245 February 2015 - Gryffe Advertizer

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26 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir ..................................................... A large area of Langbank was cut off in mid January due to severe flooding. These “Once in 20 years” weather events seem to be happening with scary frequency. I have asked the council roads engineers to increase the regularity of drain cleaning on the Main Road to try to give residents a fighting chance of staying connected to the rest of the world! In Dargavel Village, Bishopton the “shared surface” signage saga continues. I have been assured that the developer will have compliant signs erected by the end of January. I shall also be asking Roads Department for an assurance that the design of Slateford Road is satisfactory. It seemed to me inevitable that a vehicle would become stuck in the drainage ditch as happened in the January snow. I attended a most entertaining charity Burns Supper hosted by the Ingliston Equestrian Centre in aid of the Erskine Care Home. It was a privilege to share a table with former soldiers who are now resident there. In Bridge of Weir, the proposed Shillingworth development is worrying a number of residents, with the developers now seeking planning permission for 50 rather than 40 houses. Some constituents have expressed justifiable concern that the administration of Renfrewshire Council has decided to remove all village community halls and libraries from Council control to that of Renfrewshire Leisure Ltd, which is an arms-length trust. This will mean these community facilities will be run as businesses rather than as public services. It is to be hoped that this will not prove to be a detrimental move. There was great news for parents with the commitment of £2.7 million in support for early years from the Scottish Government. This will help parents who are considering taking up training opportunities or returning to work. It will facilitate children’s socialising and learning and will create employment in nurseries. Cllr.maria.brown@renfrewshire.gov.uk Telephone: - 03003 001259 Mobile: - 07534 148734 Surgeries: - Bridge of Weir - 1st Tues, Cargill Hall 11.00 – 11.30 a.m. Bishopton/Langbank - 2nd Wed of the month Bishopton Community Library 6.15pm - 6.45pm Villagers in Langbank have set up a petition asking Transport Scotland to make the roundabout junction onto the A8 safer. This has been an issue for several years and many councillors, myself included, have tried to persuade Transport Scotland to address the issue. With the closure of the village shop more villagers are now having to travel for daily provisions and more traffic is using the junction. I am delighted to support the petition and would urge you to support this also. The petition can be accessed at: https://www.change.org/p/transport-scotland-make-thisjunction-and-our-community-safe or via the Langbank facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/LangbankNews I have reported several faulty streetlights across Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank for repair. There was a particular problem in Denniston Rd and Middlepenny Rd Langbank and several streetlights will be repaired. Following representation from several Bridge of Weir residents about the poor 30mph signage on the A761 at the Deafhillock roundabout, I requested that the council erect new signs to advise drivers of the speed limit. This will, I hope, encourage drivers to observe the speed limit and lower the amount of those who have been stopped for inadvertently speeding in the area. I am aware of extremely slow broadband speeds in some areas of Ward 10 (Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank). There is a national programme currently underway to replace copper cabling with fibre optic cabling which allows for ‘superfast’ broadband speeds. The programme aims to deliver this infrastructure to Bishopton before the end of June this year and to Bridge of Weir and Langbank before the end of this calendar year. E-mail: cllr.michael.holmes@renfrewshire.gov.uk Surgeries: 4th Monday: Langbank PS (from 6pm) and Bishopton Library (from 6.45pm) and Cargill Hall, Bridge of Weir 4th Wednesday (from 6.30pm). Tel: 0300 300 1295. Bridge Of Weir Choral Society After their very successful Christmas concert at St Columba church in December with the Renfrew Burgh Band, members of the choral society would like to say a very big ‘thank you’ to the audience. The choir supports MND Scotland every Christmas by requesting donations for refreshments which are provided at the church by a willing band of helpers after the performance. This year £373.55 was raised and the charity has asked us to pass on their thanks to everyone whose kindness resulted in such a generous donation; this will help to fund Specialist Nurses who deliver and co-ordinate the care need by someone with Motor Neurone Disease and to continue funding research into a cure. The choir’s next concert will be on Saturday 25th April 2015 at St Columba Church; the main item being a performance of “The Armed Man” by Karl Jenkins. More information in the next edition of The Advertizer. www.bridgeofweirchoralsociety.org.uk.
www.advertizer.co.uk february 2015 27 27 Bridge of Weir Festival Bridge of Weir Festival would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the Santa Sleigh runs throughout December. We would also like to thank all the organisations who came out with Santa and his sleigh: “41 Club”, Gryffe High School World Challenge team1, Houston Guides, Hope Hall, Gryffe High School World Challenge team2, Senior Guides, Rotary Club of Gryffe Valley, Bridge of Weir United FC, 1st Bridge of Weir Guides, 2nd Bridge of Weir Guides, Brighter Bridge of Weir. The Festival committee also went out to cover the two nights in Kilmacolm which were not done by the expected groups due to the bad weather. Santa handed out sweets to 1,431 children over the 15 nights. We had to extend his visit to the area by an extra night to do the lower Kilmacolm route, to save any disappointment to the children. Apologies to those roads which were missed out. We endeavour to complete the routes between 6pm and 8.30 PM each night, but due to lack of bodies to help us do we were unable to complete some of the routes. On a warmer note the Christmas Prize Bingo organised by the Festival Committee was once again a successful evening which was enjoyed by over 60 participants. The raffle draw after the light buffet was ably assisted by our Gala Queen, Cori Rankin, and her two Attendants, Sarah Feechan & Hannah McCann-Willis. Donations were also given out by the Festival Committee to Senior Citizens, Elderly Forum and Royal British Legion Scotland Bridge of Weir Social Club. The next meeting of the Festival Committee is also the AGM which will be held on Tuesday 10th February at 7.30 PM in the Cargill Hall. On the Agenda will be Gala Queen Selection and 2015 Gala Day and Festival week. Festival Lends a Hand Two 11 year old girls from Paisley, Melissa & Sophia, contacted Bridge of Weir Festival and asked if we could assist with a fund raising night, which they would organise. This involved inviting Santa Claus to visit Castle Gardens, Paisley with his sleigh and handing out sweets to all the children who came out to meet with Santa. Grateful thanks goes to all the residents who participated in the collection which raised £172 in aid of Mary’s Meals www.marysmeals.org.uk. Brighter Bridge of Weir Hannah Steps Up Gryffe High School pupil Hannah Morrison did her bit to brighten Bridge of Weir recently. Hannah, a fourthyear student at the school, was seeking a challenge for her Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award. So she contacted Brighter Bridge of Weir and asked if she could spruce up the steps leading down from Bonar Crescent and on to Castle Terrace. Well, the group’s Chair, Alice Johnstone, thought about it for all of two seconds. “Why not?” For those who may not be familiar with the route, the steps lead down from Bonar Crescent in Bridge of Weir’s Ranfurly area, past the east gable of the former Castle Hotel and out onto Kilbarchan Road. The footpath itself is about 150 metres (around 170 yards in old money) from start to finish. So far, so good. But it drops - or climbs - a height of over 40 metres (130 feet) in the process, using 152 steps and a fairly steep gradient to do so. And it’s overgrown by moss and weeds and covered by fallen leaves. Or rather, it was. Spending a couple of hours a week over summer, Hannah changed all that. And we’ve got pictures to prove it. “It was hard work,” said Hannah. She can say that again. Spending a total of more than 24 hours on the project, Hannah filled over 60 binbags with fallen leaves, weeds, moss and assorted detritus. Her Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award has been well earned. Meanwhile, Brighter Bridge of Weir’s other volunteers were out taking down the Christmas lights and other decorations that they’d worked hard to put up around the village centre only a few weeks before. They’ll be back down to earth, literally, before they know it. Thanks once again to all the local residents and businesses who allowed the group to use their homes and premises for the festive displays. You can find out more about Hannah’s work and other news at brighterbridgeofweir.org, or on facebook. com/brighterbridgeofweir. Gryffe Voices Gryffe Voices is a new community choir, for all adults who enjoy singing. We meet on Monday evenings from 8pm to 9.45pm at Freeland Church, Main Street, Bridge of Weir. We sing pop, rock , folk , gospel, songs from around the world and musicals. Come and join us if you like singing and want to have fun, whether or not you read music. For more details contact gryffevoices@gmail. com.
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245 February 2015 - Gryffe Advertizer

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