312 DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021 - Gryffe Advertizer

Not all Heroes wear capes
Blackwoods of Kilmacolm - Regional Champion
When lockdown hit, Douglas Graham and his staff decided to stay open
albeit on limited hours. They provided a home delivery service and
were able to deliver bread and milk along with their regular butchery
products. For many villagers, elderly or self isolating, this was a vital
service. They also provided a friendly face or voice in difficult times.
Well done Douglas, Ronnie and Colin at Blackwood of Kilmacolm.......
we always knew you were heroes - now it’s official courtesy of the
Glasgow Herald and STV Scotland Loves Local campaign.
Douglas commented, “We are delighted to be awarded Inverclyde’s
“Local Hero’s” award for services to our community during this horrible
pandemic and hopefully beyond. We would like to thank you all for
your continued and loyal support and are always here for you at all
times.”
“Our online shop is live again, or just pop in locally to see us but
remember if you can’t do either of those then we can also deliver to
you. “Take good care of yourselves and thanks once again for the
award and your continuing support.”
local community, local life ............... 10
Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme
Helping those who need it most in Renfrewshire &
Inverclyde.
Spokes of Kilmacolm is keeping local people moving
by providing a helping hand with free bike repairs and
maintenance.
Spokes is one of 300 bike shops, mobile mechanics and
projects in Scotland taking part in the Scotland Cycle Repair
Scheme, which offers £50 towards the repair or service of a
bike.
The scheme is aimed at people who would otherwise struggle
to afford to have their bike serviced or repaired. It aims to get
bikes out of sheds and garages across the country and back
in use. 30,000 people are set to benefit from the scheme,
which is funded by Transport Scotland and administered by
Cycling UK.
Since opening the business in early November spokes,
mobile cycle mechanics, have managed to help more than 40
customers get their bikes back on the road.
They can be contacted by phone on 07716 773999 or info@
spokes-bikes.co.uk, facebook by searching spokes Kilmacolm
and on www.spokes-bikes.co.uk.
Ian the owner and chief mechanic of spokes said:
“In addition to the range of our usual cycle services, we are
delighted to also be providing bike repair and maintenance
services under the Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme.
“We’ve had a really good response which shows there is a
real need here. People want to exercise safely and to maintain
social distancing, so cycling is ideal. As well as keeping fit and
healthy, they can also use their bikes for essential journeys like
getting to work or the shops while avoiding public transport.
Being mobile it means we go to them; it saves customers the
hassle of having to take their bike to a shop.
Some examples of the positive impact of the scheme have
been; getting a customer with mobility issues e-bike repaired,
the owner was delighted to once again be able to get out
exercising, which is vital for his condition. Another example is
of a boy who had been badly affected by lockdown and found
solace in the freedom of a bike ride, only for his derailleur to
brake, fixing his bike under the repair scheme meant he was
over the moon to be able to yet again use the cycle network
in the area.”
Shona Morris, Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme programme
manager at Cycling UK, said:
“It’s fantastic to see so many bike shops and community
organisations getting involved in this scheme. The Covid
crisis has hit many people hard, so we know it can be difficult
to pay for essential bike repairs right now. We’d encourage
those people to dig their bike out of the shed or garage, get
it fixed up and get riding again.”