320 December 2021 - Gryffe Advertizer

No.320:

deceMber 2021

P I C K U P Y O U R FREE C O P Y

LOCAL N E W S FOR:

• B R I D G E OF WE I R

• B R O O K F I E L D

• H O U S T O N

• H O W W O O D

• K I L B A R C H A N

• K I L M A C O L M

• L A N G B A N K

• L O C H W I N N O C H

• Q U A R R I E R S

Cover Image:

Christmas Tree Close-Up

by Chloe McGinn

Next Deadline:

January 2022 Deadline:

8th December 2021

Contact us:

01505 613340

07521 651936

info@advertizer.co.uk

www.advertizer.co.uk

@GryffeAds

1st floor, Neva Place,

Bridge of Weir

PA11 3PN

Previous issues available online:

www.advertizer.co.uk/online-issue/

Feeling festive...

It’s that time of year, when we start to get excited about the lead up to the festive season. And one

of the main highlights is seeing the wonderful window displays at Gibb Stuart’s in Bridge of Weir.

The G-S elves have once again excelled and it certainly cheers up a dark evening sitting in the traffic

queue at the lights!

Another tradition is the fabulous Santa Sleigh. Santa and his team will be out and about again in

December and we have a full list of streets they will visit on page 4. Once again, dates may be subject

to change in the case of adverse weather conditions. We’ll try to keep you updated on social media.

Scotland Loves Local Awards 2021 - Our local businesses did very well in these awards in 2020. This

year’s recipients will be announced during an awards ceremony to be broadcast on Thursday 25th

November 2021. This date is too late for inclusion in the magazine, but we hope to bring you updates

in our January 2022 issue. Good luck everyone! Keep up to date at https://lovelocal.scot/awards/

We’ve also tried to find out about Christmas/New Year bin collections for both Inverclyde and

Renfrewshire and we have some dates for you inside. Again, these may need to change if the snow

or storms arrive - please check online at your local council’s website.

And finally, we’ve got lots of events for you all in the lead up to Christmas. Remember to use your

local shops where you can - there are lots of gift ideas available and most stores offer gift vouchers.

We’ve managed to get to the end of 2021 with some sense of normality. Here’s to 2022 being a new

start for everyone. See you all soon in 2022!

Shop local - support your community!

In this issue...

Santa Sleigh Routes 04

Save Your Stamps RNIB 08

Gryffe Valley Rotary 08

St Vincent’s Ladies Lunch 09

Recycling Centres 10

Winter Bin Collections 10

St Vincent’s Light Up A Life 10

Village News 12-27

Host - Carrick Centre 16

Affluent Community Fund 23

Coming Events 28-33

Art Exhibition Trio 29

Panto Season 32

Schools & Sports 35-41

New Bookshop Opens 38

Regular Meets 41

Out & About 42-47

Renfrewshire Boundary Update 42

Build Your Own Adventure 44

Scarecrow Festival 46

Sales & Wants 48

Classified Ads 49

Advertizer Ads Directory 50

Local History 51

local community, local business, local life ......... 2

e: info@advertizer.co.uk | www.advertizer.co.uk |

December 2021 3

Santa Sleigh Routes

PLEASE NOTE: Dates may be

subject to change if adverse

weather conditions occur.

HOUSTON

• Run 1 - Fri 3rd Dec - Leman Dr, Leman Gr, Alwyn Ave, Bream Pl, Viking Cres, Cormorant Ave, Forties Rd, Claymore

Dr, Piper Rd, Piper Ave, Ninian Ave, Brent Cres, Murchison Rd, Hutton Ave, Hewett Cres, Dunlin Cres, Berl Ave

• Run 2 - Sat 4th Dec - Crosslee Cres, Leeburn Ave, Craigholme, Woodside, The Beeches, Birch Gro, Riverside,

Broomfield, The Meadows, Brackendene, Crossways, Neuk Cres, Neuk Ave, Hallcraigs Cres, Glebe Gdns,

Manse Cres, Hagart Rd, Speirs Rd,

• Run 3 - Sun 5th Dec - Locher Cres, Locher Gdns, Locher Ave, Locher Way, Locher Gait, Gryfebank Ave, Gryfewood

Cres, Gryfewood Way, Gryfebank Clo, Gryfebank Way, Gryfebank Clo, Cunningham Gdns, Crawford Rd

• Run 4 - Mon 6th Dec - South Mound, Glenartney, St Fillans Dr, Four Windings, South St, North St, Fleming

Rd, Fleming Way, Burnlea Cres, Houstonfield Quad, Houstonfield Rd, Kirk Rd, Kilmacolm Rd, Fields Lane,

Cricketfield Lane, Old School House Lane, Barochan Rd

• Run 5 - Tues 7th Dec - Netherburn Ave, Netherburn Gdns, Craigburn Ave, Craigburn Pl, Locherburn Pl,

Locherburn Ave, Locherburn Gro, Craigburn Cres, Woodburn Pl, Hillside, Hillfoot, Fulton Gdns, Beatrice Gdns

• Run 6 - Wed 8th Dec - Crosslee Pk, Dunnet Dr, Whirlie Rd, Back o’Hill, Strawberry Fields, Whirlie Dr, Pine Gro,

Mill Brae, Crosslee Gdns, Brierie Hills Cres, Brierie Hills Rd, Brierie Lane, Brierie Gdns, Goldenlee View, Brierie

Hill Gro, Earlsgate, Brierie Ave

• Run 7 - Thurs 9th Dec - LOWER KILMACOLM

• Run 8 - Fri 10th Dec - Torr Rd, Horsewood Rd, Fetlar Rd, Kennbank Cres, Kennbank Rd, Thriplee Rd, Lomond

Cres, Barrcraig Rd, Carruth Rd, Lawmarnock Rd, Lawmarnock Cres, Glen Brae, Troon Dr, Glendentan Rd,

Turnberry Dr, Barassie Dr

• Run 9 - Sat 11th Dec - UPPER KILMACOLM

BRIDGE OF WEIR

• Run 10 - Sun 12th Dec - Brookfield and Weir’s Wynd

• Run 11 - Mon 13th Dec - Elm Rd, Loch Rd, Loch Pl, Mill o’Gryffe Rd, Mimosa Rd, Lintwhite Crt, Lintwhite Cres,

Moss Rd, Broom Pl, Gryffe Gate, Gorse Cres, St Machars Rd, Hillview Rd, Church Rd

• Run 12 - Tues 14th Dec - Clevans Rd, Donaldfield Rd, Thornwood Dr,

Southbrae Ave, Rosemount Lane, St Andrews Dr, Dalmahoy Cres, Bellisle Cres,

Sunningdale Dr, Prieston Rd

• Run 13 - Wed 15th Dec - Eldin Pl, Hazelwood Rd, The Grove, Shillingworth

Pl, Earl Pl, Ranfurly Rd, Bonar Cres, Watt Lane,

Montrose Ter, Kilgraston Rd, Watt

Rd, Ranfurly Pl, Bankend Rd,

Kilbarchan Rd

• Run 14 - Thurs 16th

Dec - Glengowan Rd,

Strathgryffe Cres,

Kilmacolm Rd, Kilallan

Ave, Woodside Ave,

Warlock Rd, Beech

Ave, Castle Rd, Park

Rd, Southview Cres,

Freeland Dr, Warlock Dr,

Houston Rd

• Run 15 - Fri 17th Dec - QUARRIERS



December 2021 5



December 2021 7

Save your stamps

for RNIB

This festive season, collect stamps for RNIB and make a difference to blind

and partially sighted people.

If you receive cards and letters through the post, could you save the stamps to

send to us? We will recycle them into much-needed funds for our services.

Be a stamp collector for a good cause:-

Step 1: Get pre-paid collection envelopes or boxes for your stamps by

completing the request form, or by calling our Helpline on 0303 123

9999 option 4.

Step 2: Start collecting stamps as they come through your post box or

at your work. Stamps don’t need to be thoroughly sorted, but it helps

if you can separate them into British and foreign stamps (Channel

Islands and Isle of Man count as foreign). Make sure you leave a

centimetre of envelope or packaging around each stamp. This is just

a recommendation and stamps that have been trimmed less or more

will still be accepted.

Step 3: Pack up your envelope or box, and pop it in the post using our

pre-paid address labels.

How stamps make a difference

By collecting stamps you’re helping to break down the barriers that stop

people with sight loss living life to the full. We accept all stamps: new or

used, first or second class, foreign, first day covers, presentation packs or

albums. Stamps are sold by weight and we raise £20 per kilogramme of

stamps, so it’s a brilliant way to raise money.

Get everyone involved

Saving stamps is an easy way to support us at home, work, or in your local

community. You can request a handy little collection box for your office

reception, school or local community centre. We’ve put together a Q

and A and some posters so you can get your friends, family and work

colleagues involved too:

Old and foreign currency

You can also support RNIB by donating disused or foreign money.

If you have any surplus foreign currency from overseas trips, or any unusable

old British currency hiding at the back of the drawer, we’d love to receive it!

Rotary Gryffe Valley

Bridge of Weir success in COP 26

Climate Change Art competition

An entry from Bridge of Weir Primary school was selected from more

than 10,000 entries to be displayed at the COP 26 conference!

In the run up to COP 26, six of our local primary schools participated in a

competition to produce posters encouraging action on climate change.

Our club competition was the first stage in a UK wide event, organised

by Helensburgh Garelochside Rotary.

Our two selected posters feature in a display of posters from the West of

Scotland at Glasgow Airport and one by Alexander from Bridge of Weir

Primary was selected to be amongst the top twenty-two in the UK!

All thirty of the Gryffe Valley posters can be seen using the link below.

Congratulations to all the schools and pupils, and particularly Alexander.

https://youtu.be/HgrIqeFzepk

New venue

Regular meal meetings commenced from 27th October in the Fox

and Hounds. We are enjoying being together again in very pleasant

surroundings.

Speaker Meetings

Our series of eminent speakers on Climate Change leading up the COP

26 Conference continued.

Over a series of six talks arranged by Les King, we have learned about

how climate change is accelerating as the concentration of carbon

dioxide in the atmosphere increases year by year.

On 3rd November, our speakers on the same theme were Lucia Fawsset,

Karen Gilmore and Anna Lopez - climate change activists from Devon

who were attending the COP 26.

On November 17th, James Maclaren spoke about his diverse life and

career and, on November 24th, Karen Anderson spoke about Waste

Recycling in Renfrewshire.

Corporate Membership

We welcome new corporate members. This offers opportunities to

network with members and support our work. Contact us through our

web or Facebook page or email gryffevalleyrotary@gmail.com

Walk for Health

The club has started work on a project to encourage walking locally in

the knowledge that walking is good for both physical and mental health.

We would like to make contact with all local walking clubs in our area

with a view to promoting them through the project.

Annual Burns Supper

The decision has been made (regulations permitting) to hold our Burns

Supper on Saturday 22nd January 2022. Please email gryffevalleyrotary@

gmail.com to book.


The St Vincent’s Hospice

“Christmas Sparkler

Ladies’ Lunch” returns!

Join us at The Radisson Blu, Glasgow City Centre on Sunday 5th December

for our hugely popular St. Vincent’s Hospice Christmas Sparkler Ladies’

Lunch!

The afternoon will begin with a glass of fizz and the opportunity to browse

and shop amongst our exclusive selection of hospice pop-up shops,

followed by a delicious three-course lunch and an afternoon of great fun

and entertainment.

Since 1988, St. Vincent’s Hospice has provided specialist care for

individuals and families all across the Renfrewshire community and this

event is a perfect opportunity for you to support us whilst enjoying a

glamorous, entertaining afternoon with friends.

For further information or to purchase tickets please call 01505 705635 or

email info@svh.co.uk

January 2022 Deadline: 8th December 2021

send your news to info@advertizer.co.uk

Looking to advertise? Download our media pack:

www.advertizer.co.uk/advertise/


December 2021 9

Bin Collections over the Festive Period

INVERCLYDE council

No change from Monday 27th to Friday 31st December.

• Mon 3rd Jan - Tues 4th Jan

• Tues 4th Jan - Wed 5th Jan

• Wed 5th Jan - Thurs 6th Jan

• Thurs 6th Jan - Fri 7th Jan

• Fri 7th Jan - Sat 8th Jan

If bin collections are delayed due to adverse weather conditions, please put

your bins out by 7am every day to allow collection at the earliest opportunity.

Large cardboard packaging and additional recyclates can be placed

beside your blue bin for collection.

Recycling Helpline 01475 715901 www.inverclyde.gov.uk/recycling

Renfrewshire Council

No collections on Christmas Day & New Year’s Day.

Collections due on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day will

take place as follows:

• Grey and Green bins – 1 day later

• Brown, Blue and Food bins – 2 days later

• Rural routes – 1 day later

Collections due on any other day will take place as normal.

New collection calendars have been sent to all households except flats

receiving bulk bin collections.

If you have any questions or are unsure about your festive collections,

please get in touch via Bin collections or 0300 300 0380

Open 7 days a week from 8am to 6pm. Paisley site open

8.30am to 6pm for service vehicles.

Closed Christmas Day & New Year’s Day.

You must bring proof of residency in Renfrewshire:

• Erskine - Barrhill Road, Erskine. PA8 6BU

• Johnstone - Miller Street, Johnstone, PA5 8HP

• Linwood - Middleton Road, Linwood, PA3 3DP

• Paisley - Underwood Road, Paisley, PA3 1TL

• Renfrew - Haining Road, Renfrew, PA4 0AJ

Only cars are allowed into our recycling sites - except Linwood site. Any

changes will be posted on the website and on social media:

www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/HWRC / F: @renfrewshirecouncil / Twitter: @RenCouncil

St. Vincent’s Hospice Light Up A Life

St. Vincent’s Hospice invites you to join its online “Light Up a Life” dedication service on Sunday 28th November at 4.30pm.

At the end of each year, Light up a Life offers an opportunity to reflect on those who are no longer with us, the good times spent with our loved ones and

to take time to cherish their memory. It’s an opportunity for our community members to come together to remember and celebrate the lives of those

that made a difference in their lives whether they were cared for by St. Vincent’s Hospice or not.

Sadly we are unable to gather at the Hospice again this year, but we warmly invite residents of Renfrewshire to join us from the comfort of their own

home for our virtual Light up a Life service on Sunday 28th November @4:30 pm, details of which are available on our Facebook page - www.facebook.

com/StVincentsHospice

The family-friendly, non-religious, service will include music, readings and reflections to help us remember our loved ones and there will be a switch on

of hundreds of lights on the magnificent tree in the Hospice garden in Howwood. The lights will shine out for miles across the surrounding countryside

every night during the winter – a beacon of hope and encouragement for everyone.

Those who wish to can also dedicate a virtual star in memory of someone special via the St. Vincent’s Hospice website - www.svh.co.uk and anyone

wanting to make a donation to the work of the hospice can also do so via the website.





December 2021 11

village news

Bridge of Weir Hillwalkers

BoW Hill Walkers have been out

three times recently. A visit to

a drenched Aberfoyle saw us

ascend the “fairy hill” on a walk

that ended up in the Woollen mill

cafe where we caused a deluge

as our clothes dripped all over

the place.

Most recently, 9 of us were on the

Greenock Cut as we tried to avoid

the jams and hassle of COP 26 in

Glasgow. We had a dry day but after

recent heavy rains, the outlet from

the Cut was quite spectacular. The

Ardgowan Fisherman’s Bothy gave

nourishment at the end of 11K.

Our festive programme is

getting underway soon. Email:

donwwsmith@gmail.com

The photos are of the Glen Fruin

Hills above Loch Lomond and Loch

Long and from the Greenock Cut.

Bridge of Weir SWI

A return to our Sunday

outings, the first since the

pandemic broke, saw a small

party in the Glen Fruin hills on

a bright and breezy day.

At our November meeting we enjoyed making festive wreaths. Our

December gathering will be for a Christmas meal on Thursday 2nd at Old

Ranfurly Golf Club arriving at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. The evening will be

rounded off with a musical entertainment.

WARD 11

Cllr James W.H. MacLaren

IMPROVEMENTS: It is wonderful to see the immediate

improvements carried out by Bonnie Bishopton outside the community

centre and outside the library. A Facebook page has been created should

anyone wish to get in touch with suggestions etc. I am confident that

Bishopton will soon shine.

SPEED LIMITS: The crazy scenario of two different speed limits which,

depending on from which direction you entered Dargavel, continues.

The problem seems to lie with the council and the police, but I hope that

common sense will prevail and this will get sorted out before the new

school opens in January.

#YOUDECIDE: I hope you were able to submit your suggestions for

improvements via the Participatory Budgeting #YouDecide campaign.

Whether or not your suggestion makes it to the short list, your suggestion

will not have been wasted and may well come about through some other

pathway. You will have a chance to vote on the improvement you want

to see in your area in February next year. I look forward to seeing your

suggestions.

ROADS & PATHWAYS: A number of you have complained to me about

the lack of road sweeping and gully cleaning in Renfrewshire and, believe

me, I have noticed this too and am constantly on about blocked gullies in

particular. I see little point in resurfacing a road if there is nowhere for the

surface water to go.

Discussions are underway about extending the Clyde Coastal Path up

from Port Glasgow along the river front as far as the railway bridge over the

A8, and then to have a foot bridge over the A8 into Langbank. Discussions

are in their infancy, but I love the idea of thinking big.

BoW CC: Bridge of Weir Community Council held its AGM yesterday and

they are looking for some new members. If you can spare an evening

once a month then they would love to have you on board and help “fight

your corner”.

I am now able to hold surgeries and these will be Cargill Hall, Bridge of

Weir – 2nd Monday of the month, Bishopton Primary School – 3rd Monday

of the month. The times are 6.30pm to 7pm. You do not need to book.

I am also available by tel: 0300 300 1291 or you can email me cllr.james.

maclaren@renfrewshire.gov.uk

Please feel free to contact me with any of your concerns, and I am happy

to meet with you at a mutually convenient time.


4 Churches Christmas Event


Wednesday 8TH December

contact: info@advertizer.co.uk

Most people in our village celebrate Christmas in one way or

another. Have you ever thought about the complex, dangerous

and miraculous way that God sent His Son into the world? In 9

scenes, starting at Hope Hall, then on to Freeland and St Machar’s

Ranfurly (including St Mary’s), we will be taking you on a journey

through Christmas - from thousands of years before the birth of

Jesus until He was a toddler.

It’s a fascinating journey, please join us as we show you God’s love

revealed in the greatest gift ever given.


December 2021 13

Fox Red Art at The Bridge

The Bridge

www.thebridgebridgeofweir.com

From 21st November the Bridge will be hosting its first exhibition

in nearly two years. Featuring local artist, Judith Beattie of Fox Red

Art. There will be a variety of Inks, watercolour and line Drawings on

display. Judith’s work focuses on the landscapes and wildlife found in

Scotland, predominantly the highlands. She spends a lot of her time working and

exploring in and around Ullapool, where she draws inspiration from wild seas, the

birds that thrive by them, and the mountains, knolls and craggy landscapes of Assynt.

Please come and have a look, the exhibition will be in situ until New Year and will

feature prints and framed Originals.

St Machar’s Ranfurly Church Bridge of Weir

We’re excited to be joining with Hope Hall, Freeland Church and St Mary’s to

offer you a Journey through Christmas on the 11th December (see elsewhere in

this magazine and dedicated Facebook page: @BoWjourneythroughChristmas).

Preparations are underway to make this a fun and interesting event for all the family.

We’re hoping to have some actual sheep for you to meet, so fingers crossed.

Other than that, there are various services that you are most welcome to attend. We

have greater capacity now that we only keep to a 1m distance between families so

booking is not necessary. We do still wear masks (over 12’s).

19th December: Popup Nativity Service 10.30am – no rehearsal, you can come

dressed up!

24th December: Christingle Service 4pm – short Christmassy service,

very suitable for families.

24th December: Watchnight Service 11.30pm – arguably our most atmospheric

service of the year.

26th December: Lessons & Carols Service 3pm (no 10.30am service).

All our services are also livestreamed on our YouTube channel.

We have started a new Junior Choir in October, which sings a mix of Christian and

popular songs. They rehearse in the church on Thursdays from 4pm - 5pm and

it is free to join for any P3 - P7 pupil in the area. In January we will be making a

fresh start with new songs, so this is a great opportunity to join us. Ian Munro is our

enthusiastic choir master and he teaches the basics about singing and using your

body to best effect, whilst having a lot of fun! If you want to find out more, please

contact Hanneke.Marshall@churchofscotland.org.uk

Bridge of Weir & Kilmacolm

41 Club

Bridge of Weir & Kilmacolm 41 Club which

includes the Areas of Bridge of Weir, Kilmacolm and Houston welcome former

active Round Tablers & 41 Club members who have recently moved into the area to

join us at one of our future meetings at the Old Ranfurly Golf Club, Bridge of Weir.

Please contact David Wharton for details of our future meetings. Telephone: 07808

395517 or email scottishsales@aol.com We look forward to hearing from you.

Here we are in December. Not too many shopping days until

Christmas Day. For all your Christmas cards, money wallets,

wrapping paper, gift bags, labels, diaries and calendars shop

local - shop in The Bridge.

Front Garden - we are very appreciative of the involvement of

Brighter Bridge of Weir in decorating our garden for Christmas.

During November they’ve created a festive Woodland Scene.

We are sure it will be enjoyed by all.

Artists - from late November until into the New Year we are

delighted to host a display of artwork by Judith Beattie. Original

paintings and prints will be on sale. Please come in, browse and

buy to support a local artist.

Post Office – Post early for Christmas. Make sure your parcels are

securely packaged. Our stock of padded envelopes, boxes and

tape will make the process easier.

Please remember the posting deadlines!!! Ask staff for details.

Cinema - a film will be shown on the 2nd December at 7pm.

Please call at The Bridge for further details.

In the run up to Christmas even although there is no mandatory

requirement for Social Distancing please be mindful of the

safety of your fellow customers. Hand sanitisers are available

throughout The Bridge.

We wish our customers, volunteers and employees a very Happy

Christmas and a healthy 2022. Thank you for your support

throughout ‘21 and look forward to your continued support in ‘22.

(Opening Hours: Mon – 10am to 1pm then 2pm to 5pm ; Tues,

Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat 10am to 1pm)

The end of an era

Bridge of Weir Ladies Badminton Club

The now, all ex-members of the Bridge of Weir Badminton Club

recently met up in Amoretto’s Bridge of Weir for a final meal.

Historically the members met up for a meal during the Summer,

even going down the coast and hiring a bus. So going out for

a meal seemed a suitable finish. The real excuse for a night out

was to decide what to do with the existing Club funds. After a

brief discussion it was decided to donate the remaining funds

to St Vincent Hospice in Howwood, as nearly everybody knows

somebody who has had the benefit of a hospice.

On a more positive note – it was decided that as we all had such

an enjoyable evening, we should meet up again next year, about

the time of the start of the badminton season. The Club had it’s

50th anniversary dinner in the Gryffe Arms Hotel Bridge of Weir,

(where the doctors surgery is now) in 1985, a few members were

still members to the end.



December 2021 15

Houston & Killellan Kirk

Selection Boxes For Star Project

The Star Project, based in Paisley, but supporting families in the wider

Renfrewshire community, is one of Houston & Killellan Kirk’s designated

charities for 2021. The project delivers a consistent and varied

programme of group and individual support. Some of their commitments

underpinning their work are to:

• Building genuine positive relationships

• Being inclusive and accessible for all

• Meeting people in their need, not just meeting their needs

As part of Local Outreach as Christmas approaches, the Kirk, with the

support of the congregation and the wider local community, plans

to donate Selection Boxes for the children of families the Star Project

supports. These will be gratefully received at the weekly Foodbank at the

West Halls, Main Street, Houston on Tuesdays 30th November and 7th

December.

Christmas Gifts For Children

This year we are again seeking donations of Christmas Gifts for the children

of prisoners supported by CrossReach at the visitors’ centres at Perth &

Polmont Prisons. The visitor service aims to provide a gift at Christmas

to each of the children with whom it comes into contact. The request is

to put NEW unwrapped gifts in open gift bags, with an indication of age,

and boy or girl. Suggested gift details are in last month’s Advertizer and

on the Kirk website. The plan is to have the gifts collected at the Small

West Hall at the same time as the Foodbank on Tuesday 30th November.

There will be a final opportunity to bring gifts to the Gift Service at the Kirk

at 11am on Sunday 5th December – before the gifts are handed over to

representatives of CrossReach.

December Services’ Schedule

Sunday 5th: 11am Gift Service; 7pm Service of Lessons & Carols

Sunday 12th: 11am Morning Service

Sunday 19th: 11am Nativity Service

Friday 24th: 4.30pm All Age Christingle Service; 11pm Mince Pies

& Mulled Wine; 11.30pm Watchnight Service

Saturday 25th: 11am Christmas Day Service

Sunday 26th: 11am Short Reflective Service (ONLINE ONLY)

Houston Kirk Postie

A Service For The Whole Community, raising funds for St Vincent’s

Hospice

Sorting office open in West Halls, Main Street on Monday 13th, Tuesday

14th, Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th December from 10am - 12noon

and 7pm - 8pm (or take your cards to Church on Sunday 12th)

For a donation of only 30p per card, the Kirk Postie will deliver anywhere in

Houston, Crosslee or Brookfield. Delivery guaranteed by Monday 20th.

What’s on

dec ‘21

Monday to Friday Gryffe Manor Out of School 01505 615438. Dance

West Scotland enquiries@dancewestscotland.co.uk Coffee Shop: -

Mon/ Sat. 10am / 3pm Takeaways only check FB for updates in line with

covid 19 Gov guidelines. Coffee Shop/Centre 01505 229597.

Booking enquiries:

Bill Haddow 01505 690693, Stewart Scally 01505 674277

Joe O’Brien 07968 804776

E: thecarrickcentre@gmail.com or hostbookings@outlook.com

MONDAY

Sewing Group

Handy Wives

Diaporama

DWS

TUESDAY

Weekly

10am 6 th

7.30pm 6 th

7.30pm 13 th

4pm 6 th & 13 th

Paint Pot Tots 10am 7 th & 14 th

Dawn Campbell 07789 262350

Yoga

7pm 7 th & 14 th

M/s Lawson 01505 613690

Art Class

1.15pm 7 th

Hazel Connelly

Rhythm Time 9.15am 7 th & 14 th

DWS

4pm 7 th & 14 th

WRADS

WEDNESDAY

H.O.S.T

THE CARRICK CENTRE, HOUSTON

7pm 14 th

Camera Club 7.30pm 8 th & 15 th

DWS MH 4pm 1 st , 8 th & 15 th

DWS R2 3.30pm 1 st , 8 th & 15 th

Moo Music 9.30am 1 st , 8 th & 15 th

Womens Institute 7.30pm 8 th

thursday

Gryffe Quilting Group,

10am /3pm 2 nd

Crafty Friends 7.30pm 2 nd & 16 th

Folk Club 8pm 2 nd , 9 th , 16 th

Move It Or Lose It 10am 2 nd , 9 th &

16 th

FRIDAY

Yoga 10.30am 3 rd , 10 th & 17 th

M/s Lawson 01505 613690

DWS MH 3.15pm - 7pm

3 rd , 10 th & 17 th

DWS R2 1.30pm 3 rd ,10 th & 17 th

MP Surgery 12.30pm 10 th

Gavin Newlands

MSP Surgery 12.30pm - 1.15pm 3 rd

Natalie Don

saturday

DWS MH 9.30am /5pm 4 th , 11 th &

18 th

Councillor Surgery 11.30am 4 th

Jim Sheridan

sunday

Baptist Church

DWS Exams

Centre Patrons PLEASE ADVISE date or time changes

due to Holidays to Centre Management

11am & 6pm

2pm 12 th


Duchal Nursery

Advertising Feature

A forward-thinking nursery providing first class early years care, Duchal Nursery School, based in Birkmyre Park Kilmacolm, is now open

from 8am – 6pm daily during term time and offers free places to 3 – 5 year olds.

Duchal Nursery is an independent nursery offering FREE funded places and is the only local nursery specialising solely in providing a pre-school

education. Our highly experienced teachers are dedicated to nurturing the children and with a low teacher to pupil ratio of 1 - 6, they really are

able to tailor learning to the individual child. With a maximum of 26 children the nursery has a warm and caring environment where the children

can develop and flourish.

Now offering FREE places and open from 8am – 6pm daily Duchal really is the perfect place for children to get the best start in life.

For further information and to arrange a visit to see the nursery please email: info@duchal.com


December 2021 17

Houston &

Killellan Kirk

A Musical Toast to

Absent Friends

The first week in

November saw a collective

of charities and interested

organisations shining a

light on bereavement

through the To Absent

Friends Festival 2021. It

is heralded as a “People’s

festival of storytelling and remembrance” and was started in 2014

as a chance to remember loved ones who have died through

stories, celebrations and acts of reminiscence.

“Loved ones who have died live on in our stories and memories”

says Rebecca Patterson of Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief, the

alliance of organisations behind the festival. But maybe we don’t

always get the right moment to speak about them or share those

stories with others. To Absent Friends is a chance to do that. We

want people to have a chance to stop and take some time to share

those stories – whether it’s just raising a glass, getting the old photo

albums out, or something more formal.”

On 3rd November, Houston and Killellan Kirk had the privilege of

hosting “A Musical Toast to Absent Friends”, for a few people from

the Houston Community and their friends, thanks to a grant from

“To Absent Friends”. Reflective and uplifting music was provided

by our fabulous musicians, Matthew Alexander, Laura MacFarland

McKee, Iain Scott and Laura Workman, who had us all singing

along to a lovely Beatles Medley which they sang as a finale. Laura

Workman played some beautiful background music on her harp

throughout the evening as we shared a light supper, raised a glass

and remembered loved ones who had been lost. Each guest

received a wooden heart to take away as a keepsake.

Our thanks go to all of our musicians, to our superb social

committee who did a great job setting up the Killellan Halls,

providing refreshments and clearing away at the end of the

evening. Our thanks also go to Absent Friends for providing the

grant and making this event possible.

To Absent Friends is a reminder, and opportunity and an excuse to

create time and space to remember the important people in our

lives who have died. For more information on To Absent Friends,

contact Rebecca Patterson on rebecca@palliativecarescotland.org.

uk or find out more via the website www.toabsentfriends.org.uk.

Houston and Killellan Kirk will also be holding our annual reflective

service on Sunday 28th November at 7pm to remember those

who are no longer with us this advent and all are welcome. We will

have refreshments following this service.

ward 10

Cllr Audrey Doig

BOUNDARIES: As we approach the Christmas period we

always like it to be a time of quiet reflection and peace. Unfortunately I am

in a head to head fight with the Boundary Commission for Scotland which, in

publishing new proposals for the local Westminster constituency boundaries,

is wanting to split my ward and put the people of Houston and Crosslee into

a new parliamentary constituency connected to Inverclyde, where the voice

of my constituents will not be heard as loudly and where Inverclyde concerns

will dominate. What makes me very angry is that only ten years ago the same

Boundary Commission split my Craigends, Linwood and Brookfield constituents

by putting them in Renfrewshire South, while my Houston constituents were put

into Renfrewshire North West.

If, like me, you want to object to these ill-conceived proposals then please email

the Boundary Commission for Scotland before 8th December this at address:

bcs.scottishboundaries.gov.uk and tell them you want to keep all of Ward 10 of

Renfrewshire Council kept together in the 2023 Review.

WATCHING OUT FOR OTHERS: I would also like to wish all my constituents

across the ward, of all faiths and none, a very happy and joyous Christmas. As

families gather around the tree let us all try and keep an eye on those, such as

the very elderly, who may have little or no family. Please consider the vulnerable

and less fortunate this Christmas. If we do find ourselves caught in a snowstorm

please remember that the local salt supplies are in the Carrick Centre Car Park

Grit Bins to be used by everyone.

I do not have advice surgeries in the month of December but constituents can

get me at any time either by calling me on 07768 130935, or e-mailing me at cllr.

audrey.doig@renfrewshire.gov.uk. My advice surgeries will resume in January ‘22.

Get the “blues” after Christmas?

Cheer up your Saturday morning! How about indulging in a Luxury

Pop-up Breakfast (Tables well spaced out)

Saturday 5th February, 9am - 11.30am, West Halls, Main Street, Houston

You can have freshly made porridge, cereals, freshly made granola full of lots of

good things, cereals, yoghurts, prepared melon, pineapple & many more fruits.

After that indulge in cold meats, prawns, salmon, sweet and pickled herring, cold

boiled eggs, or a selection of cheeses, all served with warm croissants, brioche,

various breads and rolls – or you could eat these with home made Seville orange

marmalade, home made lemon curd, home made jam or chocolate spread. To

finish off we have a selection of little cakes and other goodies. With various teas

including fruit teas and Fairtrade filter coffee on offer, as well as fruit juices and

milk. We have gluten free options and lots to please children.

Gosh! My mouth is watering just writing this! So please come along, alone or

with family and friends, and enjoy a luxury continental breakfast. Put the date in

your diary! Donations on leaving – proceeds for sheltered workshop projects

in Mwandi


Expert Gutter Cleaning

Advertising

Feature

Clean and clear blocked gutters and help protect your property

from water damage by removing moss, leaves, twigs, silt, etc. Our

lightweight telescopic carbon poles with specially designed cleaning

brushes also allow us to gently remove the algae, dirt and grime from

fascia, soffits, conservatories and other hard to reach areas.

For further information or a free quote on any of our services please

call 01505 863 863.


December 2021 19

ward 9

Cllr Derek Bibby

ENVIRONMENT: As I write it is the mid point of the COP 26 climate change

conference in Glasgow, held amid growing concern around increased flood

risks in towns and villages across Renfrewshire. The communities of Kilbarchan,

Lochwinnoch and Howwood have seen the manifest effects of climate change over the last few

years, and as recently as August this year we were hit with what was described by Renfrewshire

Council as a 1 in 400 year event.

Predictions are that such episodes in the future will become far more common than we have

known, and those predictions with recent flooding incidents must act as a wake up call, if one

were needed, for Renfrewshire Council, SEPA and the Scottish and UK Governments. As far

as the Council is concerned its climate change group will need to develop a short term and

long term strategy, and give guidance to other council policy boards in terms of their decision

making,

Issues that require swift attention surround improvements to the drainage infrastructure, the

prioritisation of areas particularly prone to flooding ,and the wisdom (or lack of it) in approving

the release of land for development, which is at serious risk of flooding .

POST OFFICE: Following the withdrawal of the postal service in Lochwinnoch, I have been

working with Johnstone Post Office to identify a suitable location for an outreach service that will

operate on 2 half days per week. The service will take several weeks to set up, and I have asked

Renfrewshire Leisure for approval to locate the service in the McKillop which is seen as the most

appropriate location.

McKILLOP HALL: At the time of writing, the completion date for the refurbishment of the

McKillop is January, however previous end dates and time scales have slipped, and therefore I

have asked Renfrewshire Council to seek reassurance from the contractors that there will be no

further delay.

ROAD SAFETY: A report on a new road safety policy for Renfrewshire was submitted to the

Council’s Infrastructure and Environmental Board at the beginning of November. This covers

a whole range of issues, ranging from speeding and traffic calming measures, to a mandatory

20mph speed limit, parking and pedestrian safety. This is undoubtedly a significant report and

can be found on the Council’s website.

The issues outlined are well known to residents in Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch

and the respective Community Councils have been working hard on specific concerns in their

villages. I want the Council to recognise this, and it is important that there is concerted pressure

to ensure the 3 villages are given a fair deal to find solutions which meet local need in regard

to road safety, and that the necessary funding is secured from the Council and the Scottish

Government.

ENDING THE YEAR: It is hard to believe that we are nearing the years end.

I want to place on record my thanks to all the community groups and individuals in Kilbarchan,

Howwood and Lochwinnoch who have worked tirelessly throughout what has been another

difficult year. After the privations of 2020, I hope that the festive season this year will return to

something like normality. Whatever your plans I wish everyone in Kilbarchan Howwood and

Lochwinnoch a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.

I can be contacted on any issue at cllr.derek.bibby@renfrewshire.gov.uk or by phone on 0300

300 1274 or 07534 156007.

Cllr Andy Doig

REFLECTION: As we

approach the Christmas

period the season of Advent

is traditionally a period of

reflection, and I would like to

reflect and thank all community

activists for all that they bring to villages like

Lochwinnoch, Howwood, and Kilbarchan. Be

it as community councillors, litter pickers, youth

group leaders or gala day organisers, I salute

you all for the richness of commitment that you

all contribute to our communities which make

them better places to live. I realise these gifts

are not given for praise, but rarely is praise given

so I want to say thank you.

ROAD SAFETY: I have a very important update

arising from my motion to try and persuade

the Scottish Government to introduce a

national 20mph limit on residential roads

which I promoted at the Full Council meeting

in September this year. The last meeting of the

Land, Environment, and Infrastructure Board

passed a new policy that now Community

Councils can nominate roads in their area for

potential 20mph status. This does not mean

that all proposed will be accepted but it is a

major step forward in giving our villages a

stronger voice to keep our streets safer.

LOOKING OUT: I would also like to wish all my

constituents across the ward, of all faiths and

none, a very happy and joyous Christmas. As

families gather around the tree let us all try and

keep an eye on those, such as the very elderly,

who may have little or no family. Please consider

the vulnerable and less fortunate this Christmas

and do all you can to help them. Family should

be the keynote of every Christmas so please

think of those you have and hold dear, and

those that are no longer with us, but that are

sorely missed.

I do not have advice surgeries in the month of

December, but constituents can get me at any

time either by calling me on 07534 148224, or

e-mailing me at cllr.andy.doig@renfrewshire.

gov.uk. My advice surgeries will resume in

January 2022.


Lochwinnoch Films 4U

Saturday 27th November

Lochbarr, Lochwinnoch

Home Alone (PG) Doors open 2.30pm, Film begins 3pm

Die Hard (15) Doors open 6.30pm, Film begins 7pm

A short movie made by local film makers will precede both showings.

Tickets available from The Wee Shop (no charge for tickets, but donations

will be gratefully accepted). Scottish Government social distancing rules

apply. Please bring your own chair & blankets for warmth. Dress up for

Christmas. Free sweeties at both showings from The Wee Shop.

Lochwinnoch Winter

Wonderland Windows

From the 13th December onwards

(for the 2nd year running) we

will be providing materials to

decorate your windows. Materials

will be made available @ The Wee

Shop and Lochwinnoch Primary

School from 1st December


December 2021 21

Old Library Centre, Kilbarchan

We are pleased to announce that our 2022 Calendar is now available for

purchase. This year the theme is Lilias Day Remembered. There are some

lovely photographs of past Lilias Days. Why not buy one and see if you

or anyone you know are in it? This calendar has been produced by our

wonderful team of volunteers and costs just £4.99.

Kilbarchan NWR

There are several meetings in December - a guess

who baby photo, things which I feel guilty about,

the letter C and especially for Christmas, lunch

in a local restaurant and a Christmas evening on

zoom including the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk. We have a newly

upgraded website and logo, please visit the site for more info: www.nwr.

org.uk or telephone 348627 for more info about the Kilbarchan group.

Kilbarchan Parish Church Guild meets on Tuesday 14th December at

2.30pm in the church hall which will take the form of a Christmas party.

All welcome.

Kilbarchan Parish Church Badminton club meets on Thursdays in the

large hall at 8pm

Langbank SWI

Exciting news – we are having our first concert for a long time. It is on Friday

10th December at 7.30pm. Come along and have a great entertaining

evening with country music band Cimarron. BYOB.

We will be closing on Tuesday 21st December for the Christmas Holiday

and re-opening on 10th January.

We wish all friends and supporters of the Old Library Centre a very Merry

Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Kilbarchan Parish Church in December

Services continue at 11am conducted by Rev Stephen Smith. On 19th

there will be a Family Carol Service at 11am - all welcome. The Christmas

Eve service is at 3.30pm and all families will be made most welcome..

Instead of Christmas day, families will be welcomed on 26th Boxing Day

and children are asked to bring along one of their toys. Looking ahead,

on 2nd January Holy Communion will be celebrated as usual at the

beginning of a new year.

We continue to support the Food Bank every week and from 21st

November - 19th December we are filling a Reverse Advent Calendar – a

large box, each day with “goodies” to be distributed for Christmas.

The church Eco group is hoping to get involved with village organisations

in our bid to do our bit for the planet.

The church has also made donations to St Vincent’s Hospice, Adams House,

Erskine, Renfrewshire Women’s Refuge and Young Carers and recently

many shoeboxes and donations were delivered to Blythswood Care.

The SWI had its first meeting in

Langbank since early 2019.

The overall trophy winner from 2019

was Mrs June Cusiter shown receiving

the Trophy from our Competition

Secretary Mrs Sue Ramsay.

The SWI National Golf Trophy was

won by Marion Dornan and Jackie

Gray, who represented Renfrewshire

at this event In Portpatrick in August.

In November our speaker was the

owner of Fairlie Curved, she came

along with samples of her clothing

range, and told her inspirational

story of how lockdown gave her the

impetus to begin a new business.

Our Christmas Party is on Thursday

16th in the Village Hall at 7.30pm,

supper included, and everyone will

have a chance to craft a fabric tree decoration.

If you have any scraps of Christmas fabric please bring it with you.

Everyone please also bring along a small wrapped Secret Santa gift, and

wear something festive.

All are welcome, you don’t need to be a member.


Affluent Community

Fund

We are delighted to announce

that The Affluent Community Fund

has made a grant award to Create

Paisley.

Create Paisley is a very worthwhile

recipient and does a great job for

our local community. It exists to

deliver on its vision to see ‘young

people transformed through

creativity, community, confidence

and finding their voice’.


December 2021 23

ward 1 - inverclyde

Cllr Stephen McCabe

REMEMBRANCE: I was honoured once again to lay

a wreath on behalf of the Council at the Kilmacolm War Memorial on

Remembrance Sunday. It is important we remember the lessons of

history and never forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect

the freedoms we take for granted today.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: The switch on of the Christmas Lights will take

place on Friday 3rd December, with Quarriers Village at 4pm and

Kilmacolm at 6pm. Hopefully we will have a more normal Christmas

this year.

ENVIRONMENT: The Council has approved an ambitious new strategy

to help it achieve net zero carbon emissions. The strategy was launched

in the run up to the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow last month.

The aim is to cut the amount of greenhouse gases the local authority

produces by almost three-quarters by 2030 and to achieve net zero by

2045, in line with Scottish Government targets.

The new strategy will build on work that has already been done to reduce

the local authority’s carbon footprint by 45% in less than a decade.

There will be extra focus on making buildings more environmentallyfriendly

by replacing end-of-life fossil fuel boilers, installing solar panels

where possible and designing new properties to be net zero.

Greener transport is another key part of the plan with the ongoing switch

to electric vehicles, which now make up nearly 40% of the Council’s

fleet. Currently 97% of Inverclyde street lights have been upgraded to

more energy-efficient LED lamps and the new net zero strategy aims to

convert the remaining 3%.

The plan also focuses on reducing waste, conserving water and raising

awareness of and promoting behaviour change among staff, residents,

businesses and partner organisations. The net zero strategy sets out a

range of plans to examine the use of tidal power from the River Clyde;

hydrogen to fuel boilers and vehicles; advanced thermal insulation;

thermal storage initiatives; peatland restoration; and tree planting. The

new net zero strategy is available to read in full at www.inverclyde.gov.

uk/meetings/meeting/2390.

ELECTIONS: With the Council elections due next year I am keen to

hear from constituents on what they think the Council’s priorities should

be for the next five year term. Details of how to contact me are given

below.

I have an advice surgery in Kilmacolm Community Centre on Tuesday

21st December from 6.30pm -7.30pm. In the meantime you can

contact me directly to discuss any matters that are of concern to you

by telephone on 01475 712020 (during office hours) or by email to

Stephen.McCabe@Inverclyde.gov.uk. Alternatively you can write to me

at 10 Victoria Gardens, Kilmacolm PA13 4HL.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year

when it comes.

Rab Wilson, Kilmacolm artist

OPEN STUDIO - 5th-12th December

Kilmacolm artist Rab Wilson recently graduated

with an Honours Degree in Art from the

University of Creative Arts, Canterbury. Rab is

holding open studio visits from the 5th to the

12th December at his studio in Barr’s Brae where

you can see his degree show. His paintings

are massively scaled up portraits with heavy

texture. Covid restrictions will apply with only

one “bubble” or two people at any time. If you

are interested in viewing his degree show you can arrange a viewing by

contacting mobile: 07415 119754 or emailing: rabwilson@live.com You

can also view his show at his website: www.inyourfaceportraits.co.uk

Local artist Sheena Graham also graduated at the same time as Rab. You

can see Sheena’s work at: www.sheenagraham.co.uk

KEA (Kilmacolm Environment Action)

KEA is going from strength to strength. A couple of us participated in the

COP 26 Global Day of Action, and we now have a committee and series

of talks and workshops planned until next Spring. Topics for the next few

months include: Wildlife Gardening (December), a local bird watching

walk (January), permaculture for children and adults (January), recycling

and upcycling (February) and plant based food ideas (March). If you

are interested in joining the committee/core group, please get in touch.

Contact Sue: ecokilmacolm@gmail.com 01505 874681 or join our KEA

Facebook group.

Monday December 13th @ 7pm - 9pm: KEA, Kilmacolm Community

Centre, Room 101. Talk on Wildlife Gardening for All by Neill Traynor.

Whether you have your own garden, patio or balcony, or are interested in

making community spaces more wildlife friendly, come along and learn lots

of easy and effective ways of increasing biodiversity and helping wildlife

thrive, ranging from creating wildlife ponds, adding some wildlife meadow

to your garden and how to encourage garden birds, bees and butterflies.

Contact: ecokilmacolm@gmail.com or 01505 874681.

Saturday January 8th @ 10am - 11.30am: KEA, Knapps Loch. Bird Walk

with Alex Ash, local ornithologist. Come and enjoy a New Year walk to

discover our local bird life. All welcome. Contact: ecokilmacolm@gmail.

com or 01505 874681.

Friday 28th January: KEA, Venue: to be confirmed. Talk/discussion

on Permaculture for children and adults with Lusi Alderslowe https://

lusialderslowe.wordpress.com/ . Permaculture is a design system for

sustainable living which is about working with nature, to create systems

which are minimum effort for maximum effect. The permaculture ethics

and principles can help you to design anything from growing your own

food to leading activities with children, to retrofitting your house, and much

more.



December 2021 25

Cllr David Wilson

FESTIVITIES: Christmas will not be the same without school

nativities and concerts, it’s a delightful time of the year for

pupils and parents. The latter will miss out on so many

experiences and treasured memories of their children’s

first steps in public performance. My party has called for

new guidance from the Government and the Council to allow schools and

nursery Christmas concerts to go ahead in person. People can attend all

sorts of other events including cinemas. I also believe that it is not beyond

the capabilities of the authorities to organise socially distanced short face

to face parent evenings.

ROADS & PARKING: Parking remains a problem in certain areas of the

village and a request for resident only parking in Moss Road was rejected

by roads officers on the basis that “the Council does not provide resident

only parking anywhere in Inverclyde”. This feeds the desire for more longterm

parking in the village. Roads drainage has suffered from an excess

of leaves and unfortunately our gully clearing motor broke down. I do

thank our road sweepers and residents for their actions that prevented

further flooding. I sincerely hope that River Clyde Homes have cleared

Finlaystone Place. The brown bin collection has been extended for a

further month and I am in favour of having it throughout the winter.

Street lights in Knockbuckle Road have been out for sometime. This is

a Scottish Power problem and at last they seem to be accelerating the

solution. I had a complaint regarding cats eyes on the A761 between

Kilmacolm and Bridge of Weir. Investigation has established that the

problem is on the Renfrewshire section. They have been alerted.

BALROSSIE: The future of Balrossie, a listed building, is in doubt due to

a fire ripping through it. The damage is so severe that it may have to be

demolished. The structural condition of the building is being assessed by

officers. Original glass panels were salvaged from the building 10 years

ago and are now on display in the Cargill Centre in Kilmacolm.

CLYDESMEN: The interim Priest at St Marys Episcopal in Port Glasgow,

Audrey O’Brien Stewart hosted the first Clydesmen meeting for a year.

She regaled us with tales of her father who was a shipbuilder in America.

There were some 80 attending from Kilmacolm, Port Glasgow and

Langbank. It was good to catch up after the absence and thanks to the

ladies of St Marys for a fine purvey.

TRANSPORT: There was a day at COP 26 dedicated to transport. The

Central Station featured hydrogen Trains and Buchanan Street Bus Station

Electric buses. The bus station is, with 56 stances, the largest in the UK.

Bus is vital for public transport but receives only 30p per head subsidy

compared to £8 for rail. Free bus travel for under 22’s from January will

really assist our youngsters in their ability to access education, jobs and

leisure.

It only remains to wish all my constituents a happy peaceful Christmas

and a healthy New Year. My surgery is Boglestone Community Centre

11am to 12pm on the 4th December. I can be contacted at david.wilson@

inverclyde.gov.uk, 01475 741969/713975 and 07766 992294.

Solas Bereavement Drop-in Group

Lost someone you loved? Grief hits us all at some stage in our lives. Some

people can cope with it while others need support, often ongoing.

The group supports those from Kilmacolm and surrounding areas who

have lost a loved one. It doesn’t matter if it was recently or a long time

ago, Solas creates a safe place to talk, to listen and to heal. You will be

supported in processing issues of grief and loss by expert speakers as

well as each other.

Please come and join us, either on your own or with a friend. There is

always a cup of coffee and friendly faces at every meeting. You can join in

at your own pace or just listen to the experiences of others in the Lounge,

Kidston Hall, High Street, on the second Thursday of the month at 2pm.

Next meetings: 9th December, 13th January 2022, 10th February & 10th

March. For more information please call Barbara Marshall on 01505

872417 or email barbara@oochy.com

Cllr Chris Curley

First of all I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy

new Year.

FOOTPATHS: Following representations to me on these

issues by constituents I am pleased to see that Inverclyde

Council officers are proposing to undertake footway works on West Glen

Road between the High Street and Barr’s Brae and thereafter for the

footways are to be formally adopted by Inverclyde Council. There was an

inconsistency here that the roadway was adopted, but the footway was

not, so these works will remedy that. It begs the question how many other

roads are in a similar situation - one for further investigation, given the

desire to promote active travel within our communities.

On that note, I was very pleased to attend a recent meeting of the

Langbank Community Council (LCC) and the Clyde Coastal Path Group

who are interested in extending the Clyde Coastal Path (CCP) along the

banks of the River Clyde from Parklea in Port Glasgow to Langbank. I

strongly welcome this initiative and hope to work with the group to

progress this ambitious proposal.

PLANNING: The proposed housing development on the cycle path in

Bridge of Weir has been in the news recently. I have been long in favour

of retention of this cycle path in its current form as it promotes active

travel and protects the route for possible reintroduction of the railway to

Kilmacolm. I feel this development would be a disaster for these aims,

and accordingly, I have objected to the housing development.

I can be contacted directly to discuss any matters by telephone on 07768

460073/01475 712370, by email to: christopher.curley@inverclyde.gov.

uk or by messaging me via my Facebook page (@Ward1chriscurleySNP).

I am starting up my surgeries in the new Year. My next surgeries will be at

Boglestone Community Centre, Port Glasgow from 6pm to 7pm on the

20th January ‘22 and Kilmacolm New Community Centre 6pm to 7pm on

the 27th January ‘22.


Kilmacolm Co-op Inverclyde Food Bank Donation Bin - Christmas Appeal

Our Christmas meal plans are well underway here at Inverclyde Food Bank and we’re hoping that you can help

us stock-up on the following essential ingredients:

Tinned Meat: Steak Pie, Ham, Corned Beef, Mince, Chicken

Tinned Potatoes and Tinned Vegetables

Tinned Fruit, Tinned Custard, Tinned Creamed Rice Pudding

Fizzy Drinks (non-alcoholic), Crisps, Chocolate Biscuits and Sweeties

Toiletries: let’s look and feel good on Christmas Day

Toothpaste and Toothbrushes, Shampoo and Conditioner, Body Wash, Soap,

Men’s and Ladies Shave Gel and Razors, Deodorant

Child and Baby Toiletries

Inverclyde Food Bank accepts all tinned, jars and packets of food. Inverclyde Food Bank CAN’T accept fresh

food.

Food can be purchased in the Kilmacolm CO-OP or bought elsewhere and brought to the Kilmacolm CO-OP

Donation Bin.

A couple of items from the above Christmas List will help us prepare for an

exceptionally busy festive season at the Food Bank this year.

I can be contacted: JennyMeadows10@outlook.com

Thank you for your

kindness...

Jen x

Kilmacolm Scout

Group Xmas Trees

Kilmacolm Scout Group

will be selling Xmas trees

this year on 4th and 11th

December.

Best trees, best prices,

great cause.

Please feel free to post

a picture of yours on

Facebook if you have one!

Thanks to everyone for

their support over the

years. It has meant a lot

to the group and to our

work with kids from 6 to 18

years.


December 2021 27

coming events

EVENT INFORMATION: Due to Covid restrictions, we STRONGLY ADVISE that you

check with the venue/organiser for updates on these events. Where we can, we will

update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events.

November

MONDAY 1 ST - TUESDAY 30 TH

Teddy Bear Scavenger Hunt

RSPB, Largs Road, Lochwinnoch

10am to 4pm

The cost for this event will be {£3 normal

trail fees apply for non – members £3

adult £1.50 child under 5 free this event

will include an activity bag}. Please ask at

the welcome desk.

SUN 21 ST NOV - FRI 31 ST DEC

Fox Red Art at The Bridge

The Bridge, Main Street, BoW

Featuring local artist, Judith Beattie of Fox

Red Art with a variety of inks, watercolour

and line drawings on display. The

exhibition will feature prints and framed

originals. Open from 10am - 1pm Tues

to Sat, and 10am - 5pm on Mon (Monday

closed at 1pm for 1hr).

THU 25 TH FRI 26 TH SAT 27 TH

KDS Aladdin

Kilmacolm Kidston Hall

Things are hotting up in Widow

Twankey’s laundry. Book your seats

online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/

kilmacolmdramaticcsociety If you have

any queries please contact Rosie Thirde

on 01505 873088 or Mandy Robinson on

07719 309960.

FRIDAY 26 TH

Houston & Killellan

Agricultural Society

Annual Quiz Night

Fleming Road, Houston

Tickets £5, which includes a light supper.

For more information please contact

Isabelle Stuart on 07508 905298 or

email: issistuart@gmail.com

SATURDAY 27 TH

Christmas Coffee Morning

Kilbarchan Parish Church Hall,

Steeple Street

10am to 12noon

With various stalls including homebaking,

preserves and Aloe Vera.

Entrance including mince pies and

shortbread, is £3, children £1.

Paisley Farmers Market

The Cenotaph, Paisley PA1 1BG

10am to 2pm

A huge variety of produce for sale. Take

a walk around with many opportunities to

taste the produce.

Brighter Bridge Of Weir Pop-

Up Shop

Livery Walk, Bridge of Weir

The first fund-raising Pop-Up Shop since

2019 - the group’s now traditional rustic

reindeer will be among the items available

to buy. Check out the group’s Facebook

page for a pre-order option also.

Lochwinnoch Films 4U

Lochbarr Services, Newton of

Barr, Lochwinnoch PA12 4JB

Home Along (PG) Doors open 2.30pm,

Film begins 3pm Die Hard (15) Doors

open 6.30pm, Film begins 7pm. Tickets

available from The Wee Shop.

SATURDAY 27 TH - SUNDAY 28 TH

Helensburgh Winter Festival

Colquhoun Square, Helensburgh

10am to 5pm

Over 70 stalls with 12 hot food units, 50

craft stalls and at least 12 market stalls.

Kiddies fairground rides, a twister ride &

a bungee trampoline. Music and dance

acts featuring many local acts. River

Radio will broadcast live at the event.

Sunday is the Classic Car Show, with a

vintage fire engine!


Christmas Art Exhibition &

Craft Fair

Stables Studio, Broomberry

Drive, Gourock PA19 1QB

12noon to 5pm

Greenock Art Club are hosting a

Christmas Art Exhibition and Craft Fair.

Free to attend.

SUNDAY 28 TH

Erskine Riverside Market

Erskine Riverside Market

Kilpatrick Drive, Erskine PA8 7AF

10am to 4pm

Running on the last Sunday of each month

with a blend of Fresh produce, unique

gifts, handmade items & street food.

St. Vincent’s Hospice

Light Up A Life

virtual event

4.30pm

Join us for our virtual Light up a Life service,

details available on www.facebook.com/

StVincentsHospice Service includes

music, readings & reflections with a

switch on of hundreds of lights on the

magnificent tree in the Hospice garden

in Howwood. Dedicate a virtual star in

memory of someone special via the St.

Vincent’s Hospice website - www.svh.

co.uk or make a donation to the work of

the hospice via the website.

TUESDAY 30 TH

Ladies Fellowship Meetings

Kilmacolm Guide Hut

2.15pm to 3.30pm

Invitation to Grace Church Kilmacolm

Ladies Fellowship November meetings,

alternate Tuesdays. Marion Cunningham

(Tearfund)


Kilbarchan Trio Launch Art Exhibition In

Glasgow’s West End

A trio of artists from Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, are launching an art

exhibition in Glasgow’s West End.

The exhibition,

entitled Triple

Exposure, will

run from Friday

3rd December

until Sunday

5th December

at Partickhill

Bowling Club

and Community

Centre. It will

feature a selection

of artwork

from Artists Liz

MacKinlay, Margaret Borthwick, and Maryel FitzRandolph.

The trio have been painting together at local art classes, clubs, and in

nature for eight years, and are delighted to have on display and for sale a

range of their pieces that illustrate the individual styles and points of view

of each woman as an artist.

Artist Profiles

TV costume designer and art teacher Liz MacKinlay is exhibiting some of

her water colours alongside her felting and embroidery. A keen sailor,

some of Liz’s works are inspired by her voyages around the West Coast

of Scotland.

Former Johnstone GP and current student with the Open College of Art

Margaret Borthwick, is primarily interested in landscape painting inspired

by local spots including Glennifer Braes and Castle Semple. Margaret’s

work often explores detail in fungi, textures of tree bark, and shapes of

tangled tree branches in oils, pen and wash, and acrylic inks

Canadian-born Maryel FitzRandolph was brought up on an apple farm

in Nova Scotia which bred a keen interest in nature. Maryel often paints

scenes from nature including trees, landscapes, and flowers in oils and

watercolours. She is also inspired by her travels including trips to Nepal

and Antarctica.

Cards by another local artist, Judith Beattie, will also be available to view

and purchase.

Commenting on the forthcoming launch, Maryel FitzRandolph said; “As

three friends with a shared passion for art, we are delighted to have the

opportunity to exhibit together at such a beautiful venue.

“We very much look forward to welcoming visitors to our exhibition and

hope they gain enjoyment and inspiration from our works on display.”

Christmas Fayre

Paisley & District JNI Scout Group Christmas Fayre on Sunday 12th

December, 1.30pm to 3.30pm, Entry £1 adults 50p children

Stalls £10 per table + donation to raffle

The Bield, 40 Broomlands Street, Paisley PA1 2NP


December 2021 29

TUESDAY 30 TH

Donations of Christmas Gifts

for Children of Prisoners

West Halls Main Street Houston

PA6 7EL

(next to Carrick Centre and Village Hall)

10am to 12noon, 7pm - 8pm

Please give generously and support

us again this Christmas. Please donate

NEW unwrapped gifts in open gift bags,

with an indication of age, and boy or girl.

december

WEDNESDAY 1 ST

Festive Art by the Burn

Fox & Hounds Car Park, Main

Street, Houston

11am to 7pm

Art and Craft traders, live painting demos,

hot drinks, and delicious pub grub. Plus

a few treats in store for the kiddies and

musical performances by the local school

children ... get some hand crafted gifts for

your loved ones. www.facebook.com/

events/292622149383858

FRIDAY 3 RD - SATURDAY 4 TH

A “Not So” Silent Night

Johnstone Baptist Church,

Walkinshaw Street, Johnstone

PA5 8QL 7pm

With Johnstone Phoenix Theatre Group

(amateur). Doors open 7pm, curtains

up 7.30pm. Book tickets on: 07748

827727 (Tues - Fri 6pm - 9pm) or e:

johnstonephoenix@gmail.com Tickets

£10.

FRIDAY 3 RD - SUNDAY 5 TH

TRIPLE EXPOSURE ART

EXHIBITION

Partick Hill Bowling &

Community Club, 46 Partickhill

Road, Glasgow G11 5BY

Featuring a selection of artwork from local

Kilbarchan artists Liz MacKinlay, Margaret

Borthwick, and Maryel FitzRandolph.

Pieces are also available to purchase.

Opening Hours: 7pm - 9pm on Fri 3rd,

1pm - 6pm on Sat 4th and Sun 5th.

SATURDAY 4 TH

Kilmacolm Farmers Market

Kilmacolm Community Centre,

Lochwinnoch Road, Kilmacolm

10am to 2pm

Held on the first Saturday each month

featuring a great selection of local

Scottish produce! Please wear face

masks or scarves. Hand sanitizer at the

entrance for you to use. Looking forward

to seeing everyone!


Christmas Art Exhibition &

Craft Fair

Stables Studio, Broomberry

Drive, Gourock PA19 1QB

12noon to 5pm

Greenock Art Club are hosting a

Christmas Art Exhibition and Craft Fair.

Free to attend.

SUNDAY 5 TH

St Vincent’s Hospice

“Christmas Sparkler Ladies’

Lunch

The Radisson Blu, 301 Argyle

Street, Glasgow G2 8DL

Glass of fizz on arrival, browse and shop

our exclusive selection of hospice popup

shops, with a delicious three-course

lunch and an afternoon of great fun and

entertainment. For further information

or to purchase tickets please call: 01505

705635 or e: info@svh.co.uk

SUNDAY 5 TH - SUNDAY 12 TH

Rab Wilson - Open Studio Visits

Barr’s Brae Kilmacolm

View Rab’s degree show by contacting:

07415 119754 or e: rabwilson@live.com

or www.inyourfaceportraits.co.uk

THURSDAY 9 TH

Solas Bereavement Group

Kidston Hall, High St, Kilmacolm

2pm

Lost someone you loved? The Group

supports those from Kilmacolm and

surrounding areas who have lost a loved

one. For more information please call

Barbara Marshall on 01505 872417 or

email barbara@oochy.com

FRIDAY 10 TH

Cimarron Concert

Old Library Centre, 9 High

Barholm, Kilbarchan 7.30pm

Come along and have a great

entertaining evening with country music,

band Cimarron. BYOB. Tel: 01505

706070. Email: kipcokil@hotmail.com.

Charity Ref no: SCO31251

FRIDAY 10 TH - SATURDAY 11 TH

Wizard of Oz Pantomime

Renfrew North Church,

14 Renfield St, Renfrew PA4 8RG

7pm

Performances: Friday at 7pm, Saturday

at 2pm & 7pm. Tickets £9 adults, £7

children under 16 & concession. www.

jazzhandsglasgow.co.uk/wizard-of-oz

FRIDAY 10 TH - FRIDAY 31 ST

Cinderella

Beacon Arts Centre, Custom

House Quay, Greenock

Get your tickets for the biggest ball in

town! The Baroness Demonica and the

Wicked Stepsisters Senga and Sadie treat

poor Cinderella appallingly but perhaps

with the help of her best friend Buttons

and the Fairy Godmother she will find

that dreams can come true... Book now

for the show that proves that a pair of

shoes really can change your life! https://

www.beaconartscentre.co.uk/events/

cinderella-2021

SATURDAY 11 TH

Paisley Farmers Market

The Cenotaph, Paisley PA1 1BG

10am to 2pm

A huge variety of produce for sale. Take

a walk around with many opportunities to

taste the produce.

SUNDAY 12 TH

Renfrew Market

Robertson Park, Longcroft Drive,

Renfrew

10am to 4pm

2nd Sunday of each month. Showcasing

fresh produce, artisan crafts, unique gifts

and street food from local businesses!

Come down and support small and local

businesses!

SUNDAY 12 TH

Christmas Fayre - Paisley &

District JNI Scout Group

The Bield Scout Hall, 40

Broomlands St, Paisley PA1 2NP

1.30pm to 3.30pm

Pop along and see what festive goodies

you can pick up! Entry £1 adults 50p

children. Stalls £10 per table + donation

to raffle.

MONDAY 13 TH

Lochwinnoch Winter

Wonderland Windows

Lochwinnoch Cross

From the 13th December onwards we

will be providing materials to decorate

your windows. Available @ The Wee

Shop and Lochwinnoch Primary School

from 1st December.

MONDAY 13 TH - THURSDAY 16 TH

Houston Kirk Postie

West Halls Main Street Houston

PA6 7EL

(next to Carrick Centre and Village Hall)

10am to 12noon, 7pm - 8pm

For a donation of only 30p per card,

the Kirk Postie will deliver anywhere in

Houston, Crosslee or Brookfield. Delivery

guaranteed by Monday 20th December .

(Or take your cards to Church on Sunday

12th December). Raising funds for St

Vincent’s Hospice

SATURDAY 18 TH

Bishopton & Dargavel

Farmers Market

Bishopton Train Station Car Park,

off Birch Road

10am to 2pm

A farmers market full of the best locally

produced produce. Full compliment

of stalls plus Fish from Oban, Taste of

Espana, Three Sisters Bake, and All things

Nice for home made chutneys and

preserves. 3rd Saturday every month.


Wednesday 8th

December



December 2021 31

Panto season is back! oh yes it is

Cinderella

Fri 10th to Fri 31st December

Beacon Arts Centre

https://www.beaconartscentre.

co.uk/events/cinderella-2021

PACE announcement

Wizard of Oz Panto

Fri 10th & Sat 11th December

Renfrew North Church PA4 8RG.

https://www.jazzhandsglasgow.

co.uk/wizard-of-oz

As a registered charity, we are hugely dependent on ticket sales to

subsidise the work we do with young people throughout the year. Over

95% of our income comes from ticket sales and fees, meaning that we

have been especially hard hit during the pandemic, and the loss of panto

from our schedule for a second year running will leave a massive hole in

our funds.

If you are a regular audience member, please consider making a donation

here: https://www.pacetheatre.com/donate/. Or to donate £10, text

PACE to 70191.

A Not So Silent Night

Old Johnstone Baptist Church,

Walkinshaw St, Johnstone PA5 8QL.

Frid 3rd and Sat 4th December

To book: 07748 827727 (Tuesday

- Friday 6pm - 9pm) or email:

johnstonephoenix@gmail.com

Since March 2020 the Group

have been unable to bring their

usual cheer to the community,

but rehearsals are well underway

for “A Not So Silent Night” their

Christmas concert which will be

the groups’ first performance since

Alice in Pantoland in December

2019. Everyone involved with

the Group is super excited and

looking forward to getting back on

stage to bring some Christmas joy

to Johnstone!

Thurs 25th - Sat 27th November

www.ticketsource.co.uk/

kilmacolmdramaticcsociety

Festive Fun comes to Johnstone this winter

Johnstone will be full of Christmas cheer this winter with festive characters making appearances

in the town centres on 27th November and 11th December between 12noon and 4pm.

Cheeky elves, giant nutcrackers and Christmas candles will be among the characters spreading

festive cheer to locals and visitors. They’ll be handing out tokens that can be exchanged in

local businesses for special offers or discounts, giving residents a chance to get a head start

on their Christmas shopping.

Johnstone Sound will be on site in the Houstoun Square bandstand playing all your festive

favourites.

To find out more visit: www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/festive-fun


Paisley’s Big Christmas Weekends

Free family entertainment each weekend in December leading up

to Christmas with Festive Stilt Walkers, Magicians, Jugglers, Balloon

modellers, face painting, music and lots more!

Get your skates on for our roller rink at County Square from Saturday 4th

– Sunday 19th December.

Plus, Santa’s Reindeer will also be in town on Saturday 4th and Saturday

11th December.

Make the most of the weekend Christmas Market or enjoy the free family

trail – find all the Christmas characters for your chance to win prizes!

Or why not book the Pop up Panto, Wee Red Riding Hood, taking place

on Saturday 18th December at Coats Venue.

Paisley’s Christmas Golden Ticket Competition is back with £500 of Paisley

town centre gift vouchers up for grabs for four lucky winners!

See www.paisleyfirst.com for details and how to book our Roller Rink and

Pop-up Panto.


December 2021 33

schools & Sports

St. Fillan’s Primary School

Celebrating Diversity:

During the month of November,

each class has been participating

in a ‘Celebrating Differences and

Diversity’ topic as part of our work

around health and wellbeing.

The children have been learning

about important issues such as

acceptance, tolerance, respect,

empathy, kindness and many

more. They have also been

learning about the issues related

to cyber bullying and how they can

keep themselves and others safe

within the online environment.

The whole school designed a fish

and we created a display as a sign

of our commitment to respecting

and celebrating our differences and appreciating that we are part of the

same family who should look after one another. We entitled our display

with the heading: ‘We may all be different fish, but in this school, we swim

together!’

Reading Schools Framework:

This school session, we have committed to becoming a fully fledged

member of the ‘Reading Schools’ initiative which runs in partnership with

the ‘Scottish Book Trust.’

The initiative operates at a bronze, silver and

gold level and we have been involved in

making decisions as a school community as

to how we can continue to promote a love

of reading and books. The ‘Literacy Class

Committee’ decided to create lanyards and

badges for the staff and children to wear

encouraging everyone to start conversations

about the books they are reading. It has

been amazing to see the wide range of

preferences in genre and the enthusiasm

shown for favourite books and authors!

We look forward to continuing on our

journey to help raise the profile of reading

in our school and beyond!

BoW Primary School

In September, P5 - 7 classes were asked by the Gryffe Valley Rotary Club

to design posters inspired by climate change to be entered into a COP

26 competition. The aim was to make posters which had a stand out,

clear environmental message. The Rotary Club picked 5 of our posters.

They were designed by Millie Connell, Kathryn Johnson, Niamh Mackie,

Alexander Higgins, and Lilli Lahdelma, and each of them received a

certificate to recognise their achievement.

In total there were more than 3,800 entries from schools as far apart as

Cornwall and the Isle of Mull. The standard of entry was outstanding

and the independent judges had a very difficult task in selecting the top

3 designs, and 19 which were highly recommended. All of them were

displayed at COP 26.

We are very proud to announce that one of our entries was classed as

‘Highly Commended’. Created by Alexander Higgins in P7, it can be seen

in the departure area of Glasgow Airport. Well done, Alexander!

We want to say a huge thank you to all the children who submitted posters.

There was a lot of great artwork and thought-provoking ideas.

Book Recommendations

This month’s book recommendation comes from our Headteacher, Mrs

Bell.

“My favourite fantasy book is The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was published

in 1937 and has the amazing characters of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Gollum,

Smaug (the dragon), Bard the Bowman and all the dwarves!

I also love The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It was published in

1961 and has an unusual land with two cities called Dictionopolis and

Digitopolis. The main character, Milo, is bored and doesn’t like to learn

until he travels from his ordinary home to this fantasy world.

Happy reading!


St Columba’s School

Philanthropy is very much a part of the Columban ethos and the months

leading up to Christmas are always characterised by an array of charity

and fundraising efforts, not to mention community events.

We were delighted to host Kilmacolm’s Scarecrow Festival again this year.

Organised by our Holiday Clubs Manager, Mrs Duncan, in partnership

with Kilmacolm Community Council, a staggering 50+ scarecrows

popped up all over the village. Thank you to everyone who got involved

by making scarecrows or by following the trail!

As this article goes to print, our SVI boys are raising awareness of suicide

prevention by supporting Movember - some of their moustaches are looking

very impressive! In their first week, the boys raised over £500! See social

media for the final sum raised and progress photos of their facial adornments!

SII pupil, Erin, made the significant decision

to donate her very long, very lovely hair

to The Little Princess Trust which makes

wigs for children who have lost theirs

through serious illness. Erin also raised a

staggering sum for the charity: £3050! We

are very proud Erin for this altruistic act and

her commitment to fundraising.

In November, the Junior School launched its Compassionate Christmas Charity

Appeal. This year, families from Early Years to J6 can help us support Children

In Poverty Inverclyde with their Christmas Present Appeal and the Inverclyde

Foodbank. Both causes offer much-needed help at a very challenging time of

year. We are delighted to be able to help local families in need.

COP 26 offered pupils plenty of learning opportunities. On the eve of this

momentous summit, J5 visited the new Inverclyde wind farm. Equipped

with a compass and knowledge of how to keep themselves and others

safe outdoors, the class ensured they took nothing but memories and left

nothing but footsteps.

Members of our award-winning Pipe Band were invited to play for the

Prime Minister of India. Matt, Cayla, Finlay G and Finlay D wrote about

this incredible

experience in

a lively account

which is currently

on our website.

Accomplished

SVI singer, Cara,

performed with

RSNO Junior

Chorus in the

official COP 26

Green Zone in

the atrium at

Glasgow Science

Centre. A thrilling

experience!

Well done to

Eliza and Daisy (Transitus) whose posters wowed the judges in the Gryffe

Valley Rotary COP 26 Poster Competition. Eliza’s design was selected as

the best in school and will proceed to the next stage of the competition,

meanwhile Daisy was the runner-up with her fabulous entry.

SVI pupil, Ryan attended The Herald’s Roundtable event in Glasgow. The

event was chaired by the editor of the newspaper and involved a Q&A

with a panel on Sustainability in Education. Ryan made some noteworthy

contributions and was interviewed with others at the end of the event.

@stcolumbasschool (FB & Insta) / @StColSchool (Twitter)

Houston Primary School

Remembrance Day Poppy Pebbles

Primary 7 pupils have been learning about Armistice.

They created their own poppy pebbles and placed

them at the War Memorial in the village.

Fundraising

At this time of year when online spending is at a peak

we would very much appreciate it if you can help us by

collecting free donations each time you shop online. Visit

easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/houstonpsc/ to register

Gardening Club Sunflowers

Our inter-generational gardening team have lots of

patience. Here they are extracting the seeds from

the flower head and putting them into envelopes

to sell to the keen gardeners of Houston Primary.

They will also keep some of the seeds to plant next

year in the school grounds. What a team!

Violins for St.Vincent’s

Miss Greenlees and her team of violinists have

recorded some music for St. Vincent’s Hospice to

play as part of their Light Up a Life project. The

sound was truly wonderful.


December 2021 35

Duchal Nursery School

We had great fun creating our “Room on the Broom” witch

scarecrow as part of the fantastic Scarecrow Trail around

the village – a wonderful occasion for the whole community

to enjoy. The children have really embraced the Julia

Donaldson topics and the connected learning. There were

some tremendously spook-tacular outfits for our Halloween

party with much fun and laughter from the children and

teachers alike!

A big thank you to some

of our former pupils who

have helped transfer

our outdoor learning

area in preparation for

delivery of a new mud

kitchen and teaching

facility. The children

were delighted with

the upgrade and it

really demonstrates

the strength of the Duchal family when former pupils are so

happy to remain involved.

Whatever the weather the

Duchal children can be seen

out and about in their red

jackets around the park. We

are so lucky that the nursery

is surrounded by such a

lovely space, giving the

children the opportunity to

explore and learn outside.

Detective skills were used in

abundance in a recent scavenger hunt on a beautiful autumnal

day as they discovered a real variety of fauna and flora.

With the advance of the winter we can already feel the

excitement building towards the festive season! Christmas

decorations are busily being made and preparations are well

underway for our annual Nativity and Christmas Party.

Applications for free funded places for August 2022 onwards

will be issued early in the New Year so please do get in touch

if you would like to apply. The nursery is now open 8am –

6pm each day offering quality specialist pre school care for

all 3 – 5yr olds.

We are happy for visits to see our facilities and meet the

teachers, please contact us on: 01505 874358 or email:

info@duchal.com to arrange a convenient time. Also visit our

website at: www.duchal.com or find us on Facebook to keep

up to date with all the latest news

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas from all at Duchal Nursery.

Beat the Street Renfrewshire winners

Renfrew shire has successfully managed to Beat the Street!

The game took place across the areas of Bridge of Weir, Elderslie, Houston,

Howwood, Kilbarchan, Linwood, Johnstone and Lochwinnoch and invited local

residents of all ages to walk, cycle and wheel as far as possible during the six-week

challenge in return for prizes. More than 6,300 people signed up and collectively

clocked up 53,100 active travel miles. The winners are:

Schools – total points:

Fordbank Primary School


Thorn Primary School

Auchenlodment Primary School

Schools - average points:

Thorn Primary School

Fordbank Primary School

Howwood Primary School


Community & workplace teams – total points:

Active Communities

4th Johnstone GB

Southend Smoothies

Community & workplace teams – average points:

Active Communities

4th Johnstone GB

Southend Smoothies

Small teams – total points

The Wild Girls

Individual leaderboard

Oddball

Empowered:

Riverbrae School

Additionally, thanks to the participation

of all players, the MND Scotland charity

received a donation of £500.

The game has inspired local people to get outside, become more active and to

leave the car at home wherever possible, with the hope that this will continue

outside of the game too.

Find out more at www.beatthestreet.me/renfrewshire / social media @RenfrewshireBTS

Bridge of Weir Rainbows

We’ve had a busy few weeks with 13 new girls being welcomed into what we do

at Rainbows when we returned in September. Everyone has been working hard to

learn their Promise and have started

earning badges. All enjoyed a

fabulous Hallowe’en scavenger hunt

where we used our imaginations

so that our hall became our ‘virtual’

house.

Girlguiding Bridge of Weir is still

looking for volunteers to help with

Rainbows and Brownies. If you could

spare a few hours, please register to

find out more at girlguiding.org.uk/

interested



December 2021 37

Howwood Primary School

Pupils from Primary 5/4 at Howwood Primary School have been engaged in a fun-filled, action packed

engineering topic that has encompassed bridge building, construction, electrics and circuits, car

building and electrics, and sustainability and renewable energy.

Most recently children took part in a virtual STEM event delivered by a local charity called

SmartSTEMS. SmartSTEMS organise and host events with the aim of inspiring and engaging

young people aged 10-14 with the range of careers in the four STEM pillars – Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics.

During the session pupils had the opportunity to have a question & answer session with two engineers.

Pupils were then challenged by having to construct the highest possible tower using spaghetti. To

end the session pupils had to come up with solutions to some world challenges and present their thinking to the class in the form of a poster.

Pupils loved the session and have been inspired further into thinking about STEM careers as shown by some of the positive feedback:

Isla: ‘It was brilliant! I loved making the

spaghetti tower, challenging but fun.’

Eva: ‘I’m really interested in all of the

different jobs in engineering now.’

Emily: ‘It was really interesting learning

about the different jobs in engineering.’

Coire: ‘This has made me want to

be an engineer more, I’m inspired.’

Finlay: ‘I liked everything, especially

meeting ‘actual’ engineers!’

Sam: ‘I’m really interested in joining

the RAF!’

Olivia: ‘I enjoyed learning about

different things and asking

questions to the engineers.’

The Ginger Cat Children’s Bookshop

Rona Simpson chats with owner, Aileen Jeffrey

1. What made you decide to open a bookshop?

Opening a bookshop seemed more of an ‘out of reach

dream’ that I had than anything else, then one night my

husband and I were discussing what we would do if we won the lottery

and I told him that I would open a bookshop, his reply was ‘well why

can’t you, why don’t you look into it?’ And so with a little help from the

Business Gateway and Transmit Startups it began to look like more of an

achievable dream. With my husband Bryan now working from home it

gives us much more flexibility with childcare. As a Health Visitor I knew

that I wanted to focus on a children’s bookshop, the benefits of reading to

children are huge, through promoting brain development, relationships

and supporting language acquisition. For older children reading can

further learning and be a form of escapism. I will be stocking books from

birth to young adult and will also have some parenting books in stock.

There aren’t many independent bookshops within the UK at present, but

the numbers are starting to increase which is such a positive thing.

2. Who is your favourite children’s author?

At the moment my favourite children’s author is Matt Haig, I enjoy reading

his adult books and it has become a family tradition that I read one of his

children’s books to the children each year at Christmas, which is lovely.

There are so many great authors, but Julia Donaldson is brilliant at what

she does, I love the rhyming and repetition within her books.

3. Do you have a favourite illustrator?

My favourite illustrator would have to be Tony Ross, partly because my son

absolutely loves his illustrations in the David Walliams books, but he is just

such a phenomenal illustrator. My favourite illustrated children’s book is ‘We’re

Going on a Bear Hunt’ with illustrations by Helen Oxenbury, I loved reading this

book to my children, it’s incredibly captivating and has such beautiful imagery.

4. Were you a ‘bookworm’ as a kid? And

do you think children’s books have changed

since you were young?

I was definitely a bookworm when I was

younger; I loved nothing more than going

into a bookshop or the library and getting

new books. Children have such a variety of

books to choose from and there are many

more books available now that are factually

based but appealing for younger readers

such as the ‘Little People, Big Dreams series’.

5. Can you remember a book or story when you were little that made a

big impression on you?

I remember being in school and I think I was in primary 3, the teacher read

‘James and the Giant Peach’ by Roald Dahl to the class and I loved it, it was

always the part of the day that I looked forward to. I remember escaping

into the story and picturing the scenes in my head. It’s one of the reasons

that I would love to link in with the local schools and nurseries.

6. Where did the name ‘Ginger Cat Bookshop’ come from?

The ‘Ginger Cat’ name came from our ginger cat called Peanut, he is the

most loving family pet and I couldn’t think of a better name for the shop.

7. Will you be selling other items as well as books?

As well as books I will be selling some other children’s products such as Orchard

games and some eco-friendly toys. I’ll also have gift cards, gift wrap and notebooks.

8. When will you be open, and can you tell us your opening hours (We

can’t wait to have a browse!)?

I hope to be open by the end of November all going well, but I will

definitely be open for December with lots of lovely Christmas stock.

My address is 8 Stewart Place, Kilmacolm (nextdoor to Decorus)

Opening local hours community, will be Mon-Fri local business, 9am-5pm local and Sat life 10am-4pm ......... 38


December 2021 39

Old Ranfurly Ladies Section

On Friday 12th November Old Ranfurly

Ladies held the social highlight of the

ladies golfing year. Donning our glad

rags 40 ladies enjoyed a delicious

four course dinner courtesy of our

caterers Stewart Catering. Heading

the night at our top table was our out

going lady captain Suzanne Smith and

members of the committee. As there

was no prize giving last year ladies who

were winners years 2019-2020 were

celebrated before the dinner.

Some of our 2019-2020 successful

trophy winners included: Sandra Bell -

Anne Lavety Memorial Trophy, Suzanne

Smith - Wilma Aitken Birdie Trophy,

Linda Anderson - Mary Simpson Salver,

Stephanie Watson - Wilma Aitken Rose

Bowl & Centenary Trophy, Paula Adam

& Gillian Lavety - Grace Campbell

Salver. The club championship last

year was won by Marilyn Muir.

This years winners included 2020-2021

current club champion Jen Owen

with Hazel Kirkland winning Bronze

Sheild. The Satterford Trophy was

won by Marlyn Muir. A selection of our

other winners included; Anne Lavety

Memorial Trophy - Susan McFall, Wilma

Aitken Birdie Trophy - Marlyn Muir, Mary

Simpson Salvor - Maureen Taggart,

Centenary Trophy - Gillian Downie,

Grace Campbell Salvor - Sandra Bell &

Valerie MacKinnon, Fiona McCrudden

- Rookie Trophy. Congratulations to all

our winners. The guest speaker was Dr

Marion Downie who entertained the

ladies with a very amusing after dinner

speech. All our appreciation is due to

ladies committee, catering and bar

staff. Funds were raised for our chosen

charities this year MND and Alzheimer’s.

The prize was a delicious cheese and

wine hamper. A very memorable and

enjoyable evening was had by all. Let’s

hope there will be many more to come

as our ladies section goes from strength

to strength every year!!

Stephanie Watson - winner of the

2019/20 Wilma Aitken Rose Bowl &

Centenary Trophy

Gillian Lavety - winner of the

2019/20 Grace Campbell Salver

Jen Owen - winner of the

2020/21 Bronze Shield

Fiona McCrudden - winner of the

2020/21 Rookie Trophy

Kilmacolm Golf Club

Junior member Alfie Hammond had a fantastic

end to the season by retaining the Monikie Cup

and winning the Junior Golf Scotland Tour Final

at Carnoustie. It was a close tussle with Ben

Paling in the Monikie Cup after the initial 18 hole

final was tied, so a re-match was set up with both

boys playing below their handicap but it was

Alfie who triumphed in the end.

With the night’s drawing in and the weather

not always being conducive to dry golf we are

delighted to be launching our Winter Simulator

Competition being held in our two bay indoor golf studio sponsored by

Vanilla Square. This will give members the opportunity to play competitive

golf in the comfort and warmth of the clubhouse over the winter period.

We are delighted to be able to hold our Annual Dinners and Prizegivings again

in December after the restrictions prohibited this in 2020 and we can’t wait to

welcome members to the clubhouse and recognise this year’s winners.

Remember the clubhouse and studio are still open and Neil is still providing

catering, so please come up to the club to enjoy coffee and cake or a bite

for lunch even if the weather isn’t always too kind for golf!

Finally, the lady members are delighted with the recent refurbishment of

their locker room.

Langbank Primary

School

Maths Week Scotland

Langbank Primary had a fantastic time

celebrating Maths Week Scotland. This

year the theme was ‘Our World’ and we

chose to focus on outdoor learning and

problem solving.

We were delighted to have Mrs Johnson, our Renfrewshire RAiSE officer,

leading STEM activities outdoors for all of our classes. Each class explored

problem solving activities and discussed strategies for finding solutions.

We are developing our growth mindset and enjoying learning from our

mistakes as we investigate maths problems. We used Twitter to celebrate

our achievements during the week and were rewarded with a £50 prize

from the Renfrewshire Attainment

team which we will use to develop

numeracy and mathematics further.

Last, but not least, we are thrilled

to announce that Jude North in P1

won the ‘In the Wild’ category in the

national Maths Inside photography

competition. Congratulations again

Jude!


Kilmacolm Tennis Club

Two annual

events in one

year!

At Kilmacolm

Tennis Club

we gave

our players

two chances

to win the

annual Ruth

Campbell

(over 35

mixed

doubles)

competition

this year.

The 2020

competition

was hotly

contested

in June and

won by Paul

and Anne. In

September

Ken and

Marlyn took

the 2021 trophy.

2020 Ruth Campbell Finalists from left to right Sandra Winter,

Charles Hamilton, Paul Holbrook & Anne Hunter

2021 Ruth Campbell Finalists from left to right Ken MacFarlane,

Marlyn Pollock, Douglas Carnegie & Anne Hunter

The Club Championships took place on the 2nd October.

The winners were as follows:

Ladies Singles - Eleanor Cochran; Mens Singles - Steven Lucas; Ladies

Doubles - Liz Reid & Gillian Finch; Mens Doubles - Sandy Wilson & Joe

O’Donnell; Mixed Doubles - Liz Mosin & Steven Lucas; Ladies Seniors

Doubles - Nicky Stirrup & Helen Abram; Mens Seniors Doubles - Doug

McNicol & Paul Holbrook; Mixed Double Seniors - Liz Reid & Steven

Reid.

Tennis is back in full swing now with plenty of opportunities to play all week

and coaching offered by Melissa Stewart, LTA Level 4 Senior Club Coach,

https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/MelissaStewartTennis Club information and

membership forms can be found at www.kilmacolmtennis.co.uk

From October until April ‘22 pro rata membership rates will apply, please

email kilmacolmtc@gmail.com for further information. Subscriptions for

5 months November - March 31st 2022 are as follows:- Family - £173 |

Senior - £60 | Junior aged 10-17 & Students - £23, Junior aged 7-9 - £34

| Mini - aged 6 and under - £13.


Regular Meet Classes

Reebok Step Class

Tuesday 6.45pm Freelands Church,

Main Street, Bridge of Weir (Opposite

Amaretto). Miss the Original Reebok

Step Class? Then come along for fun,

fabulous music, full body workout,

feel fantastic!

Contact Mo 07505 126416 for more

details and to book (limited spaces

available).

Little Down Dogs Yoga

Howwood (Parish Church):

Tues - After School Yoga - 3.30pm

Thursday - Adults Yoga - 6.15pm or

7.30pm

Houston: (Compass Centre)

Monday - After School Yoga - 3.45pm

(Strathgryffe Tennis Club)

Tuesday - Adults Yoga - 9.30am

Friday - Pre School Yoga - 1.30pm

Kilmacolm (KNCC):

Thursday - Yoga HIIT - 9.30am

For more information please contact

Jackie on 07977 139251

jackie@littledowndogs.co.uk

Jennifer Sloan

Physiotherapy Led Pilates

Kilmacolm Community Centre,

Wednesdays at 6.15pm - 7.15pm &

7.30pm - 8.30pm

Thursdays at 9.30am - 10.30am

For more information or to book a class

call Jennifer 07731 303709 or email:

jennifer-mcghee@hotmail.co.uk

Clyde Physiotherapy

Pilates classes

All classes held in St Machars church

hall, Bridge of Weir. Monday 9.30am,

10.40am and 7pm. Booking essential.

Zoom option also available.

For more information or to book

contact Yvonne on 07786 224367

or yvonne@clydephysiotherapy.

co.uk

Zumba

Monday 10am in Freelands Church, Main

Street, Bridge of Weir (Opposite Amaretto).

Come along, have fun to fantastic music

and feel FAB. All fitness levels welcome.

For more information contact Mo 07505

126416.

Move it or Lose it!

A warm welcome awaits you. Come and

meet your friendly instructor and see what

FABS can do for you.

Easy to follow exercises which can be done

seated or standing. Flexibility, Aerobic,

Balance and Strength (FABS) exercises.

With music to spark memories! Come and

join the fun and make new friends.

Classes in Gourock, Greenock, BoW,

Kilmacolm, Houston and Kilbarchan. First

class is free for new members, booking

essential!

If you would like to join the fun please contact:

Fiona 07811 766672 or www.moveitorloseit.

co.uk or moveitorloseitwithfiona on

Facebook

Move it or Lose it!

Wear it Pink!

Last month we raised £400 for

Breast Cancer Now! A huge

thank you to all who donated from

our classes in Renfrewshire and

Inverclyde. A special thank you to

Anne McNeil from our Bridge of

Weir class who dyed her hair pink

for the occasion and raised £55!

Well done Anne!

Many of the classes

which usually feature

in this section have been

unable to resume for the

time being.

Check out previous Advertizers

or our website for various class

details and contact information.

December 2021 41

out & about

Renfrewshire: Potential boundary changes

The region is currently covered by two Westminster seats – Paisley

and Renfrewshire North, represented by Gavin Newlands, and

Paisley and Renfrewshire South, where Mhairi Black is the MP.

But the Boundary Commission for Scotland (BCS) is seeking views

on proposals to split the area into three new seats, with some voters

being cut off and placed in an Inverclyde constituency.

It forms part of a wider plan to reduce the number of MPs in Scotland

from 59 to 57, which means the average electorate size in each

constituency will rise as they become geographically larger.

The three new constituencies would be called Renfrew North,

Renfrew South, and Inverclyde and Bridge of Weir.

People living in Houston, Crosslee and Bridge of Weir would witness

one of the biggest changes, as they join the Inverclyde constituency.

Meanwhile, those in nearby Brookfield and Linwood would be in

Renfrew South, voting for a different MP.

Currently, all those areas are part of the Paisley and Renfrewshire

North seat.

Renfrew North would consist of Renfrew, Erskine, Inchinnan, Bishopton

and parts of Paisley but would also include Hillington and Cardonald.

Renfrew South would cover the remaining parts of Paisley, as well as

Johnstone, Kilbarchan, Elderslie, Howwood and Lochwinnoch.

For more on the proposed new boundaries, visit www.bcs2023review.

com or if you would like to share your opinion, please email the Boundary

Commission for Scotland at bcs.scottishboundaries.gov.uk

The initial consultation period closes on 8th December 2021.

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park

Throughout October we have had plenty of events on, during the October

holidays we had a fantastic selection of events that were targeted to all

age groups. A few of these events

were building and racing stick boats,

building and flying kites and making

mini forest folks to take home and

put into their gardens. Later on in

the month we had an extra spooky

Halloween craft event where kids

were able to show off their creative

skills using natural materials that

are found out in the country park

as well as recyclable materials

such as tin cans and glass jars.

Over the past few months our

Seasonal Rangers have been

hard at work on their own

personal projects including

capturing the parks wildlife and looking into it’s history. The fantastic

footage that has been captured on our bush cameras can be found on

our Facebook page as well as our YouTube channel! We have also been

working on a long-term ongoing project that will remove all invasive

species of flora for it to be replaced with native species of trees and

shrubs. To do this we have put up a polytunnel and collected seeds and

nuts to be planted and grown into saplings.

As we all know the Christmas season is just around the corner! So we are

gearing up for a fantastically festive tinsel walk on the 15th of December

where we will have plenty of stops to sing some Christmas carols. This

event is suitable for those of all ages!

Looking to advertise?

We have various sizes

and prices.

Download our media

pack online:

www.advertizer.co.uk/

advertise/


RSPB Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve

The winter is truly upon us, and we are nearly at the end of another year.

At the Reserve all our winter migrants have arrived, with whooper swans,

goosander, golden eye, wigeon and teal all making the Aird Meadow

Loch and the Barr Loch their winter home. As ever there is always plenty

to see all year round at the Reserve, with graceful mute swans, cheeky

mallards, cormorants, moorhen, and coots on both of our lochs. If you

fancy a wee wander along our trails, look out for robins, coal tits, goldfinch,

nuthatch and even the odd pheasant. Our Reserve shop is still open with

our usual wide range of bird food and feeders; plus our Christmas stock

is now in with a wide range of Christmas cards, calendars, and diaries - so

why not see if you can find an unusual Christmas gift for a loved one. Do

come and visit us soon - you never know what wildlife you might spot on

our beautiful trails. You could take part in our ‘Wellness in Nature’ walk,

or just sit and have a wee coffee as you watch the wildlife from the Centre

window. We are not forgetting our younger visitors - there will be fun

activities at the Reserve for you guys too! Just ask mum and dad to keep

a wee eye on our social media pages for upcoming posts. We are open 7

days a week from 10am – 5pm, closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day and

the 1st and 2nd January, with reduced opening times during the holiday

period. There are many ways to contact us to report any wildlife sightings,

for more information, or to give us any feedback. So, from all staff and

volunteers at RSPB Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve, we wish all our visitors a

happy and safe Christmas and New Year.

Ways to contact us – 01505 842663 www.rspb.org.uk/lochwinnoch

@RSPBLochwinnochNR @RSPBLochwinnoch

Colourful Kilmacolm

We have received many positive comments about our floral

displays this year. One of the advantages of begonias is

that they perform well, whatever the weather, so are ideal

for our summers. Of course they cannot tolerate cold, frosty weather, and

so, although they flowered spectacularly all through October and even

into November, their time was up and our volunteer gardeners removed

them before replanting our containers with bulbs and violas. The bulbs

will cheer us up next spring, as will the violas, and with any luck the violas

may provide a little colour even in winter, if the weather is not too severe.

We hope you liked the new half-barrels at Smithy Brae, and our thanks

go to Alda for keeping an eye on them. At the Port Glasgow Road lay-by

we have added more daffodils to the little garden area, and also planted

1,000 more crocuses,

generously donated by

Gryffe Valley Rotary in

support of the End Polio

campaign.

If you would like to be

involved, please be

in touch. Anyone can

join us, and if you are a

little younger than our

average age you would

be especially welcome. You can choose to simply be a supporter (only £5

a year), or alternatively volunteer to help ‘hands-on’. For more information

visit www.colourfulkilmacolm.org.uk or phone Peter (01505 872448) or

Liz (07963 973031) for more information.


December 2021 43

Walk: Build your own

Adventure

by Rona Simpson

If you want to plan your own woodland adventure and are not

sure of where to go, why not access Scotland’s environment

map?

https://map.environment.gov.scot/sewebmap/

It is an incredible tool that can reveal all sorts of information

about your surrounding area including ancient woodlands

and other designations.

In the map you can see Skelmorlie Glen filled out in green.

This means the woodland is designated as ancient. But what

makes a woodland ancient? In Scotland this means that the

woodland has existed continuously since 1750 or before.

The older the habitat, the greater number of species it will

support and therefore the greater its significance to nature

conservation. And it really gives another dimension to

your walk to know that you are walking amongst trees or a

woodland area that has existed for hundreds of years. Some

of these woodlands may preserve elements of the natural composition of the original Atlantic forests.

The map can reveal all sorts of other information about your local area. Which trees have been thinned or are ear-marked for clear fell? New plantations?

Which plantations are made up of native trees, the pollution levels of your rivers and where your core paths are located. This information is handy for

projects, but also for the fight to keep our green spaces!

Right to Roam

The right to roam was a hugely important part of the 2003 Land reform

Act in Scotland and constitutes a highly democratic aspect of Scottish

land use policy. It means that if we are responsible, we are allowed to

roam (and camp) just about anywhere. (Although you are not allowed to

roam across land which has a housing or a building on it, nor schools, or

crop fields.) So if you see some woodland on the map that may not have

a path to it, as long as you are responsible, you can go explore that too

Ancient Woodland Indicator Species

There are quite a few ground flora plants that are said to indicate ancient

woodlands, such as bluebells, wood anemone, dogs mercury, red

campion, primrose and more.




Paisley Colour Photographic Club

Paisley Colour Photographic Club is well into the swing of its 2021/22

programme with its first internal competition of the season, “ The Summer

Assignment”, being assessed by external judge Gordon Scott. The Summer

Assignment requires our photographers to submit four images: one each

from a range of seven set topics. This year’s topics were, Agricultural

Landscape, Town/City Traffic, Contre Jour (i.e, Against The Light), Human

Interaction, Intentional Camera Movement, Modern Look and Stripes/

Striped. Each image is scored out of a maximum of 20 points. Adding the

scores achieved by the photographers in the 4 topics they have chosen to enter determines the winning set.

The winning set came courtesy of yours truly, with my images “A Tough Match” and “ Tackle” securing top marks in

the Human Interaction and Stripes/Striped topics, respectively. The other images in my set of 4 were “Gina” in the

Contre Jour topic and Lillies in Intentional Camera Movement.

Best image in the Agricultural Landscape section was awarded to Mike Cruise. Carol Gracie’s “Miserable Evening”

secured top place in the Town/City Traffic category. “Himalayan Poppies” was awarded top marks in the Contre

Jour Section. In the Intentional Camera Movement topic, Alison Smart was awarded top marks for her “Pastel

Impression Woods”.

In addition to its internal competitions, the club also competes externally: most recently In the Scottish Photographic Federation’s Portfolios Competition.

Most of the images submitted to the Portfolios competition will be familiar to your readership from previous publications, but special mention must go to

Jim Black who was awarded an SPF Silver Medal in achieving best landscape print for his “Glencoe Winter”. The club secured a very creditable second

equal place in the projected images section, sharing that position with Carluke Camera Club and just one point behind Dundee Photographic Society.

Paisley nature reserve transformed

The Jenny’s Well nature reserve in Paisley is to be further transformed

after volunteers were awarded more than £14,000 to continue their

environmental work. Having removed more than 300 bags of litter and

all fly tipping from the site, the Friends of Jenny’s Well group have

been awarded funding to create wildflower areas and plant bulbs and

bright foliage to encourage biodiversity and wildlife.

Picnic benches and seating will be added, repairs made to fencing

and tools purchased for the group as they continue to transform the

reserve into a community green space.

The funding has been provided by Renfrewshire Council’s Green

Spaces, Parks and Play Areas and Villages Investment Fund which

has already supported more than 60 projects with £1.7milllion since

it was launched. Other projects to be awarded funding at the latest

Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board meeting included

£35,000 for Klas Care to create a new playground for young people

which would see the current area resurfaced, games areas added and

a cycling proficiency section added.

Inchinnan Community and Social Association were also awarded

£8,900 to resurface the Bowling Club car park which has provided a

free parking facility for the village of Inchinnan for a number of years.

For more information on the fund, visit:

www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/greenspacesfund


December 2021 45

Kilmacolm Scarecrow Festival

by Rona Simpson

The brainchild of St Columba’s School’s Holiday Club director, Elise

Duncan, this hugely popular event began last year during lockdown

and villagers have taken it to their hearts. This year’s event was

huge. Over 50 scarecrows appeared creating a spooky spectacle

this Halloween. I caught up with Elise to ask her all about it.

What gave you the idea for the Scarecrow Trail? How did it differ

from last year?

I developed the idea last year due to Covid. My children always

love dressing up and Halloween is a favourite event. I wanted to

give them something to do and be able to dress up in a Covid-safe

way. So I took the idea to the Holiday Club and I decided to make

a scarecrow with the children there. We made Captain Hook. It

grew from there and I just kept asking more people to get involved.

The feedback was so good last year I decided to do it again. The

Kilmacolm community council are very supportive and have been a

huge help to all my ideas.

How do you feel it went this year and do you have plans for another one next year?

This year’s event was brilliant. We had well over 50 scarecrows this year made by local families, clubs, societies and businesses. We even had the

residents of Abbeyfield’s Campbell Snowdon House in Quarriers Village take part. They made a scarecrow version of Mary Poppins. Then they were

driven in their trishaw (three-wheeled bicycle with seats for the elderly) and enjoyed the rest of the trail on Saturday afternoon.

Wow! That’s so lovely. You must be thrilled! Have you been involved in other projects like this one and are there others in the pipeline?

Yes, it was great to hear! I am a Community artist by trade and have spent many years working in arts and events development. I helped to put together

the recycled bottle tops art trail that popped up at Easter.

Oh that was a lovely idea and what a great way to showcase creativity with recycled items. What were you most proud of this time?

I think the community spirit that grew from it. My aim was to get as many people involved and walking round the village as possible. We had neighbours

working together to create the wonderful Fireman at Broomknowe Terrace and several families on Woodrow Avenue made their street a major

destination. Plans are already in place for next year’s festival. And there is something in the pipeline for December too, so watch this space!

Bridge Of Weir Horticultural Society

Last month members enjoyed a presentation showing our local gardens

through the seasons. This was a colourful reminder of what we have

achieved, despite various growing conditions and weather patterns.

Gardeners do like to share garden successes, but will also admit to failures

as helpful advice is usually on hand!

The AGM will be held on Thursday 9th December at 7.30pm in The Bridge

and members are requested to attend. We will address several pertinent

issues regarding the future and format of the Society. Already some

‘ground-breaking’ ideas have been suggested and this is the opportunity

for all members to have their say.

Gardens will be settling into winter. The long-term forecast indicates

December will be a cold and wintry month – but probably no snow over

Christmas. Brighten your home with Poinsettias and Christmas Cacti. In

their native Mexico, Poinsettias [Euphorbia pulcherrima] grow into large

bushes but with some TLC can become a useful houseplant. Grow in a

bright indirect light and in a draught-free spot. Water sparingly when the

surface starts to dry out. After Christmas, feed monthly with a high potash

liquid/tomato feed.

Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera), are Brazilian coastal plants and, as the

name suggests, flower over the Christmas period. Their bright, trumpetshaped

flowers in red, white, pink, purple and even yellow, bring colour

to any room. They are forest cacti growing in tropical rainforests attached

to trees (and therefore are epiphytes), so keep away from bright sunlight.

Water when the soil is dry to the touch and, once the buds are formed,

feed every 2 weeks, with a high potash liquid/tomato feed. As many of

us know, if they are happy, they become a family “heirloom” to be passed

from one generation to the next!

From your local gardening group...

Merry Christmas and season’s greetings!


Fast And Furious

Things were ticking along at a leisurely pace at the start

of last month, then that spell of truly dreich weather

kicked in. By the time it was over, we had to lift the pace

a bit. We tidied up around the war memorial, as we always

do before Remembrance

Day, and then began the

manufacture of our Rustic

Reindeer for the Pop-Up

shop held on the 27th.

Now it’s full-on preparation

for Christmas. The elves are

in the workshop, turning

out the first batch of rustic

reindeer. Our reindeer will

feature in a festive display

that we’re putting in the

garden at The Bridge post

office and shop, so look out

for that when you’re buying

or posting your Christmas

cards. Have a very merry

one!

Kilbarchan Smile - Bountiful Halloween

The Gateway Garden was

delighted to get a visit from

Claire Brown and her dad from

Kilbarchan Primary Parent

Council, who kindly donated

their Halloween pumpkins for

our compost bins.

It is always lovely to welcome

people on our Tuesday

afternoon garden opening,

giving us the opportunity

to share our dreams for the

future projects in the garden.




December 2021 47

sales & wants

www.advertizer.co.uk/this-months-sales-wants

ITEMS FOR SALE

CLOTHES & SHOES

• Brand new, ‘Minuet’

Petite, Ladies wool jacket.

Size 10. Fuchsia Pink.

From House of Fraser

for £99, sell £49 ono.

Tel: 01505 391536 / text

07864 520883.

• ‘Guess’ Ladies black

hand bag NEW. £25.

Tel: 01505 614503.

• Children’s Pink Puma

puffer jacket with

hood (detachable).

Age 9-10. Worn

twice, exc cond. Can

deliver locally. Photos

available. £25. Tel:

07968 773114.

• Rare Tesla Leather

Tote Bag, exc con,

never used. Can



07968 773114.

• Brand new Skechers

Golf Shoes. Size 8, white

with blue stripe. £50.

Tel: 01505 842558.

• Gents white Nike Air

Trainers, size 9, worn

only once. £25. Tel:

01505 842558.

• Ladies Venture

Rechargeable Black

Heated Jacket. Brand

new with tags. Size

S. Can deliver locally.

Photos available. £60.

Tel: 07968 773114.

• Genuine Audi ladies

black jacket in exc

cond, hardly worn.

Cosy for winter. Size

S. Can deliver locally.


Tel: 07968 773114.

• Vintage fur jacket, size

12. Exc cond, smoke

free home. £20. Tel:

01505 672175.

HOUSEHOLD & GARDEN

• Stead of Nottingham

lugged Gleneagles 3

piece suite - 3 seater

sofa & 2 armchairs.

Offers accepted. Tel:

01505 506385.

• Dining room gateleg

table & 4 matching

chairs. £50. Tel:

01505 331019.

• Conservatory 2 seater

& 2 chairs for sale. 2

seater size: W 67” H

35” D 38”. Chair size: W

38” H 33” D 33”. £250.

Tel: 07796 225146.

www.advertizer.co.uk/submit-sales-wants

The Business Advertisements (Disclosure) Order 1977 - the Law requires that Advertisers selling goods in the

course of a business MUST include the word Trader, Dealer, Agent, Breeder or appropriate wording in the

Advertisement to distinguish from private advertisers.

• 2 beautiful Chrystal

Decanters, 1 for spirits @

£30, 1 for Wine @ £20.

Tel: 01505 842558.

• Large wooden oak

sideboard 2 cupboards,

4 drawers. W 5ft 3” D

19.5” H 35”. £300 ono.

Buyer collects. Tel:

07938 843390.

• Brand new in box

churro maker 800W.

Can deliver locally.


Tel: 07968 773114.

• Bronze curtain rail,

extends to 9’6”. With

rings & brackets. From

John Lewis. £95. Tel:

01505 872813.

ELECTRICAL & GAS

• Jiffy Residential

Steamer Pressing Unit

to the clothing trade.

Cost £246, sell £130.

Tel: 01505 872813.

• Electrolux enviro steam

gun 350 series. Exc cond.

£15. Tel: 01505 672175.

• Built-in Combi

Microwave Oven,

CDA model VK902SS.

900W, 40 litre capacity.

Black glass & stainless

steel. Size: H 455 x W

595 x D 552mm. £200.

Tel: 01505 614943.

SPORTS

• Ladies 33” Yonex

Ezone Elite putter

in exc cond, barely

used. Right hand.

Can deliver locally.


Tel:07968 773114.

• Ladies 33” Wilson

Staff Infinite The

Bean putter in exc

con. Right hand. Can



07968 773114.

• Golphin GFK + 112

golf clubs Hardly

used, exc cond. Right

handed. Age 11-12/

H: 55”-58.5”. Clubs

incl; driver, hybrid, 7

iron, 9 iron, PW, SW &

putter. Inc golf bag with

stand & hood. Can



07968 773114.

TECHNICAL & GAMES

• Lego City Hi-Speed

Passenger Train Set.

Brand new, sealed box.

Inc motorised locomotive

with 8-channel, 7-speed

infrared remote. Can



07968 773114.

Find a list of local

defibrillator sites

online:

www.advertizer.co.uk/

local-defibrillator-sites/

• Google Nest Mini 2nd

generation - brand

new, unused. £15.

Tel: 01505 672175.

• Parker the Interactive

(with mobile device) Teddy

Bear, incl thermometer,

stethoscope, x-ray bibs,

spoon & medicine

bottle. Exc cond. Can



07968 773114.

• Strikeworth 6’ Multi

Games Table. Air

hockey, pool table &

table tennis. Accs &

storage space incl.

Less than year old.

Exc cond. Cost £500,

sell for £325. Photos

available. Tel: 07968

773114.

• Oxford Titanic Set

BM3522. Brand new,

sealed box. Lego

style building blocks.

Age 8+. 900 pieces.

Paid £39.99. Can



07978 773114.

• Canon Power Shot

camera A3500 IS 5X

optical zoom 16.0 mega,

manual kit etc., with case.

New condition. £30. Tel:

01505 614503.

TOYS

PROPERTY WANTED

• Twilight Turtle light up

projector - exc cond,

smoke free home. £10.

Tel: 01505 672175.

OTHER ITEMS

• Musical instruments

- standard practice

chanter with book and

CD (unused), ideal for

beginners. £25. Tel:

07952 164554.

WANTED ITEMS

• Cash paid for Vinyl

Records and Music

CDs (a few or a lot).

Tel: 01505 329638 or

07765 115347.

• Old records Wanted

45`s & LP`s CASH Paid.

Tel: 01505 873958 or

07710 777571.

• Local lily grower

requires the use

of a greenhouse/

polytunnel in Kilmacolm

area in return for light

gardening duties. Tel:

Vince 01505 872082.

FREE CYCLE

• 100cm circular pine

table & 4 matching

chairs with 4 green/

cream pads. Tel:

01505 873252 or

07748 088448.

House/BUNGALOW Wanted

Detached/older semi with

sunny garden preferred

PRIVATE CASH BUYER

Please call: 07753 659804


business classified

WE ACCEPT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING

HEALTHCARE/BEAUTY

CONTENT OF THE GRYFFE ADVERTIZER CANNOT BE

REPRODUCED WITHOUT CONSENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Gryffe Advertizer is published by The Gryffe Advertizer Ltd

Advertising throughout The Gryffe Advertizer:

Defi nitions: “Standards” means the British Code of Advertising

Practice and the provisions of any law applicable to advertising

including, but not limited to, the Trade Descriptions Act, 1968, the

Consumer Credit Act 1974, the Control of Misleading Advertisements

Regulations 1988, the Financial Services Act 1986, the Business

Advertisement (Disclosure) Order 1977 and all amendments and

replacements.

It is hereby agreed that:

• The placing by the Advertising Client of an Advertisement

is deemed to be acceptance of Conditions of Acceptance

of Advertising.

• All Advertisements in this Publication must not contravene

the Standards.

• The Publisher shall not be liable for any loss or damage

incurred by the Advertising Client as a result of any failure,

negligence or omission by any party in the course of the

distribution or circulation of the Publication in which the

Advertisement appears.

• In the event of any error, misprint or omission by the Publisher

in the printing of an Advertisement, the Publisher will either

re-insert the advertisement, adjust the cost or provide a refund.

This does not apply if the Advertisement has been approved

by the Advertising Client prior to publication. The total liability

of the Publisher for such an occurrence shall not exceed the

amount of a full refund for that particular Advertisement.

• The Advertising Client agrees to indemnify the Publisher in

respect of all costs, damages or other charges falling upon

the Publisher as the result of legal actions or threatened legal

actions arising from the publication of the Advertisement, or

any one or more of the series of Advertisements, published

in accordance with the copy instructions supplied to the

Publisher.

• Readers are reminded that when purchasing items or services

advertised in the Publication that the Publisher cannot be held

in any way responsible for the quality or correctness of the

items or services included in the Advertisement.

Editorial throughout The Gryffe Advertizer:

The opinions of the Contributors to this Publication are not necessarily

the official views of the Publisher. The Publisher reserves the right to

edit or refuse any material submitted for publication.


ADVERTISING RATES

TRADES/ SERVICES/ PROPERTY/ VEHICLES

BOXED AD

£8.00* per column cm

PHOTO

£8.00* (vehicle/property sales only)

* Prices subject to VAT

TRADES AND SERVICES

WANTED

CHILDCARE

Houston registered

childminders. For an

informal chat to find

your best childcare,

call Helen Smith on

07952 390282

Kilmacolm/Quarriers

area registered

childminders. P/time

or F/time vacancies for

u-5’s and after school.

T: 01505 873839.

TUITION

December 2021 49

ads directory by Category

Accountants & Financial

Affluent Financial . . . . . . . . . 23

CLA Accountancy . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Architectural Services

CHG Architecture . . . . . . . . . . 11

Grid Design Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Art, Gifts & Flowers

Fluffy Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Little Luxuries Scotland . . . 13

Original Artists . . . . . . . . . . 27

Automotive Services

Collins Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Bathrooms

Affordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 3

Bedrooms

Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 9

Blacksmith & Metalwork

McLaughlan Metal . . . . . . . . . . 23

Building Services

A&M Sandstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

B Hughes Builders . . . . . . . . . 35

Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 11

Clippens Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 15

I&J Building & Roofing . . . . . 39

James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 21

JBC Joiners & Builders . . . . . 23

KC Roofing & Building . . . . . . 25

Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 23

M Addison Joiners . . . . . . . . 39

Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 37

SMG Roofing & Building . . . . . 3

Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 4

Thomas McMaster & Son . . . . . . 33

Care Services & Homes

Home Instead Senior Care . . . 11

Catering

Gadds Gourmet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

next Deadline

Charity

Hope Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Childcare

Duchal Nursery School . . . . . . 17

Cleaning & PowerWash

DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 4

Eclipse Deep Clean . . . . . . . . . 23

Fastclean Scotland . . . . . . . . . 32

Gryffe Roofing & Cleaning . . 33


Nutech Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Cycle Repair

Spokes Bikes Ltd . . . . . . . . . . 19

Driveways

A&G Driveways . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Electricians

GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

MAS Electrical & Security . . 37

Russell Milne Electrician . . 41

Fencing

McLaughlan Metal . . . . . . . . . . 23

Firewood & Logs

LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47


W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Funeral Services

Beaton Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . 25

John Roach Funeral . . . . . . . . . 9

Garage Doors & Gates

Garolla Holdings Limited . . . 33

Powerdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Garden Service & Design

3D Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . 47


Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 43

Gowanlea Nurseries . . . . . . . . . 11


Lady Grafters Garden . . . . . . . 43

R Williams Tree Services . . . 47

W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 43

West of Scotland . . . . . . . . . . 43

Gas & Heating Services

C Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Gasfit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 37

Phoenix Gas Services . . . . . . . 19

Glazier

1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 37

Hairdressers & Barbers

Arlene Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Nix Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . . 37

Health, Beauty & Fitness

Arlene Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Decorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Ferringtons Hypnotherapy . . . 37

LaserLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Tranquil Couples Spa . . . . . . . 45

Home Hardware

Gibb Stuart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,7

Home Improvements

3D Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . 47

A&M Sandstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15


Kieran Turner Aerial . . . . . . . 19

Nutech Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Renfrewshire Handyman . . . . . . 37

Home Interiors




January 2022 issue:

8th December 2021

Home Security

Brookfield Alarms Ltd . . . . . . 21

Clearline TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Joiners

CLH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

DJY Joinery Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 23



M Addison Joiners . . . . . . . . 39

McGowan Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 28



Kitchens

Affordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 3




Leisure & Recreation

Hope Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Locksmiths

Arco Locksmith . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Elliott Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Painters & Decorators

A Gallagher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Andrew Hay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

James Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

John Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

M&E Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Pest Control

RED Pest Control . . . . . . . . . . 39

Photographers

Mark Swaroop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Contact us!

Plasterers

Bryan Slaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11



Plumbers

C Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Gasfit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 37

Property, Sales & Let

Cochran Dickie . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk

Corum Property . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Hames Estates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Kingsley Wood & Co . . . . . . . . . 11

Removals

At@ease Removals . . . . . . . . . . 21

Retail

Gibb Stuart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,7


Moovin’ Milk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Original Artists . . . . . . . . . . 27

Roofing

A&M Sandstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 11

Bryan Slaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Clippens Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 15






Thomas McMaster & Son . . . . . . 33

Solicitors

Kingsley Wood & Co . . . . . . . . . 11

Special Occasions

ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Stoves


Taxis

ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Tiling

Gordon James Ceramic . . . . . . . 42

Tree Surgeon

Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 43

Kenmore Tree Care . . . . . . . . . 47

LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

R Williams Tree Services . . . 47

W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 43

TV & Satellite

Clearline TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Kieran Turner Aerial . . . . . . . 19

Upholstery Services

Eclipse Deep Clean . . . . . . . . . 23


Window Cleaners

DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 4



Matthews Cleaning Services . . 3

Window, Consv & Repair

1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 37

1st Floor, Neva Place

Bridge of Weir, PA11 3PN

WWW.ADVERTIZER.CO.UK INFO@ADVERTIZER.CO.UK

@GRYFFEADS 01505 613 340 / 07521 651 936

Open Tuesday - Thursday, 9am - 4pm & Friday, 9am - 1pm

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. The Gryffe

Advertizer cannot be held responsible for unsolicited materials. The views and opinions by contributors in

this magazine may not represent the views of the publishers. The Gryffe Advertizer takes no responsibility

for claims made by advertisements in this publication.


Local history

Johnstone History

Society

Our last meeting of 2021 will be

on the 14th December at 7.30pm

in the Masonic Hall Collier Street.

This time our speaker is a lady

called Louise Turner and her

subject is “Burnings, herschip and

destruction” Renfrewshire and

Ayrshire and the rise of James IV.

We look forward to welcoming

everyone members and visitors

alike. At the moment we are still

not serving tea and coffee but

this will be kept under review.

However if you feel you would like

to bring a drink with you this will

be fine .

We have now had our second

meeting and again it was very

well attended which we are very

pleased about. The talk about

“Norway to Neilston” was very well

presented and everyone enjoyed

it and learned a lot about how it

came to be established.

The Museum continues to open

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday

from 10.30am till 4pm. On sale we

have all our usual books pamphlets

and maps and the good news is

our 2022 Calendars are available

to buy and if posting abroad we

supply envelopes. The calendars

are priced at £5 and at such a

good price they will sell quickly so

acting now is the answer. All our

products can be bought and paid

for online at johnstonehistory.

org. As a Society we would like

to take this opportunity to wish all

our members and friends a happy

and safe Festive season.

HISTORY SPOT


Cartbank Laundry:

Robbery and Arrest

In the 1920s it was a

regular procedure for

Cartbank Laundry van

drivers to deliver their

week’s takings to the

company’s main office

on a Thursday.

After closing time

on Thursday 19th

February, 1925 two

Open-topped tram in Low Barholm, Kilbarchan

men, John Feeney and

Robert Robertson, gained entry to Cartbank Laundry’s premises by forcing an outside door with a tyre lever.

They gained access to the main office and stole an estimated total of £500. Their plan had been to blow up

the laundry safe with explosives (their bag of explosives was later recovered from the crime scene), but this

original plan was scrapped when they found a large quantity of loose coins and notes in an unlocked rolltop

desk. The robbers, with heavy paper bags filled with notes and coins and with their pockets bulging with loose

silver, hurriedly left the scene. They jumped on to a passing tram car bound for Paisley to make their escape.

Relieved, they sat on the top deck of the open-topped tram.

But that is not the end of the story. When the tram reached Johnstone High Street, one of the robbers dropped

a bag of silver coins. The paper bag burst open! Some coins spilled on the floor and some fell from the

moving tram on to the street below. In a state of panic both robbers tried to make their escape, but the tram

conductor, John Sinclair, who had felt suspicious when the two boarded the tram in Kilbarchan, caught one

of the men. An elderly gentleman who was passing by jumped on to the tram platform to assist John. While

under their restraint, the apprehended robber threw handfuls of silver coins, amounting to almost fifty pounds,

to a crowd of gathering spectators asking them to help him to escape and inciting them to help themselves to

the scattered coins. The police soon arrived on the scene and the man was promptly arrested. Meanwhile, the

second robber escaped.

But the saga continues. After half an hour’s delay, the tram continued on its journey to Paisley with Detective

Sergeant Murray of Johnstone Burgh Police on board. When the tram reached the Thorn the second robber,

who had escaped from the tram in the High Street, unsuspectingly, again boarded the tram. He was immediately

recognized by the conductor and speedily arrested by Detective Murray. Later, a third man, who was walking

from Johnstone through Elderslie, dropped a bag of silver coins on the pavement. He told some people who

had helped him to gather up the scattered coins, that the money was his shop takings. When this incident was

reported to the police he was regarded as a possible third suspect in the Cartbank robbery.

The two apprehended robbers appeared before Sheriff Hamilton in Paisley. John Feeney, a habitual criminal,

was sentenced to four years penal servitude and David Robertson received a two year jail sentence. Most of the

stolen money, including thirty pounds of the shower of silver coins scattered on the pavement, was recovered

and returned to Gibson Brothers.

© 2021 Helen Calcluth, Renfrewshire Local History Forum

December 2021 51

1 2 3 4

5 6

7

8

320 December 2021 - Gryffe Advertizer

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?