at www.brighterbridgeofweir.org,<br />
or on our Facebook page (facebook.com/brighterbridgeofweir).<br />
The Big Garden Birdwatch is the<br />
biggest wildlife survey in the world<br />
and last year, over half a million<br />
people took part, counting more than<br />
8.5 million birds – a tremendous effort!<br />
We’re hoping even more of people will<br />
have joined in this year.<br />
The survey is incredibly useful as it<br />
helps us monitor population trends of<br />
garden birds, such as the continuing<br />
long running decline in greenfinch<br />
numbers (53% decline since 1979).<br />
This long term drop is likely due to<br />
Trichomonosis, a disease which<br />
can be contracted at garden feeding<br />
stations - so it’s good to clean them<br />
every now and then!<br />
<strong>February</strong> sees the<br />
introduction of our new,<br />
self-led wild challenge<br />
events. These run for a<br />
few days at a time over<br />
the course of the year, meaning you<br />
can do at a time convenient to you.<br />
With follow up events scheduled for<br />
April, May, July, August & September.<br />
“Be a Bird” is the first instalment<br />
running between 12 – 16 <strong>February</strong>,<br />
and is sure to be a hit with children of<br />
all ages. Go out on our trails, become<br />
a bird for the day, build nests and<br />
flee from other predatory birds. Then<br />
return to the visitor centre where you<br />
can check out some birdy artefacts.
44 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
Houston Baby and Toddler Group<br />
every Monday<br />
Lochwinnoch Baby & Toddlers<br />
McKillop Hall. 9.30am-11.30am £2/<br />
family fee includes tea & children’s snacks.<br />
Kilmacolm Playgroup<br />
St Columba Church Hall, Kilmacolm,<br />
9.30am-11.40am<br />
Howwood Baby & Toddler Group<br />
Howwood Parish Church. 10am-12noon.<br />
Kilbarchan East Tots Club<br />
East Church Hall. 9.15am-11.30am<br />
every Tuesday<br />
Bridge of Weir Toddlers<br />
Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Cres, BoW<br />
Pop along and see us from 9.30-11.30am<br />
Baby Social<br />
Three Sisters Bake, Quarriers Vill. 11am<br />
Meet mums, drink coffee & eat cake.<br />
Kilmacolm Playgroup<br />
St Columba Church Hall, Kilmacolm,<br />
9.30am-11.40am<br />
Howwood Playgroup<br />
Howwood Church Hall 9.45am-11.35am<br />
every Wednesday<br />
Kilmacolm Toddlers<br />
St Columba Church Hall, Kilmacolm,<br />
10am - 11.30am<br />
For children from birth to 3 years.<br />
Lochwinnoch Baby & Toddlers<br />
McKillop Hall. 9.30am-11.30am<br />
£2/family fee includes tea and children’s snacks.<br />
Howwood Playgroup<br />
Howwood Church Hall 9.45am-11.35am<br />
every Thursday<br />
Houston Toddlers<br />
Church Hall, Main Street, Houston<br />
Pop along and see us from 9.30-11.30am<br />
Children from 0-4 years old are very welcome with<br />
their parents/grandparent/carer. You’ll receive a warm<br />
reception and the children can have fun playing with<br />
our many toys while the adults chat over a cuppa!<br />
We also enjoy special events, such as seasonal crafts<br />
and we recently had lots of fun at our Christmas party,<br />
and had a visit from a very special guest!<br />
Duchal Nursery<br />
School<br />
We’ve had a great start to the year<br />
beginning our Beatrix Potter project finding<br />
all about Peter Rabbit and his exploits. We<br />
will be learning about all sorts of animals<br />
through the wonderful characters created<br />
by Beatrix Potter who was born 150 years<br />
ago this year. It’s wonderful how her books<br />
still catch the imagination of the children<br />
now.<br />
We meet every Thursday between 9.30am - 11.30am (term time)<br />
in the West hall, Main Street, Houston, PA6 7EL (next door to the<br />
Carrick Centre) – pop along when you can. We look forward to<br />
meeting you, Lesley, Sharon & Fiona.<br />
For further information come along one morning or contact Lesley<br />
Jackson on 07900 556 004 or lesleyannjackson@outlook.com<br />
St Fillan’s Primary School,<br />
Houston<br />
St Fillan’s staff and pupils have returned to school in the New Year<br />
with a focus on being more active.<br />
We have started to go out to the playground to do ‘The Daily<br />
Mile’. This is where children walk or run every day in the school<br />
playground. Pupils run/walk in their outdoor gear and do not need<br />
to bring a change of shoes or clothes to do this. Everyone is<br />
encouraged to walk briskly and those who can run are encouraged<br />
to do so. Studies show that it is an effective way of tackling the<br />
rising levels of childhood obesity.<br />
Kilmacolm Playgroup<br />
St Columba Church Hall, Kilmacolm,<br />
9.15am-11.40am<br />
Howwood Playgroup<br />
Howwood Church Hall 9.45am-11.35am<br />
every Friday<br />
Langbank Under 3’s<br />
Church Hall, Langbank 10am-11.45am<br />
For children from birth to 3 years<br />
1st & 3rd Friday<br />
Renfrewshire Inverclyde Twins<br />
Club<br />
McKillop Hall, Lochwinnoch 10-<br />
11.30am<br />
£3. Bring a mug along for a cuppa.<br />
If you would like to come and visit the<br />
Nursery and meet the teachers please<br />
contact Head Teacher Jean McCarthy on:<br />
Tel. 874358. Also visit our website at: www.<br />
duchal.com to keep up to date with all the<br />
latest news.<br />
We are looking forward to celebrating<br />
Chinese New Year at the beginning of<br />
the month – which usually involves lots of<br />
messy fun with chopsticks – wish us luck!!<br />
PHOTO - Pupils out walking on their “Daily Mile”<br />
Inside the school we are having a Scottish focus. All classes are<br />
learning Scottish dances during PE time as well as preparing for<br />
our Burns Celebration, where each class will perform for each<br />
other. Some are learning a Scottish poem, whilst others will be<br />
singing a song.<br />
During assembly the children will be given opportunities to show off<br />
something Scottish which they have been learning in their own time<br />
out with the classroom.
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
Kilmacolm Playgroup &<br />
Toddlers<br />
45 45<br />
We wouldn’t normally wish for snow on a Playgroup day, in case it stops<br />
us getting there and seeing our friends, but sometimes just a little can be<br />
fun! Here we are experimenting with making a “snowcastle” and looking<br />
for buried treasure. Everyone had great fun and, as well as enjoying the<br />
pouring and building, tactile play can be very therapeutic - and there are<br />
also lots of little mathematical and scientific concepts being explored in<br />
the background. That is one of the reasons why we always have the play<br />
dough out, so that we can mould it and play with friends or an adult or just<br />
experiment on our own if we feel like it. A good part of a Playgroup morning<br />
is devoted to free play so that the children can make their own choices<br />
about what to do and who with, which<br />
builds a great variety of social and<br />
conversational skills. Visits welcome<br />
at any time to see what we get up to!<br />
Playgroup runs on Monday, Tuesday<br />
and Thursday mornings in the Lesser<br />
Hall of St Columba Church. For more<br />
information, contact Emma at emma@<br />
kehoes.com.<br />
Our Toddler and Baby group runs<br />
on Wednesday mornings from 10 to<br />
11.30am, also in the Lesser Hall. Come<br />
along for a play, a chat and a cup of<br />
tea, as well as the chance to make<br />
some new friends. For babies and<br />
toddlers aged 0 to 3 years. For more<br />
information contact Beth at thebbles@<br />
hotmail.com.<br />
Woodlands Day Nursery<br />
Baby Room - We hope you all had a lovely Christmas & New Year. We<br />
have started off the new year learning about shapes and the children are<br />
being provided with lots of opportunities to explore. They have been making<br />
shape collages, taking part in fun art & craft activities, looking at picture<br />
books and exploring shape jigsaws. We will also be learning about colours<br />
throughout this month and planning lots of fun activities.<br />
Tweenie Room - The children in<br />
the Tweenie Room are enjoying<br />
exploring the outdoors this month.<br />
They have been taking part in<br />
walks in the woods and feeding<br />
the ducks and swans at the pond.<br />
Our topic is all about me which<br />
is encouraging the children’s<br />
self-awareness, improving their<br />
personal development and is<br />
promoting a homelink.<br />
We have been taking part in lots<br />
of activities such as, ice chipping,<br />
profile masks and making yummy<br />
chocolate truffles to take home.<br />
Rising 5’s - Rising 5’s have<br />
welcomed some new friends into<br />
our room this month and we are<br />
having great fun getting to know<br />
them and help them settle in. Our<br />
topic is our environment, where the<br />
children will be learning about the<br />
world around them, starting<br />
with the nursery community.<br />
We will be exploring the<br />
nursery gardens, hunting for<br />
insects, bugs and looking<br />
at different plants. We will<br />
also be promoting recycling,<br />
allowing the children to<br />
bring materials in from<br />
home to make models with<br />
and talking about looking<br />
after the environment.<br />
Winter Safety<br />
Advice for Pedestrians<br />
Pedestrians must ensure that they are well<br />
prepared for winter and dress appropriately for<br />
the temperature. It’s important to ensure that the<br />
pavement outside your home is safe to walk on<br />
and clear of ice or snow. You should also wear<br />
shoes or boots with non-slip soles and consider<br />
wearing reflective or bright-coloured clothing so<br />
that other road users are able to see you when it’s dark or visibility is poor.<br />
Hats or scarves that cover your ears can also distort or eliminate the muffled<br />
sounds of approaching vehicles, so it is important to take extra care when<br />
crossing the road or checking for traffic. Keep warm but make sure that you<br />
are fully aware of what’s going on around you.<br />
Follow all traffic signs and signals and before you step off the kerb at<br />
crossings, make sure any oncoming vehicles have come to a complete<br />
stop. It is dangerous to try and run across the road as you may not be<br />
aware of dangers such as ice, pot holes or deep puddles that can cause<br />
injury. Keep in mind that vehicles can take up to ten times longer to stop<br />
on slippery surfaces, so don’t make any sudden movements and give<br />
motorists plenty of time.<br />
Do not cross the road while distracted, for example, whilst using your phone.<br />
If walking home, particularly late at night, make sure someone knows when<br />
you are expected to arrive at your destination in case something happens<br />
which leaves you exposed to freezing temperatures longer than planned.<br />
For more visit http://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/road-safety/winter-road-safety<br />
Kilbarchan Parish Church Tots<br />
We continue to enjoy a large turn-out of tots with their adults each week and<br />
have a large variety of toys and a bouncy castle to amuse them and lots of<br />
tea/coffee for the adults. There is a waiting list at present, with priority given<br />
to Kilbarchan and Brookfield tots.<br />
Kilbarchan Community<br />
Nursery<br />
The children have now settled back after their<br />
Christmas break. In January we took part in<br />
Money week, with Kilbarchan Primary. Children<br />
from the nursery took part in lots of activities<br />
including, making coin pictures, counting coins<br />
and playing in the role play shop. Primary 1<br />
children visited the nursery and bought a book<br />
to take home.<br />
Our new topic is<br />
Weather and the<br />
children have been<br />
using our new<br />
weather station<br />
in the garden to<br />
record rainfall,<br />
measure the wind<br />
speed and monitor<br />
the temperature.
46 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
St Columba’s School<br />
Ski Trip to Austria<br />
In January a group of pupils and staff took the School’s first ski trip in over 20<br />
years. During their five days in Austria pupils enjoyed the wonderful skiing<br />
conditions on the slopes and the various evening entertainment offered<br />
such as swimming, bowling, karaoke, quizzes, games and sightseeing in<br />
Salzburg.<br />
The blue skies, ideal skiing conditions and hospitality of everyone at the<br />
resort combined to make this an unforgettable trip.<br />
Musical Celebration<br />
Just before the start of the holidays, St Columba’s held their popular Musical<br />
Celebration at Greenock’s Town Hall. Pupils showcased their musical talent<br />
performing pieces for soloists, ensembles, choirs, orchestra and pipe band.<br />
This was a wonderful evening in the run-up to Christmas and the income<br />
from ticket sales directly benefits the School’s bursary fund.<br />
Development<br />
Despite the wet winter weather the<br />
development of the Senior School<br />
campus is progressing well.<br />
Parents and pupils were presented<br />
with a short video that demonstrates<br />
how the new classrooms, library and<br />
various spaces in the new extension to<br />
the Senior School campus will look.<br />
For more information on the project<br />
please visit http://www.st-columbas.<br />
org/page/Current_Developments.<br />
aspx.<br />
You can read more news at<br />
www.st-columbas.org
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
47 47<br />
Johnstone Pipe Band<br />
Johnstone Pipe Band was founded in 1943, and at the moment, the team<br />
consists of two bands. The senior band, which won the World Pipe Band<br />
Championships in Grade 3A in 2014, and, in their very first season in Grade<br />
2, won the World Pipe Band Championships in 2015. The senior band will<br />
compete at Grade 2 in the <strong>2016</strong> season, and the plan is to compete as a<br />
Grade 1 band, from 2017.<br />
The junior band competed for the first time in the 2015 season, as a<br />
Grade 4B band, and the vision is for the junior band to be competing as<br />
Grade 3 by 2018. Between the two bands, there are seventy-six pipers<br />
and drummers.<br />
For the past four years, volunteers at Johnstone Pipe Band have run<br />
weekly education classes in piping and drumming, in which pupils receive<br />
expert tuition, and sit the associated exams. At the moment they have<br />
over thirty learners, and no matter the social or financial background that<br />
the pupils come from, it is important to them, that everyone who has the<br />
talent and aptitude for a musical instrument, should be encouraged to<br />
play. The students are awarded nationally recognised qualifications, by<br />
the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Johnstone Pipe Band also supplies<br />
the piping teacher for 150 pupils in Renfrewshire Schools. As they head<br />
into the New Year, the bands are looking forward to a season with their<br />
biggest ever team, which, in turn, provides challenges of it’s own.<br />
Search for a Sponsor<br />
This year, for the team to reach its optimum potential, they are looking<br />
for a major sponsor.<br />
Band uniforms (kilt, tweed jacket, waistcoat and hat badge) are supplied<br />
to new members (there are twenty new members this year), and are<br />
repaired and replaced as required (some of the band members are still<br />
growing).<br />
Bag pipe bags and reeds have to be replaced on a regular basis, and the<br />
drums are replaced every three years.<br />
A sponsor’s name will be guaranteed high level exposure at national and<br />
international events, in the local and national media-newspapers and<br />
television. That name will also be connected to an organisation with a<br />
reputation for dedication and excellence.<br />
The sponsor will have the opportunity support a band that has a proud<br />
history, and, to help to shape Johnstone Pipe Band’s future.<br />
Jennifer SN Buchan, Fundraising Committee, 01505612300/07889796360<br />
jenniferbuchan@btinternet.com website: www.johnstonepipeband.co.uk
48 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
Bridge of Weir Primary<br />
This month sees the school kick off with a Highland fling! All things Scottish<br />
are being celebrated as pupils learn Scots poetry and songs with a touch of<br />
Burns thrown in for good measure. The focus is our Senior Citizens concert<br />
which will take place at the beginning of <strong>February</strong>. The grandparents of<br />
Bridge of Weir will be regaled with “The Sair Finger” and “You Cannae<br />
Shove Your Grannie Aff A Bus” along with many more old favourites. Mrs<br />
Bell also said that a big draw to this event is the amazing shortbread that<br />
is provided!!<br />
P6 had a busy day attending the Glasgow Science Centre where, continuing<br />
with the Scottish theme, the pupils learned more about their current topic<br />
‘The Clyde’. Ryan and Olivia explained how they received a talk from<br />
the scientists on brown trout and the conditions they require to live and<br />
stay healthy. This should aid the pupils as very shortly the school will be<br />
receiving some fish eggs of their own. Two tanks will provide an artificial<br />
environment for hatching fish eggs. Pupils will learn exactly what conditions<br />
they need to survive and the importance of maintaining these factors so the<br />
eggs will hatch and the fish grow. Eventually the fish will be released back<br />
into the Clyde. Bridge of Weir Primary is one of the first schools to embark<br />
on such a project.<br />
Congratulations<br />
are deserved for<br />
P7 who raised an<br />
incredible £735<br />
for Phantasanja,<br />
the orphanage in<br />
Thailand. They did<br />
this by organising<br />
a ‘Bring and Buy’<br />
sale at the school. It<br />
takes £4000 a year<br />
to run the orphanage<br />
which the school<br />
along with the<br />
local community<br />
supports. A great effort!<br />
It is all go at Houston Primary<br />
Forest Education Programme - This session another block of Forest Schools<br />
commences. The pupils will be going out to explore the local woodland<br />
environment as part of the school’s Forest Education Programme led by<br />
Acting Depute Head Teacher Mrs McPherson and her forest team. The<br />
children will experience nature first hand, whilst making links with other<br />
areas of the curriculum. They will be learning the skill of whittling, fire making<br />
and cooking outdoors. The groups that have already experienced this<br />
programme thoroughly enjoyed being outdoors in all weathers squelching<br />
through the mud. However the highlight of toasting marshmallows over the<br />
campfire at the end of the block was a particular favourite.<br />
iPads - Our second batch of iPads have arrived, much to the delight of<br />
our pupils. The Primary 6 Techno Team have been working in the nursery<br />
teaching the children how to play games on the iPads to enhance their<br />
learning of shape, number, rhyme and animals. They have also been<br />
helping the teachers to set up in infant classes too. What a team they are!<br />
Back to School - A new year begins with children back to school working<br />
hard. The Primary 1 pupils are learning how to be financial whizz kids<br />
in their new topic in maths about money. Primary 2 are learning about<br />
Houses and plan to visit the Cala building site to observe the workmen<br />
at the construction site. Primary 3 are learning about the Synagogue and<br />
the Jewish faith. Primary 4 have started to read Charlie and the Chocolate<br />
Factory and are looking forward to making real chocolates of their own.<br />
Primary 5 are learning about road safety and the importance of wearing<br />
reflective clothing whilst out in the dark. Primary 6 are preparing for our<br />
Scottish afternoon and have been practising playing the bagpipes, highland<br />
dancing and poetry recital. Primary 7 are embarking on a joint drama project<br />
with St. Fillan’s Primary. They will be working with the Citizens Theatre for<br />
the next eight week on their production of Divided City.<br />
Solar Panels - The school has additional work going on with solar panels<br />
being fitted to the roof. This has been a perfect learning opportunity for<br />
the Primary 2 scientists who have been out observing the works and<br />
interviewing the workmen. They asked lots of very interesting questions<br />
about the scissor lift that was taking the men and the equipment they<br />
needed up onto the roof. Let’s hope we get lots of Houston sunshine to<br />
make it a profitable installation.<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> High - Young Musician<br />
of the Year <strong>2016</strong><br />
In keeping with tradition, many pupils went through the qualifying rounds for<br />
a place in the prestigious finals of the Young Musician of the year event. The<br />
competition is divided into three sections Junior, Intermediate and Senior.<br />
There were eleven Finalists and they provided an amazing standard of<br />
musical talent. As well as working to perfect their pieces and playing to a<br />
filled theatre, the pupils benefit from the very experienced adjudication of<br />
Mr David Murray.<br />
Mr Murray provides the pupils with a very detailed and considered<br />
assessment of their performance on the night. This is always in the form<br />
of constructive comments and is delivered in a warm, well spirited manner<br />
and always with a smile and words of encouragement and humour! ‘Have a<br />
wee check of chord 41 when you next get a chance!’<br />
Instruments included<br />
the Spanish guitar,<br />
violin, piano, clarinet,<br />
electric guitar, flute and<br />
the drums. Performers<br />
were introduced by Holly<br />
Stephen (S4) and John<br />
Reader (S5). Members of<br />
the S6 Pupil Management<br />
Group helped with<br />
welcoming guests and<br />
providing refreshments at<br />
interval.<br />
Mr Murray commented on the consistent high standard of music and how<br />
all of the performers made his job a difficult one.<br />
Mr Johnson thanked the pupils, Mr Murray and the music department for a<br />
fantastic evening.<br />
Our congratulations goes to ALL of the finalists for achieving such a high<br />
standard.<br />
Well done to winners- Junior – Christian Galvin S1 – Spanish Guitar;<br />
‘Landler - Mertz’ on; Intermediate – Jasmine Galvin S4 – Piano; ‘Sicilienne<br />
– Paradis’; Senior – Hannah Dardis S6 – Clarinet; ‘Prelude from Victorian<br />
Kitchen Garden Suite – Paul Reade’<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> High - Modern Studies<br />
go to the High Court<br />
Fourteen of our Modern Studies pupils took<br />
part in the Citizenship Foundation’s Bar<br />
Mock Trial Competition at the High Court in<br />
Glasgow. They took on the roles of witnesses<br />
and lawyers to compete against schools from<br />
around the country. Our pupils spent months<br />
preparing two court cases for the competition.<br />
By the time the competition came around<br />
they knew the cases inside out and were<br />
equipped with some challenging questions<br />
for the opposition. It was a great opportunity<br />
for our pupils to develop their public speaking,<br />
teamwork and critical thinking skills. It<br />
also helped to further their Modern studies<br />
knowledge of Crime and Law which forms<br />
part of our National 5 and<br />
Advanced Higher course<br />
(running next year). Finally our<br />
pupils learned more about law,<br />
for example they learned how to<br />
question a friendly witness and<br />
how this compares to a cross<br />
examination. The pupils put on<br />
a fantastic performance.<br />
Miss H Rowan - Modern<br />
Studies
Brookfield www.advertizer.co.uk Curling Club<br />
february <strong>2016</strong><br />
.<br />
49 49<br />
hy not fill up those long winter evenings with a new sport or revive old skills? Interested in taking up Curling? All standards welcome. For information, telephone 0<br />
14080.<br />
Despite the fact that golf has been difficult recently due to the<br />
very wet weather, December has been a busy month at Ranfurly<br />
Castle.<br />
On the 5th of the month over 30 children braved the monsoon<br />
conditions to attend the children’s Christmas party. They were<br />
kept busy by an entertainer with lots of games before enjoying<br />
the party food. Santa Clause paid a visit and all the children must<br />
have been very good because<br />
all received a lovely gift.<br />
On Wednesday 9th the Ladies had planned to play a Christmas<br />
9 hole competition but, beaten by the weather, 36 Ladies<br />
gathered for a fun quiz instead. This was a bit trickier than many<br />
had hoped for but the over all winners were Marion Munro and<br />
Anne Nicoll. Everyone entered into the spirit of the occasion<br />
by wearing Xmas costumes and the prize for the best dressed<br />
went to Helen Abram who came as Mary with Baby Jesus.<br />
On the evening of 10th December the Club held a CPR training<br />
event which included instructions and a demonstration in the<br />
use of the Defibrillator. This evening was very well attended<br />
and another evening is planned for January to accommodate<br />
those who were disappointed not to be included.<br />
The week beginning the 11th of January saw Ranfurly Castle holding their Annual General Meetings<br />
over several evenings. First was the Junior AGM which was well attended by both parents and<br />
Junior boys and girls. The evening was conducted by Jack Snell, the Junior Convener, and two<br />
of the Annual Trophies were presented. Simon Ferry, the<br />
outgoing Junior Captain, presented the Badge of Office to<br />
Angus Frood, the Junior Captain for <strong>2016</strong>.<br />
The Club AGM was held on Wednesday 13th January with<br />
proceedings being conducted by Chairman of the Board<br />
Fraser Clearie. As usual the meeting was very well attended<br />
and outgoing Captain Alan Gordon presented the badge of<br />
Office to Paul Morrell, Captain of the Club for <strong>2016</strong>. Paul,<br />
who is a retired British Airways pilot, was delighted to be<br />
able to begin his acceptance speech with the words ‘This is<br />
your Captain speaking’ and have an audience that was keen<br />
to listen to what he had to say!<br />
Finally the Ladies<br />
Section held their<br />
AGM on Thursday<br />
14th. Outgoing<br />
Captain Vicky<br />
Rennie gave the<br />
Annual Report to an<br />
audience of 50 Ladies<br />
before welcoming<br />
Pamela Mackenzie - Vice Captain<br />
Joy McLeod - Ladies Captain<br />
Vicky Rennie - Past Ladies Captain<br />
Football Training<br />
the incoming<br />
Ladies Captain, Joy<br />
McLeod. The evening<br />
concluded with the<br />
Annual Prize Giving<br />
and presentation of<br />
all Trophies.<br />
Junior Captain, Angus Frood &<br />
Outgoing Captain ,Simon Ferry<br />
Allison and Jean Murray<br />
winners of The McLachlan Cup<br />
Tuesday & Thursday nights at Johnstone High School astro between 6pm and 9pm - football<br />
training for players of all age groups & abilities. For further details please call Ali McMaster on<br />
07775 578795, e: Glentyanthistlefc@gmail.com or visit our website: www.glentyanthistle.co.uk<br />
Brookfield Curling<br />
Club<br />
Why not fill up those long<br />
winter evenings with a<br />
new sport or revive old<br />
skills? Interested in taking<br />
up Curling?<br />
All standards welcome. For information,<br />
telephone 01505 614080.<br />
Sat Sweep Curling<br />
Every Saturday until 2 April, from 11.45am -<br />
2.15pm at intu Braehead, Renfrew. Price: £10 in<br />
advance and online only. £15 on the day, subject<br />
to availability. Ticket includes introduction to<br />
curling, warm up and game. Please bring a<br />
warm jumper, clean pair of trainers and a sense<br />
of fun! The curling rink is located on the upper<br />
mall of Braehead Shopping Centre between<br />
McDonald’s & Pizza Hut. Open to all standard<br />
of curlers from beginners up to expert level.<br />
Table Tennis<br />
Houston Village Hall on<br />
Monday nights from 7.30pm -<br />
9.30pm.<br />
All welcome. Donation £2. Call<br />
Mark on 07968 052538.
50 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
Castle Semple Sailing Club<br />
Gail Ashley School of Dance<br />
Night out and Prize Giving<br />
In early November 30 members enjoyed an excellent Saturday evening in a<br />
local restaurant. The atmosphere general camaraderie of usual comments<br />
flying around made for a memorable evening.<br />
Arthur and Steve presided over the prize giving (a full list of winners is<br />
available on the website www.castlesemplesc.co.uk).<br />
After the meal and an entertaining caption photo competition with prizes<br />
equal in merit to the captions!, a dozen or so members sauntered across the<br />
road and moved on to the ceilidh being held in the McKillop Hall and spent<br />
the rest of the evening reeling (!) round the dance floor before staggering to<br />
their homes sometime after midnight.<br />
The Whacky Winchester Winter Pursuit Series (“WWWPS”)<br />
The following Sunday morning saw the start of the Winter Pursuit Series.<br />
So far after 7 or so weeks after the first weeks’ racing was abandoned,<br />
due to extreme conditions resulting in a broken rudder, a capsize and a<br />
damaged hull (after being pierced by a bowsprit), only one other Sunday so<br />
far has seen no racing. The most taking part in any one race being 7 boats.<br />
The series so far has enticed 15 helms to take part.<br />
New Year Walk<br />
A dozen<br />
members<br />
and 1 dog<br />
gathered on<br />
time for a<br />
bracing walk<br />
along the<br />
promenade<br />
at Largs.<br />
We were<br />
all looking<br />
forward to a<br />
nice coffee<br />
and scone<br />
on our return to the marina. Unfortunately the cafe was closed.....A quick<br />
phone call confirmed that the Seamill Hydro was open so a short drive<br />
down the road to West Kilbride it was. Some people headed off afterwards<br />
but a few enjoyed a walk along the seashore before heading home.<br />
50th Anniversary<br />
<strong>2016</strong> is the Club’s 50th<br />
Anniversary. Since the<br />
Club was first formed<br />
in 1966 it has gone<br />
through many changes<br />
and membership is<br />
currently at an all time<br />
high and we are hoping<br />
this will continue in<br />
<strong>2016</strong> especially with the<br />
Olympics and America’s<br />
Cup this year. If you are<br />
interested in joining us or<br />
would like to come along<br />
for a chat please email via our website : www/castlesemplesc.co.uk<br />
2015 Winners of series<br />
Winter Series - Angus Winchester;<br />
Spring Wednesday - Gold, Steve Davision; Silver Brian Young<br />
Jim Gordon Series - Gold, Angus Winchester; Silver, Brian Young (and<br />
Alan Falconer)<br />
Summer Wednesday - Gold, Arthur Logan; Silver, Brian Young (and Alan<br />
Falconer)<br />
Summer Sunday - Gold, Douglas McQuilken; Silver, Brian Young (and Alan<br />
Falconer)<br />
Autumn Wednesday - Gold. Graeme Hall; Silver, Hugh Russell<br />
Autumn Sunday - Gold, Steve Davison; Silver, Brian Young<br />
Congratulations to Arthur being the winner of the O’Neill GP14 Trophy.<br />
As ever we are indebted to Paul of O’Neills of Paisley for supplying the<br />
various trophies.<br />
Also congratulations to Kirsten and Chris for winning the Bonspeil held at<br />
Greenacres earlier in the year.<br />
The children of Gail Ashley school of<br />
Dance held a morning of Dance in the<br />
Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm, the weekend<br />
before Christmas, to entertain family and<br />
friends.<br />
The girls showed their class work, exam work and performed Christmas<br />
Dances. All the dancers hard work was rewarded and fun was had by<br />
everyone. Proud parents watched as the children received their exam<br />
certificates.<br />
The school achieved high marks and a 100% pass rate. Well done girls.<br />
www.gailashleyschoolofdance.co.uk<br />
Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek<br />
Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 July - The BHF Scotland<br />
is bringing back its Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek after a<br />
successful first year in 2015. Make your mark in the fight for<br />
every heartbeat and join BHF Scotland by walking 100k from<br />
Glasgow to Edinburgh non-stop in 30 hours. Entries are now<br />
open for the 2nd Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek which is taking<br />
place on 30 and 31 July.<br />
Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek is a challenging and fun way to support the<br />
nation’s heart charity, save lives and improve your own heart health at the<br />
same time. It’s one of the most demanding best events in the calendar and<br />
a great challenge to take on to help the BHF Scotland fight back against<br />
coronary heart disease – Scotland’s single biggest killer. Walk day and night<br />
and experience stunning views, atmospheric pathways, moonlit canals and<br />
shadowy tunnels in this unforgettable adventure.<br />
You’ll pass numerous famous landmarks<br />
and sites along the route, including<br />
Kelvingrove Museum and Park, locks on<br />
the Forth and Clyde canal, the Falkirk<br />
Wheel and Linlithgow Palace before<br />
arriving in the capital.<br />
The BHF Scotland hopes to raise £60,000<br />
from the Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek to help<br />
fund essential research which can create a better future for the thousands<br />
of families in Scotland affected by heart disease. At the moment, the BHF<br />
is spending £57million on research in Scotland alone.<br />
For further information and to sign up please visit bhf.org.ukG2Etrek<br />
Entry fees: £50 for adults and young people aged 16 or over.<br />
To register call 0845 130 8663 or email events@bhf.org.uk
www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
Houston United<br />
51 51<br />
every Mo n d a y<br />
Ki l b a rc h a n Athletic Cl u b<br />
On-X, Li n w o o d, 7p m<br />
All abilities welcome. Tel: 07941 686990.<br />
5-a-s i d e Fo o t b a l l<br />
Po w e r l e ag u e Pa i s l e y 6p m<br />
Tel: Jim on 01505 874215; or jimbretherton@aol.com<br />
Br i d g e o f Weir La d i e s Ba d m i n to n<br />
Ca r g i l l Ha l l, Lintwhite Cr e s, 7.30p m<br />
Ca l l a n e t i c s<br />
Bro o k f i e l d Village Ha l l, 7.15p m<br />
Strathgryffe Mo t o rc yc l e Cl u b<br />
Th e Tr u s t In n, Ki l b a rc h a n 9p m-10.30p m<br />
Visit www.strathgryffe.org for details.<br />
Th e Sh o t o k a n Ka r at e Cl u b<br />
Wo o d l a n d s Pr i m a r y Sc h o o l, Li n wo o d, 7pm - 8pm<br />
& 8p m - 9p m.<br />
www.linwoodkarate.co.uk<br />
every Tuesday<br />
Br i d g e o f Weir Wa l k i n g Gr o u p<br />
Ou t s i d e t h e Co-o p, BoW 10.30a m<br />
1 hour walks. Call Senga on 0141 842 3000.<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> Ba d m i n to n<br />
Strathgryffe Te n n i s Cl u b, 8p m<br />
Fo o t b a l l Tr a i n i n g<br />
Jo h n s t o n e Hi g h Sc h o o l 6p m-9p m<br />
Call Ali on 07775 578795 for details<br />
every Wednesday<br />
Greenock Ho c k e y Cl u b<br />
In v e r c ly d e Ac a d e m y , Greenock, 6.30p m-8p m<br />
Contact Liz Baldwin, mobile 07944 607005<br />
Ca l l a n e t i c s<br />
Br o o k f i e l d Vi l l a g e Ha l l, 5.15, 6.15 &<br />
7.30p m<br />
We are looking for new players to come along and tryout for our team.<br />
Training sessions are Wednesday and Thursday evenings at the On-X<br />
sports centre in Linwood from 7pm until 8pm every week. If you are<br />
interested, please call Colin on 07989 987312.<br />
Kilmacolm Golf Club -<br />
Learn to play golf - FREE!<br />
Kilmacolm Golf Club is once again offering its “Introduction<br />
to Golf” sessions which are aimed at beginners or those<br />
returning to the game, and will cover the basics including,<br />
set up and grip, putting, chipping, iron play and driving.<br />
The sessions give anyone interested in trying golf the<br />
ideal opportunity to give it a go alongside people in a<br />
similar situation in a relaxed environment.<br />
After the 10 week taster sessions, follow up coaching and<br />
the option to take up introduction to golf membership will<br />
be available.<br />
The programme starts on <strong>February</strong> 4th and runs each Thursday (7-8pm)<br />
until April 7th and will be held in St. Columba’s Church Hall, Kilmacolm with<br />
the final two weeks up on the driving range at Kilmacolm Golf Club. The<br />
sessions are open for adults and children from aged 9 (accompanied by an<br />
adult) and all equipment is provided.<br />
Please note that anyone who attended last year’s classes is more than<br />
welcome to come along!<br />
If you are interested in signing up or know someone who would, please<br />
contact the pro shop on 01505 872695.<br />
Winter Safety<br />
Advice for Cyclists<br />
Poor road conditions at winter can<br />
affect cyclists as well as drivers.<br />
It’s important that all road users<br />
are mindful of the effects that poor<br />
weather can have on their ability to<br />
navigate the road safely.<br />
You should ensure that you and<br />
your bike are visible to other road<br />
users by investing in a good set of<br />
front and rear lights and by wearing<br />
bright and light reflective clothes.<br />
Get a good set of mud guards and<br />
consider heavy duty tyres with a<br />
deeper tread to cope with slippery<br />
surfaces as it can take longer to<br />
stop in poor weather. You should<br />
also invest in warm, waterproof<br />
clothing that does not impact your<br />
ability to cycle including gloves that<br />
will still allow you to switch gears<br />
and use the brakes easily.<br />
For more visit http://www.scotland.police.<br />
uk/keep-safe/road-safety/winter-roadsafety<br />
every Th u r s d a y<br />
Ki l b a rc h a n Athletic Cl u b<br />
On-X, Li n w o o d, 7p m<br />
All abilities welcome. Tel: 07941 686990.<br />
Kilmacolm Wa l k e r s<br />
Bi r k m y r e Pa r k Pavilion, Kilmacolm 10a m<br />
David 01505 874192 kilmacolmwalkers@talktalk.net<br />
Ca l l a n e t i c s<br />
Bro o k f i e l d Village Ha l l, 9.15a m & 10.30a m<br />
Th e Sh o t o k a n Ka r at e Cl u b<br />
Wo o d l a n d s Pr i m a r y. Li n w o o d<br />
7p m - 8p m & 8p m - 9p m<br />
www.linwoodkarate.co.uk<br />
Fo o t b a l l Tr a i n i n g<br />
Jo h n s t o n e Hi g h Sc h o o l 6p m-9p m<br />
Call Ali on 07775 578795 for details<br />
every Fr i d a y<br />
Ca l l a n e t i c s<br />
Bro o k f i e l d Village Ha l l, 9.15a m & 10.30a m<br />
18 Movement (Ta i Ch i) Ch i Ku n g<br />
St Fillans Ch u r c h Ha l l, Mo s s Rd, Kilmacolm<br />
10.15a m-11.15a m<br />
Gentle, relaxing exercise class. 0141 954 2456.<br />
every Sa t u r d a y<br />
Ad u lt Ta p Lessons<br />
Ca r g i l l Ce n t r e, Kilmacolm. l u n c h t i m e.<br />
Call Gail Ashley on 01475 531336 for details<br />
every Su n d a y<br />
Bi r k m y r e Ru g b y Cl u b, Kilmacolm<br />
Yo u t h Ru g b y Se c t i o n 11a m-1p m<br />
www.pitchero.com/clubs/birkmyre<br />
Sporting Blog<br />
Motivation....<br />
More than 50% of people who begin an exercise<br />
program drop out within the first 6 months. The<br />
question is, “Why?” What is it about sticking to<br />
a fitness routine that causes so many people to<br />
abandon it?<br />
The answer? Motivation. They don’t want health and<br />
fitness badly enough. It is a simple fact of human<br />
psychology that if we want something badly enough,<br />
we’ll do everything we can to get it.<br />
Your challenge is to find out what<br />
motivates you to get serious<br />
about fitness and stick with it.<br />
You do not have to be part of<br />
that percentage who quit. You<br />
can stay committed and finish strong; it is all about<br />
finding out what motivates you personally.<br />
Here are some possible motivators for you.<br />
1.<br />
For your health. Consistent exercise and<br />
healthy eating are the two best things you can<br />
do for your health. You will develop a strong,<br />
healthy heart, reduce your chances of many<br />
cancers, prevent diabetes, keep a sharp mind<br />
and resist dementia and avoid many of the<br />
common ailments that come with aging. It is<br />
possible to age without decay, and the key to<br />
this is exercise and eating well.<br />
by Lesley Handley<br />
2. To look better. Appearance isn’t everything,<br />
but most of us care how we look. A strong and<br />
healthy person looks good, and it isn’t all physical;<br />
your demeanour will change as you develop<br />
the confidence that comes from the discipline<br />
of fitness. You will appear more energetic and<br />
confident because you will be more energetic and<br />
confident!<br />
3. To relieve stress. Exercising really does cause<br />
physical changes in your brain and nervous<br />
system that results in feelings of calmness and<br />
well-being. In fact, you may get so hooked on the<br />
mental benefits of exercise that you will crave it!<br />
4. To be strong. If you have never done focused<br />
weight training, then you won’t know of the total<br />
transformation that you can feel after just a few<br />
weeks. And by getting strong now, you reduce<br />
your risk of age-related falls and fractures<br />
because you have the core strength and balance<br />
to keep yourself stable.<br />
Lesley<br />
For more information on any aspect of health and<br />
fitness or personal training contact me on 07736 274<br />
925 or e-mail Lesley@fitsmartfitness.co.uk.
52 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
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www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
DEADLINES<br />
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or call the office:<br />
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Fri 12 Feb<br />
March ‘16 ISSUE:<br />
• Deadline: 12 <strong>February</strong><br />
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• Delivery: 1 April<br />
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<strong>Gryffe</strong>Ads<br />
Kilmacolm/Quarriers area registered<br />
childminders. P/time or<br />
F/time vacancies for u-5’s and<br />
after school. T: 873839.<br />
MISCELLANEOUS<br />
MUSIC TUITION<br />
TUITION<br />
CHILDCARE<br />
Houston registered childminders.<br />
For an informal chat to<br />
find your best childcare, call<br />
Elizabeth Waddell T: 614925<br />
PROPERTY<br />
CONTENT OF THE GRYFFE ADVERTIZER CANNOT<br />
BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PRIOR CONSENT<br />
FROM THE PUBLISHER<br />
residential PROPERTY TO RENT<br />
HOLIDAY<br />
HOMES<br />
churches<br />
BRIDGE OF WEIR<br />
Freeland Church: Rev KN Gray<br />
BA BD. Morning Service<br />
10.30am. Crèche, Sunday<br />
School, Lynx and Cornerstone.<br />
Eveing Service 7pm<br />
www.freeland.org.uk<br />
St Mary’s Church Scottish<br />
Episcopal Church: Delighting<br />
to praise God; Showing<br />
Christ’s love; Growing in faith.<br />
Services Sundays at 10am.<br />
we have a regular cycle of<br />
prayer for those who live and<br />
work in Bridge of Weir. For<br />
further information, to ask for<br />
special prayers, or in pastoral<br />
emergency, please call the<br />
Rector on 01475 705378<br />
St Machar’s Ranfurly Church:<br />
Rev Suzanne Dunleavy BD<br />
DipEd. Sunday services<br />
10 . 3 0 a m . H e a r i n g a i d<br />
loop system. www.<br />
stmacharsranfurlychurch.<br />
org.uk All welcome.<br />
Hope Hall: Sun 1pm Sunday<br />
School, 4.30pm Gospel<br />
S e r v i c e ; M o n 6 . 3 0 p m<br />
Investigators for Kids, 8pm<br />
Bible Study and Prayer.<br />
ELDERSLIE<br />
Elderslie Kirk: Sunday service<br />
every week at 11am. Minister -<br />
Rev Robin Allison. All welcome.<br />
Weekly meetings:- Monday<br />
Club every week from 12noon<br />
- 2.30pm. Light lunch and a<br />
varied activity programme.<br />
Midweek Fellowship will meet<br />
every Wed from 10.30am for<br />
Tea/Coffee followed by a short<br />
Service of Worship at 11am.<br />
HOUSTON<br />
Houston Baptist Church at<br />
Carrick Centre: 11am Family<br />
services with SS for children<br />
age 5-12; 6pm Eve Service;<br />
Mid-week Home Bible Study;<br />
For more information contact;<br />
Rev D Snelson 01505<br />
612722.<br />
Missed something or fancy<br />
taking a look back over the<br />
last 8 years?<br />
visit www.advertizer.co.uk<br />
or<br />
http://free.yudu.com/library/18833/<strong>Gryffe</strong>-<strong>Advertizer</strong>-issues<br />
http://issuu.com/gryffeadvertizer/docs<br />
Houston and Killellan Kirk:<br />
Church of Scotland, Scottish<br />
Charity no SC 012822. www.<br />
houstonkirk.org 7thFeb<br />
- 9.45am Early Service:<br />
The Sacrament of Holy<br />
Communion. 11am Morning<br />
Worship. 14 Feb - 11am<br />
Morning Worship. 21 Feb<br />
- 11am Morning Worship<br />
Guest Minister: Rev Agnes A<br />
Moore BD. 28 Feb - 9.45am<br />
Early Service 11am Morning<br />
Worship<br />
St Fillan’s, Main St, Houston:<br />
Sun Masses: Vigil (Sat)<br />
5pm, 9.30am & 11am.<br />
Weekday Mass: Tues-Sat<br />
9.30am except Thurs, 7pm.<br />
Reconciliation: Sat 10-<br />
10.30am and after Vigil Mass;<br />
Thurs 7.30-8pm. Exposition:<br />
As announced. Baptisms: 1st<br />
& 3rd Sunday of the month by<br />
arrangement. Parish Priest:<br />
Rev Daniel J McLoughlin, Dip.<br />
Th.,MA Pastoral Assistant:<br />
Sr Mary Frances Collett,<br />
RNDM (Tel 01505 613514).<br />
“Abbotsfield”, St Fillan’s,<br />
Main St, Houston, PA6 7EL.<br />
T: 01505 612046, F: 01505<br />
610556. E: parish@stfillan.<br />
org.uk. www.stfillan.org.uk<br />
Church of the Nazarene: Village<br />
Hall, Main St, Houston PA6<br />
7EL. Rev Benito S Coetzee.<br />
Family services at 10.30am<br />
with full toddler, children<br />
& youth activities running<br />
concurrently with the service.<br />
Youth meets at 6.30pm-8pm<br />
on Sundays. Word and Table<br />
Quiet Service held from 9am-<br />
9.30am every 3rd Sunday.<br />
www.houston.nazarene.org.uk<br />
HOWWOOD<br />
Howwood Parish Church:<br />
Sunday Service will start at<br />
10am and there will be a<br />
prayer meeting at 3 Bowfield<br />
Way on Fridays at 7.30pm.<br />
The <strong>Gryffe</strong> <strong>Advertizer</strong> is a magazine published by The <strong>Gryffe</strong> <strong>Advertizer</strong> Ltd<br />
Advertising throughout The <strong>Gryffe</strong> <strong>Advertizer</strong>:<br />
Definitions: “Standards” means the British Code of Advertising Practice<br />
and the provisions of any law applicable to advertising including, but not<br />
limited to, the Trade Descriptions Act, 1968, the Consumer Credit Act<br />
1974, the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988, the<br />
Financial Services Act 1986, the Business Advertisement (Disclosure)<br />
Order 1977 and all amendments and replacements.<br />
It is hereby agreed that:<br />
• The placing by the Advertising Client of an Advertisement is deemed to<br />
be acceptance of these Conditions of Acceptance of Advertising.<br />
• All Advertisements in this Publication must not contravene the<br />
Standards.<br />
• Insertion of Advertisements and/or Editorial is strictly at the discretion<br />
of the Publisher.<br />
• The Publisher shall not be liable for any loss or damage incurred by the<br />
Advertising Client as a result of any failure, negligence or omission by<br />
any party in the course of the distribution or circulation of the Publication<br />
in which the Advertisement is scheduled to appear.<br />
• In the event of any error, misprint or omission by the Publisher in<br />
the printing of an Advertisement, the Publisher will either re-insert<br />
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Client prior to publication. The total liability of the Publisher for such<br />
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• The Advertising Client agrees to indemnify the Publisher in respect<br />
of all costs, damages or other charges falling upon the Publisher as<br />
the result of legal actions or threatened legal actions arising from the<br />
publication of the Advertisement, or any one or more of the series of<br />
Advertisements, published in accordance with the copy instructions<br />
supplied to the Publisher.<br />
• Readers are reminded that when purchasing items or services<br />
advertised in the Publication that the Publisher cannot be held in any<br />
way responsible for the quality or correctness of the items or services<br />
included in the Advertisement.<br />
Editorial throughout The <strong>Gryffe</strong> <strong>Advertizer</strong>:<br />
The opinions of the Contributors to this Publication are not necessarily<br />
the official views of the Publisher. The Publisher reserves the right to edit<br />
or refuse any material submitted for publication.<br />
KILBARCHAN<br />
Kilbarchan Parish Church<br />
Minister: - Rev Stephen Smith.<br />
All services in the church<br />
buildings off Steeple Square.<br />
Morning worship on Sundays<br />
at 11am. Midweek Fellowship<br />
on Wednesdays from 10.30am<br />
in the small hall. Crèche,<br />
Junior Church and FEWsion<br />
meet at 10.45am. All will be<br />
made most welcome.<br />
KILMACOLM<br />
Kilmacolm Old Kirk: Church<br />
o f S c o t l a n d ( C h a r i t y<br />
no. SC009291).www.<br />
kilmacolmoldkirk.org.uk.<br />
Minister Rev Dr Peter McEnhill<br />
(01505 873174). Morning<br />
Worship - Sundays 11am, all<br />
welcome Sunday School &<br />
Crèche available.<br />
St Columba Church of Scotland:<br />
(charity no SC007992)<br />
Morning Worship Sundays<br />
at 11am.<br />
St Colm’s Catholic Church,<br />
Smithy Brae Kilmacolm.<br />
Rev Vincent Byrne. Family<br />
mass Sundays 10am with<br />
children’s liturgy, followed by<br />
tea and coffee. Eucharistic<br />
service Thursdays 10.30am.<br />
Rosary Tuesdays 6.30pm.<br />
Prayer group meets Thursdays<br />
7.30pm. Further information<br />
and contact details www.<br />
stcolmsparish.co.uk. All<br />
welcome.<br />
Grace Church Kilmacolm: in<br />
association with the Free<br />
Church of Scotland - Sunday<br />
Ser vice at 10.30am in<br />
Kilmacolm Scout Hut - all<br />
welcome.<br />
Buddhist meetings: Buddhism<br />
of Nichiren Daishonin. Phone<br />
Margaret on 01505 871343.<br />
St Fillan’s Episcopal Church<br />
(in Anglican Communion):<br />
Everyone welcome at our<br />
Church in Moss Road. The<br />
Rector is the Revd David<br />
Gifford and the Associate<br />
Priest the Revd Heller<br />
G o n z a l e z ( r e s i d e n t i n<br />
Kilmacolm Rectory). Regular<br />
Sunday Service 11.30am<br />
with monthly Evensong on<br />
last Sundays at 6pm. Family<br />
Service 11.30am on the last<br />
Sunday of the month. Contact<br />
Maureen Russell (Pastoral<br />
Assistant) 01505 872905.<br />
LANGBANK<br />
Langbank Parish Church: Rev Dr<br />
Ken Forrest. Sunday Services<br />
10am with Sunday School,<br />
Creche and young people’s<br />
group, the Welcomers. Tea/<br />
coffee after the service.<br />
Church service starts at<br />
10am. Come along and meet<br />
in the Hall from 9.50am.<br />
Charity No SC015085.<br />
LOCHWINNOCH<br />
Parish Church: Rev May Bell.<br />
11.30am Morning Service<br />
Sunday School and Crèche.<br />
Calder United Free Church:<br />
(Church St Lochwinnoch)<br />
Sunday: 11am Morning<br />
worship with Sunday School<br />
and Crèche. 6.30pm Evening<br />
Fellowship group, 7.30pm<br />
ABC’s Teen group. Wed<br />
6.30pm-7.30pm.<br />
Spiritualist Church,Lochlip<br />
Rd: All services commence<br />
7.30pm.<br />
QUARRIERS<br />
Mount Zion Church: Law View<br />
Road, Quarriers Village. Rev<br />
Andy Lunn BSc, 10.30am with<br />
Junior Church and Bible Class.<br />
Wednesdays prayer and bible<br />
study at 7pm. Fridays prayer<br />
and bible study at 10am. Why<br />
not come and discover the<br />
heart of Christianity with us?<br />
53 53
54 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
Items For Sale<br />
Household & Garden<br />
Mahogany extending table<br />
& 6 chairs, inc 2 carvers.<br />
Chestnut coloured upholstery.<br />
Table 91X167cm<br />
and 91x213cm when extended.<br />
Good condition<br />
with general wear and tear.<br />
Collection only. £125. Tel:<br />
01505 671393.<br />
Mahogany display cabinet<br />
with glass fronted cupboards<br />
and drinks cabinet<br />
above and cupboards/<br />
drawers below. The unit<br />
has integrated lights. In<br />
very good condition. Dimensions<br />
are width 201cm,<br />
height 189cm and depth<br />
38cm. Collection only. £85.<br />
Tel: 01505 671393.<br />
Pink Peppa bed + mattress<br />
+ bedding hardly used.<br />
Smoke and pet free home.<br />
£50 Tel: 01505 6<strong>257</strong>26 /<br />
07533 648736.<br />
Console Table: Beautiful<br />
Marks & Spencer dark<br />
wood console table, immaculate<br />
condition, measurements<br />
75cm tall, 35cm<br />
depth, 125cm wide. Cost<br />
£500 sell for £75. Tel:<br />
01505 690658.<br />
Next brown leather 2 seater<br />
sofa in excellent condition,<br />
£50. Tel: 01475 540159 or<br />
07837 778040.<br />
Kudox type 21 double panel<br />
radiators, 2 of still wrapped,<br />
800 x 500, £60 the pair.<br />
Tel: 07939 692722.<br />
Xmas Tree 7’6” Salsburg.<br />
Only 2 years old. Cost £90,<br />
sell for £25. Tel: 01505<br />
326230.<br />
Pine dining/kitchen table 80”<br />
145cm; 4 chairs; unwanted.<br />
Good condition; open to offers.<br />
Tel: 07786 818936.<br />
Aroco (or similar) White Ceramic<br />
Shower Tray -1170 x<br />
800mm complete Shower<br />
Cabinet. Very good condition.<br />
Price new over<br />
£1,000. Will accept £250.<br />
Tel: 01505 873295.<br />
Aluminium Greenhouse 14’<br />
x 8’ (430cm x 245cm).<br />
Glass complete. Sliding<br />
door. Opening windows.<br />
£150. Buyer dismantles<br />
(Houston). Tel: 01505<br />
615818.<br />
Two seater sofa Bed in excellent<br />
condition, coffee table,<br />
bookcase. Items sold together<br />
or individually. £175.<br />
Tel. 07828 456890<br />
Gazebo cream canvas,<br />
3mx3m. VGC. Tel: 01505<br />
702023 or 07850 125609<br />
Mattress Super King Size still<br />
wrapped in makers packaging<br />
Foam Silentnight £120.<br />
Tel: 07791 688240.<br />
Super King Size Slatted Bed<br />
Frame as new £120. Tel:<br />
07791 688240.<br />
Ikea King Size Sprung Firm<br />
Mattress seldom used £80.<br />
Tel: 07791 688240.<br />
King Size Slatted Bed Frame<br />
modern £80. Tel: 07791<br />
688240.<br />
20 kitchen unit handles.<br />
Straight D shaped stainless<br />
steel 160mm. £40.<br />
Tel: 01505 613033.<br />
Beautiful lounge suite - 3<br />
seater settee, 2 armchairs,<br />
footstool. Designer furniture<br />
- Piaf. Stylish chrome<br />
frame, upholstery recovered<br />
recently - chocolate<br />
brown. Excellent condition<br />
£250. Tel. 07986<br />
118479.<br />
Mirror - bevelled glass. 41<br />
inches x 53 inches. Light<br />
wooden frame. Excellent<br />
condition. £70. Tel. 07986<br />
118479.<br />
Electrical & Gas<br />
Washing Machine Hotpoint<br />
white good condition. £80.<br />
Tel: 07791 688240 BoW.<br />
Frigidare Freezer Elite 6<br />
Drawers. £75 ono. Tel:<br />
01475 540624.<br />
Whirlpool Fridge. £50 ono.<br />
Tel: 01475 540624.<br />
Bosch fridge. Integrated.<br />
Frost free. Excellent cond.<br />
£80. Tel: 07986 118479.<br />
Bosch Dishwasher and<br />
Washer/Dryer. £50 each.<br />
Buyer uplifts. Tel: 01505<br />
872597.<br />
Sports<br />
Ladies new white ice skating<br />
boots. Size 5. Offers<br />
for charity. Tel: 01505<br />
506385.<br />
Kids Apollo Bike (20”) - ideal<br />
age 5-8. Exc cond, good as<br />
new. Cost £120 sell for £25.<br />
Tel: 01505 690658.<br />
Vintage Raleigh gents Bikes<br />
circa 1950-1970 sit up &<br />
beg, rod brakes enclosed<br />
chain guard Sturmey<br />
Archer hub gears. Amazing<br />
cond. £100 each. Tel:<br />
07791 688240.<br />
Toys/Games/DVD<br />
Boys red raleigh scooter 12”<br />
wheels good condition £25.<br />
Tel: 01505 706855<br />
Megablocks halo unsc rocket<br />
warthog (boxed) £10. Tel:<br />
01505 706855.<br />
Megablocks halo covenant<br />
wraith (boxed). £15. Tel:<br />
01505 706855.<br />
Megablocks halo covenant<br />
phantom (boxed) £30. Tel:<br />
01505 706855.<br />
Lego technic buggy model<br />
no 8048 (boxed) £20. Tel:<br />
01505 706855.<br />
Scrabble board game - still<br />
wrapped Age 10+. £7. Tel:<br />
01505 706855.<br />
Minotaurus lego game £7.<br />
Tel: 01505 706855.<br />
Kids french for beginners<br />
book with cd £5. Tel: 01505<br />
706855.<br />
Set 8 weird & wacky history<br />
box set £5. Tel: 01505<br />
706855.<br />
Other Items<br />
Apple I Phone 5 black in<br />
Red Leather flip case EE<br />
T Mobile Virgin. Good<br />
working condition overall.<br />
£135. Tel: 07791 688240.<br />
Bridge of Weir.<br />
Cast Iron Baxi Windermere<br />
Stove Gas fired Coal burning.<br />
Brand new never used.<br />
£120. Tel: 07791 688240.<br />
Jaguar XJ6 1980s car parts<br />
for sale, exhaust, bumpers,<br />
instruments & much more<br />
offers when seen. Tel:<br />
07791 688240.<br />
Wanted Items<br />
Old records Wanted 45`s<br />
& LP`s CASH Paid. Tel:<br />
07710 777571.<br />
Cash paid for Music CDs ( a<br />
few or a lot ). Tel: 0141 882<br />
5594 or 07765 115347.<br />
Yamaha DT 175 MX & DT<br />
125 MX. Yamaha RD 250,<br />
350 & 500 - running or not.<br />
Cash waiting. Free collection.<br />
Tel: 07951 227767.<br />
Cash paid for Copy of book<br />
Castles and mansions of<br />
Renfrewshire and Buteshire<br />
by AH Millar. Tel<br />
01505 331094.<br />
Black dining room table. Tel:<br />
01505 506385.<br />
Queen Anne style wingback<br />
chair wanted - any condition.<br />
Tel: 07909 337676<br />
- please leave voicemail<br />
with your contact details if<br />
unanswered.<br />
Free Cycle<br />
3 stair gates. Tel: 01505<br />
690610.<br />
TV stand, beech colour, with<br />
frosted glass shelves and 2<br />
small drawers. Tel: 07904<br />
792896.<br />
Medium/large plastic dog<br />
bed. Tel: 07904 792896.<br />
you can contact us @<strong>Gryffe</strong>Ads using #<strong>Advertizer</strong><br />
or by email info@advertizer.co.uk or phone 01505 613340<br />
LOCAL INFORMATION<br />
community council<br />
Visitors are welcome at these monthly meetings.<br />
BISHOPTON: Primary School: 1st Thurs at 7.30pm<br />
www.bishoptoncouncil.com<br />
BRIDGE OF WEIR: Cargill Hall: 1st Tues at 7pm.<br />
www.bridgeofweir.org<br />
BROOKFIELD: Brookfield Village Hall: 7.30pm<br />
in <strong>February</strong>, April, June, August, October and<br />
December on 2nd Thursday of the month.<br />
HOUSTON: Carrick Centre: 3rd Wed at 7.30pm<br />
www.houstoncommcouncil@yahoo.co.uk<br />
HOWWOOD: Village Hall: 2nd Tues at 7.30pm.<br />
www.howwood.com/community-council.php<br />
KILBARCHAN: Steeple Hall: monthly at 7.30pm.<br />
www.kilbarchan.info/community_council.html<br />
KILMACOLM & QUARRIERS: Last Tues at 7.30pm,<br />
Kilmacolm Cargill Centre (NB: No meetings: July or<br />
Dec) www.kilmacolmcc.co.uk<br />
LANGBANK: Church Hall: 2nd Wed at 7.30pm<br />
LOCHWINNOCH: Parish Church: 1st Tues at 7.30pm<br />
community halls to let<br />
Bridge of Weir, Freeland Church. Tel: 612245<br />
Brookfield, Village Hall. Tel: 335562.<br />
Houston, Carrick Centre. Tel: 612203 / 331488<br />
Houston, Compass Centre. Tel: 615441 / 612617<br />
Kilbarchan, Guide Centre. Tel: 702758.<br />
Kilbarchan, Old Library Centre. Tel: 706070<br />
Kilmacolm, Cargill Centre. Tel: 873994<br />
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John Caldwell, John Hood, Stephen McGee and<br />
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Councillors Derek Bibby, Andy Doig and Christopher<br />
Gilmour<br />
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Councillors Stuart Clark, Audrey Doig, Anne Hall<br />
and Allan Noon<br />
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www.advertizer.co.uk february <strong>2016</strong><br />
55 55<br />
Accountants & Financial<br />
Affluent Financial Planning . . 25<br />
Cheetham & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28<br />
Fergusons CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28<br />
Fiona Christie Accounting Serv . . 14<br />
Stewart Independent Financial . . 1<br />
Architectural Services<br />
Architectural Drawings . . . . . 16<br />
Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7<br />
Grid Design Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 7<br />
Art, Gifts & Flowers<br />
Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 3<br />
Automotive Services<br />
AK Vehicle Rental . . . . . . . . . 1<br />
Chips Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29<br />
Collins Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> Garage Motor Engineers . . 29<br />
Bathrooms<br />
Affordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7<br />
CRW Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13<br />
G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6<br />
Bedrooms<br />
Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 12<br />
Blacksmith & Metalwork<br />
McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 21<br />
Building Services<br />
A O’Hare - Building Services . . 5<br />
B Hughes Builders - Houston . . 4<br />
BOW Stone Works . . . . . . . . . . . 40<br />
Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6<br />
DJD Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40<br />
I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2<br />
James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
JBC Joiners and Builders . . . 6<br />
Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 15<br />
M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3<br />
MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 2<br />
SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 2<br />
SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 15<br />
Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 4<br />
Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 45<br />
Business Services<br />
Laptop and PC Repairs . . . . . . 28<br />
Catering<br />
Karen Rankin Catering . . . . . . 16<br />
Cleaning & PowerWash<br />
CleanDryCarpets . . . . . . . . . . . 3<br />
Come Clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39<br />
DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 14<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> Roofing Services . . . . 15<br />
MattVac Carpet & Upholstery Cl . . Bk<br />
Nutech Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 33<br />
Platinum Cleaning Services . . 5<br />
Quick Drain Clear . . . . . . . . . 12<br />
Coffee Shops<br />
Bernie’s Cafe Deli . . . . . . . . . 30<br />
Computer, IT & Web<br />
ColCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25<br />
Computer Repairs . . . . . . . . . . 1<br />
Laptop and PC Repairs . . . . . . 28<br />
Driveways<br />
A&G Driveways . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
Driving Instructors<br />
Alistair Stewart - Driving Ins . . 15<br />
Paul Ferguson - Confidence . . 7<br />
Education<br />
St Columba’s School . . . . . . . . 47<br />
Electricians<br />
GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11<br />
JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1<br />
Lamont Electricians . . . . . . . . 3<br />
MAS Electrical & Security . . 2<br />
Equestrian<br />
Ingliston Equestrian Centre . . 9<br />
never miss an issue again!<br />
visit www.advertizer.co.uk or<br />
http://free.yudu.com/library/18833/<strong>Gryffe</strong>-<strong>Advertizer</strong>-issues<br />
http://issuu.com/gryffeadvertizer/docs<br />
by category<br />
Fencing<br />
Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 21<br />
Firewood & Logs<br />
LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
Miller BioFuels Ltd . . . . . . . . 37<br />
The Firewood Barn . . . . . . . . . 7<br />
W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
Framing<br />
Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 3<br />
Funeral Services<br />
Beaton Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . 10<br />
John Roach Funeral Directors . . 21<br />
Garage Doors & Gates<br />
Powerdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
Garden Service & Design<br />
3D Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . 40<br />
A Peebles Landscape Contractor . . 42<br />
Apple Tree Garden Design . . . 40<br />
Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7<br />
Craig Kennedy Gardening . . . . 41<br />
Crawford Landscapes . . . . . . . . 40<br />
DJD Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40<br />
DMG Garden Services . . . . . . . . 41<br />
Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 42<br />
I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2<br />
MJ Lawnmowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42<br />
R Williams Tree Surgeon & Grou . . 41<br />
SP Groundcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12<br />
W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
West of Scotland Landscape . . 42<br />
Gas & Heating Services<br />
A&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 16<br />
C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 6<br />
GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11<br />
I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 12<br />
JBM Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 3<br />
Mackie Plumbing & Heating . . 15<br />
Phoenix Gas Services . . . . . . . 1<br />
Glazier<br />
1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 3<br />
Cloudy2Clear Windows Glasgow . . 5<br />
JayBee Double Glazing Repairs . . 15<br />
TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
Hairdressers & Barbers<br />
Arlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 32<br />
Ashes Hair & Beauty . . . . . . . . 34<br />
BeardyBeardy Grooming Co . . . 33<br />
JR’s Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . 3<br />
Nix Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . . 34<br />
Health & Beauty<br />
Ingliston Equestrian Centre . . 9<br />
Health, Beauty & Fitness<br />
Arlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 32<br />
Ashes Hair & Beauty . . . . . . . . 34<br />
Beginners Yoga - Sara Marijuan . . 51<br />
Bluewater Dental . . . . . . . . . . 11<br />
Ferringtons Hypnotherapy . . . 6<br />
Healing Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38<br />
Kilbarchan Chiropodists . . . . 39<br />
Kilbarchan Dental Practice . . 13<br />
LaserLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8<br />
Lauras Nail & Beauty Lounge . . 32<br />
Margaret Lyons Hypnotherapy . . 35<br />
NLP Positive Changes . . . . . . . 7<br />
Skinny Minnies . . . . . . . . . . . . 31<br />
Sole Solutions Podiatry . . . . 32<br />
Home Hardware<br />
First Domestics . . . . . . . . . . . 15<br />
Gibb Stuart Ironmongers . . . . 31<br />
Home Improvements<br />
Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7<br />
CRW Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13<br />
Ideal Flooring Service . . . . . 38<br />
Orchard Flooring . . . . . . . . . . 19<br />
Home Interiors<br />
Baytree Interiors . . . . . . . . . 5<br />
Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 12<br />
Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 33<br />
The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 7<br />
Home Security<br />
Brookfield Alarms Ltd . . . . . . 21<br />
Joiners<br />
CLH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16<br />
DJY Joinery Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 5<br />
James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
JBC Joiners and Builders . . . 6<br />
JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1<br />
M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3<br />
McGowan Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 14<br />
SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 2<br />
SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 15<br />
Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 4<br />
TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
Woodburn & Beattie Joiners . . 16<br />
Kilt & Dress Hire<br />
Henderson’s Kilts . . . . . . . . . 5<br />
Kitchens<br />
Affordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7<br />
Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 12<br />
CRW Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13<br />
G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6<br />
JBC Joiners and Builders . . . 6<br />
Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 4<br />
Leisure & Recreation<br />
Strathgryffe Tennis & Squash . . 49<br />
Locksmiths<br />
Arco Locksmith . . . . . . . . . . . . 7<br />
Elliott Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4<br />
Houston Locksmiths . . . . . . . . . 3<br />
Painters & Decorators<br />
A Gallagher Painter&Decorator . . 16<br />
David Kennedy Decorator . . . . 3<br />
Ian Livingston Decorating . . 14<br />
James Martin - Painter & Decor . . 3<br />
John A Kilburn . . . . . . . . . . . 36<br />
John H Barney . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31<br />
John Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38<br />
M&E Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6<br />
McDonald Decorators . . . . . . . . 34<br />
Ranfurly Decor . . . . . . . . . . . . 4<br />
Pet Services & Training<br />
Barking Mad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23<br />
Happy Rambles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23<br />
PetVets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22<br />
Smart Dog Grooming . . . . . . . . . 23<br />
The Pet Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24<br />
Plasterers<br />
Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 36<br />
Charlie Orr Plasterer . . . . . . 7<br />
James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 15<br />
Plumbers<br />
A&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 16<br />
C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 6<br />
G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6<br />
GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11<br />
I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 12<br />
JBM Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 3<br />
JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1<br />
Mackie Plumbing & Heating . . 15<br />
Shower Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31<br />
Property, Sales & Let<br />
Corum Property . . . . . . . . . . . . 27<br />
Hames Estates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28<br />
Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1<br />
Lind Letting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
Removals<br />
@ease Removals & Transport . . 21<br />
The Right Move . . . . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
Restaurant & Bars<br />
Bernie’s Cafe Deli . . . . . . . . . 30<br />
Ingliston Equestrian Centre . . 9<br />
Retail<br />
Alexander Barr Coal Merchant . . 31<br />
Gibb Stuart Ironmongers . . . . 31<br />
The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 7<br />
Wild Rose Flowers Ltd . . . . . . 9<br />
Roofing<br />
Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6<br />
Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 36<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> Roofing Services . . . . 15<br />
I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2<br />
Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 15<br />
MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 2<br />
SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 2<br />
SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 15<br />
Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 45<br />
Solicitors<br />
Affinity Family Law Experts . . 3<br />
Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1<br />
Special Occasions<br />
ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
Taxis & Minicoach hire<br />
ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
Johnstone TOA Taxi Co . . . . . . 39<br />
Tiling<br />
G J Tiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14<br />
Gordon James Ceramic Tiler . . 14<br />
Kerr McAuley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15<br />
Scott Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16<br />
Travel Agents<br />
Travel Actually . . . . . . . . . . . 3<br />
Tree Surgeon<br />
Branch Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 42<br />
LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
TV & Satellite<br />
Derek McBride Aerials . . . . . . 37<br />
Kieran Turner Aerial&Satellite . . 3<br />
Upholstery Services<br />
P Thomson Upholstery . . . . . . . 36<br />
Window Cleaners<br />
DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 14<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> Roofing Services . . . . 15<br />
Window, Consv & Repair<br />
1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 3<br />
Art Window & Doors . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
JayBee Double Glazing Repairs . . 15<br />
TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
All rights reserved.<br />
Reproduction in whole<br />
or in part without written<br />
permission is strictly<br />
prohibited. The <strong>Gryffe</strong><br />
<strong>Advertizer</strong> cannot be held<br />
responsible for unsolicited<br />
materials. The views and<br />
opinions by contributors<br />
in this magazine may<br />
not represent the views<br />
of the publishers. The<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> <strong>Advertizer</strong> takes no<br />
responsibility for claims made<br />
by advertisements in this<br />
publication.<br />
<strong>Advertizer</strong>s - A to Z<br />
@ease Removals & Transport . . 21<br />
1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 3<br />
3D Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . 40<br />
A Gallagher Painter&Decorator . . 16<br />
A O’Hare - Building Services . . 5<br />
A Peebles Landscape Contractor . . 42<br />
A&G Driveways . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
A&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 16<br />
ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
Affinity Family Law Experts . . 3<br />
Affluent Financial Planning . . 25<br />
Affordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7<br />
AK Vehicle Rental . . . . . . . . . 1<br />
Alexander Barr Coal Merchant . . 31<br />
Alistair Stewart - Driving Ins . . 15<br />
Apple Tree Garden Design . . . 40<br />
Architectural Drawings . . . . . 16<br />
Arco Locksmith . . . . . . . . . . . . 7<br />
Arlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 32<br />
Art Window & Doors . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
Ashes Hair & Beauty . . . . . . . . 34<br />
B Hughes Builders - Houston . . 4<br />
Barking Mad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23<br />
Baytree Interiors . . . . . . . . . 5<br />
BeardyBeardy Grooming Co . . . 33<br />
Beaton Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . 10<br />
Beginners Yoga - Sara Marijuan . . 51<br />
Bernie’s Cafe Deli . . . . . . . . . 30<br />
Bluewater Dental . . . . . . . . . . 11<br />
Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
BOW Stone Works . . . . . . . . . . . 40<br />
Branch Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6<br />
Brookfield Alarms Ltd . . . . . . 21<br />
Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 36<br />
Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 12<br />
C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 6<br />
Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 7<br />
Charlie Orr Plasterer . . . . . . 7<br />
Cheetham & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28<br />
Chips Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29<br />
CleanDryCarpets . . . . . . . . . . . 3<br />
CLH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16<br />
Cloudy2Clear Windows Glasgow . . 5<br />
ColCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25<br />
Collins Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29<br />
Come Clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39<br />
Computer Repairs . . . . . . . . . . 1<br />
Corum Property . . . . . . . . . . . . 27<br />
Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 3<br />
Craig Kennedy Gardening . . . . 41<br />
Crawford Landscapes . . . . . . . . 40<br />
CRW Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13<br />
David Kennedy Decorator . . . . 3<br />
Derek McBride Aerials . . . . . . 37<br />
DJD Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40<br />
DJY Joinery Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 5<br />
DMG Garden Services . . . . . . . . 41<br />
DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 14<br />
Elliott Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4<br />
Fergusons CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28<br />
Ferringtons Hypnotherapy . . . 6<br />
Fiona Christie Accounting Serv . . 14<br />
First Domestics . . . . . . . . . . . 15<br />
G J Tiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14<br />
G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6<br />
Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11<br />
Gibb Stuart Ironmongers . . . . 31<br />
Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 42<br />
Gordon James Ceramic Tiler . . 14<br />
Grid Design Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 7<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> Garage Motor Engineers . . 29<br />
<strong>Gryffe</strong> Roofing Services . . . . 15<br />
Hames Estates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28<br />
Happy Rambles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23<br />
Healing Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38<br />
Henderson’s Kilts . . . . . . . . . 5<br />
Houston Locksmiths . . . . . . . . . 3<br />
contact us<br />
I & J Building & Roofing Serv . . 2<br />
I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 12<br />
Ian Livingston Decorating . . 14<br />
Ideal Flooring Service . . . . . 38<br />
Ingliston Equestrian Centre . . 9<br />
James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
James Martin - Painter & Decor . . 3<br />
JayBee Double Glazing Repairs . . 15<br />
JBC Joiners and Builders . . . 6<br />
JBM Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 3<br />
JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1<br />
John A Kilburn . . . . . . . . . . . 36<br />
John H Barney . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31<br />
John Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38<br />
John Roach Funeral Directors . . 21<br />
Johnstone TOA Taxi Co . . . . . . 39<br />
JR’s Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . 3<br />
Karen Rankin Catering . . . . . . 16<br />
Kerr McAuley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15<br />
Kieran Turner Aerial&Satellite . . 3<br />
Kilbarchan Chiropodists . . . . 39<br />
Kilbarchan Dental Practice . . 13<br />
Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 15<br />
Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1<br />
Lamont Electricians . . . . . . . . 3<br />
Laptop and PC Repairs . . . . . . 28<br />
LaserLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8<br />
Lauras Nail & Beauty Lounge . . 32<br />
Lind Letting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3<br />
M&E Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6<br />
Mackie Plumbing & Heating . . 15<br />
Margaret Lyons Hypnotherapy . . 35<br />
MAS Electrical & Security . . 2<br />
MattVac Carpet & Upholstery Cl . . Bk<br />
MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 2<br />
McDonald Decorators . . . . . . . . 34<br />
McGowan Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 14<br />
McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 21<br />
Miller BioFuels Ltd . . . . . . . . 37<br />
MJ Lawnmowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42<br />
Nix Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . . 34<br />
NLP Positive Changes . . . . . . . 7<br />
Nutech Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 33<br />
Orchard Flooring . . . . . . . . . . 19<br />
P Thomson Upholstery . . . . . . . 36<br />
Paul Ferguson - Confidence . . 7<br />
PetVets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22<br />
Phoenix Gas Services . . . . . . . 1<br />
Platinum Cleaning Services . . 5<br />
Powerdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk<br />
Quick Drain Clear . . . . . . . . . 12<br />
R Williams Tree Surgeon & Grou . . 41<br />
Ranfurly Decor . . . . . . . . . . . . 4<br />
Scott Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16<br />
Shower Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31<br />
Skinny Minnies . . . . . . . . . . . . 31<br />
Smart Dog Grooming . . . . . . . . . 23<br />
SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 2<br />
Sole Solutions Podiatry . . . . 32<br />
SP Groundcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12<br />
St Columba’s School . . . . . . . . 47<br />
Stewart Independent Financial . . 1<br />
Strathgryffe Tennis & Squash . . 49<br />
SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 15<br />
Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 4<br />
TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
The Firewood Barn . . . . . . . . . 7<br />
The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 7<br />
The Pet Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24<br />
The Right Move . . . . . . . . . . . . 2<br />
Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 45<br />
Travel Actually . . . . . . . . . . . 3<br />
W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 41<br />
West of Scotland Landscape . . 42<br />
Wild Rose Flowers Ltd . . . . . . 9<br />
Woodburn & Beattie Joiners . . 16<br />
The <strong>Gryffe</strong> <strong>Advertizer</strong><br />
Neva Place, Bridge of Weir PA11 3PN<br />
t: 01505 613340 or e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
For more information please call us on 01505 613340<br />
or check our website at www.advertizer.co.uk<br />
Next Issue: (#258) March ‘16<br />
Deadline: Friday 12th <strong>February</strong>
56<br />
t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
you you can can contact us @<strong>Gryffe</strong>Ads us using using #<strong>Advertizer</strong><br />
or or by by email email info@advertizer.co.uk or phone or phone 01505 01505 613340 613340