283 April 2018 - Gryffe Advertizer

24
the advertizer
Weir Networking
Paisley Soroptimists
Resettling Refugees
With the war in Syria featuring
on our TV screens nightly,
members of S.I.Paisley
were very interested to hear
from Alison Millar, Refugee
Resettlement Co-ordinator for
Renfrewshire Council about
her work.
Alison talked about the
Syrian Vulnerable Person
Resettlement Programme, explaining that Renfrewshire is leading the
way in supporting refugees, with more families than any other local
authority. She told us about how she came to be involved in this type of
work, including fi rsthand experience of being in a war zone in Kosovo - a
life changing and frightening experience.
She then spoke about some of the challenges she and her team face
daily, supporting the refugees and helping them to settle in. This includes
encouraging the adults to learn English and helping teenagers, who
because of their experiences see themselves as adults, into education
through the college rather than school.
Her talk gave us some insight into what it is like to be a refugee, a
situation in which none of those present could really imagine finding
themselves.
Ripped Up by ReMode -
a Resounding
Success
Over 150 people eagerly attended ‘Ripped
Up’ for the Fashion Show of the year – and
that’s not including a 60 strong team of new
models, clothes makers, dressers, makeup
artists, production and back stage crew, who
put on an exciting show that reflected a year
of learning and understanding a whole lot more
about the negative and very real life threatening
effects that the fashion industry has on our
environment.
Garments showcased on the runway were
made by the Recycle and Dye – a group of
10 to 16 year olds who learn to design and
make their own clothes from Scratch – often
from discarded fabrics or other materials, or to
extend the life of preloved clothing with print,
dye and stitch techniques.
Gillian Steel, ReMode’s Co-ordinator and
fashion show producer, said of their work,
‘while their message is a serious one, the small
collective enjoys each others company as we
work together. I’m delighted that this came
across at the fashion show tonight. Thanks for
a great year together.’
Photographs of the show have been credited to
Elaine Beaten.
Some readers have been asking when the next Weir Networking
Business event will take place. These are now held quarterly, on a
Wednesday in Amaretto, Bridge of Weir.
Dates as follows: Wed 13th June, Wed 12th September, Wed 5th
December. Breakfast starts at 9.30am. There is a cover charge of £5.
Please email colin@magifilms.co.uk or visit their facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/Weir-Networking-350783798430333/
We look forward to welcoming you all.
Renfrewshire Jobs
Programmes are #1
The latest Local Government Benchmarking Framework Indicator
Profile ranks Renfrewshire Council’s jobs and training programme as
No.1 nationally in assisting people into work.
The annual report collates data across a range of services including
education, housing and adult social care, considering service costs, their
effectiveness and customer satisfaction. Renfrewshire has improved in
more than 60 per cent of the 64 performance indicators in the 2016/17
report and is ranked in the top eight local authorities for 16 of these.
It reports Renfrewshire school attainment levels up across the board,
with more pupils gaining five or more National 5 and Higher awards.
And it highlights strong customer satisfaction in Renfrewshire for schools
and local leisure facilities. Also to the council’s credit the report notes
that more than half of the highest paid council employees are women.
Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson has welcomed the steady
improvements in performance, “We can be very proud in particular of
the continuous improvements being achieved in our schools, giving
children in Renfrewshire every opportunity to achieve their potential no
matter their background .... And for our employability programmes to
be the best performing in Scotland in helping people into work is highly
commendable. We have just invested a further £4.5million to lever in
more European funding over the next five years to carry on this great
work and make the most of the employment opportunities being created
here in Renfrewshire through key projects like early years’ expansion
and the construction of Scotland’s national manufacturing institute.”
The report also raises a number of areas for improvement, including
customer satisfaction with street cleaning and maintaining Renfrewshire
roads. Renfrewshire’s 2018 Budget confirmed an additional £2.5million
to improve the local environment over the next five years and a
single-year £7.2million in 2018/19 to improve Renfrewshire roads and
footpaths.
“There are areas we know Renfrewshire can and must improve upon,”
added Councillor Nicolson. “We recognise the challenges facing our
communities and that’s why our budget provided additional funding to
target these elements as a priority. By listening to our residents and
by working closely with our community partners, Renfrewshire can and
will thrive.”
The full report is available at: http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/
benchmarking/reports.html
deadline date for our may issue - Friday 13th April - You don’t want to miss it!!