225 june 2013 gryffe advertizer

T: 01505 613340 E: [email protected]

PLEASE TAKE A FREE COPY OF YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

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www.advertizer.co.uk local news 3

Blood Donor SessionsThe Town Hall, High Street, PaisleyMonday 3rd June – 2pm – 3.45pm & 5.15pm – 7.30pm

The Cargill Hall. Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge Of Weir Monday 1st July 4pm - 7.30pm

To find out more, please email us at [email protected] or call 08453 017270 or visit the website at www.scotblood.co.uk.



this month....welcome to June 2013

NEXT DEADLINE: Friday 14th June 2013

Contents

The Gryffe AdvertizerNeva Place, Bridge of Weir PA11 3PN01505 613340 or [email protected]’t live locally but want to read The Advertizer?U.K. postal subscriptions: 1 year, 12 issue subscription £24

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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.

for a monthly online update, visit us onlinewww.advertizer.co.uk

NEWS & FEATURESbeautiful homes 24business news 20-26church listings 42dental health 21healthy minds 24it blog 25local history 26local news 6-26outdoors 54-57pet blog 58pets 58-59schools news 43-49sports news 50-53travel blog 7village news 28-41what’s on 14-18

ADVERTISINGadvertiser directory 63business classified 60-61deadlines 61 property classified 61sales & wants 62

VILLAGESBishopton, Bridge of Weir

& Langbank 28-32Brookfield, Crosslee

& Houston 36-37Howwood & Elderslie 35Kilbarchan

& Lochwinnoch 32-34Kilmacolm & Quarriers 38-41

Isn’t the weather just maddening right now; warm, summery, cold, wet, windy and even snow; as Crowded House sang in 1992, “Four Seasons in One Day”; clearly intended as a metaphor in the song, but apparently becoming a reality as we struggle to know what to wear when leaving the house in the morning. It’s never been like this before?If you remember last year, we had a scorching March followed by a freezing April and then storms in May. This year, a warm and dry February followed by a freezing March and, as I am writing on 23rd May, snow blizzards.As the old saying goes, “Ne’er cast a clout till May be out”, commonly used but what of the meaning? Generally the accepted interpretation would be, don’t discard your warm winter clothing until the month of May is behind us. However, another interpretation exists that makes more sense, by tying the changing seasons with nature; that you should take the same precaution regarding your apparel until the Hawthorn, also known as the May Tree, is in full bloom, thus signalling the beginning of summer. There you go, you learn something every day.Still on the weather front (no pun intended), I happened to bump into a village worthy this morning and, in discussing the chilly start to the day, he recalled 1976 when they had to stop work on the 2nd June because of a snow blizzard. However, that year then turned out to be one of the hottest summers on record, with the temperature sitting above 80’C for four weeks mid June and into July. Maybe our selective memory recall makes us believe that things right now are a little random, but in fact it may not really be that different at all; expressed more eloquently, “It was one of those perfect Spring days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.” And, staying with quotes, Charles Dickens said, “Spring is the time of year when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade”; isn’t that just how it feels right now. Therefore, remaining optimistic and knowing that the trouble with weather forecasting is that it’s right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it, let’s just hope; hope for a recurrence of ‘76 and keep the sunscreen and BBQ tongs at the ready.June is the month for lots of fun at the various gala days and shows in the local area. We’ve got Lilias Day in Kilbarchan, Bridge of Weir’s Gala Day followed by their Gala Week events, Bishopton Gala Day and events, Kilbarchan Agricultural Show, Houston Agricultural Show and Accord

Hospice Summer Fayre. Apologies if we’ve missed any - please make sure we get the details next year! Go to our village news pages and our diary to get details of when and where these various events take place.Lastly, but by no means least, we were also delighted to hear that this month Gibb Stuart celebrates being in their “new” shop in Bridge of Weir for 20 years. However, their history in the area is far longer - in 1880 William Gibb Stuart established himself in the villages of Kilmacolm and Bridge of Weir as an Ironmonger, Painter and Decorator. The business is now managed by the fourth generation with the fifth in hot pursuit; more on this inside.



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List of outlets to pick up a copyBishopton: P.O., Woodrow’s Store, Keystore, Library.Bridge of Weir: Bull’s Garage, Gibb Stuart, Bernie’s, Lochnagar,

The Bridge, Prieston Store, Library.Erskine: Garden Centre, Petrol Station, Library.Houston: Carrick Centre, Co-op, P.O.,

Newsagent.Howwood: Village Store, St Vincent.Johnstone: Henderson Kilts, Papa Mac,

Library.Kilbarchan: P.O., Sheridan’s Store, Campbell’s

Newsagent, Bobbins, Old Library Centre, Chiropody Clinic.

Kilmacolm: Market Place Newsagent, Village Newsagent, Pieri’s, Cross Café, Gibb Stuart, KNCC, Library, P.O. & Best One Store.

Langbank: Village Store, Finlaystone Visitor Centre.

Lochwinnoch: Keystore, Newsagent, P.O., McKillop Centre, Library.

Quarriers: Three Sisters Bake.



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Looking for ChoristersPaisley Abbey is looking for new choristers to enrol for their famous choir. For information please contact Dr George

McPhee 0141 889 3528 or [email protected]

local news

Renfrewshire Doors Open DayDoors Open Day will be chance to get into buildingsAn annual celebration of Renfrewshire’s fascinating architectural history will return later this year – and organisers are looking for buildings to add to the list.Doors Open Day is a showcase of the country’s built heritage, where visitors take a peek through the keyhole at hundreds of Scotland’s buildings for free. This year’s event takes place on 14th and 15th September and will be the 20th anniversary of Renfrewshire’s participation.

Buildings of interest wanted to add to our Doors Open DayLocal buildings set to throw open their doors on the day include Paisley Abbey, the council chambers at Renfrewshire House, local churches and fire stations. But organisers are looking for local buildings of historical or architectural significance which have not taken part before to come forward for this year’s event, which is supported by Renfrewshire Council.Councillor Terry Kelly, Convener of the council’s Planning and Property Policy Board, said: “The idea behind Doors Open Day is to show people the hidden gems that link present-day Renfrewshire to its past.“Renfrewshire has an architectural heritage to be proud of, and Doors Open Day gives residents a glimpse of the fascinating history on their own doorstep. While there are many local buildings that prove popular with visitors every Doors Open Day, we would love to add new attractions to our list. We are keen to hear from the owners or managers of interesting buildings throughout Renfrewshire. If you would like to offer or recommend a building to add to Doors Open Day, please call 0141 618 6794 or email [email protected].”Doors Open Day is part of a wider Europe-wide celebration of built heritage, and sees over 50 countries

take part, with over 20 million visits annually.The Renfrewshire event will feature a competition for children to have their passport ‘stamped’ as they visit different venues, and will have a fun historical theme.The council will also be running a photo competition with visitors encouraged to share their pictures of the buildings on social media.

For more information about the national event, visit www.doorsopendays.org.uk

Textile Recycling

Renfrewshire Council has introduced a new textile recycling service which is free - so please don’t put textiles and shoes in your blue bin! Just call 0300 300 0300 to book a textiles uplift before 4pm and the items will be collected during the next working day (Monday to Friday). You can also book it online through the council website. Then just “bag it, tie it and leave in the agreed location”. Alternatively bags of any size can be left at the various charity clothing banks that exist.

Accord Hospice Summer FayreSaturday 8th June, Paisley Town Hall 10am to 4pm. This year we will have plenty of stalls and attractions including hot food, tea room, books, bric-a-brac, funfair rides, craft fayre and lots more.Free entry, although there will be a collection (non-compulsory) at the door.

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by Maureen Horton of Travel a la CarteTravel Blog

The Christian Aid theme for 2013 is “Bite Back at Hunger”

Today around 870 million people are desperate for food, one in eight people will go to bed hungry tonight - this is a scandal. But if we “Bite Back at Hunger” we can help communities find ways to not only survive, but to thrive with enough food to eat not just today, but tomorrow.The Erskine Bridge Walk was a chance to “Bite Back” by walking on Sat 27th April. Each bridge cross is about 1.5 miles and offers fabulous views across the River Clyde and the walk is a great family day out, especially on a lovely sunny day. This year over 100 walkers took part and enjoyed the views from the bridge.

Throughout the afternoon, the Cowal Fiddle Workshop Junior fiddlers entertained walkers as they were resting and having a well earned cup of Fairtrade Coffee. A number of walkers also walked through the lovely near-by Boden Boo Community Woodland. There was also a Kids Treasure Hunt. It is good to walk and help others - last year approximately £15,500 was raised.

Save The ChildrenThank you to all who contributed to the street collection and collecting cans during STC week in Kilmacolm. A special thanks to Fusion Triathlon Cycling Club for their generous donation. The total amount collected was

£303.80.

A Birthday TreatDo you have a Bucket List? For those of you who have not maybe seen the film starring Jack Nicholson, it is about making sure you see and experience all the things you want while still on the planet.Well one of mine (I have many!) was to spend a few days in Villa D’Este on Lake Como. So for an early birthday treat we recently spent 3 days in this glorious place.Villa D’Este, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World and originally built in 1568, is more of a destination than a hotel. It is set a 3 minute walk from the pretty village of Cernobbio, on the banks of Lake Como, surrounded by 25 acres of private gardens which spill down to the lakeside. For 3 days we retreated from the world and enjoyed the wonderful service, delicious food, spectacular scenery and of course the lake itself which sparkled in the sun while we were there. For anyone looking for some activities, there is an outdoor heated pool floating on the lake, an outdoor childrens pool, an indoor pool, 8 tennis courts, a squash court, fitness centre, beauty centre, steam bath, jogging track, putting green, windsurfing and canoeing. Private boat charter is also available directly form the hotel’s jetty and several 18-hole golf courses are within a short drive of the property. For Ladies who love to shop.....a personal shopper is available in Milan on request with the hotel’s concierge.Many clients book a week or 2 in the Italian lakes, but if you are restricted for time and would like a short 3 day break, this would make a great alternative to a city. Easyjet flies daily from Edinburgh to Milan and within an hour you could be transported to this beautiful location.......We can help get you there.



St Vincent’s Hospice Tour of Glasgow NecropolisSaturday June 15th, Glasgow Necropolis, 28/32 Cathedral Square, Glasgow, G4 0XA - 2pm.Exclusive tour with Alexander Stoddart, Sculptor in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen and St Vincent’s Hospice Ambassador.In his capacity of Ambassador to St Vincent’s Hospice, Sandy Stoddart will host three unique architectural and historical tour, to celebrate 25 years of care for all in Renfrewshire and beyond.Come along and you will be guided round the Glasgow Necropolis by Sandy himself.Described as a unique representation of Victorian Glasgow, join Sandy as he guides you around this fascinating cemetery, giving unique historical insights into monuments designed by major architects and sculptors of the time, including Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson, Charles Rennie Macintosh and JT Rochead, created for the prominent and wealthy entrepreneurs of the ‘Second City of the Empire’.Reserve your place on [email protected] or 01505 705635.

Barshaw Gala DayBarshaw Park, Paisley - Saturday 15th June - 12noon-4pmCome along and join the crowds at this popular free annual event - one of the big events in Renfrewshire’s summer calendar.Main-stage music and entertainment will be provided by the Erskine Music & Media Studios.Other events include: fairground rides, community stalls, falconry display, model railway, beat the goalie, model yacht display, Street Stuff youth buses, vintage fire engines, dog display, power wrestling demo, face

painting, and more.

Playdays!@the MuseumPaisley Museum - Thur 13th June - 10.30am to 11.30am £2 (children go free) Booking: 0300 300 1210 Max 25 adults Come along to these specially created, highly interactive and multi-sensory sessions. Aimed at pre-school children, each session is different and includes singing, movement, sensory activities and creative play. A theatrical Bear Hunt through Paisley Museum!

Summer FeteSt Paul’s Church car park, Johnstone Saturday 22nd June 1.30pm - 4pm.Lots for children - bouncy castle, face painting & beat the goalie!Tearoom, strawberries & cream and pancakes cooked to order. The usual stalls - home baking, tombola etc., and knitted goods.

ART EXHIBITION: by Robert WilsonC u r r e n t l y running until 28th June, in “The Bridge” Centre, Bridge of Weir. Further i n f o r m a t i o n on my website www.rabwilsonartist.comThe picture featured is “ B r a d l e y Wiggins” by Robert WIlson.



Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock Are Ye’ Dancin’? - Wed 5th June• Why do you stand there in the rain? - Thur 6th June• Dance 1 Studio Annual Showcase - Fri 7th & Sat 8th June• An intimate evening with Ruthie Henshall - Tue 11th June• West of Scotland Schools Band - Fri 14th June• A Night at the Musicals - Thur 20th June• Emma Whyte Dance Display - Fri 21st - Sun 23rd June•

For further information or to book, please call: 01475 723723, email: [email protected] or call in to The Beacon Arts Centre, Custom House Quay, Greenock, PA15 1HJ

Paisley Arts Centre

I Spy Mrs Peery Thur 6th - 7.30pmTickets: £10 (£6 conc).This Edinburgh Fringe award-winning show is a tale of mystery and suspense. Mrs Peery sees it all from behind her net curtains, yet never sets foot over her own door.

Hardeep Singh Kohli’s Indian Takeaway Sat 15th - 7.30pmTickets: £15 (£13 conc). Suitable for ages 14 +. Following two sell-out years - Hardeep will order a takeaway live on stage for delivery to the theatre. He will then race against time to cook his own feast before the takeaway arrives.

Refugee Week Scotland Film - Tue 18th Tickets: FREE, but ticketed. Running Time: 90 mins. We are delighted to present Africa United (12A), a film chosen by the Association of African Communities in Renfrewshire (AACR), which tells the extraordinary story of three Rwandan children who set off for the capital city to audition for the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 World Cup.

Some Other Mother Thur 20th - 7.30pmTickets: £10 (£6 conc). A new play by AJ Taudevin produced in association with The Tron, Scottish Refugee Council and supported by Stellar Quines.

Peter Pan (U) - Sat 22ndTickets: £4 (£2 conc). Running time: 77 mins. Join mischievous Peter Pan, the young boy who refuses to grow up, his hot tempered pixie pal, Tinker Bell and the Darling children as they soar away to the mysterious Never-Never Land where childhood lasts forever in this magical, musical adventure.

Scottish Huntington’s Association Comedy NightThe Stand Comedy Club, 333 Woodlands Road, GlasgowWednesday 17th July, Doors open 7.30pm, Ticket price: £6. All proceeds will be donated to the work of SHA. To purchase ticket(s) go online at www.hdscotland.org or call Linda Byars on 0141 848 0308 for detailsScottish Huntington’s Association (SHA) is the only charity in Scotland dedicated to helping people affected by the hereditary neurological condition, Huntington’s Disease (HD).

HD is a progressive, degenerative condition that causes changes to muscle control, thinking processes and may cause long-term mental health issues.The average age of onset is between 33 and 45 years of age, but there is a juvenile form of the disease which can begin at any age.There is currently no cure for HD and those living with the condition will require 24 hour care as it progresses into its later stages. There is a ‘ripple effect’ across families with partners becoming care givers over many years, 80% of children will also become care givers. Each child of someone diagnosed with HD is at 50% risk of developing the condition themselves. 67% of families living with the condition have an income less than the national average and 33% live in poverty.Prevalence of Huntington’s disease has increased threefold in the last twenty years. There are estimated to be 1100 people in Scotland living with the condition but as many as 5000 could be potentially at risk. SHA works with families affected by the disease providing life line services including specialist nurses and the world’s only HD youth support service. The support network we provide is a vital resource to help families cope on a day-to-day basis.We are a small national charity with 90% of the money raised spent on front line services, the rest is spent generating future income sources so we can develop and improve what we do.

Tribute to the StarsFriday 7th June - Normandy Hotel, RenfrewThe Normandy Hotel is delighted to promote this fabulous event in aid of St Vincent’s Hospice.A showcase of tributes to the stars, including Shania Twain, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, George Michael and Cher!Tickets are just £26 which includes a three-course dinner plus coffee, with tribute acts followed by a DJ. Book now to avoid disappointment.To book tickets, please contact the Normandy Hotel on 0141 886 4100 or visit www.normandytributes.co.uk/event

Organ RecitalSunday 16th June - 4pm Thomas Coats Memorial Church, PaisleyChris Nickol, Director of Music, New Kilpatrick Parish Church. CCTV will allow the audience to see the console and performer. Entry is free. Visit the website at www.musicattcm.org.uk for further information.



Beth in BrazilBeth Mackinnon is an 11 year old local Bridge of Weir school girl who has just returned from a trip of a lifetime helping deprived children in the ‘City Of God’ slum in Rio de Janeiro. She became interested in the project which runs a school/’safe house’ for the children funded by Jairah Funds Charity after speaking to her grandfather about this great cause. The schools’ main focus is to build up the children’s self-esteem and self-image to help break the cycle of poverty, drugs abuse and neglect which is rife in the slum.

Beth has a deep concern for the children in the school and over the past three years she has corresponded with them and has raised money by various sponsored events, a yard sale and a coffee morning. Beth has not only raised nearly £2000, but also managed to persuade 70 people to fill cloth bags with gifts for each child!

Beth has spoken at her church and also to her fellow pupils in Bridge of Weir Primary to raise awareness of the charity and the fantastic work that they do. The Jairah Funds charity is very proud of their youngest fundraiser and the school in Brazil has now made Beth their patron. Beth said’ It was my dream come true to meet the children in the school and see how they live. I really enjoyed handing out the gift bags as the children get very few presents. The money I raised will go to build a new roof as the school is too hot inside and also to buy other equipment that they need. I want to continue to raise funds for them and can’t wait to visit them again as soon as I can!’



Carers Week 10th – 15th JuneRenfrewshire Carers will be hosting Information Stalls at various venues throughout the week:

Royal Alexandra Hospital and • Sainsbury’s, Braehead ALL WEEKRenfrewshire Council offices • – The Atrium Renfrewshire House - Tuesday 11thLochwinnoch and Bishopton • Libraries – Wednesday 12thBraehead Shopping Centre – • Thursday 13th Monday 10th at Renfrewshire • Carers Centre, including:-11am - Launch of Carers Week by Provost Anne Hall11.10am - Launch of Carers Strategy by Shiona Strachan, Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire CHP & Diane Goodman Renfrewshire Carers Centre11.30am - AGM

Other events:Carers Community Choir LunchTuesday 11th June 6pm - 9pm at Renfrewshire Carers Centre

Connecting Carers Introduction to Skype – Using computers, Ipads and Tablets make contact between Lochwinnoch and Bishopton Libraries. Benefits advice in both Lochwinnoch and Bishopton Libraries.Thursday 13th - 10am - 2.30pm at Renfrewshire Carers Centre

Cheese, Wine, Entertainment & Pamper DaysPhone for an appointment for massage, manicure or a makeover

Wednesday 12th - 2pm - 4pm • at Lochwinnoch & Bishopton LibrariesSaturday 15th - at Power • League The Pitts

For more information on any of the above, to make an appointment, or any other issues relating to YOU as a carer, please contact: Renfrewshire Carers Centre, Unit 55 Emboidery Mill, Abbeymill Business Centre, Paisley, PA1 1TJ. Tel: 0141 887 3643. E: [email protected] www: renfrewshirecarers.org.uk

Thanks from UnaUna Baxter recently took part in the 26 mile Kilt walk from Hampden to Balloch Shores and would like to thank the following people:-Bob & Ruby for always taking great care of my ‘girls’; Dave & Jan for the taxi service throughout the year; Alan for your continuous support and last, but not least - Anna for all my carry-outs and being such a kind neighbour.

Sun shines on Erskine Garden Centre Open DayMany local families took the opportunity to enjoy a trip to the Garden Centre to enjoy all the entertainment and competitions.The Easter Bunny was on hand to meet the children and point them in the direction of the bouncy castle and the Treasure Hunt (which was won by 8 year old Neve Devan) and the sunflower planting competition. For those who were a bit peckish the BBQ offered burgers and hot dogs. Many however, opted for a Candy Floss whilst others settled for a seat and a relaxing coffee in the Vanishing Willows. The face painting stall was busy turning out some fantastic paintings of lizards, flowers and other animals on many little faces.Assistant Manager Ewan Brown was delighted to present Neve with her prize, a giant Lindt Easter Bunny which is nearly as big as her. Neve, a pupil at St Anne’s Primary School in Erskine said: “I am really excited about winning this big rabbit”.All profits from the Erskine Garden Centre go towards caring for ex-Service men and women across Scotland.For more information on the Erskine garden Centre visit www.erskinegardencentre.

Do you play the Fiddle or Squeezebox?Continuing the very successful

series of BBC Performing Arts funded music workshops in

Lochwinnoch, there will be sessions for both Fiddle and Squeezebox/Accordion on

Sunday 9th June in Lochwinnoch Parish Church from 2pm to 4pm.Focussed at the folksier end of the spectrum, the workshops will be led by two of Scotland’s foremost musicians and aim to develop skills, explain techniques and, hopefully, develop you as a musician in an enjoyable and informative way.The Fiddle Session will be hosted by Alastair Savage. Way back in 2004, as one of the violinists in the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, he decided that a return to his roots was long overdue. A native of Ardrossan, he had grown up as a folk fiddler, famously winning The Double – both the Ayrshire and National sections of the Land O’Burns Scots’ Fiddle Competition – in 1986 afterwards going on to study classical playing in both Glasgow and London. So, heeding the call of the traditional tunes that started him off, he formed the Alastair Savage Trio and now plays a mixture of these tunes and his own compositions inspired by the land and cityscapes around him. Three albums later, and with performances at Festivals all over the country there’s been no looking back.The Squeezebox/Accordion Session will be led by Una Bryson. Born in Lanarkshire and raised on a farm near Strathaven, she started playing accordion at the age of eight and soon received recognition as an outstanding young musician, progressing to win many national and international competitions. She also had the distinction of being the first Scottish accordion player to be accepted for entry to the Royal Academy of Music, London.Currently leading Keltica, one of Scotland’s finest ceilidh bands, Una is an outstanding accordionist who has played at Festivals and given virtuoso solo and orchestral performances throughout the country and beyond. Towards the end of the workshops the two sets of musicians will come together for a rousing finale.All players, irrespective of experience, are very welcome to participate. Numbers are limited so please contact Peter Fereday 07788 403489 to book a place. Remember there is no charge at all. If you just want to watch and listen you are also very welcome to come along.

Edinburgh Fringe FestivalThe 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival runs from Friday 2nd – Monday 26th August. For more information or to book tickets visit www.edfringe.com. Last year, 2,695 shows from over 22,000 performers took place in 279 venues across Edinburgh. The 2013 festival is set to be even bigger, with a multitude of homegrown and international talent heading to Scotland. A range of themes are covered by the shows on advance sale, including gun control, mental health and capital punishment. Those seeking something lighter, will be delighted by the return of a host of top comedians as well as perennial favourites.

Church FeteSaturday 8th June from 11am-2pm at St Aidan`s Church, Tower Road, Johnstone. Lots of stalls and games including Wheel of Fortune, Beat The Goalie, Bouncy Castle, Home Baking and lots more. Free entry!

Carnival NightSaturday 1st June from 8pm til late.Bride of Weir Royal British Legion Club. £5 per ticket.



Scotchpotch‘Scotchpotch’ is the latest anthology from Greenock Writers’ Club, whose honorary president is local author Cathy MacPhail. Published with financial support from the Co-operative Movement, the collection consists of a hotchpotch of poems, short stories and articles by some of the club’s talented writers. ‘Scotchpotch’ also pays tribute two of these writers: the late Lydia Webster, a founder member of the club in the 1960s, and the late Marion Harris, who was cared for at Ardgowan Hospice. On sale at under a fiver – and therefore a great little present, ‘Scotchpotch’ is available from the following outlets: GREENOCK: Ardgowan Hospice, Dutch Gable House, New Dawn Bookshop and Coffee House. GOUROCK: Seagull Gallery, Flava Coffee Co. RSPB, Lochwinnoch; Inverbeg Gallery by Loch LomondA donation from each sale will be made to Ardgowan Hospice. We hope to present a cheque to them shortly.Greenock Writers’ Club warmly welcomes new members whatever their experience to its friendly and encouraging meetings. The new 2013-2014 season will begin in September at the Ardgowan Club, Ardgowan Square, Greenock please contact our secretary Isobel Watt on 01475 723744 for details.Featured in the photograph is Digby the club mascot who is clearly

enjoying reading his own poem ‘A dog named Digby’.

Riverside Youth BandBased in Port Glasgow, Riverside Youth Band was established in January 2012 and is a registered Charity in Scotland as well as a registered youth band with the Scottish Brass Band Association. The young band have performed several concerts over the year, large and small! The Summer Concert will be on Friday 7th June in Port Glasgow Town Hall and will feature the Riverside Youth Band and the Training Band. Tickets priced £5 can be purchased from any band member or check our website www.riversideyouthband.co.uk for more details of how to buy tickets. The Musical Director of Riverside Youth Band is Lynda Nicholson, who has a wealth of experience both as a player and as a teacher, having previously worked with the St Helen’s Youth Band and led them to many successes. Lynda is a well-respected peripatetic brass instructor in schools in Inverclyde and Renfrewshire. The band competed in the Scottish Youth Championships for the first time in November last year, and were given a very deserved silver award. They followed this shortly after with a visit to the Brass at the Bards contest in Alloway where they were given their first Gold award. The Training Band also entered the Brass at the Bards contest and gained a Silver award – fabulous! This year, some of our members will be attending the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland, and the West of Scotland Schools Symphony Orchestra and we’re delighted to see the progress they’re making.Riverside Youth Band meets on Friday evenings, during school term times, from 6pm-7.30pm with the Training Band (for under 12 years old) meets from 5pm-5.45pm. If you are aged between 9 and 19 years old and play a brass or percussion instrument, please do get in touch. Further details are available on the website www.riversideyouthband.co.uk



weekly every monday Houston Jogging BuddiesVillage Hall, Houston 6.30pmAll abilities welcome.

Strathgryffe Motorcycle ClubThe Trust Inn, Kilbarchan 9pm-10.30pmVisit www.strathgryffe.org for details.

every Tuesday Bridge of Weir Walking GroupOutside the Co-op, BoW 10.30amWalk for around 1 hour. Call Senga on 0141 842 3000 for details.

Baby SocialThree Sisters Bake, Quarriers Village 11amMeet mums, drink coffee & eat cake. Call 01505 228087 or email [email protected] for further info.

Birkmyre Park Running ClubBirkmyre Park Gym, Kilmacolm 7pmAn enjoyable and invigorating run in and around Kilmacolm. Tel: 01475 715750.

every Wednesday Knitting GroupThree Sisters Bake, Quarriers Village 10am - 12noonKnitters of all levels welcome! Call 01505 228087 or email [email protected] for further info.

Line DancingBishopton Primary School7pm - 8.30pmAll abilities welcome. Call Mellissa on 07970 396212 for further details.

every Thursday Kilmacolm WalkersBirkmyre Park Pavilion, Kilmacolm 10amAn enjoyable health walk in and around Kilmacolm. Tel: David Goddard 01505 874192 or email [email protected]

monthly 1sT Tuesday Scotland West Business Networking GroupThree Sisters Bake, Quarriers Village 9.30am - 11amShare ideas, listen to our speakers and meet new people. Call 01505 228087 or email [email protected] for further info.

1sT sunday Car Boot SaleBridge of Weir Car Park 9am-1pmSet up from 8am - £5 per car. Call 01505 615992 for more details.

2nd Wednesday Inverclyde Carers Outreach SurgeryCargill Centre, Kilmacolm 11am-2pmEmail [email protected] or call: 01475 735180.

2nd saTurday ‘Brunch & Browse’ St Fillan’s Hall, Moss Road, Kilmacolm 10am-2pmHome made soups, home baking, tea, coffee, books & lots of stalls. Great value! Disabled access. £4.

regular events

farmers markets

1sT saTurday Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm10am-2pm (“The Square”)

1sT & 3rd sunday Loch Lomond Shores10am-3pm Tel: 07977 179 861

2nd & lasT saTurday Paisley County Square9am-1pm Tel: 01655 770217

www.advertizer.co.ukfor weekly updates

unTil sun 23 June Art Exhibition“The Bridge” Centre, Bridge of WeirA series of portraits, surrealism, landscapes and still life by Robert Wilson. Further information on my website www.rabwilsonartist.com

saT 1 June Castle Semple Rowing Club RegattaCastle Semple loch by Lochwinnoch 9am to 5pmThe regatta attracts competitors and their supporters from all over Scotland and we also have crews travelling from England and further a field to compete.

Carnival NightRoyal British Legion Club, Bridge of Weir 8 to til lateCome along for what is bound to be a great night. £5 per ticket.

Houston And Killellan Agricultural ShowHouston Public Park from 10amLots of stands, craft tent, snack and ice cream vans, competitions and fun for all the family! Join us for a great day out. For entry forms, or more information please contact Catharine Anderson 07795174306 or email [email protected]

mon 3 June St Columba Playgroup & Toddlers, Kilmacolm Open DaySt Columba Church Hall, Kilmacolm 9.45am to 11amPlease free to come in for a look if you are thinking about a space for the 2013/14 session. Call 07557 656968 for further information.

mon 3 - saT 8 June Beith Art ExhibitionCommunity Centre, Kings Rd, BeithThis is always a popular event, showing the work of local artists who never cease to amaze us all with their talent. All are very welcome. Opening times are Monday - Friday 2.30pm - 8.30pm and Saturday 10am - 4pm. Entrance is free.

Wed 5 June Pound & Pace Charity WalkGreenock Cut 11amYou are eagerly encouraged to come along and walk the Greenock Cut’s 7.5 miles, with a Park Ranger, for a donation of £1. Registration is at 10:15 at the Greenock Cut Visitor Centre, for an 11 o’clock start. Don’t forget to buy a raffle ticket on the day to win various prizes!

Dementia Awareness Week Information DayThe Hub in Kilmacolm 11am to 2pmAlzheimer Scotland invite you to come along to find out more about the services we provide to ensure that no-one goes through dementia on their own.

Thu 6 - Fri 7 June Toy SaleCarrick Centre, Main St, HoustonDue to closure of the nursery there are many fun and educational toys* looking for a new home and so we’re having a Toy Sale! Thursday 6th June - 9am – 3pm & Friday 7th June - 9am – 1pm Call 01505 615876 or email [email protected] *There are larger items such as furniture which are also looking for a new home!

what’s on

225_JUNE13_14-19 WHAT'S ON.ind.indd 14 22/05/2013 16:23:00


farmers marketsLangbank

Camera ClubCrocuses opening in the warm Spring weather was obviously the subject of choice for the enthusiastic photographers in the Langbank Camera Club. Derrick McPherson, Gary

Ramanathan and Alistair McKenzie captured the best images for sharpness and colour, although there were many more entries in the May monthly competition that were also of a very high standard.

The Club now takes it Summer break and will start again in September. Best advice over the next few months is to have your camera ready for any great opportunity that comes along. Wishing everyone a good summer and many happy holiday pictures.

Kilbarchan World Trade DayThis was celebrated in three venues. The Weaver’s Cottage ran a Fair Trade shop all day. Alyson at the Glenleven Inn served Fair Trade tea, coffee and scones, and Carol at Bobbins had Fair Trade tea and coffee on tap all day.Photos: left to right: Glenleven, Weaver’s Cottage, and Bobbins Coffee Shop.



Fri 7 June Tribute to the stars in aid of St Vincent’s HospiceNormandy Hotel, RenfrewA showcase of tributes to the stars, including Shania Twain, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, George Michael and Cher! Tickets £26 which includes a 3-course dinner + coffee. To book please call 0141 886 4100 or visit www.normandytributes.co.uk/event

Film Nights at the BridgeThe Bridge, Main St, Bridge of WeirWhat’s Up Doc” (U) - Screwball romantic comedy directed by Peter Bogdanovich. With Barbra Streisand, Ryan O’Neal and Madelain Kahn. Entry is free, but any donations to Bridge funds is very welcome. Doors open from 6.30pm and the film starts at 7pm.

saT 8 June Bridge of Weir Gala DayHouston Road Park, Bridge of WeirParade through Bridge of Weir to Houston Road Park for our annual Gala Day.

Accord Summer FayrePaisley Town Hall 10am to 4pmTickets: FREE. This year’s Accord Summer Fayre will have plenty of stalls and attractions including hot food, tea room, books, bric-a-brac, funfair rides, craft fayre and lots more. Free entry although there will be a collection (non-compulsory) at the door.

Lochwinnoch Gala DayPublic Park, LochwinnochEntry to Gala Day remains the same at £1.50 per adult or child over 12 years. Free entry for children under 12 when accompanied by an adult.

Church FeteSt Aidan`s Church, Tower Road, Johnstone 11am to 2pmLots of stalls and games including Wheel of Fortune, Beat The Goalie, Bouncy Castle, Home Baking and lots more. Free entry!

Houston Show Supper DanceRiver Inn, CrossleeDelic ious buffet dinner, dancing and entertainment - everyone welcome. Raffle held on the night with some incredible prizes already secured including a membership for the new ON-X leisure facilities in Linwood and a treatment at Divah Salon in Houston. Contact Aly Young for tickets 07812637107 or email [email protected]

saT 8 - sun 9 June Giveaway WeekendGibb Stuart Home Hardware, Bridge of Weir - all dayVisit the Bridge of Weir Store over the weekend and enter these amazing competitions - more details in store.

sun 9 June Charity Fun ShowGryffeside Livery, Kilmacolm 10amCome and have a fun day and help us raise funds for Cancer Research UK on Sunday 9th June. We have been overwhelmed with the generosity of the prizes offered for auction and raffle.

Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust Open Day12noon to 4pmThere will be tours around some of the enclosures, the chance to see fox cubs, badger cubs, cygnets, ducklings, owls and many nestling birds being hand reared. There will also be a variety of stalls and many children’s activities.

mon 10 - saT 15 June Renfrewshire Carers Centre - Carers WeekInformation Stalls will run at various venues throughout the week. For information on any of the above or any other issues relating to YOU as a carer Please contact: Renfrewshire Carers Centre, Unit 55 Embroidery Mill, Abbeymill Business Centre, Paisley, PA1 1TJ. Tel: 0141 887 3643. E: [email protected] www: renfrewshirecarers.org.uk

Tue 11 June The Aurea String Quartet In ConcertFreeland Church, Main Street , Bridge of Weir 7.30pmTickets £5 from • Bernie’s Cafe and Deli, Neva Place, Main Street, Bridge of Weir • Freeland Coffee Shop, The Pirie Centre, Freeland Church Thursdays 10-12am • The Pirie Information Centre, Freeland Church Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays 10-12am

Wed 12 - Fri 14 June Pace Theatre - AbbeySongPaisley Abbey 7.30pmOver 200 children and members of Pace of all ages will perform the story of the Abbey with specially created script, songs and music Tickets from Pace Box Office at 0845 130 5218 or Paisley Abbey Shop(10am-3.30pm Mon-Sat) £8 (adult) and £5(concession)

Thu 13 June Bridge of Weir Senior Citizens’ Assc Tea DanceRoyal British Legion, Bridge of Weir2pmTickets are £2. All are welcome.

saT 15 June Kilmacolm Old Kirk FeteThe Manse grounds at Glencairn Road, Kilmacolm 11am to 3.30pmMessy Church and Arts and Crafts for the kids, games and races, home baking, cup cakes, tombolas, paper back books, CDs, DVDs, jewellery and again ‘hopefully’ a gallery of ‘times gone by in Kilmacolm and district’. All ‘capped’ by the event being opened by a Personality from STV.

St Vincent’s Hospice Tour of Glasgow NecropolisGlasgow Necropolis, 28/32 Cathedral Square, Glasgow 2pmExclusive tour with Alexander Stoddart, Sculptor in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen and St Vincent’s Hospice Ambassador. Reserve your place on [email protected] or 01505 705635.

sun 16 June Thomas Coats Organ Recital SeriesThomas Coats Memorial Church, Paisley 4pmChris Nickol, Director of Music, New Kilpatrick Parish Church. CCTV will allow the audience to see the console and performer. Entry is free. Visit the website at www.musicattcm.org.uk for further information.

Father’s DayGo on - treat your dad (or someone else’s) to something nice today!

Open Air ServiceCar Park opposite Freeland Church, Bridge of Weir 10.30amFollowed by soup and a sandwich in the church hall. Everyone welcome. More details at www.freeland.org.uk



sun 16 June Mens 10kGlasgow’s Bellahouston Park 10amThe Men’s 10k is organised by Men’s Health Forum Scotland and aims to engage men in Scotland and beyond in healthy, physical activity all year round. Register at www.mens10k.com

Thu 20 June Film Nights at the BridgeThe Bridge, Main St, Bridge of Weir“Star Wars - A New Hope” (PG) - The first film in the Star Wars series with an outstanding case including Alec Guinness, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, James Earl Jones and David Prowse. Entry is free, but any donations to Bridge funds is very welcome. Doors open from 6.30pm and the film starts at 7pm.

Fri 21 June Midsummer Party at The BridgeMain Street, Bridge of Weir 7pmThe joint hosts will be The Bridge and the Allotments and Gardens Society and everyone at the party will hear a bit about what is going on in both organisations.

saT 22 June Country & Western Summer Fete & BarbecueLochwinnoch Parish Church 11am to 3pmGames; Tombola; Scavenger hunt; Stalls indoors. Burgers, juice & snacks on sale all day. Adult £1, Children free.

Radio Lollipop Zumbathon Fun DayYorkhill Children’s Hospital, Glasgow 11am to 3pmTickets cost £10. Contact Loren McKirdy for more information and to register on 07811 329276.

Summer FeteSt Paul’s Church car park, Johnstone 1.30pm to 4pmLots for children - bouncy castle, face painting & beat the goalie! Tearoom, strawberries & cream and pancakes cooked to order. The usual stalls - home baking, tombola etc., and knitted goods.

saT 22 - sun 23 June Castle Semple Sailing Club - Annual 24 Hr RaceCastle Semple, Lochwinnoch 12noonCastle Semple Sailing Club is holding its Annual 24 Hour Race - come and watch the fun - see website www.castlesemplesc.co.uk/ for details.

sun 23 June Family Fun DayQuarriers 2pm to 4pmEntry free, all welcome. Quarriers Village Council (QVC) will be running the usual Sports Day Races and the Duck Races (Numbered plastic ducks are sent off down the Gryffe River). Entry £1 per duck.

Brookfield Antiques & Collectors FairBrookfield Village Hall 12noon to 5pm50p admission fee and all of those proceeds will be donated to Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust.

Scotland’s Gardens Sma’ Shot CottagesOld Paisley Society, 2 Sma’ Shot Lane, Paisley 12pm to 4pmAdmission £2. Accord Hospice receives 40% and the net remaining to SG Beneficiaries. Guided tours available. Tearoom will provide light lunches and home baking. There is also a small gift shop. For further information, call 0141 889 1708 or visit the website at www.smashot.co.uk

saT 29 June Longest Day 72 Hole Challenge - “Three Men and a Bobby”Club House, Kilmacolm Golf Club7.30pmDonations for the evening auction and raffle would be welcome whether they be golf orientated or otherwise! Cheers “The Bobster” Call Bobby on 07921 167554 or email [email protected] to reserve your tickets! £7.50 including snack.

sun 30 June Scotland’s GardensDuchal House, Kilmacolm PA13 4RS 2pm to 5pmAdmission £4, children under 16 free. Ardgowan Hospice receives 40%, the net remaining to SG Beneficiaries. Large plant sale with wide selection of plants.

Thu 4 July Old Course Ranfurly Golf Club Ladies OpenRanfurly Place, Bridge of WeirStableford Greensomes. Maximum individual handicap - 34. Entry fees:- £14 per couple, single entries £7. Sponsored prizes at many of the holes. Bar and snacks available all day. Please apply to Managing Secretary, The Old Course Ranfurly Golf Club, Ranfurly Place, Bridge of Weir, PA11 3DE. Tel no: 01505 613214.



business news

in businesswith Steve Povey

We have to accept that conflict is unavoidable I was delivering some courses for Dental professionals at the Glasgow Dental Hospital recently, regarding managing conflict and stress. It surprises many people that this is something that they experience and have to deal with a lot. But then in your lives too, you’ll have noticed that people don’t always see eye to eye! And then if we don’t handle it well, we have conflict which itself creates much stress for us. We have to accept that conflict is unavoidable. It’s a normal by-product of people trying to work and live together, and since people’s views and characters differ – you can’t expect them to agree all the time. So don’t expect to eliminate conflict. You can feel satisfied though if you can just,

limit the number of outbreaks, minimise the scale of each outbreak, stop it from spreading too far, prevent it from doing irrepairable harm, and where possible – make the conflict yield benefits. Instead encourage healthy differences; because they are not always harmful, in fact differences and disagreements are often beneficial. Amongst the many benefits, they clear the air, stimulate creativity, create respect, expose new views and ideas, and reveal problems which were unseen.You’ll know yourself that the best way to manage conflict - is to prevent it ever arising. Some great preventative advice is – consult people before making decisions; don’t assume how people feel; don’t talk about people behind their back; encourage respect for people and their views, and reward supportive and helpful behaviour. Good communication, open and two ways, listening properly to what other are really saying, is probably the real key. Did your mother tell you the same as mine did, ‘you have two ears and one mouth, use them in the proportion you were given them’ – do that and we’ll have far less harmful conflict and lot’s more creative discussion and also reduce our stress in the process!(If you would like some advice on how to improve the effectiveness of your business contact Steve on 07949197658 or [email protected] (Next month, some more on Managing Stress)

Eat-Lochwinnoch Organic Fruit & Veg Delivery ClubThis locally sourced organic delivery club is now up and running! Members order boxes of mixed fruit and veg, or choose individual items from Whitmuir Organic Farm (www.whitmuirtheorganicplace.co.uk). Orders are delivered fortnightly to the LEAP office in Lochwinnoch. The produce is sourced locally where possible (some

being grown on Whitmuir Farm itself), which reduces Food Miles. As an added bonus, minimum packaging is used – no more piles of fruit punnets waiting to be put in the recycling bin!Member Liz Parsons commented -“Whitmuir’s catalogue’s full of delicious things to eat, I was really impressed with my first order. The tomatoes were big and fat and really red and tasty and the spelt crackers were giant and crisp and I ate them all too fast! “The Delivery club has been established by Eat-Lochwinnoch, the food group in Lochwinnoch, supported by LEAP. If you’d like to join, please email [email protected] for more details, or phone the LEAP Lochwinnoch office (01505 842530). If there is sufficient interest from householders in the surrounding area a second delivery point in Bridge of Weir may be possible.

dental healthwith Sheila Macintyre

The two most common ways to get whiter teeth are to use a whitening toothpaste or a dental bleaching treatment.The main principle of whitening toothpastes is the addition of abrasives to a standard toothpaste. These abrasives remove stains from the outer layer of the tooth enamel but they can only do so much, they cannot remove deep stains from the tooth or change the natural colour of the teeth. To get a really bright white smile then only a professional dental bleaching treatment will be truly effective. A lot of companies make grand claims that their products can make your teeth 30-60 times lighter - this isn’t actually possible as there are only 16 shades on the standard dental shade guide! There are a number of whitening systems on the market but at Kilbarchan Dental practice we recommend Enlighten which is the only system on the market to guarantee a B1 colour at end of treatment. B1 is the whitish shade on the dental shade guide. By following a simple maintenance program your results will last many years. As with most things in life it is always best to take the advice of the professionals so if you are considering teeth whitening please ask your dentist first.Sheila Macintyre is Practice Owner at Kilbarchan Dental Practice.

Teeth WhiteningAs we head into summer and thoughts turn to holidays

and weddings we are getting more and more people coming in to the surgery to ask about teeth whitening.

This is a hot topic amongst dentists at the moment because of a recent court case (it is illegal

to whiten teeth if you are not a dental care professional). The General Dental

Council are concerned about the risk to the public posed by such potentially hazardous treatment being provided by people without the right training and

qualifications.

AbbeySongPace Theatre presents AbbeySong in Paisley Abbey on Wednesday,Thursday and Friday 12th-14th June at 7.30pm.In celebration of Paisley Abbey’s 850th anniversary over 200 children and members of Pace of all ages will perform the story of the Abbey with specially created script, songs and music.Tickets available from Pace Box Office at 0845 130 5218 or Paisley Abbey S h o p ( 1 0 a m -3.30pm Mon-Sat) £8 (adult) and

£5(concession)

225_JUNE13_20-27 TECH + FEATURE NEWS.ind.indd 20 23/05/2013 10:14:56


300 payday loan sites blockedRenfrewshire Council has become the latest local authority to block access to payday loan websites from computers in its libraries, offices and community facilities.Some 300 sites have been blocked as part of the council’s strategy to help local people manage their money and avoid getting into debt.In addition to banning access to payday loans, Renfrewshire Council has created a 45-strong team to provide local people with advice and assistance about the changes to their benefits and money and debt issues.Councillor Michael Holmes, Depute Leader of Renfrewshire Council, said, “The people who use payday loans are often on low incomes. They don’t have savings to fall back on and they struggle to get affordable credit through more traditional ways of borrowing. Payday lenders charge significantly more interest than banks and credit unions; sucking money out of low-income communities.“The idea behind payday loans is that people borrow a small amount of money and pay it back quickly. But if these loans aren’t repaid within a month, or if the borrower defaults on their payments, interest charges and penalties can cause the debt to spiral out of control. One leading payday lender charges 4,214% interest a year. In 12 months this would turn a £30 payday loan into a £1,264 financial millstone.“The changes to the benefit system are going to take £22million out of the pockets of the poorest people in Renfrewshire. Many of them will be driven to payday lenders to try and make ends meet. The council is determined to use its voice and influence to guide people towards affordable credit such as credit unions and protect them from falling into a high-interest debt trap.”In addition to high interest charges there can be other pitfalls with payday loans.Councillor Holmes said, “Payday lenders often set up Continuous Payment Authorities when people take out a loan. This gives them the right to take money out of people’s bank accounts even if it puts them into the red. This can lead to overdraft charges which make the situation even worse. It also means the payday lender can help themselves before the person has paid their essential bills such as rent or power bills. Payday loans may be easy to understand. They may be simple to use but with an annual interest rate of an eye-watering 4,214%, they can be very, very difficult to repay.”Peter Tutton, Consumer Policy Officer at Citizens Advice, said, “The problems we see are where short-term credit becomes long-term and people get into a cycle of debt. Many people using these types of loan can’t afford them in the first place, can’t pay them back and end up by taking out multiple loans.”The Government is currently considering the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFT) review of payday loans and the OFT has opened formal investigations into several lenders.

Watch your InboxHMRC do not send taxpayers emails regarding their tax affairs. So the next time you receive an email purporting to be from HMRC you can safely bet that it is a scam and that it can be safely ignored. Whatever you do, do not follow any links in these emails as they will likely lead to all sorts of computer viruses infecting your computer. And do not provide any personal information, particularly bank details.If you are in doubt as to authenticity of communications received call HMRC to clarify.For more information, visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/



Healthy Mindswith Mo Ferrington, Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist

Beautiful Homeswith Baytree Interiors

Giving furniture a make-overGive your favourite upholstered furniture a new lease of life With the Re-upholstery service at Baytree Interiors At Baytree Interiors we have over 60 years experience of upholstery manufacturing. Our highly experienced craftsmen, who have worked for us for over 30 years will carefully re-upholster your furniture, replacing webbings and springs where necessary, re-polishing wooden show frames then re-covering in the fabric of

your choice to create a beautiful piece of furniture, one that is often better than new!We are happy to work on the grandest of sofas to your favourite antique chair, from a simple dining seat pad or headboard to creating a new wing chair, small sofa, footstool or even a stunning upholstered window seat. We then add the finishing touches with braids, brass studs and contrast pipings. We have 1000’s of fabrics to choose from in-store including Romo, Linwood,

Osborne & Little, Moon, G P & J Baker, Harlequin, Designers Guild, Colefax & Fowler, Zoffany and many more.Please pop into the shop where you can view our wide selection of fabrics and discuss your requirements. Very often when you go to look for a new suite or chair you will find it very difficult to find one the correct size to fit in your room and the comfort that you are used to. This is when re-upholstery fits the bill and you know exactly what your getting.If you love your furniture

and can’t bear to part with it, you’ll love what we can do! BAYTREE INTERIORS39/41 Main Street, BRIDGE OF WEIRt. 01505 613002 e. [email protected] OPEN MONDAY-SATURDAY

Break Free from Emotional Memories People have the ability to remember things that happened and have no emotional attachment to them. If you think about it, there have no doubt been times in the past when something made you angry, sad, embarrassed, and so on; but when you think about them now, there is nothing - some may even make you smile at the memory.Some phobias are learnt by an event in the past; perhaps a situation such as being locked in a cupboard has led to a phobia of enclosed spaces. Hypnotherapy helps you let go of these emotions, to learn from them so that it becomes just another memory and stops having the negative effect. Sometimes individuals may seek help for an issue without even realising

that it was a past event that has triggered the response. Some may not even remember the event. If you have the ability to get over one thing then you can get over another. Trying to forget or distract yourself from these feelings does you no good whatsoever. The emotions and events need to be processed, and there are many ways of doing this.Some emotions are like they have always been there and are never going to end. Some people may say “I have always felt that way”, only to later discover during therapy that they didn’t feel like that just a couple of months ago. Some may feel with absolute certainty that “there is no way out”, and a couple of hours later they are fine. One question to ask is: “what do you need to do about this so it is resolved?” Sometimes thinking about that is just enough; sometimes you have to go and do something about it. So, start small and pick something that is not too emotional and ask yourself: “what do I need to do to resolve this?” The right answer should be productive and not cause harm or distress. Always start small and build confidence.

Auchengree Farm Shop Wins AwardsIn 2005 Auchengree Farm Shop opened its doors to the public. 8 years later and we have established ourselves as a popular, multi-award winning Farm shop selling the highest standard of local produce. With the warm summer weather on the horizon

(hopefully better than last year!) we can proudly say we have won another 5 awards to put up on show! We had great success at the “Scottish Federation Of Meat Traders Association” (SFMTA) awards this year picking up 2 GOLDS and 3 SILVERS!! GOLD award for “Venison Royale”, GOLD award for “Poppadom Pork Sausage”, SILVER award for “Pork And Leek Sausage”, SILVER award for “Traditional Steak Burger”, SILVER award for “Smokey Farmhouse Chicken”That takes our total number of awards to 30 in 8 years, which we are very proud of! We have a variety of award winning products on sale this weekend which really are worth a try. We pride ourselves for producing the best possible quality for our customers and can’t begin to explain the amount of hard work that is put into the business to keep that standard high. Iain and Alison Telfer of Auchengree Farm are pictured receiving their awards.Auchengree Farm Shop, Meikle Auchengree Farm, Glengarnock, Ayrshire, KA14 3BU Tel: 01294 834625.

New Phase underway at Port Glasgow Shopping ParkWork has begun on the next phase of the Gallagher Shopping Park in Port Glasgow.The owner and developer of the land, Gallagher has appointed BAM Construction to build a new £10m store pre-let to B&Q, the UK’s largest home improvement and garden centre retailer, a Costa Coffee Drive Thru Restaurant and a Marstons Family Pub and Restaurant which has been welcomed by Inverclyde Council.Inverclyde Council Leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe, said: “This is a welcome day for Port Glasgow and Inverclyde, marking a significant moment in the economic regeneration of the town. This investment shows real confidence in the future prosperity of Port Glasgow and reflects the effort and enthusiasm being shown by the Council, our partners and business.”The store will comprise 65,000 sq ft together with an external garden centre and a builders yard, and be served by a 340 space surface car park.



with Colin Fyfe of ColcomiT blogIt is often suggested that viruses are propagated by the very people that purport to remove them. Obviously your big antivirus software companies would be short of a quid or two if every evil techie hacker hung up their balaclavas or ‘Vendetta’ masks overnight; so I suppose there is your ‘probable cause’. Paranoia aside, here is a guide to virus prevention, supplied to you by one of your own local virus removal guys.We all know about the prevention software, the truth is that they are all largely the same over the distance. Some people get a bad deal one year and their computer slows down to a crawl and the software developer’s card is marked ever since. Probably the software would have been fine on another machine it just did not like that machine at that particular time. They can all misbehave, I offer a sixty day trial of my favourite software and I will know immediately if the system won’t behave with it. I just remove it and recommend another. Basically anything is better than nothing, but don’t put up with a really rubbish install, if your long standing favourite does not seem to deliver the goods performance wise, ditch it and get another. Free trials are good for testing the water.The most important thing you can do to prevent this recent glut of fraud-ware is to remove your toolbars. Go to Programs and Features in Vista, 7 or 8 or go to Add Remove Programs in XP and nuke anything resembling what you see on this list – Inbox Toolbar, iLivid, Ask Toolbar and updater, Weather

Bar, Yontoo, Babylon toolbar, Conduit, Community Toolbar. Moving on from toolbars also things like Reg Fixer, System Tweak, Driver Wiz(ard), Maps Galaxy, Advanced System Care.. This list continues on my website along with the disclaimer that admonishes me of any blame should something go wrong with advice here provided. Not that I am aware of that ever being the case.. Talking of things going wrong, I think I may have just shot myself in the foot!

Derek MacKay MSPAnnual Reports My 2013 Annual Report gives me the opportunity to reach every individual within my constituency, providing them with information on the progress that has been made within their communities. Constituents are able to respond to anything that they have read in the report by filling in the return slip on the back. I have had a large response and constituents are very keen for my help with a wide range of issues affecting them and their communities, particularly enquiries about roads around the constituency and also general cleanliness and tidiness in local areas. Kilmacolm Post Office Relocation I contacted constituents in Kilmacolm in mid-April to make them aware of the proposed move of the Kilmacolm Post Office. Many residents had asked specifically about the location of the current post box. I have been advised that the post boxes at Port Glasgow Road and 3 Octavia Buildings will remain.Since the close of consultation the Post Office have been undertaking a final review of all of the correspondence they have received to evaluate if any changes need to be made to the original proposal. Once the final decisions are taken they will make sure that customers are informed by displaying information materials in the current branch; details will also be given on the Post Office website; www.postoffice.co.uk. I will continue to keep my constituents in Kilmacolm up to date with any information that I receive.BishoptonThe development at the old ROF site is ongoing and the first houses have been sold. I have recently met with BAE Systems to get an overview of what is happening at the site. It has been very useful to get an up to date picture regarding this project. I have also been approached by a number of local groups regarding the community benefit aspects of the development and was pleased to have the opportunity to raise this with BAE Systems.

Volunteers RequiredCould you spare a few hours a week to support your local Hospice? Complementary Therapists - We are looking for qualified, experienced therapists who are willing to give some of their time and skills to our patients. Patient Drivers – Volunteers required to help transport patients to and from the Hospice. Housekeeping Team - To assist the housekeeping team to keep the patient and public areas in the Hospice clean and tidy. Retail Assistants – Needed in our charity shops in Bridge of Weir, Lochwinnoch and Linwood. Please contact Christine Haddock, Volunteer Co-ordinator, on 01505 705635 or call into any of our shops and pick up a volunteer application form.



local Historyby Renfrewshire Local History Forum

The Monkey House, the Formakin DreamFormakin House, known locally as the Monkey House, was built in the early twentieth century by John Augustus Holms. His father Archibald Campbell Holms, the son of a Kilbarchan weaver, set up business in Paisley as a textile manufacturer. Business prospered and he was able to retire at the early age of forty and purchase Sandyford House in Paisley. At the age of 55 he married a young wife and proceeded to have twelve children. John Augustus Holms, Archibald’s third son, became a stockbroker. Like his father, he too was very successful in business and became extremely wealthy. He was a collector of art and antiquities, with a collection said to have rivalled the Burrell collection. He also had a keen interest in horticulture with a special interest in rhododendrons.

In 1902 John Augustus Holms bought land near Bishopton and appointed his friend the famous architect Robert Lorimer to build a prestigious mansion house, convert the old Formakin Mill and rebuild other old farm buildings on the site. The big idea was to create a 17th century Scottish tower house with formal gardens set in a landscaped estate with its mill, millhouse and ancillary farm buildings. The mansion house was intended to house his art treasures, probably in the baronial hall.

Holms must have had a wicked sense of humour as stone monkeys sit on the rooftops of the Lodge Houses and one building has a lintel stone with the inscription DL 1694 (DL standing for ‘damned lies’).Robert Lorimer took advice on the planting and landscaping of the estate from Gertrude Jekyll, a leading horticulturist and garden designer of the

day. Today part of the original landscaped estate is designated as an area of special scientific interest. Lorimer’s formal garden, with its stone summer house, its fountain guarded by four lions, and its orchard are part of the mansion house grounds. A small beautiful lake, now with nesting swans, is still a feature of the estate. The remains of the old mill lade, predating Lorimer‘s transformation of the estate, and what appears to be the rusting remains of the machinery for a gin mill can still be seen beside the old Formakin Mill. In 1913 Holms got into financial difficulties and had to halt his building programme and sell off much of his treasured art collection. By this time he was living in one of the completed buildings on the estate and the landscaped grounds with pasture, wooded areas and gardens were much as we see them today. The mansion house itself had been roofed, but much of the internal building work was never fully completed. However, although he never lived in the house, Holms on numerous occasions held dinner parties for his friends in the half-finished mansion house. When Holms died in 1938 the estate was sold to A.E.Pickard, a business genius and eccentric millionaire. During the Second World the mansion house and estate were requisitioned by the military. Subsequently, the buildings fell into a state of disrepair. Holms’s dream was saved in 1988 when Kit Martin began the restoration and conversion of the mansion house and estate buildings into the seventeen dwelling houses on the estate today. © 2013 Helen Calcluth

LEAP Car Club Expansion into Kilbarchan With the Car Club established in Lochwinnoch and a growing membership in Bridge of Weir, in an exciting move for LEAP, we hope to expand into Kilbarchan later this year. Some Kilbarchan residents have already contacted us. If you would consider joining a Car Club in Kilbarchan we’d really like to hear from you! To help secure funding for an additional car we need to show there is interest in the Club. The LEAP Car Club is a members club used by local residents for a wide variety of reasons. Some people use the cars to get to work, some as a second car, some for when family visit and they need extra car space, some just don’t want the expense of running a car that will sit outside their house most of the day. A community, not for profit Club, our cars can be booked online at a moment’s notice and are accessible 24 hours a day.We would be happy to hear from anyone who has any questions at all about the Club – in Kilbarchan, Bridge of Weir or Lochwinnoch. If you would like to find out more contact Diane Dunn, Car Club Coordinator at [email protected] phone the LEAP Office on 842 530 or 612 530 or visit www.myleapproject.org/leap-car-club. Come and find out more about the LEAP Car Club and other areas of the LEAP Project at Lilias Day in Kilbarchan on 1st June and at the Bridge of Weir Gala Day and Lochwinnoch Gala Day on 8th June - pop by and see us!

PHOTO:- Formakin House

PHOTO:- Swans with cygnets

Summer Car Maintenance TipsSummertime is travel time. Even with fuel prices at an all-time high, we can’t resist the lure of setting off on holiday, and this year the “stay-cation” is again all the rage. Before hitting the road this summer, you can take several simple precautions to keep your family safe and save money at the pump. Extreme heat and long drives can be tough on cars. Cracked hoses, leaky radiators, underinflated tyres and dirty filters can significantly lower your fuel efficiency, or worse, lead to a total breakdown.So here are few items to check before you set off on your journey:Check your tyres - make sure they are at the right pressure and not worn. Check the coolant and radiator - the last thing you want is an overheated engine. Change the oil and oil filter to keep the engine running smoothly. Check all the fluid levels - coolant, transmission, differential, power steering and brake fluid. Don’t forget the air conditioning either - essential on those sunny days (what are those you ask - well, we do get them from time to time!). Check all hoses and belts - an expensive repair if neglected. Replace your windscreen wipers and check your brakes.Happy Motoring!



village newsbishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

BoW Senior Citizens’ AssocWe will be holding a Tea Dance on Thursday 13th June at 2pm in the RBLS Hall in Bridge of Weir. Tickets are £2. All are welcome.

Thanks to EveryoneMarilyn (Mandy), Glenn and Greg Barnes would like to express their sincere thanks for the support given to the family during the illness and following the death of Marilyn’s mother Kathleen Anderson.

Bridge of Weir Gala WeekWith this year’s theme of “The Ugly Bug Ball”, here is a list of events in the festival week diary - all events in Bridge of Weir:Saturday 8th - Gala Day in Houston Road Park from

12.30pm to 5pm. The Parade assembles at the Cargill Hall from 11am onwards

Sunday 9th - Gala Praise in St Machars Ranfurly Church, Kilbarchan Road at 7pm

Monday 10th - Kids Entertainment by Song & Dance Factory in Freeland Church Main Street 6.30pm - 8.30pm Entry £1 at the door - tuck shop at half time

Tuesday 11th - Football Fiesta in Houston Road Park from 6.45pm, and Aurora String Quartet in Freeland Church 7pm

Wednesday 12th - Hope Hall family Fun Night in Cargill Hall Lintwhite Crescent 6.30pm - 8pm

Thursday 13th - Senior Citizens Tea Dance in the Royal British Legion Scotland Main Street 2pm - 4.30pm - tickets £2 from the Senior Citizens Committee or pay at the door, and Festival Prize Bingo Night in the Royal British Legion Scotland Main Street, 7pm Eyes Down at 7.30pm till late - Entry £2 pay at the doorFriday 14th - Children’s Puppet Show by Happy Harminis & Celebration Puppets for P1 & Nursery children in Bridge of Weir Primary School 10am, and Disco music by “Chris” for 7 - 12 year olds in the Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent 7 - 9pm - Entry £1 pay at the door - Tuck ShopSaturday 15th - End of Festival week Ceilidh by The Brigadiers Ceilidh Band in the Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent 7.30pm until late. £10 tickets from the Committee 01505 615992 - Light buffet and Late Bar.

The Aurea String QuartetOn Tuesday 11th June, 7.30pm Freeland Church, a group of very talented young musicians from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow will play a selection of classical pieces.

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41st Bishopton Gala DaySaturday 15th June - Gates open at noon. Official opening at 12.45pm by the Bishopton Princess.There will be something for all the family at Bishopton Day.Jez Avery Stunt Show; Falconery Display; Dog Agility Display; Pipeband; Wrestling matches; Live Music; football final; children’s rugby display; bouncy castles; Peter Bowsher - Champion Chainsaw Wood Carver;

charity stalls and much more.

Bishopton Week EventsBishopton Gala Day celebrates its 41st anniversary and will be held on the afternoon of Saturday 15th June, in the village playing field, adjacent to the Community Centre. It will be the culmination of the Bishopton Week festivities.It all started in 1973 when Bishopton Round Table (which no longer exists) came up with the idea of a family fun day for the village. Over the years, different groups have co-ordinated the Gala Day. It is now organised by Bishopton Week Group, a small group of volunteers, supported by the community. It is still a fun day for all the family.

Community Ceilidh - Saturday evening, 8th Juneheld at Bishopton Community Centre.

“Murder, Mystery” Play - Sunday afternoon, 9th Juneat Bishopton Community Centre, hosted by Erskine and District Rotary Club along with Bishopton Week Group, also serving afternoon tea.

Village Treasure Hunt - Monday, 10th JuneEntry forms can be picked up at the Library or Woodrow’s Newsagents.

Children’s Magic Show - Tuesday evening, 11th Junein Bishopton Community Centre

Fun Run & Mini Fun Run - Wednesday evening 12th Juneat Bishopton Community Centre arranged in association with Bishopton Youth Club, Cairellot Nursery and Bishopton Week Group. The Fun Run will follow a route around the village. Children and adults are welcome to come along in fancy dress to add to the festive atmosphere. The mini-fun run is for toddlers and is held in the field adjacent to the Community Centre. The winners of the fun-run will receive their prizes on Saturday 15th June at the annual village fete.

Family Fun Activity Night - Thursday, 13th June, 7pmorganised by Bishopton Primary Parents Council (BPPC) in Bishopton Primary School.

Bishopton Gala Day - Saturday, 15th June, from 12noonBishopton Gala Day is on Saturday 15th June and gets underway at 12 noon with the Grand Parade leaving Bishopton Primary School, Old Greenock Road. It follows a route through the village to the ‘ROF‘ Field, Greenock Road. The theme for the parade is ‘All Our Yesterdays’ and villagers are invited to decorate a float and take part in it. There are prizes to be won for the best floats and fancy dress.

Art Exhibition - all weekBishopton Art Group is also holding an exhibition throughout the week within the village library during normal opening hours.Events are co-ordinated and organised by Bishopton Week Group and notified on their website www.bishoptonday.com They are hoping that the events that have been lined up will be fully supported by the local and neighbouring communities. If anyone would like to volunteer to assist and help in any way they should email [email protected] and leave their details.Ronnie Dukes, Chairman of Bishopton Week Group said, “Bishopton Gala Day has gone from strength to strength and this is all thanks to the support of the local community and friends. Hopefully we’ll see everyone back this year as we celebrate its 41st anniversary. There is a bumper programme arranged with something for all of the family. Admission for adults is £1 and children are free.“We are always on the lookout for volunteers to assist. If anyone would like to do so, please email [email protected]. Don’t forget, there is a whole week of festivities too - check out our website www.bishoptonday.com for more details. The location of the Gala is a 5 minute walk from Bishopton Railway Station.”



Brighter Bridge Of Weir - Summer Good, Summer Not So Good…So far this year sunny days have been almost like buses - you wait ages for one and then three come along together (okay, make that two). But our volunteers are nothing if not waterproof, and their efforts to have Bridge of Weir looking at its best for Festival Week continued in spite of everything the weather forecasters had to throw at us. At the time of going to press, we’ve had the first of our two planned Saturday Clean Ups, and that was something of a success in spite of the on-again-off-again drizzle. We had a great response - and not just from the usual stalwarts. There will be more pictures and more information soon on our website www.brighterbridgeofweir.org, and in the next issue of the Advertizer, space permitting. But for the moment, we would like to thank everyone who helped - you know who you are!

We’re looking forward to Festival Week and the Gala Day in particular, when we’ll be doing our bit as usual. We’ll have our Strawberries and Cream stall, which has been a great success in the past. And our mascot, Tam Tatty-Bogle, who made his first appearance last year, will have a surprise for everyone. He’ll have news that has been kept from all the gossip-columns, celebrity chat shows and social media sites so that you, the people of Bridge of Weir, will be the first to know (it says here). Whatever, there will be prizes to be won. Here’s hoping to see you at our stall on a bright and gloriously sunny Gala Day!

bishopton, langbank & bridge of weir

The overgrown hedgerow on Ferry Road has been cut back giving pedestrians a clear route to/from Bishopton out past Ailsa Lodge. This is good news and, with the newly installed footpath out to Home Farm Steading, indicates the council’s support for people to adopt healthier lifestyles. These things don’t happen by chance but by persistent and dogged campaigning. The route is being well used by pedestrians. The new speed limit order for Ferry Road will have been made and the new speed signs should be installed in July. Despite Bishopton Community Council members and several local groups making a strong case for improvements to primary health provision to the Community Health

Partnership, it is very disappointing that Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board have no real plans to expand health provision in Bishopton given the scale of the development and the increased need for community health provision. The ‘Section 75’ agreement (which is essentially the agreement between the developer and the planning authority about what community and other benefits the developer will provide) said that the developer would either transfer ownership of a services site at no cost and pay the contribution (£1m) to the Council who would then procure the facility, or that the developer would build the healthcare facility and lease it below market rates to a primary healthcare provider or that if either of these could not be achieved that the developer would pay the Council £1m for primary healthcare provision. A small band of local residents are working hard to ensure the village gets maximum benefit from the Section 75 Agreement by linking with local groups and I am sure everyone in Bishopton would want to thank them for their tireless work on this. There continues to be a problem with speeding along Main Road in Langbank. The council will be putting a temporary driver feedback sign – speed monitoring equipment – in the area to encourage drivers to travel at an appropriate speed. I have made representation to get a fence erected around the play area in Moss Road Park, Bridge of Weir. It is really unfortunate we are having to do so because irresponsible dog owners are not ‘picking up’ and we don’t want children to have to navigate round dog poo as they are playing in the park. Most dog owners (and I am one) are conscientious but the behaviour of a few irresponsible ones means we will need to address this issue. Renfrewshire’s Litter Hit Squad has been busy across the county and have been active in Bridge of Weir where they cleared up Torr Road. Again most folks do not litter – but an area can be blighted by a few inconsiderate individuals. If you are aware of particularly bad areas please contact the Wardens Service on 0300 300 0380 with details. E-mail: [email protected] Surgeries: 4th Monday: Langbank PS (from 6pm) and Bishopton Library (from 6.45pm) and Cargill Hall, Bridge of Weir 4th Wednesday (from 6.30pm). Tel: 0300 300 1295.

Midsummer Party at The BridgeOn Friday 21st June there is to be a party at The Bridge starting at 7pm and everyone is welcome to call in. The joint hosts will be The Bridge and the Allotments and Gardens Society and everyone at the party will hear a bit about what is going on in both organisations. The Bridge is home to the Post Office, arts and crafts, Fairtrade goods, drop-in centre, the Embroiderers’ Guild, the hearing aid clinic and MP and MSP’s surgeries. The small shop has a good selection of greeting cards, gift bags, stationery items and pocket money toys at competitive prices. Feel free to call in and browse. The Bridge is always keen to hear from new volunteers who could assist in the shop which is a good way to meet other residents in the village. Playing bridge at The Bridge is proving to be very popular, with sessions for beginners and experienced players and new players are very welcome. The cinema is also building up a good following and in the second half of this year The Bridge will be showing English language films on the first Friday and foreign language films on the third Thursday of each month. If you want to know what is on at the cinema call in The Bridge and pick up a programme. The Allotments and Gardens Society has been doing great work restoring the garden at the back of The Bridge and this will soon be in full production. If you are interested in allotment gardening or community growing please come along and find out more. During Gala Week free tea and coffee will be served at The Bridge when the Post Office is open, so if you have not seen inside The Bridge yet, you can now do so with a free drink.



BoW Elderly ForumThe next meeting of the Elderly Forum will be on Tuesday 10th September in the RBLS Hall at 2pm.

St Mary’s ChurchDelighting to praise God; Showing Christ’s love; Growing in faith Morning Service on Sundays at 10am; we have a regular cycle of prayer for those who live and work in Bridge of Weir. The dates of prayers for local roads are as follows: 2nd June - Maxwell Place; 9th June - Mill Brae; 16th June - Mill of Gryffe Road; 23rd Jun - Mimosa Road; 30th June Montrose TerraceFor further information see our noticeboard, or to ask for special prayers, or in pastoral emergency please call 01505 612807 / 01505 842629 or 01505 613402

St Machar’s Ranfurly Lunch ClubPlease note that due to circumstances there will be no Lunch Club in June or July. The next Lunch Club will be on Friday 30th August.

Community Council Readers will be aware that the McGills X6A has been continued after receiving a subsidy from the SPT, however we have since heard from the SPT that this is only a temporary measure until October, when the costing will be reassessed. The Community Council delegate to the Local Area Committee will raise this matter with them when they discuss Transport at their next meeting, as well as the issue of why are bus fares considerably more expensive in Bridge of Weir than other areas in Renfrewshire.Dog fouling was once again brought to the attention of the Community Council one member notice that a child had stood on a discharge on the walking to school route no doubt a mess for the teacher to sort out. We ask that dog owners in the village please be more considerate of others.Members attended a meeting at the LEAP Office to discuss the proposed Hydro Power project, after hearing a strong delegation from the local angling club it was agreed to withdraw from considering the River Gryffe for this project.A member of the Public suggested that an area in one of the Parks be surfaced and marked out for a cycle proficiency area, it was agreed to investigate this further. Councillor MacLaren informed the meeting that Litter bin placements were being reviewed in Renfrewshire. One suggestion from the Community Council was for larger bins in the parks plus additional dog bins. Any other comment on this, contact your Local Renfrewshire Councillors. Contact names are on our website www.bridgeofweir.org Once again there was no Police presence at the meeting therefore we have no crime report.Illegal dumping was reported at the River Gryffe, metal sheeting has been dumped on the bank of the River at Loch Place and cans and bottles thrown into the river at the viewing platform and on this occasion youths are not to blame. This will be brought to the attention of environmental services.A road traffic speed survey is currently being carried out at the entrance to the Village at Kilmacolm Road once this is completed the Community Council are to ask for the results.Note for your diary the next meeting of the Community Council will be Tuesday June the 25th.

Film Nights at the Bridge“What’s Up Doc” (U) - Friday 7th JuneA Screwball romantic comedy directed by Peter Bogdanovich. With Barbra Streisand, Ryan O’Neal and Madelain Kahn.

“Star Wars - A New Hope” (PG) - Thursday 20th JuneThe first film in the Star Wars series with an outstanding case including

Alec Guinness, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, James Earl Jones and David Prowse.

For all events, entry is free, but any donations to Bridge funds is very welcome. Doors open from 6.30pm and the film starts at 7pm.

Gryffe Garage was significantly redeveloped and extended over a year ago. As a result, the garage now offers a full range of servicing and repairs, including MOT testing and

state of the art laser wheel alignment. Brian and Alister would like to take this opportunity to

thank all their existing clients and extend a warm welcome to anyone wishing to visit to discuss their requirements.The Garage is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am till 5.30pm



Bridge of WeirThe rain was relentless on the first day of the village Clean-up. I was named the “Chewing Gum Queen” as I set about releasing dozens of discs of gum from Livery Walk – What a job! Well done to Brighter Bridge of Weir and members of the Community Council and others who braved the weather to improve the environment.

LangbankI can confirm that Langbank Main Road is on a priority list to have temporary driver feedback speed monitoring equipment installed. Speeding along this road remains a big problem. A planning application to develop a site on the Main Road was discussed at a recent Community Council meeting. I am seeking further information regarding this.

BishoptonThe meeting with local councillors and the Director of the Community Health Partnership went ahead although I was unable to attend. However, nothing has been decided yet regarding the proposed new Health Centre. I suspect it will be a while before any progress is made on this.

Council FundingSome Labour councillors have been trying to blame the Scottish Government for what they describe as unfair funding for Renfrewshire. They overlook the fact that the funding formula was agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) before the SNP formed the government. Why do they not take their complaints to COSLA? Perhaps they are not confident of convincing other local authorities to accept a smaller share of the available funds!I can be contacted by email at: [email protected], by phone: 0300 300 1259 Mobile: 07534 148734.My surgeries are: Bridge of Weir 1st Tuesday of month at Cargill Hall 6.30pm - 7pm, Bishopton 2nd Wednesday of month at Bishopton Community Library 6.15pm - 6.45pm, Langbank 2nd Wednesday of month at Langbank Village Hall 7pm - 7.30pm.

Just a reminder that the Council has introduced a new textile recycling service which is free - so please don’t put textiles and shoes in your blue bin. Just call 0300 300 0300 to book a textiles uplift before 4pm, the items will be collected during the next working day (Monday to Friday). You can also book it online through the council website. Then just “bag it, tie it and leave in the agreed location”. Alternatively bags of any size can be left at the various charity clothing banks that exist.Renfrewshire Council are making preparations for a Food Waste Collection Service. Households in Renfrewshire dispose of 12,000 tonnes of food each year which goes to landfill. The plan is to collect this food waste and treat it to form solid compost with a by-product of heat and electricity. There is a legal requirement for the council to be collecting this waste by 2016.I have had a meeting with Clyde Muirshiel Country Park recently with a view to establishing more cycling and mountain biking paths in and around Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. I am still looking for help to map out existing and ancient walks across the ward and beyond. Let me know if there are any footpaths blocked or needing resurfaced, etc.I was happy to take part in a couple of village clean-ups recently. It is amazing what just a few enthusiastic villagers can achieve. So sad therefore, that there are people out there who consider fly tipping to be an option. Please contact the police or Renfrewshire Council Warden Service with details of any incident you see (Warden Service tel.; 0300 300 0380). I had a meeting with Renfrewshire Community Health to discuss health provision in Bishopton. The same issues were raised and the same “wait and see” response was obtained. So it seems that a new health centre has not been ruled out, but there is no timescale proposed at present.My report would not be complete if I did not mention road repairs! Thanks to everyone who has replied to my Pot Hole Watch. This is proving very informative and is helping me to get the repairs done sooner rather than later.Surgery details: Bishopton Community Library - 1st Monday of every month (6.30pm), Cargill Hall - 2nd Monday of every month (7.30pm), Langbank Village Hall - 3rd Monday of every month (6.30pm). I can be contacted by phone on 0300-300-1291 or by email to [email protected]

bishopton, langbank & bridge of weirSince my election last year I would like to say it is a profound pleasure to be able to serve the constituents of Kilbarchan, Lochwinnoch, and Johnstone North, as your Councillor. In the last year, I have successfully campaigned, against the recommendation of council officers, to get funding for Kilbarchan Nursery Out of School Club, won the battle to save computing classes at the Old Library from Reid Kerr cuts, worked with Habbies to establish a Neighbourhood Watch in the Station Road area of the village, worked with Ian Hudgeton MEP to take the Kilbarchan CSO issue to the EU, objected to plans to extend the infilling of the Kilbarchan Quarry, supported the retention of the Kilbarchan greenbelt, and worked with Kilbarchan West Church to repair the heritage lighting in Church Street.Over the same period, I have welcomed the Olympic Torch to Lochwinnoch, welcomed a major Scottish Government investment in Clyde Muirshiel Country Park, helped Lochwinnoch families to establish LPIG, have fought for better access at Lochwinnoch Train Station and a crossing at the Roadhead Roundabout, fought for the upgrading of Lochwinnoch War Memorial, and lobbied the Development Trust Association Scotland who visited Lochwinnoch Community Council. Thank you all for your support.My Kilbarchan advice surgery is on the second Wednesday of the month, excluding July, at 8pm in the Steeple Hall, and my Lochwinnoch advice surgery is on the fourth Wednesday of the month, excluding July, at 8pm in the McKillop Institute. You can also follow me on Twitter at CllrAndy4Ward8, call me on 07534 148224, or e-mail me at [email protected].

The footpath outside the Co-op and Pharmacy at High Barholm, has been badly in need of repair and was one of the main priorities I put forward to the council for inclusion in the current repair programme. Residents will be pleased to know that this will indeed be part of the programme, which will help all pedestrians when using both outlets.The newly refurbished post office at Tandlehill Road, will no doubt be similarly busy. The longer opening hours, and updated automated system, will provide customers with quicker and more flexible access to the key services which are available.The May meeting of Renfrewshire Councils environment policy board of which I am a member, approved an initiative titled “Do your Bit”, which aims to involve the community with council staff, in helping to improve Renfrewshire’s environment through activities such as clean ups and graffiti removal.It will come as no surprise to Kilbarchan residents, that the local scouts have already set the standard through their village litter pick on the 20th April, which my colleague Chris Gilmour and myself were pleased to join. The hard work of the scouts and their leaders on the day, transformed the areas of the village they worked on, and having had two sons attend Kilbarchan scouts it was a reminder to me of their commitment to the environment over the years. I hope that their other groups and individuals will feel able to follow their example. Our local organisations play a pivotal not only in working with our young people, but in other ways, and it is important that they are supported.In this regard, I was pleased to move the approval of grant funding to the Kilbarchan Singers who, over a quarter of a century have not only developed a local, but also a national and international reputation, and have added immeasurably to the cultural life of the village. Equally, I was also pleased to support the approval of applications for funding in Lochwinnoch, among which were grants to Lochwinnoch Elderly forum, and Lochwinnoch Country Dance club.Finally, and unfortunately on a more downbeat note, I have to report contrasting fortunes for the out of school care provision in Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch. Having worked closely with the management at Kilbarchan community nursery last year, I was delighted to note it is flourishing, and recently received an excellent inspection report. This emerged at the same time as news of the financial difficulties facing the Lochwinnoch Out of School Club. I have been working with council officers to provide an interim support which is now in place, and which has received a positive response, enabling further discussions to take place with parents and other stakeholders.My next surgeries will be on Saturday 1st June, 9am at the McKillop Institute, and 10am in the Steeple Hall. I will not be holding a surgery on the first Saturday in July. Email: [email protected]

kilbarchan & lochwinnoch



Kilbarchan East ChurchOn Sunday 2nd June, there is the Sacrament of Holy Communion, celebrated at 11am and 6.30pm, both services being conducted by Rev Kenneth Gray. The Creche, Sunday School and Bible Class Prize giving takes place on 9th at 11am and services continue at 11am on 16th and 23rd, conducted by Mr Russell Banks. Sunday 30th sees the first joint summer service in Kilbarchan West church, also conducted by Mr Banks. The crèche will continue in the East during June and in the West during joint services.

Renfrewshire Food Bank. The members of Kilbarchan East are going to support the food bank on an ongoing basis from 9th June, when there will be boxes available each week to receive donations of non-perishable goods.

Kilbarchan East Church Tots’ Club. The final meeting of this very popular club is a “Teddy Bears’ Picnic” party on 24th June at 10am. Children will be bringing along their favourite teddy for a summer picnic in the hall. The club has been attended by an average of 40 children with their Mums, Dads, Grans etc and several children will be moving on to Nursery next session.

Church Open DaysAs in the past few years, Kilbarchan East will be open to visitors on Tuesday afternoons from 2-4pm during the months of June, July and August. Please come along and enjoy a visit to this 226 year old building, surrounded by the old graveyard.

kilbarchan & lochwinnoch10th Anniversary Celebration at

Bobbins Coffee Shop - KilbarchanCarole and Susan are celebrating 10 years of BOBBINS this summer. Yes it was a decade ago that the pair took over the running of this highly popular rendezvous in Kilbarchan situated right next the Steeple, serving light breakfasts, lunches, home baking and a wide selection of coffees.

They will be delighting their customers with some surprises in August. They would like to thank their customers for their continued support and look forward to the next 10 years.



LOCHWINNOCH GALA DAY 2013This year’s Gala Day is on Saturday 8th June and starts with the Parade from Auld Simon (12 for 12.30pm) to the Public Park for an afternoon of fun for everyone of all ages. This year’s Gala Day theme is “Scotland” so don’t forget to dress up in costume from Scottish history or as a character from the film ‘Brave’. Entry to Gala Day remains the same at £1.50 per adult or child over 12 years. Free entry for children under 12 when accompanied by an adult. Highlights will include Scottish-themed Parade of children and parents from Auld Simon led by St Columba’s School Pipe Band, Crowning of the Gala Queen, Judging of the Fancy Dress competition, Swords of Dalriada Re-enactments, Dog Show, Live Music with local musicians, Magic Daze balloons and magic shows, DSD Streetdance performances, 5-a-side Football, Finish Line of the 2013 Lochwinnoch Fun Run, Sean’s Hog Roast, Robert Wilson’s Doughnut stand, Childrens’ rides and slides, Beer gazebo, Ice cream and the ever-popular Annex tearoom.

Yes, there will be a Dog Show this year in association The Dogs Trust. Entries will be taken on the day, at £1 per dog per class and this is open to any breed, any size, any age – all welcome to enter. The four classes are – Most obedient dog; Dog with the waggiest tail; Dog the judge would most like to take home; Fancy dress for owner and dog. There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes in all classes, and every entrant will get a goodie bag. The Dogs Trust stall welcomes donations and all profits will go to The Dogs Trust. In addition, local dog owner (‘mum’ of Missing Mollie) will be organising some dog-related activities at her stall at this year’s Gala Day. Ruth is raising funds for The Dogs Trust and would like to hear from anyone who could donate any pet related items i.e., books, toys, pictures, dog equipment, treats, tins of food, anything that is connected to pets. New or used (good condition). If you have anything to donate, just call Ruth on: 07811 265200 for collection locally. Stallholders Booking Forms. It’s not too late to book a stall at this year’s Gala Day but hurry, if you want to secure a good location in the park. Hire prices remain the same as before, at £25 per pitch. Booking forms can be obtained from Calder Gallery & Framing or from The Junction in Main Street. Volunteers. You can never have enough of them. The Committee hope local people will come forward to help out at this year’s event. Volunteers are needed to put up marquees from 7.30am Saturday 8th June – free bacon butties for breakfast for early morning helpers. Or perhaps you would like to help with entry programmes at one of the gates to the public park or help collect litter after the event? If you can assist in any way, either before, during or after Gala Day itself, please contact Gala Day Convenor, Jane Owens, at: [email protected] or Tel: 01505 842089. Donations for the bottle stall. This is another popular fundraising stall at Gala Day. If anyone can donate bottles of any description to the stall, then please contact Jane Owens on Tel: 842089 to arrange for collection. Finally, spread the word and bring along as many friends and family in Scottish-themed costumes on the 8th of June as you can and enjoy yourselves.

kilbarchan & lochwinnochCountry & Western Summer

Fete & BarbecueSaturday 22nd June - Lochwinnoch

Parish Church - 11am - 3pmGames; Tombola; Scavenger hunt; Stalls indoors.

Burgers, juice & snacks on sale all dayAdult £1. Children free

Kilbarchan West ChurchPreparation for Lilias Day continue and the Junior Church are busy working on this year’s float. Come and visit our stalls on Lilias Day and refresh yourself with a cup of tea and homemade empire biscuits or one of our beefburgers (from a local butcher). Also try your hand at our tombola stall.At the moment we are running a ‘Talents Scheme’ and people are busy baking, ironing, knitting and selling quiz sheets to try to raise money. This scheme will now run until the 16th June.

Kilbarchan National Women’s Register There are 2 meetings in June which will end this session. On 5th is the AGM and on 19th there is a speaker from Erskine hospital. For further info.contact the website: www.nwr.org.uk



Johnstone Phoenix Theatre Group 50th Anniversary DinnerWe enjoyed a wonderful event at the River Inn, Houston on 18th May to celebrate our 50th anniversary, with members past and present.The photograph right shows the celebratory cake being cut by Honorary President, Anna MacDougall and Honorary Vice President, Margaret Carmichael. Margaret, who is the daughter of the founders of JPTG and founder of the Johnstone Phoenix Youth Theatre which celebrates it’s 20th anniversary this year. The other photographs show members of the top table, past presidents of the club and former youth theatre members; most of whom are now members of the senior club.

howwood I promised in my last article that I would give an update on the road issue that is affecting the centre of the villageThe council’s officers have come up with a plan to try and improve things but local people are not convinced that this will help things.The community council quite rightly are saying the only really solution is to put double yellow lines at the Dreadnought buildings. I am supporting them on this issue.On a positive note work is just about to start at the Hill Road junction which I believe will go some way to helping the problem at this area.The council are just about to announce plans for the recycling of waste food. They have made great strides in recycling in recent years so this will help them reach their targets as I m sure the community will support this initiativeCongratulations to Howwood Primary school - they are about to commemorate their 50th year. I hope they enjoy their celebrationsAs I write this it is cold and pouring of rain, when oh when is summer going to arrive !!!

Photos by Anna MacDougall, convenor for JPTG and the owner of Love That Photo!



houston, crosslee & brookfield

Car Boot SaleCome and buy – or sell – at our Car Boot Sale on Saturday 29th June, 10am till 12noon at Houston Kirk Hall. For buyers, entry is free and sellers pay just £7 per car. Money raised will be in aid of the Houston Kirk Extension Fund.There will also be a mini coffee morning during the event.To book a place, sellers should contact Ina Jefferson (01505 612962 [email protected]), Lorna Kinloch (01505 614159 [email protected]) or Kate Jackson (01505613676 [email protected])

Congratulations to Houston Community Council for providing, organising and assisting with the planting of trees in the Houston Public Park competently supported by senior pupils from Gryffe High School, our local Scouts and members of the Church of the Nazarene and with the occasional verbal assistance from your local Councillors. Unfortunately since the planting one tree has been vandalised and the support strap on a second tree cut. Why?At the recent Education Policy Board it was agreed that the qualifying distance criteria for home to school transport for primary pupils is 1 mile (1609 metres) and for secondary pupils is 2 miles (3218 metres) both by the shortest safe walking route. Also agreed was the ‘Transport Eligibility Address List’ , the agreed list of qualifying addresses for transport and that it be published on the Council’s website or be made available on request from Education & leisure Services.It is always a pleasure to be invited along to any of our local schools. Towards the end of April I was in Linwood High School where I met groups from Spain, Finland, Germany Turkey and Sweden over a delightful lunch provided by the school’s Home Economics children. This week I was in Woodlands Primary School for their P1-3 and P4-7 summer concert and what a memorable night it was with all of the children involved. I am looking forward to attending Gryffe High School for their Annual Awards Ceremony to be held in June. Only two Houston and one Brookfield Grant funding applications have been received prior to the first Local Area Committee meeting on 21st of this month. Application forms for Grant Funding can be obtained from Renfrewshire Council. Crime figures for this area presented by the police at the Community Council meetings remain low. The new number to contact the police should you need to report a crime or vandalism is 101 My surgeries are held on the second Tuesday of each month in Brookfield Village Hall from 6pm to 6.30pm then in Houston Village Hall from 7pm to 7.45pm. I can be contacted by phone on 610018 or by e-mail at [email protected]

One year onThis month marks the one year point since my election as a Local Councillor. At a local level I have been working hard on a number of issues. Over the past year I have been pleased to report on matters such as securing the reversal of the council’s decision to stop maintaining Manse Field (one of the most visible points in the village), funding for improved play facilities, liaison with BT to push for improved broadband speeds, objecting to the proposed zoning of areas within the village as suitable for development and

continuous work to maintain the attractiveness of the village. I look forward to pushing hard on a number of issues over the coming year.

Houston ParkI was pleased to be able to join members of the community council, the scouts and local residents to mark the planting of new trees within Houston Public Park. The funding for these trees was gifted from the remaining H.A.L.L. monies and it was fitting that it should be used to add to one of our recreational areas given how hard local residents worked as part of H.A.L.L. to secure the character of the village.

Houston Heritage TrailI invited an officer of the council to join me on a site visit to consider improvements that could be made to the path network in and around the village, with the possible development of a maintained heritage trail one possible outcome. I know the community council are interested in this issue and so I was pleased to invite a representative to join the discussion. We have a beautiful village with rich local history and I believe we should do more to enjoy and recognise it. I’ll report back on progress.Surgeries : My next surgery will be in Linwood High School on Thursday 6th June at 7pm.

Brookfield Antiques & Collectors FairAll roads will lead to Brookfield Village Hall on Sunday, June 23rd when and Antiques & Collectors’ fair is being staged. The organisers say that they expect around twenty stallholders to participate, some of them locals who are just having a long-overdue clear-out or are downsizing.“We have several well-established members of the trade participating as well as ordinary people who have garages and attics to clear out after years of accumulation,” said a spokesman.“Those individuals see this opportunity as something of an upmarket car boot sale. There will be a token 50p admission fee and all of those proceeds will be donated to Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust. There will be a very wide selection of interesting objects on sale from postcards, books and vintage magazines to paintings and prints, vintage soft toys, costume jewellery, glass, pottery and ceramics and just about everything that falls under the collector bracket, including vinyl LPs and singles from the 1950s and 1960s to tribal art and artefacts.”The fair starts at 12noon and runs to 5pm.

Annual Show Supper DanceOn Saturday 8th June in the River Inn, Crosslee, come along for a delicious buffet dinner, dancing and entertainment (the weekend following the dance) - everyone welcome for what is always a great night out. Raffle held on the night with some incredible prizes already secured including a membership for the new ON-X leisure facilities in Linwood and a treatment at Divah Salon in Houston. Contact Aly Young for tickets 07812637107 or email houstonshow@

hotmail.co.uk

Playpark Group secures fundsRepresentatives of Houston Play Park Improvement Group attended a Council meeting in May regarding funding for the Play park and have successfully secured £10k taking the total raised to £35k. This is the figure they needed to allow phase 1 to be viable. It is hoped that the equipment will be installed later this year. Please look out for updates around the village. The group has managed to raise this money in only a short period of 12 months. A very big thank you to all the Councillors for their support in this cause and a special thanks to Councillor Clark.



H.O.S.T. Carrick Centre, HoustonWhat’s on June 2013Monday to Friday Houston Community Nursery 01505 615876Monday to Friday Woodlands After School 01505 615438 MON: Gryffe Camera Group 3rd 7.30pm; Yoga (over 50’s) 1.15pm M

Laidlaw 01505 842877TUES: Tots Gym class (except 2nd /9th) 1.30pm; Paint Pot Tots (weekly)

10am D Campbell 07789 262350; Yoga (weekly) 7pm M/s Lawson 01505 613690

WED: Camera Club (weekly) 7.30pm; Melody Makers 12th/26th 7pm; Drama Class 5pm-6pm C Collins 07814 699127; Galaxy Dancing (weekly) 4pm; Houston Community Council 19th 7.30pm; Councillors Surgeries 19th 6.30pm; Cricket Res. Assoc. 12th 7.30pm; French Class (weekly) Madame McDevitt 0140 886 6282

THUR: Crafty Friends 6th/20th 7.30pm; Folk Club (weekly) 8pm; Woodlands Graduation 20th 12noon-2.30pm; French Class (weekly) Madame McDevitt 0141 886 6282

FRI: Galaxy Dancing 3.30pm SAT: Houston Community Nursery Disco 6pm-9pm; Galaxy Dancing

9.30amSUN: Baptist Church 11am & 6pm

Booking enquiries to Ian Simpson 01505 612203 or Sandy Young 01505 613613 or The Coffee Shop.

Fairtrade NewsFairtrade Fortnight 2013 - Houston & Bridge of WeirThe Fairtrade group for the two villages celebrated Fairtrade Fortnight 2013 by giving shoppers the chance to taste some delicious fairly traded foods. Thanks to the two local Co-op shops, Fairtraders were able to set up tables in the stores and offer a range of items for customers to try. There were oatcakes with a choice of Swazi kitchen jams and chutneys, fruit juices, biscuits and bananas and chocolate provided by the Co-ops.The day went very well with many customers visiting the stalls for chat.

Gala Days 2013Stalls are planned for both Gala days – Houston on the 1st June and Bridge of Weir on 8th June. Come and pay us a visit!

Adopt- a- MonumentKilallan Kirk and Graveyard – Living Ruin“Kilallan Makeover Gets Green Light”Good news for Kilallan Kirk Preservation Trust and all our budding “heritage heroes”. With all our consents now in place, we have been given permission to start by our funding bodies and are now raring to go.The project will start with the delivery of our comprehensive “Schools Programme”, over the month of June. This will consist of a school trip to the Kirk and Graveyard for Archaeological Fieldwork, follow-up classroom activities and the organisation and running, by the children of a Family Heritage Exhibition at the end of June. Look out locally for posters advertising this event and please do come along.Also in June (Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th), we will be carrying out Digital Gravestone Recording on site, at the Kirk and are looking for adult volunteers to work with Archaeology Scotland and the Trust. If you are interested in finding out more about this activity and any other volunteering work with Kilallan Kirk Preservation Trust, please check out our website: www.kilallan.org.uk Alternatively please contact Lynn Rew at [email protected] or 01505-874193 / 07595-461550.Whilst we are enjoying working with local community groups in June, we will also be finalising and issuing our tender documents for the preservation works which we plan to start in August. Once the preservation works commence, the site will be closed to visitors for a period of around 5/6 months whilst the work is undertaken.During the 10/12 month project period, the trust will be filming the whole project, and will be interviewing local people from the village, with a view to preparing a short film/DVD which we hope will truly badge Kilallan as “Our Living Ruin”. This work we will be doing with one of the final year students from the University of the West of Scotland’s Creative Media Studies Department. So don’t be camera shy.



kilmacolm & quarriers

Dementia Awareness Information Day - 5th JuneAlzheimer Scotland will be holding an information day at the Hub in Kilmacolm from 11am till 2pm on Wednesday 5th June. Come along to find out more about the services we provide to ensure that no-one goes through dementia on their own.

A Collective Thank-youKilmacolm and Quarriers Christian Aid committee wish to thank the eighty local volunteer collectors who took part in May’s Christian Aid Week Appeal; - the house-to-house collection is a vital part of Christian Aid’s work. Thank you to everyone who contributed so generously, total of the Week is not known as yet, but every penny will count in the work to end poverty, hunger, injustice in our world.

The Twinning of KilmacolmEarlier this year the four Ward 1 Inverclyde Councillors were approached on behalf of Mérignies, a village in the north east of France close to Lille, to suggest a twinning link with Kilmacolm. The Councillors felt that the idea could be better taken forward by Kilmacolm Community Council, who have now taken soundings of a range of local organisations, considered the idea further and done some initial research. A free-standing Steering Group has now been set up to take things forward. The initial view is that a twinning relationship has the potential to enrich Kilmacolm’s community life and provide a framework for some useful and enlightening experiences for people of all ages. On paper, Mérignies appears to be a good match for Kilmacolm. It is a reasonably affluent commuter village with a number of similar groups and clubs to those in Kilmacolm. Some of the impetus for a twinning seems to have stemmed from their golf club which, as in Kilmacolm, is a major feature of their village. The Steering Group believe that an initial short and informal visit to get a feel for the Mérignies community and to meet the relevant people will give a better understanding of whether the twinning will indeed benefit Kilmacolm. The group will travel on a Saturday and return on the Sunday allowing meetings with relevant groups and officials to take place. The outcomes of the visit will be reported thereafter and a decision taken on whether to take the twinning relationship further. If you would like to comment on the twinning relationship, please email: [email protected]

Found at The Knapps Show, KilmacolmWe have had a couple of items in our lost and found, particularly a watch and jacket we know a young boy was looking for, but we can’t track him down. If you lost these items at the show please contact Aileen on 07766 221369.

St Columba’s Senior School DevelopmentFollowing Inverclyde Council’s decision to refuse planning consent for an extension to Senior School in Milton Woods, the Board reconsidered its options and decided that it should seek to provide quickly and on a more modest scale, improved facilities which can be largely afforded from the reserves already available and will use the site immediately adjacent to the Senior School on Gryffe Road, which the School owns. A significant benefit of using this site is that the Reporter’s judgement from the previous application appeal provides guidance and direction on what may be achievable here.The priorities remain to provide:

More and better classroom facilities (including science laboratories) in • Senior SchoolSocial areas and cloakrooms in Senior School• Improved sports facilities for both Junior School and Senior School•

Over the last few months we have had discussions with our architects, PagePark, and the owners of the neighbouring properties of the site. A firm of chartered surveyors has also assessed views and levels from the rear garden of each of these properties. We met again with our architects to review the proposals for the development, which were then presented to the Board mid May. At this meeting the Board decided to press ahead with its plans to develop the site adjacent to the School. The next steps include further consultation with neighbours followed by Council planning officers. As soon as the plans are ready, they will be shared with both the School community and the local community. The Board also wishes to take forward ideas for improving sporting facilities focusing on improving the drainage of the rugby pitches at Birkmyre Park and additional sporting facilities at Junior School.

www.st-columbas.org

Thanks for the bottles and bakes!Kilmacolm Friends of Ardgowan Hospice would like to thank everyone who contributed and supported the bottle and baking stall at the Kilmacolm Show on Saturday 11th May. Despite the weather conditions, an excellent sum of £1,478 was raised.



Knapps Show Round-upDespite the rain and wind, the show’s competitors turned out in force. The ground held fairly well but tractors were in use in the car parks to pull cars, lorries and floats across the wet ground. It was an uncomfortable day to be outside but we made the most of it and by the end of the day, the sun eventually made an appearance!The Industrial Tent had an unprecedented number of entries; the judges were very impressed with the extremely high standards demonstrated in all categories this year. The Clydesdale Horse Section and the Light Horse Section were particularly busy in spite of the weather; welcoming faces old and new to the classes. Horsey people aren’t scared of rain...

We had a new addition to our entertainment this year - Country Capers. The ‘It’s a Knockout’ style competition in the main ring proved very popular and provided some hilarious photographs. We will be expecting even more audience participation next year!As usual, our volunteers did their very best and managed to keep smiling whilst

battling the elements and the mud! We couldn’t manage to hold the show without their support and we are incredibly lucky to have such a great team working for weeks, if not months, to organise, set-up and run the show. We are always really grateful for the support from competitors and visitors who visit the show no matter what the weather throws at us. We always hope to provide a friendly day out for all the family so hopefully we managed to do that despite the rain!

Photos by Andrew Williamson




In May I was given the rare opportunity of going out on patrol with a local Sergeant from the new national Police force. After getting a tour of Greenock Police station we patrolled across the Inverclyde area between the hours of 10pm and 2am. I found the experience to be very worthwhile as it gave me an insight into the amazing work that our local Police Officers are doing every day.I attended a recent meeting of Kilmacolm Community Council and was pleased to get an update on the plans to twin the village with the French village of Mérignies. It’s very encouraging to hear that a number of people within the village are on the Steering Group which has been set up to look at the idea of twinning both villages. I think this is an excellent opportunity for people in both villages to work together and share a wealth of culture and experience between each other. I look forward to following this as it progresses.I’m holding a joint surgery with Mary Fee MSP who represents the West of Scotland area. The surgery will take place on Monday 6th June in Kilmacolm Community Centre from 4-5pm. Feel free to come along to discuss any local or national issues with us.My surgeries this month are on Saturday 8th June in Kilmacolm Community Centre from 11am-12pm and Thursday 27th June in Clune Park Resource Centre, Port Glasgow, from 6-7pm.You can reach me on 01475 712727 (office hours) and 07881280016 (anytime) or by emailing me at [email protected]. Alternatively you can write to me at 2 Crawford Street, Port Glasgow, PA14 5EL. You can keep up to date with my work as a Councillor by visiting my blog: http://jamesmccolgan.wordpress.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @jamesmccolgan.

Through the community planning partnership, the Inverclyde Alliance, we have developed an action plan with the aims of attracting new people and business to the area; retaining the existing population; and promoting Inverclyde to a wider audience. The action plan contains a number of specific measures: giving assistance to new homeowners and businesses relocating to Inverclyde; increasing employment opportunities and business support; and the development of tourism and marketing opportunities to promote Inverclyde’s rich cultural and natural heritage. The Council has agreed to invest up to £1 million in these areas over the next 2-3 years.This money is set against the many millions of pounds we have been investing in the last 6 years across Inverclyde to make it a more attractive place to live, work and relax.Our schools investment programme – one of the most ambitious undertaken in Scotland – has already delivered new primary and secondary schools. The Port Glasgow Community Campus is nearing completion and it promises to be one of the best of its kind. As well as the obvious advantages for the children and young people who will learn there, the campus will boast first class facilities for wider community use.We recognise the importance of leisure for promoting healthy lifestyles and allowing people to socialise, make friends and enjoy themselves. Inverclyde now has excellent sports and leisure facilities across the area and we are continuing to invest in new and existing facilities. Work is currently underway at Rankin Park in Greenock on a new grass pitch and changing facilities and we have just approved plans for more new play areas.All of this investment improves Inverclyde for the people who live here and will play some part in persuading others to relocate and settle here, knowing their children will get a first class education in first class schools and will have first class facilities to enjoy their leisure time. My advice surgeries are advertised on the Council’s website (www.inverclyde.gov.uk) and in The Greenock Telegraph. My next surgery is on Tuesday 11th June in Boglestone CC 6pm - 7pm. I also have a surgery in Clune Park Resource Centre on Monday 17th June from 6pm - 7pm.You can contact me directly to discuss any matters that are of concern to you by telephone on 01475 712020 (during office hours) and 871368 (home) or by email to [email protected]. Alternatively you can write to me at 10 Victoria Gardens, Kilmacolm PA13 4HL. You can keep up to date with my work as a Councillor by visiting my blog: http://councillorstephenmccabe.blogspot.com/. You can also follow me on Twitter @Kilmacolm1.

The Kilmacolm Dramatic Society’s performance of Calendar Girls captured the emotion and humour of ladies from the Women’s Rural who stripped off for a charity calendar. It was, in my opinion, their best ever performance and quite understandably sold out 4 nights in a row! It would be wrong to single anyone out, but I must compliment the youngest on stage, Susan Dunlop from Priestside. All those years involved in Young Farmers concerts really paid off. I bought a calendar, but refuse to reveal which month it is open at in my office!I attended on the 13th May the inaugural meeting of “Colourful Kilmacolm” under the chairmanship of Peter McKerrell. There were some 25 people present and a

constitution was adopted, crucial in obtaining funds. The starting point would be The Piazza and our architect for the successful Cargill Centre has suggested grey planters to complement the gable end of the library.The Twinning project with Mérignies in France had a well attended kick-off meeting with many village societies and groups represented. I was involved in twinning when I lived in Marlow on Thames but both it and its French counterpart were much bigger towns. It was good fun, they coming here for the Regatta and us there for Bastille Day.The cattle show went ahead inspite of the weather. Hardy souls both the gents and the ladies committees. Entries held up well and President Angus Black, kept the morale up. Let us hope for a sunny Agricultural Show next year.Kilmacolm Primary School is having its toilets refurbished this summer and during the major works to upgrade the school decanting will not be necessary. The developers who won the tender to buy the old library building are marketing the smaller shop (Robertson’s), the larger one has been reserved by the Coop. The indicative plans for the building are not in keeping with the architecture of the village centre and planners have pointed this out to them at a very initial stage in the process. My surgeries are 12th June 5pm-6pm St Francis Primary School and 22nd June 10am-11am the Cargill Centre Kilmacolm. I can be contacted on 01475 712727 and 741969 and 07766 992294.




Kilmacolm Spring cleanupOnce again, I’d like to give a big thank you to the dozen or so volunteers who came along to the Kilmacolm Community Cleanup in April. We collected around 35 large bags of rubbish, as well as the usual assortment of tyres and other various car parts, and roadwork leftovers and broken reflector posts. Although we managed to stay dry again this year, the wind proved to be a bit of a hindrance when it threatened to carry us away as it caught the bin bags! Special thanks to the volunteers who drove, and transported rubbish back to the pickup location, to Brian Hennan at Inverclyde Council, who always cheerfully delivers and picks up the equipment from my house, and to the Community Council for underwriting the cost of our packed lunches. Hope to see you all again next year! Karen (PS - Sorry no photos this year; I forgot the camera!)

Family Fun DaySunday 23rd June 2-4pm: Entry free, all welcome.Quarriers Village Council (QVC) will be running the usual Sports Day Races and the Duck Races (Numbered plastic ducks are sent off down the Gryffe River). Entry £1 per duck. Winning duck wins £10, 2nd prize is £5. There will be 6-8 separate races. Will any of the race stewards fall in over in the river whilst trying to catch all of the ducks, and will the ducks escape to the Clyde?Stephen Robertson of Funky Disco Diva will be m.c-ing the event, 1st Quarriers Village Scouts Group are providing catering and the Quarriers United Football Club are running an Inflatable Human Fooseball tournament.

The day dawns soon!!The Annual Kilmacolm Old Kirk Fete is being held this year in The Manse Grounds, Glencairn Road on Saturday 15th June from 11am until 3.30pm. This year we will be having a personality from STV to open the Fete, with The Champion 2nd Port Glasgow BB Marching Band, Step Up and Dance Dance School and Kilmacolm Primary School Music Group to entertain us during the morning and afternoon. There will also be home baking, beefburgers, ice cream, tombola, bottle tombola, card tombola , cup cakes, cream teas, paper back books, CDs, DVDs, jewellery, and a gallery of photos from ‘yesteryear’. On top of all that there will also be ‘Messy Church’, sack races, egg and spoon races, three legged races, straight races, adults races, mask making, treasure hunt, windmill making, etc.

So please come along and join us for what promises to be a few hours of fun for everyone, people staffing the event and visitors alike. Admission will be £1 for adults, children free, so, looking forward to seeing you there.

Origins of the Birkmyre LionA question has been raised on Facebook, asking for more information on the origins of the statue of the lion at Birkmyre Park. It’s thought to have been commissioned by a member of the Birkmyre family, but details are sketchy.If anyone can shed any information on this, please contact The Advertizer - phone 01505 613340

or email [email protected]

Community Children’s ChoirSt. Fillan’s Episcopal Church in Moss Road Kilmacolm would like to start up a Community Children’s Choir. We are looking for an enthusiastic choir leader with a musical training to discuss this proposal with us. We would be pleased to hear from parents and children from 7years upwards who might be interested in this venture. Please contact: Maureen Russell on 872905 or email: [email protected]


42 JUNE 2013 e: [email protected] t: 01505 613340

church listsBRIDGE OF WEIRFreeland Church, Rev KN Gray BA BD.

Morning Service 10.30am. Crèche, Sunday School, Lynx and Cornerstone. Evening Service 7pm Web site www.freeland.org.uk

St Mary’s Episcopal (Anglican) Church. Delighting to praise God; Showing Christ’s love; Growing in faith Morning Service on Sundays at 10am; we have a regular cycle of prayer for those who live and work in Bridge of Weir. The June dates of prayers for local roads are as follows: 2nd Maxwell Place, 9th Mill Brae, 16th Mill of Gryffe Road, 23rd Mimosa Road, 30th Montrose Terrace. For further information see our noticeboard, or to ask for special prayers, or in pastoral emergency please call 01505 612807/01505 842629 or 01505 613402

St Machar’s Ranfurly Church Rev Suzanne Dunleavy BD DipEd. Sunday services at 10.30am. Crèche. Hearing aid loop system. All welcome.

Hope Hall, Sun 1pm Sunday School, 4.30pm Gospel Service; Mon 6.30pm Investigators for Kids, 8pm Bible Study and Prayer.

Faith Christian Fellowship Sundays at 11am in the Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir. Tel: 0800 298 4875 email: [email protected]

From the Baha’i writings - “Be generous in prosperity and be thankful in adversity.” For details of meetings call Bridge of Weir 615641

ELDERSLIEElderslie Kirk, Main Road, Elderslie: Sunday

service every week at 11am. Minister - Rev Robin Allison. All welcome. Weekly meetings:- Monday Club every week from 12noon - 2.30pm. Light lunch and a varied activity programme. Wednesday morning drop-in from 10.30am - 11.30am for a coffee and a blether.

HOUSTONHouston and Killellan Kirk. www.houstonkirk.

org. 2nd June - 9.45am Early Service: The Sacrament of Holy Communion. 11am - Morning Worship; 9th June - 11am Morning Worship - Sunday Club Family Service; 16th June - 11am Morning Worship - Sunday Club Family Service; 23rd June - 9.45am - Early Service in the Church, 11am - Morning Worship; 30th June - 9.45am Early Service in the Church, 11am - Morning Worship. Services in July and until 11th August will begin at 10am.

Church of the Nazarene, Houston, at the Village Hall, Main street, Houston. PA6 7EL. Rev Benito S Coetzee. Family services at 10.30am with full toddler, children and youth activities running concurrently with the service. Youth meets at 6.30-8pm on Sundays. Word and Table Quiet Service held from 9 - 9.30am every third Sunday. Visit our website: www.houston.nazarene.org.uk

St Fillan’s, Main St, Houston. Sun Masses: Vigil (Sat) 5pm, 9.30am & 11am. Weekday Mass: Tues-Sat 9.30am except Thurs, 7pm. Reconciliation: Sat 10-10.30am and after Vigil Mass; Thurs 7.30-8pm. Exposition: As announced. Baptisms: 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month by arrangement. Parish Priest: Rev Daniel J McLoughlin, Dip.Th.,MA Pastoral Assistant: Sr Mary Frances Collett, RNDM (Tel 01505 613514). “Abbotsfield”, St Fillan’s, Main St, Houston, PA6 7EL. Tel: 01505 612046, Fax: 01505 610556. Email: [email protected]. www.stfillan.org.uk.

HOWWOODHowwood Parish Church, Sun 11am. Rev

David Stewart. MA BD MTH. Prayer meetings held in the vestry every Sun at 10am & Fri at 7.30pm, 3 Bowfield Way.

KILBARCHANKilbarchan East Church. On Sunday 2nd

June, there is the Sacrament of Holy Communion, celebrated at 11am and 6.30pm, both services being conducted by Rev Kenneth Gray. The Creche, Sunday School and Bible Class Prize giving takes place on 9th at 11am and services continue at 11am on 16th and 23rd, conducted by Mr Russell Banks. Sunday 30th sees the first joint summer service in Kilbarchan West church, also conducted by Mr Banks. The crèche will continue in the East during June and in the West during joint services.Renfrewshire Food Bank. The members of Kilbarchan East are going to support the food bank on an ongoing basis from 9th June, when there will be boxes available each week to receive donations of non-perishable goods. Kilbarchan East Church Tots’ Club. The final meeting of this very popular club is a “Teddy Bears’ Picnic” party on 24th June at 10am. Children will be bringing along their favourite teddy for a summer picnic in the hall. The club has been attended by an average of 40 children with their Mums, Dads, Grans etc and several children will be moving on to Nursery next session. For further information on East Church activities, please visit the website: www.kilbarchaneastchurch.btck.co.uk

Kilbarchan West Parish Church. Minister – Rev Arthur Sherratt BD. Sunday Worship continues at 11am. Crèche, Junior Church and FEWsion meet from 10.45am. All are welcome for tea or coffee in the hall after the service. The Midweek Fellowship is now finished for the summer and meets again from the first Wednesday in September.

KILMACOLMSt Colm’s Catholic Church The Very

Rev William Canon McDade – Sunday morning family mass 10am.

Kilmacolm Old Kirk Church of Scotland ( C h a r i t y n o . S C 0 0 9 2 9 1 ) . w w w.kilmacolmoldkirk.org.uk. Minister Rev Dr Peter McEnhill (01505 873174). Morning Worship - Sundays 11am, all welcome Sunday School & Crèche available.

St Columba Church of Scotland. (charity no. SC007992) Minister Rev Douglas Cranston. Wednesday Break 10.30am in large Hall. Church Prayer meeting Thurs at 8.15pm.

Gospel Services in The Scout Hall, Kilmacolm - Sundays 4.30pm, Thurs 7.30pm.

St Fillan’s Episcopal (Anglican) Church Sundays 11 .30am Rev Co lum McGranaghan has now retired and we are in a vacancy however all the Services in both Churches are continuing their normal pattern.

LANGBANKLangbank Parish Church - Rev Andrew

McLean. Sunday Services 10am with Sunday School, Creche and young people’s group, the Welcomers. Tea and coffee after the service - all welcome. Langbank Church of Scotland is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC015085.

LOCHWINNOCHLochwinnoch Parish Church - Rev Mhairi

Breingan. 11am Morning Service with Sunday School and Crèche.

Calder United Free Church (Church St Lochwinnoch) Sunday: 11am Morning worship with Sunday School and Crèche. 6.30pm Evening Fellowship group, 7.30pm ABC’s Teen group. Wed 6.30-7.30pm.

QUARRIERSMount Zion Church, Rev Andy Lunn Bsc.

10.30am in Bethesda, Junior Church and Bible Class. The Event for young people, making Church fun for everyone, every 3rd Sunday monthly at 6.30pm. Visit www.mountzionfellowship.org.uk

Paisley Colour Photographic Club“Mike Cruise wins PCPC’s Henderson Memorial Trophy” The competition for PCPC’s final and most prestigious trophy of the 2012-2013 session - the Henderson Memorial Trophy - took place recently at the McMaster Centre in Renfrew. Ninety images in sets of three where submitted by thirty club members. The high standard and the wide range subjects photographed made for a very enjoyable evening’s viewing. Judging the competition was long time sports photographer George Neilson ARPS from Edinburgh. Each photograph was given careful consideration and where appropriate received constructive criticism and/or praise for the particular strengths of an image.

Included in the competition was the presentation of the Hornby Tankard (for the highest placed Introductory entry) and the presentation of the President’s Tankard (for the highest place Intermediate entry). For his set of three images including “Flying Squirrel”, Richard Bennett was awarded the Hornby Tankard. For his set of three images including “Little Cottage”, Brian Cairnduff was awarded the President’s Tankard.

In the main competition for the Henderson Memorial Trophy, third place went to Robert Fulton for his set of three winter images “Yellowstone Coyote”, “Storm Light” and “Out of the Mist”. The runner up was Jim Dunlop for his three images “Spoonbill Preening”, “Uphill Jump” and “Fallow Deer”. But for his stunning set of images “Osprey Fishing”, “Mountain Hare” and “Dawn Light, Rannoch Moor”, Mike Cruise was the judged worthy winner of the Henderson Memorial Trophy for 2012-2013. His image “Dawn Light” was awarded as Best Image in Competition.Paisley Colour Photographic Club now has a break over the summer, but meetings resume in early September.

Mike Cruise (winner) - “Dawn Light”

Jim Dunlop (second) - “Spoonbill Preening”

Robert Fulton (third) - “Out of the Mist”

“Flying Squirrel”Richard Bennett

“Little Cottage”Brian Cairnduff

225_JUNE13_42-49 SCHOOLS.ind.indd 42 22/05/2013 16:10:50

43www.advertizer.co.uk schools & sports news

Kilbarchan Primary ECO Day of Action!Pupils in K i l b a r c h a n Primary have been working hard to improve their playground and make it a better place to play and learn. The school has been working

with Dobbie’s Garden Centre to set up a school garden/club. All pupils in the school worked tirelessly to set the garden up; learning how plant, keep weeds down, composting, planting a living willow dome and generally having fun. “I had very good fun and I learned how to plant some seeds.” said Gabriella Whyte, P1. Caledonia Tree Services also supported this project.Sport coaches also encouraged pupils to learn new games recently painted on the playground and also had the opportunity to have a go of a climbing wall. My favourite part was the Climbing Wall because we got to go really high, and learning how to

use the new playground games was great fun!” said Nathan Cowgill, P4.H e a d Teacher, Liz Sommerville said, “What a great day for pupils, even the rain didn’t spoil pupils’ enjoyment. We are always keen to make

our school more eco friendly and the garden area will really support pupils as they learn to do this. A big thank you to all involved.”

Kidston Kids Get Planting!At Kidston Kids Playgroup in Kilmacolm we have been very busy planting our barrels in time for summer!With our green aprons on and gloves and gardening tools at the ready we tidied all our plant pots.Lodge Sir Michael in Glebe Road has once again kindly donated some beautiful bedding plants and as usual our favourite part was the watering!!We hope Mr Sunshine will come out to play and help our plants to grow.If you would like to join the fun, pop in and see us at Kidston Hall any Monday, Wednesday or Friday morning or visit our website www.kidstonkids.co.uk Next month we are off on our summer outing to Lunderston Bay to meet the Rangers and look in the rock pools.Our groups are for Pre-school children:Little Lullabies every Monday morning with Auntie Hazel - come and make some music.Stay and Play from 18months, parents/carers remain with child until eligible for Playgroup.Playgroup, 2yrs 6mths – 5yrs.Register now for August 2013

schools news

BBQ Poster CompetitionThis year Kilbarchan Primary School’s Parent Council held a competition for pupils to design a poster to advertise the summer barbecue which was held on Saturday 18th May. The competition winners were – 3rd Emily Gorman P3/2, 2nd Jacob Cunningham P5 and 1st Rhona Hopley P2. As a prize they will all receive an art lesson at Pea Pod Arts in Quarriers Village, and the winning poster will be used to advertise the BBQ all around the village. Please come along and enjoy an afternoon of fun, including games, activities, stalls and a giant slide!



Bridge of Weir Primary SchoolRosy cheeks and oxygenated, alert pupils abounded at Bridge of Weir Primary recently due to Walk to School Week. Thanks to the weather-proof enthusiasm of parents and children alike, it was a huge success with lots of house points, and WTSW goodies, earned. A particularly exemplary effort was made by the group of pupils, parents and our own Depute Head Teacher, Mrs Kent, who walked all the way from Brookfield!

We all had an ‘atom’ smashing time during Science Week, with Miss Davies organising a range of special scientific events, challenges and investigations. The highlight of the week was the carousel of workshops which included

a visit from Gryffe High School science teachers, Miss Badger and Mr Gibb, who brought along microscopes and also demonstrated some of the amazing things static electricity can do - including making water bend! Thanks to Miss Davies for all her hard work in making this such a fascinating event.Mrs Dunlop organised our very first Global Citizenship Week which will take place

this month. Pupils at every stage from nursery to P7 will be focusing on our place in the world and the responsibilities we have for each other. Activities range from thinking about where our food comes from to finding out about life in India, Burundi and Malawi. We always try to bring our teaching to life as much as possible so when the children listen to stories from around the world, they will be seated in a Mongolian storytelling yurt!

The Parent Teacher Council’s annual MayFair was another success story, with its Highland Fling theme raising over £1500! The PTC work tirelessly before, during and after their biggest fund-raising event of the year, but would like us to highlight that this fun morning out for the family would not be possible without the generous donations of time, prizes and impressive home-baking from our fully-engaged school families. The PTC would also like to acknowledge the generosity of local businesses who support us so loyally and they will be highlighting their contributions in next month’s Advertizer. Special thanks also to Jamie Webb, a fourth year from Gryffe High who kindly piped us all into the MayFair. Congratulations to P1A/P1C for leading us in a colourful assembly with the theme of friendship. Parents were invited to attend and a few stayed on afterwards to observe a more typical assembly in action. It was so gratifying to hear such glowing comments about our weekly gathering, with one parent particularly impressed at the positivity and energy we strive to foster. We feel it’s an opportunity to infuse our pupils with enthusiasm and optimism, often using music to do so whether they’re on their feet as we encourage them to “Reach for the Stars” or sitting in contemplation of reasons to feel “Proud” of themselves!We have many reasons to feel “proud” of our P7’s who will be leaving us at the end of term. We want to wish them all the very best and extend our heartfelt thanks for all that they have contributed over the course of their time with us at Bridge of Weir Primary. They will be especially missed by their P1 friends who have been guided through the first year of school by their caring, responsible P7 “buddies”, who have been such a positive presence in what can be a daunting time. Thankfully, we have a fantastic team of P6 “buddies” ready to step up who have been visiting their smaller counterparts in our own and other local nurseries. So, as we prepare to wave our fondest of farewells to the big boys and girls, we’ve enjoyed meeting our next crop of wee ones during our P1 Induction days. We’re looking forward to welcoming them all when they start P1 in August and we’re also really looking forward to the 6 weeks of summer holidays between now and then! To all our wonderful pupils, parents, carers, staff and the Parent Teacher Council, our heartfelt thanks for making this such a happy and productive school - we wish you all a wonderful break.

Woodlands Nursery & Out of School Care May has been such a fun and busy month with lots of extra events and fundraising opportunities for our nursery garden - we don’t know where the month has gone! Despite the torrential rain during our annual Family BBQ on 18th May, we had a great turnout and dished up over 200 burgers and sold a new record on the Home Baking stall! We raised nearly £1,200 and we would like to thank all the staff,

parents and extended families for their continued support and wonderful enthusiasm.Huge congratulations to Cheryl Watson from our baby room on getting engaged on Saturday to her boyfriend Chris. Chris surprised Cheryl with a beautiful ring on Saturday and they are both over the moon. Congratulations to them both!

Babies: We battled with the wind and rain to complete our sponsored toddle which was lots of fun and we raised lots of money for our garden fund. We had a PJ day with parents contributing lots of bottles for our bottle stall for our Family Fun Day which was on Saturday 18th May.Our topic is transport and we have loved going out to the car park and looking at all the shiny cars. We have made pictures of cars, vans and trains for our walls which are looking lovely.Tweenies: Now the nicer weather is here we are enjoying spending time doing up our garden and having fun. We recently held a gardening night which was excellent for all children, staff and parents to meet up and chat while planting, painting, weeding and digging. We are now responsible for looking after the vegetable plot and hope to see our carrots, courgettes, spring onions and broccoli growing very soon.We are very sorry to be saying a fond farewell to Kharis Collins from the baby room. She is leaving to start a new life in Australia with her Mummy (Jackie from Woodlands), Daddy and her brothers Luke and Christopher. They are moving to Perth and have promised to keep us updated with photos and emails. The children are enjoying learning about Australia and they are enjoying the story “There Is an Ouch in My Pouch” about a baby Kangaroo, our lady Mina is very good at reading this story to the children.Rising Fives: we are all very busy preparing for our annual trip to Heads of Ayr Farm Park, organising parents nights and planning for our Graduation.The children have mind-mapped all their thoughts and ideas for the graduation and are planning it very independently, we look forward to seeing the end result on the 20th June when all the school leavers graduate in a very emotional ceremony at the Carrick Centre.The children are very busy updating their profiles with lovely photographs of them hard at work in nursery, the mummies and daddies will have fun looking through these on Parents’ night and having a chat with their child’s key worker.We are hoping for a beautiful day on the 30th May as we head to Heads of Ayr Farm Park to see the goats, donkeys and our friend the camel. We have been very lucky in previous years and the sun has always shone so we are very hopeful for another fabulous year at the park.Out of School Care: At OSC this month we are working on a new theme of Pirates. The children have already made wonderful model pirate ships from junk and these are displayed around the room. Many of the children have shown good knowledge of The Pirates of the Caribbean and are enjoying role playing their favourite parts of the film. We are enjoying the better weather and have been playing outdoors with our large variety of outdoor toys. A particular favourite is Chinese ropes and hula hoops. We are very sad to be saying a fond farewell to Mary Scott who has become a much loved member of our staff. Mary is moving on to a slightly different role and we wish her all the best for the future and we will miss you loads Mary.



Nomad Music – a collaboration of local music tutors running group music lessons and youth clubs – will hold their summer club during the school holidays for anyone aged 6 to 14. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am till 2pm from the 2nd of July – 8th August in the Kilbarchan East Church Hall. There’ll be tuition in piano, guitar and drums and plenty of fun and games, plus a backstage area with table tennis, giant jenga, pool and more. Visit www.nomadmusicschool.co.uk for all the details.

St Columba’s SchoolDuke of Edinburgh’s AwardOver one hundred and sixty of our pupils at Senior School are involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the expedition element of the award is coordinated in-house. Over the past couple of months, many pupils have been out on practice hikes in anticipation of the real thing in June. Meera Patel (SIV) said, “What started as a nice walk in the Trossachs soon became a challenging trek though the bipolar Scottish weather. There was snow, rain, sunshine and everything else in between! Each group had their ups and downs (literally) as they lugged their heavy rucksacks towards the campsite. The jump from Bronze to Silver level is huge. It was definitely a chance to see people in a different light and previously unknown sides to individuals became

apparent.”

Quartet VisitPupils at Junior School enjoyed the chance to hear the Maxwell String Quartet play as part of the Enterprise Music Scotland scheme. The quartet held six workshops over the course of the day. Quartet member, George Smith, who also teaches violin as an extra subject at St Columba’s, said, “We were really impressed with the pupils’ musical knowledge. We had to work that little bit harder to ensure we were challenging them. They were a receptive audience and a pleasure to play for.”

Get WritingEmma Kohlhagen (J5) was awarded a Special Merit (top 10) in the National Galleries of Scotland Under-12 age category ‘Inspired? Get Writing!’ competition. She attended an award ceremony in Edinburgh, where her work was read to the assembled audience.

Houston Nursery closure - Toy Sale

Due to closure of the nursery, there are many fun and educational toys* looking for a new home and so we’re having a

Toy Sale!

Thursday 6th June - 9am – 3pmFriday 7th June - 9am – 1pm

The Carrick Centre, Main Street, Houston. Call 01505 615876 or email

[email protected]*There are larger items such as furniture which are also looking for a new home!

Duchal NurseryDuchal nursery early start (8.15am) and lunch club on Wednesdays (until 1.30pm) have both been a huge success for both children and parents.We celebrated world book day with some wonderful costumes at nursery. The children enjoyed reading and reviewing different books at nursery and at home.

The nursery hosted a week of comic relief coffee mornings where parents and carers were invited to the Duchal café and treated to delicious pancakes served by the children themselves. There was much excitement and anticipation for the arrival of the Easter bunny!

The children found him at the swings and skipped back to nursery together for an Easter celebration. Madame Camelford gave Easter a French twist at Duchal this year, helping the children make beautiful French Easter cards and sharing the French legend around scattering of chocolate eggs.



Abbey children get out and aboutIt’s certainly never a dull moment for the children at Abbey Nursery as, over the past couple of months, they have been getting out and about in their local community and taking advantage of all the opportunities this provides for being more independent and using new experiences to feed their curiosity.Each Peach Pear Plum at the Paisley Arts Centre was a particularly fun trip for many children and part of the Puppet Animation Festival. Here children were encouraged to use “I Spy”, together with songs and music to explore favourite nursery rhyme characters, brought to life by a range of wonderful puppets.

Paisley Museum was also the venue for the ‘Delightful’ workshops which encouraged our children to look at the wonderful range of paintings and use their imagination to create complimentary sounds. I think we were all surprised at how creative the children could be and it was a fantastic opportunity for them to make their own contribution to art performance and we hope they will want to return in the future.

Not to be outdone the Busy Bunnies took a large group of children to ‘Me and my Shadow’ which was a chance for them to use movement against a backdrop of music and storytelling. Our older pre school children went ‘On a Bear Hunt’ into Glasgow for the annual ‘Monster Music’ RSNO event and again the

children got the opportunity to experience and appreciate classical music in a wonderful concert hall setting. Thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped make these trips possible.On a more local level, children have been out and about in their communi ty ; learning about road safety with ‘Ziggy’; collecting litter as part of the Renfrewshire Commun i t y Clean Up and receiving a free cake c o u r t e s y of Gregg’s; taking part in the Houston Kirk Carnival and creating a wonder farmyard collage for the Houston & Killellan Agricultural Society event on 1st June.

Langbank PrimaryThis term Langbank Primary ran a World of Work Week. This was a really big week in Langbank Primary with lots of visitors in and all pupils having trips out to various work places. P1/2 went to Aulds, P3 to Frankie and Benny’s, P4/5 to a windfarm and P6/7 to Hewlett Packard. We had a wonderful afternoon where P4-7 got to meet a wide variety of professionals.

Occupations included a dog hotel owner, fisherman, dispenser, firefighter, head of events,auctioneer/valuer, cabin crew, painter, ecologist, p o l i c e w o m a n , bakery manager and many more. The parents and visitors

had a wonderful afternoon with many adults being put on the spot when answering pupil questions. P6/7 are now

completing an in-class topic on the world of Work which includes filling in application forms and interview techniques.

Strawberry Field NurseryWe have been very busy over the last month re vamping our baby room and have recently moved back in to the delight of all our babies. The children in the Bright Stars building have enjoyed measuring and sorting activities related to the elves and the shoemaker story. Our next step is to make a shoe shop for children to try and buy shoes.The children going to school have been busy making hats for their graduation day on the 11th June. Teachers from the local schools have been visiting with the children’s buddies The children in the Rainbow building have been enjoying learning about farm animals and have made a beautiful collage for the wall.In the few dry days we have had the children have been out in the garden getting it ready to plant our vegetables and flowers.



During a recent unannounced inspection by the Care Inspectorate, Houston Primary School Nursery was awarded 5 ‘excellent’ grades by lead inspector Susan Dobson. The report highlighted that the nursery provides a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for children and parents. Management and staff work well together to develop new and innovative approaches to meeting children’s needs and excellent quality assurance systems ensure that nursery standards are maintained and further developed.The high standards recognised in the last inspection have been maintained and further developed by Lynne McGinn and her excellent team, who were given

praise in the report for continuing to find innovative ways to involve children and their families in assessing and improving quality in the nursery. The report highlights that the children’s individual needs and views are routinely taken into account and that staff very effectively support all children to make choices and respond to individual care and learning needs. Excellent approaches to staff development and quality assurance were also recognised. The report stated that the resources and experiences offered to the children at Houston Primary School Nursery are outstanding. The children who attend receive the very best quality of care and education. Head Teacher, Myra Hamilton is delighted that Lynne McGinn

and her highly motivated, dedicated and enthusiastic staff team, who work consistently hard to deliver positive outcomes for children and their families have been formally praised in this outstanding report.If you would like more information on the nursery please visit us or give us a call on 01505 610043.

St Fillan’s Primary SchoolThis term continues to be filled with many learning opportunities both inside and out of school. Each pupil in our school is on a school committee and many of us are in the middle of planning events for this busy term. P1 are looking forward to their first School Sport’s Day and have been busy practising. P2 have thoroughly enjoyed exploring Scotland’s past during their recent Castles topic. They used their visit to Stirling Castle to inspire them to build their own castles on their return (see photos). P3/4 have been working on their Financial Education project in maths. P4 are enjoying their “Eat Like A Champ” health education project and many of our P4 pupils

made their First Communion. They are busy organising their Mass of Thanksgiving which will take place later this term. P5 are busy working on their Democracy project and plan to have a few visitors popping in to see them shortly as part of this project. P6 have completed their Buddy Training Sessions and have already put their training to good use by working with their little nursery b u d d i e s during both

Induction Days for our new P1 pupils. Every new P1 pupil is matched with a Big Buddy and they will continue to help and support them all through the next school year. P6 are also enjoying their on-road training as part of the Bikeability programme. P7 pupils have now all visited their respective high schools as part of their transition to high school and are busy finalising their “Digital Yearbook”. They are also looking forward to their annual “Outwardbound Week”. They have chosen many activities to challenge them whilst they are away from home. We have also gained our Rights Respecting Certificate and are now looking forward to working on gaining the next level of this programme. Finally our Reading Buddies programme for this term has now concluded. All pupils enjoyed the input. Thank you to our Big Reading Buddies from the local community who volunteered to assist with this school initiative.

AbbeySong in Paisley AbbeyPace Theatre presents AbbeySong in Paisley Abbey on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 12th-14th June at 7pm.In celebration of Paisley Abbey’s 850th anniversary over 200 children and members of Pace of all ages will perform the story of the Abbey with specially created script, songs and musicTickets available from Pace Box Office at 0845 130 5218 or Paisley Abbey Shop (10am-3.30pm Mon-Sat). £8 (adult) and £5 (concession).

Top Marks and Excellent Grades for Houston Primary School Nursery Class



St Columba Playgroup & Toddlers, KilmacolmWe are holding an Open Day on Monday 3rd June at Playgroup, from 9.45am-11am, so please free to come in for a look if you are thinking about a space for the 2013/14 session. Our waiting list for next year is looking healthy so don’t delay if you would like one of the 10 spaces for 2 year olds; children from 2yrs 4mths welcome and no need to be toilet-trained. We have a fantastic range of resources for physical, craft, imaginative play to name but a few, which create wonderful opportunities for your child to grow in confidence and independence. Additionally, they will make many friends for going on to nursery and school. Our qualified and experienced staff are experienced in dealing with a range of allergies and cultural needs plus the setting is rated Very Good or Good by the Care Inspectorate for Quality of Care, Environment, Staffing and Leadership. Children from Kilmacolm and all the surrounding areas very welcome.

If you are interested in a place on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday morning either pop into our open day or give our membership secretary Jenny a call on 07557 656968. Our toddler group runs every Wednesday morning between 10am and 11.30am for children from birth to 3 years, and is a great chance for your little ones to try out different toys and make new friends, we always look forward to welcoming new faces. The last session of the group will be on Wednesday 19th June as we will be taking a break for the summer, but please look out for return date on our facebook page - St Columba Playgroup & Toddlers Kilmacolm.

Kilbarchan Community NurseryAs part of our topic on healthy bodies, a group of children visited the new Kilbarchan dental practice. The children learned all about looking after their teeth while they

played with jigsaws and games. Then upstairs in the brand new surgery, they all got the chance to be a dentist. While one sat in the chair, the others had a chance to operate the buttons to make the seat go up and down and used mirrors and masks to examine their ‘patients’. Sheila (Practice Owner of Kilbarchan Dentits) told the children about looking after their teeth and they all got a timer to take home to make sure they brush for two minutes.

In Nursery, children made their own pizzas and chose from a variety of healthy toppings. The Kilbarchan Primary School children who attend our After school also made healthy pizzas. Ben chose; cheese, peppers,

sweetcorn and tomatoes and said it tasted delicious!For information about the nursery contact us on 01505704839 or email: [email protected]

Langbank PlaygroupHere we are working hard at the craft table. One of the plus

points of coming to Playgroup, is the chance to meet with your peers to converse, discuss and shape ideas and a group craft activity is a wonderful chance to do

just that, plus create something beautiful to take home. We also have many opportunities for role-play with the dress-up, trains, house and farm plus a chance to burn off some steam with physical play; hoping for some dry Fridays soon to get out in the fantastic adjacent swingpark! We will soon be saying Goodbye to our large group of pre-schoolers and wish them and their families lots of fun and success at school. Many thanks also for all the duties and washing of paint-pots - much appreciated! For an August space, please contact our Chair, Jacqueline, on 01475 540728. All children from Langbank and the surrounding areas from 2.5yrs to school age very welcome.

Gryffe High School Scottish Space School SuccessCongratulations to S5 applicants, Alex Quayum and Fraser Rankin who have been successful in gaining a place at the week long residential Space School. This will be held in the University of Strathclyde from 16th to 21st June. Alex and Fraser are part of 100 students selected from 58 schools in 26 council areas across Scotland. Alex and Fraser have already been to an information evening to tell them all about this fabulous opportunity and Alex tells me that she is so looking forward to an evening where they get the Science Centre all to themselves.The Scottish Space School at Strathclyde aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers by highlighting the career and educational opportunities available to young people with an interest in science, engineering and technology. As well as meeting NASA personnel and learning all about the associated careers, this stage is also part of a selection process for a chance to take part in Space School in Houston, Texas. Gryffe has successfully sent FOUR pupils to Space School in NASA Texas Houston. This started with Eleanor Wilson in 2006. Mark Stewart followed in 2010, Kirsty Boswell in 2011 and Susie Little in 2012. It was absolutely amazing to have a pupil selected three years in a row completely due to their drive and commitment! Each pupil has without fail, described the experience as life changing.We wish Alex and Fraser so much luck in their venture!!Mrs McGeough - Space School Link Teacher



1st Elderslie Brownies1st Elderslie Brownies in Renfrewshire did a sponsored cycle and met world champions when they stopped for lunch. The brownies were introduced to Rita Montgomery, who won the road world championships not once but twice, her husband John, won bronze twice and their friends Elizabeth and Tom Clark, who won multiple Scottish and international championships. They brownies were so impressed that they asked for a photograph to be taken with the champs.Dawn Ewington (Brown owl )

Bridge of Weir ScoutsThis months camp was at Eglinton Country Park outside Kilwinning and was attended by our Young Leaders and Scouts who camped overnight, with Cubs and Beavers joining us throughout Saturday with their parents. We had great fun setting up camp, barbecuing, bog running, having a fireworks display, and playing a variety of adventure games. S t e v e and Ewan p r e s e n t e d achievement badges to the group for Orienteering a c r o s s M u i r s h i e l Country Park last month and for ’10 nights away’ camping. The Cubs section recently worked on their life saving skills and were given a demonstration in CPR and first aid. Thanks to everybody who helped out.

1st Houston & Crosslee Scout GroupThe Explorer Scouts have been busy this month by teaming up with a local church organisation and local schools to plant a number of trees in Houston Village Park.The boys were out with their forks and spades to make sure that the new trees flourish in years to come and these young trees will help to replace a number of mature trees in the conservation village which have fallen victim to storms over the past couple of years. The Explorer Scouts have also been braving the poor weather recently and taken part in a number of hikes for their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.

As the better weather has now arrived, the beavers are due round off their year with a visit to the RSPB at Lochwinnoch for an evening of bird spotting. Hopefully the boys will become more familiar with all the different species and spot some of the migrating birds passing through Renfrewshire at this time of the year. The cubs are also out and about with a visit to the Glasgow Science Centre as part of their badgework.

The annual weekend camp for cubs and scouts is due to take place over the weekend of 21st and 22nd June. There will be a variety of activities on offer including the water slides, outdoor cooking and forest walks. The weekend will provide the first opportunity to test out the new high quality tents that were recently bought by the group. The Annual General Meeting of the Group will take place on Wednesday 12th June at 7.30pm in the Scout Hall.

This is a chance for the parents to hear the news and see slide shows of all the sections activities over the last year as well as the presentation of awards to the boys.It is also a chance for parents to gain an insight into all the behind the scenes work done by our hard working committee and leaders throughout the year which contributes to the continued successful running of a local Scout group in the village.

Kilbarchan Girl GuidesKilbarchan Girl Guides held a coffee morning to fund raise for Ailidh Campbell.

Ailidh will be leading party of S c o t t i s h Guides to Ghana for the month of July. The S c o t t i s h G u i d e s will build playgrounds

for Ghanaian orphanages in co-operation with local Guides. Ailidh travelled there last year to commemorate fifty year of guiding in Ghana and to see what would be needed in this year’s expedition.Photo: Ailidh views the crowd at the Guide Centre.

Kilbarchan Scout GroupWe recently undertook a village litter pick. Over 60 members turned up on a dry Saturday morning in April to tackle the litter scattered around the village. The Beavers tackled the area near to the Scout Hall, the Cubs ventured a little further whilst

the Scouts and Explorers tackled some of the further flung corners of the village. By the end of the day over 80 bags of litter and rubbish were filled. Everyone enjoyed a hot roll from the BBQ and some juice to quench the thirst. Thanks to local councillors Derek Bibby and Chris Gilmour who came along to lend support to the Scout Group, also the Scout Leaders

Lorne Campbell and Stuart Tennant for organizing the event. The Scout Group are looking forward to various activities and camps over the summer months, lets hope the weather improves.



sports newsLangbank Tennis Club

Cardiotennis is here! For any adults looking to improve their tennis, or just their fitness, cardiotennis sessions could be the answer. No tennis skills required, come along Wednesdays at 5.30pm and have a try. Free to tennis club members and open to all.More than 20 juniors are already attending weekly coaching under the expert tuition of Chris, from Strathgryffe tennis club. And with the court open 7 days a week there is plenty of opportunity for them to practice their new skills.We would be delighted to welcome new members this year. With annual memberships only £10 for juniors, £25 for adults and £50 for families this is a great way to get active and outdoors in the village over the summer holidays.Contact by email: [email protected] or telephone: 01475 540071.

Strathgryffe Tennis Club Presentation EveningStrathgryffe Tennis & Squash Club held its annual Tennis Presentation Night on Saturday 11th May for the winners of the winter indoor leagues. The club organises a variety of doubles leagues for both the juniors and seniors throughout the winter months in which over 160 members participate on a regular basis.

The winners were as follows: Teamleague: Andy Barclay, Crawford Halliday, Joanne Thompson: Fiona DalySuperleague: Neil MacLean, Calum McFarlane, Gail Roger, Sarah McNaught.Junior Superleague: Jamie Aitken, Innes Minucci, Ross McHarg, Andrew Clark.Strathgryffe also runs a variety of morning, afternoon & evening drop in social sessions for members. Anyone interested in more information on the tennis, squash or fitness section at Strathgryffe. Please contact reception on 01505 615100.

Congratulations Johanne - completing the London MarathonJohanne Begg would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who sponsored her in her recent London Marathon challenge. The donations and support from everyone really helped spur her on to the end. S h e had a fantastic time and enjoyed e v e r y m i n u t e

of the 26.2 miles finishing in a time of 4 hrs 30 mins and 42 secs! Johanne has been absolutely overwhelmed with the money she has raised for Breakthrough Breast Cancer with the total now standing at £2030.51......a fantastic sum! Thank you once again.

Johanne with her mum

Castle Semple Sailing ClubCucina Munucci CupCastle Semple Sailing Club held its first cup event of the year, sponsored by Cucina Munucci, on 12th May. It seemed the wet weather didn’t deter people from turning up either to sail or to retreat into the warm dry clubhouse. Around 30 people turned up in total. Ten boats sailed at various times It was good to see at least four cadets taking part in some testing conditions. The wind (and rain) strengthened as the day wore on. Steve and Jules led the capsize drill before the start of the second race. Before the start of the third race Jon and Ross fell over and in righting their vago, the bowsprit caught the 405 which was also sent for a swim (it seems dry suits are not always as dry as they are supposed to be!!). Jim and Jan did an excellent job of keeping control of the racing, and Marion and Lesley kept us all fed and watered. Thanks to all those who took a turn in the rescue boat, must have been very cold out there.Congratulations to Angus Winchester (vortex) for winning, only narrowly beating Iain Hardy (topper) and third were Steve Davison and Jules Whitestone (GP).

24 Hr Race - weekend of 22nd/23rd JuneThe Club will be holding its annual 24 hour race over the weekend of 22nd/23rd June sailing in teams, from 12 noon on Saturday til 12noon Sunday, Why not come and watch the fun or take the opportunity to take part. A warm welcome always assured with tea and cakes, plant sales, raffle, tombola, second hand book stall. The Club will also be at the Lochwinnoch Gala day on Saturday 8th June.

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Houston Youth FootballWe are looking for players born 2004 and 2005 to add numbers to there existing teams. training takes place twice a week within the village of Houston. if your child would be interested please call Darren Gilmour on 07799583139.all coaches are SYFA trained and disclosure cleared.

Paisley 10k Road Race & Fun RunSunday 25th August 10amTime to look out your running shoes and get in training! Sign up for this year’s race - it’s open to all, from the serious runner to those competing for the first time. This year’s 10k will be the Scottish Athletics West District 10K Road Race Championship. Once again, it will be on a flat, fast course taking runners to the west of the town after a loop around Paisley’s historic town centre. The start and finish will be adjacent to Paisley Cross. Over 3k of the route will be on the Paisley Canal to Kilmacolm cycle track. The course is an accurately measured 10K verified by an accredited Scottish Athletics measurer.Families, friends and youngsters might want to try the Fun Run and the other fun activities taking place throughout the day. Free parking is available in various town centre car parks. Gilmour Street train station is 200m from the start for competitors travelling by public transport. Changing facilities are available in the Lagoon Leisure Centre and there will be a secure baggage available for all runners. Enter now at www.paisley.org.uk/events/paisley-10k-fun-run/

Connor Henderson A sports student from Renfrewshire is among the many young athletes working hard to become part of the largest multi-sport event to be held in Scotland.

20 year old Connor Henderson, who currently studies at Reid Kerr College in Paisley, has been running since he was 10 and taking part competitively in his sport for 5 years. The Sports Coaching student came 1st recently at the Scottish University & College Championships making this his second win at this level. Connor completes his HND at College this year and has high hopes for his future.Connor said, “I have been involved in sport from a very young age and enrolling for the HND Sports Coaching with Development of Sport at college was the right choice for me. It has been a great 2 years of study with a varied

programme that is not just about Sport. This year, we were taught Event Management and as a result our class will be hosting a mini Commonwealth Games for a group of local primary school children. Beyond College, my personal goals reach to next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and I am determined to give myself the best chance of getting there. I train 6 times a week, three to four hours a day and have already won multiple national races within my sport, the ‘400 Meter Hurdles’. Currently training with the No.1 senior competitor in Scotland, I believe I can make it to 2014 with an impressive qualifying time. There are just less than 500 days until the Commonwealth Games and I am on track to become a front runner for my sport.”Senior Lecturer in Sport Robert Ross said, “I am very proud of Connor’s fantastic achievements so far on his journey, producing excellent work in and out of college. His family will be really proud of his success.Connor added that last year’s Olympic Games were a real inspiration and he is already thinking about a possible appearance in Rio 2016. Education is still core to Connor’s future and he will be applying to study a degree in Sports Psychology or Physiotherapy at university.

Longest Day 72 Hole Challenge“Three Men and a Bobby” playing The 72 Hole Endurance Challenge in ONE DAY!!!Evening disco, auction & raffle on Saturday 29th June at 7.30pm tile late in the club house at Kilmacolm. £7.50 per ticket including snack!Please come along and support the guys representing KGC and a very worthwhile cause at the same time! Donations for the evening auction and raffle would be welcome whether they be golf orientated or otherwise!Cheers “The Bobster”Call Bobby on 07921 167554 or email b-rough@

hotmail.co.uk to reserve your tickets!

Young Golfers selected for Renfrewshire Development SquadUnder the watchful eyes of teaching professionals George Boswell, Ian Kennedy and Mark Loftus at Mearns Castle Academy, Renfrewshire’s future star golfers have commenced their programme of coaching which is the first step toward inclusion in the Scottish squad.Although current evening temperatures are not conducive to outdoor activities, the seventeen selected golfers from throughout the County, ranging in age from 8 year old Aidan O’Hagen to 13 year old Ciaran O’Brien, are showing tremendous enthusiasm. In addition, George Boswell is impressed by the skill levels which already exist. “It makes our job so much easier when the boys are keen to learn and when they already have many of the basics required. Our early assessment is that there are a number of very promising boys in the squad and we look forward to assisting Renfrewshire Golf Union in its developmental role”.The squad consists of:Aidan O’Hagen (Old Ranfurly), Harry Kellock and Timothy Erskine (Kilmacolm), Struan Walker (Mearns Castle), Roddy McCaulay (Fereneze), Alistair Taylor (Gourock), Ciaran O’Brien (Cochrane Castle) Scott Cummings, Liam Kerr and Lee Gillan (Whinhill), Euan Knox and Jack McCauley (Greenock), Tom Mackenzie, Kerr Webster and Alessandro Schenini (Whitecraigs), Andrew McAlpine (Erskine) and Lewis Greenlees (Paisley)Picture shows the squad after their second session



Caldwell Golf Club Dominates County ChampionshipWhen the sixteen qualifiers gathered at Kilmacolm Golf Club to compete in the Renfrewshire Golf Union Boys’ Match Play Championship, there were three boys from Caldwell Golf Club in the field. At the end of the first two rounds in

wet and windy c o n d i t i o n s , there were four players left with three of them from C a l d w e l l – a 100% s u r v i v a l record!

As far as can be ascertained, this has never happened before in the history of the event and it will be up to Old Ranfurly’s Jamie Stewart to put a spoke in the Caldwell wheel. His 3 and 1 victory over Jamie Sinnamon (Whinhill) means that he will face Lewis Smith in the semi final. Lewis had a 4 and 3 victory over Stephen Wilson (Whinhill). Alistair McNaughton beat Josh Beatt (Fereneze) and Sean Burns eventually overcame Elderslie’s Scott Ewing and they will contest the other semi final (photos show the 3 Caldwell players).

Reilly is Champion 3rd time in a rowPaul Reilly of Kilmacolm Golf Club has become the first player to win the Renfrewshire Golf Union Junior Champion of Champions for three consecutive years. A quick check of historical records show that only two players (Murdoch Carmichael and Ian Darroch in the Freedman Trophy) have equalled this feat.Paul had made short work of Erskine’s Martin McCorkell in the semi final contest with a 6 and 5 win over a wet and windy Paisley course. His opponent was to be Alasdair McDougall (Elderslie) who also won convincingly against Old Course Ranfurly’s Champion, Ross Robertson. In an earlier round, Alasdair had faced the challenge of Colin Edgar who started with three birdies but was only one up with Alasdair shooting an eagle at the third hole. Such is the quality of this competition.

In the final, Reilly took control and a birdie at the tenth hole and solid golf in difficult conditions took him to 3 up at the twelfth. McDougall showed his top level experience and determination with a birdie at the next hole and a par into a stiff wind at the fifteenth took him back to only one down. Paul withstood the challenge and parred the remaining three holes to win one up.A great final and an historic moment for young Paul.Pictures of Paul and Alasdair

Happy 3rd Birthday Zumba® KilbarchanZumba® Kilbarchan was the first Zumba® class in the village, introduced by Zumba® Instructor Gemma McNaughton. An advert in the Advertizer attracted a huge number of participants to our first class in Kilbarchan Scout Hall on Monday 14th June 2010 and demand led to a move to Kilbarchan West Church Hall and the addition of a Thursday class. Both classes are still running and constantly welcoming new participants looking to lose weight and tone up.

For more information on classes contact Gemma McNaughton at [email protected] or through our facebook page, Zumba® Kilbarchan.Zumba® Kilbarchan has been a supporter of various charities, raising over £10,000 for worthy causes. We believe in giving back to the local community and have been involved in organising various events including Zumbathon’s, Ladies nights, Class raffles, etc. Charities benefiting from our fundraising are Radio Lollipop at Yorkhill Hospital, Marten’s Progress (A young Cerebral Palsy sufferer from Kilbarchan) and more recently, Brightest Star. This wouldn’t have been possible without our loyal participants, many who

have been with us since the start and many more who joined our party along the way. Our Birthday classes will be held on Monday 10th and Thursday 13th June, all past and present participants are welcome to join us. We would also like to thank anyone who has attended a Zumba® Kilbarchan class or event for their support. Here’s hoping the future is as much fun as the past 3 years!!

Alistair Caldwell

Lewis Smith

Sean Burns

Alasdair McDougall

Paul Reilly



Ladies OpenAt the Old Course Ranfurly Golf Club, Bridge of Weir Thursday 4th July. 2013Stableford Greensomes. Maximum individual handicap - 34. Entry fees:- £14 per couple, single entries £7. Sponsored prizes at many of the holes. Bar and snacks available all day. Please apply to Managing Secretary, The Old Course Ranfurly Golf Club, Ranfurly Place, Bridge of Weir, PA11 3DE. Tel no: 01505 613214.

Rotary 10k Success Raises £5kThe inaugural Gryffe Valley Rotary 10K run, sponsored by the Bridge of Weir Leather Group, was a great success despite some indifferent weather!Some 69 starters of all ages made it to the starting line in Houston and headed via Kirk Road and Kilallan Road towards Kilmacolm into the teeth of a challenging breeze. Turning onto Warlock Road towards Bridge of Weir, a torrential and icy shower certainly reduced the probability of competitors suffering from heatstroke! After finishing back in Houston, the field and a good number of spectators and helpers repaired to the Church Hall to enjoy a splendid array of drinks, sandwiches and cakes prepared and served by the Rotary Ladies. Local Kilbarchan Harrier Derek Hawkins, who was recently the first Briton to finish in the London Marathon, awarded prizes to the winners. First man home was Ewan Carrick in the commendable time of 37mins and 54 secs, with Elaine Eadie the first woman to finish in 44 mins and 50 secs, but all runners were to be commended for their efforts which were rewarded with a commemorative medal and a ‘goody bag’.Of course it was all in aid of a good cause. With the generous sponsorship of the Bridge of Weir

Leather Group, the entry monies, the catering donations and individual runner sponsorship, the funds raised on the day exceeded £5000, all of which Gryffe Valley will be putting towards its support of local disabled sports. The club is currently in discussion with local Renfrewshire Disabled groups and with the Muirshiel Country Park on how best to deploy the funds for maximum benefit to the disabled.Special thanks are due to Kilbarchan Harriers for their specialist input and assistance, especially for starting the run and for timing all the runners, and to the local Running Buddies for their enthusiastic support and assistance with marshalling. Hopefully the experience gained will provide the launching pad for an even more successful event next year! Ranfurly Castle Golf Club

We raised a massive £850 at a recent charity fundraiser for the Accord Hospice - many thanks to all who contributed -it was a great night. (photo above)Winners from the recently played Junior Pro/Am competition (photo below).

Renfrewshire Scottish Championship Team AnnouncedTeam Manager, David MacFarlane has announced Renfrewshire’s team for the Scottish Area Team Championship to be held at Crail Golf Club. There is only one change from last year with Michael Daily of Erskine replacing Ranfurly Castle’s Sam Binning. The rest of the team is Matthew Clark and Andrew Farmer (Kilmacolm), Ronnie Clark (Erskine), Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) and Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire). Renfrewshire won the event the last time that it was hosted at Crail in 2009 and MacFarlane has been encouraged by early season performances by squad members with Matt Clark second and the team taking six places in the top twelve at the Champion of Champions event. This coupled with Clark’s win in the Edward Trophy and Michael Daily’s second place in the Battle Trophy augur well for a repeat of the 2009 success.

Elaine Eadie

Ewan Carrick



Gryffe Hillwalking ClubThe Club continues with our programme of outings, in February we targeted Lochearnhead with Ben Vorlich being climbed and others opting for a low level alternative along the route of the dismantled railway to Kilmahog, where we all met up. March saw a very much reduced outing to Victoria Bridge and the munro of Stob a’ Choire Odhar. This was due both to the lack of availability of a suitable bus (Community Cup Final!) and also the inclement weather. April and yet another poor forecast, none-the-less it was a full bus of happy walkers that set off for Glencoe. Two of the Glencoe munros and one corbett were climbed. There was also a low level walk along the old military road the length of the glen. Despite the forecast, a good day was had.We have a weekend to Skye planned for mid-May, a weekend to Fort William in June and a week in the Italian Dolomites in July these being in addition to our more usual day outings.If you would like to join us hillwalking or just find out more about us, join us in the Fox & Hounds, Houston Monday 13th May from 8pm.There are usually walks of various standards on offer. For more information see: www.gryffehillwalkers.co.uk, contact John Maclean email: [email protected]

Andy Visits RSPB Pot Plant Sale and gives his support to EadhaThe SNP’s Councillor for the Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, and Lochwinnoch Ward, Andy Doig, visited the Eadha Enterprises stall at the RSPB Pot Plant sale which took place at the RSPB’s Lochwinnoch headquarters, and praised the Lochwinnoch-based green project for its potential to create jobs and investment in Renfrewshire. Councillor Doig, who has recently been appointed the SNP Group’s Jobs and Economy Spokesperson, said:“Eadha Enterprises is a not-for-profit social enterprise based in Lochwinnoch and was established in March 2011 through support from Oxfam’s UK Innovation Fund, and its mission statement is to unlock potential through planting trees to regenerate land and communities. I met Peter Livingstone of Eadha, and they deserve credit for seeing the great potential that exists for new jobs and new investment in the green economy”. “The Scottish Government takes the view that our forestry resources will become a central part of our culture, economy and environment, in years to come, and a key part of what Eadha does is to remediate land using the regenerative powers of the Aspen tree. Eadha is Gaelic for aspen, and Peter was selling small aspen trees at the RSPB pot plant sale and explaining how damaged land can be renewed for use again”. If you want to find out more about Eadha Enterprises and their vision, call 01505 844827 or e mail them on [email protected]

outdoors

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www.advertizer.co.uk outdoors news 55

Finlaystone Country Estate On your next visit why not stroll through the 10 acres of gardens with their spectacular views across the Firth of Clyde, and pause to appreciate the special plants, shrubs and fragile box & yew hedges. Don’t miss the ‘Smelly’ garden, the intricate Celtic paving or the 70 metre long serpentine herbaceous border. Enjoy the sweeping lawns and sculptured hedges, before relaxing at the Tea Room in the walled garden. Please remember the gardens are designed for quiet enjoyment and that children need to be supervised at all times.We have fresh rhubarb for sale, available from reception for a short period, ideal for making crumble, tarts, and homemade rhubarb wine. One of our most dramatic plants in the garden is the Chilean flame tree Embothrium coccineum; this should be covered with its outstanding orange/red blossom from June onwards. It can be a difficult plant to grow in our colder climate, requiring a slightly sheltered location. The tree is situated on the path above the herbaceous border, which is bursting into life at the moment, producing the frame work for the forthcoming floral display.In the walled garden the newly planted Meconopsis (Himalayan blue poppies), will be blooming to accompany the Alliums ‘Purple sensation’ (which are a form of flowering onions).

Tea roomThe tearoom is open every day between 11 & 5pm and Frances is pleased to offer homemade cakes, soups, light lunches, hot & cold drinks and ice cream. Catering for onsite parties & functions is also available and if you need to discuss any catering requirements with Frances please call her direct on 07845 527804.

VolunteeringWe would be pleased to hear from any group, business or individual that would like to join our existing volunteers who continue to devote their precious time to numerous tasks in the woods & gardens and certainly help make a great difference to what is achieved on the estate. One particular project we currently need assistance with is re-staking all the young trees which were blown over in the winter storms.

Duchal House, Kilmacolm PA13 4RSSunday 30th June - 2pm - 5pm. Admission £4, children under 16 free. Ardgowan Hospice receives 40%, the net remaining to SG Beneficiaries. Large plant sale with wide selection of plants.18th Century walled garden particularly well planted and maintained, entered by footbridge over the Greenwater with species of trees, hollies, old fashioned roses, shrubs and herbaceous borders with fruit orchards and vegetable garden and lily pond.

Sma’ Shot Cottages, PaisleySunday 23rd June 12pm-4pm. Admission £2. Accord Hospice receives 40% and the net remaining to SG Beneficiaries. Guided tours available. Tearoom will provide light lunches and home baking. There is also a small gift shop.Sma’ Shot Cottages is a heritage museum comprising a weaver’s cottage from the 1750s and a small row of three cottages from the early 19th century. They are linked by a small courtyard with a 19th century garden containing only plants from that era with the exception of the Dianthus ‘Paisley Gem’ and the Viola ‘Sma’ Shot Cottage’.Contact the Old Paisley Society, 2 Sma’ Shot Lane, Paisley PA1 2HG for further information, call 0141 889 1708 or visit the website at www.smashot.co.uk

RSPB eventsThroughout June: Springwatch Reporters CompetitionBecome your very own Chris Packham or Michela Strachan by entering our annual Springwatch reporters competition. Write a story about an exciting wildlife encounter, take or draw photos. The best will be displayed in the visitor centre and there will be prizes for the winners.

Sat 1st June - 10am - Midnight Springwatch: Bioblitz!BBC Springwatch is here again and this year we will be attempting to record as many species on the reserve as we can in one day, from birds to bumblebees, from flowers to frogs, from moths to mice and we need your help. Throughout the day you can meet and help experts collect, spot and identify species all over the reserve. You can join in at anytime throughout the day and night. Refreshments will be provided for spotters as well as full instructions on how to take part.

Sat 8th - 11am – 4pm Young Volunteers GroupJoin us for the monthly Young Volunteers club, with activities including bird surveying, outdoor work, finding out more about RSPB campaigns and much more. Booking essential and places are limited, so please enquire beforehand. Young persons aged between 12 and 18 can participate. Participants will be registered as RSPB volunteers.

Sun 9th - 10-12noon; Wed 12th - 6pm-8pm; Sat 15th - 10am-12noon Wildlife with Wilson guided walkJoin Alexander Wilson (1766-1813) for a wander through his Renfrewshire haunts. This colourful character was the founder of the modern science of ornithology, a leftwing radical, and a poet and contemporary of Burns. Although little known in Scotland, he is celebrated in the USA for his achievements and in the year of the 200th Anniversary of his death we will be bringing Alexander Wilson home to Renfrewshire. This walk will take you around the beautiful RSPB Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve and Castle Semple Loch where he spent much of his early life and we will explore the colourful stories of his life, his passion for birds and the significance he’s had for the science of ornithology today. £4 non members . £1 members

Fri 21st - 7pm – 9pm Summer Solstice Guided WalkSpend the evening of the longest day of the year surrounded by the beautiful sights, sounds and smells of Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve, with a walk led by the Lochwinnoch team. Walk Description: Gentle stroll along the reserve trails into the evening. Suitable for: All. Cost: £5 or £2 for RSPB members



Finlaystone eventsSaturday 2nd June - 1pm - 4pm Volunteers Day Celebrate ‘Volunteers Week’ by joining the Rangers tackling various practical conservation tasks around the estate.

Sunday 9th June - 1pm - 4pm Teddy Bears’ Picnic and Mad Hatters Tea Party (With Owls) Bring teddy or dolly and a picnic for a special tea party, and Prizes, also see the wonderful Owl shows and games

Sat 15th June - 5.30pm - 8.30am Wild Night Adults £7.50, children £5 - booking required. Celebrate Fathers day by camping with an overnight stay in the woods and have a go at building your own shelter to sleep in. Booking and accompanying adult required.

Sunday 17th June - 1pm - 4pm Highland Games and Craft FairTraditional highland games with contests for all the family to join in. Anyone interested in taking out a stall please contact Norah on 01475 540505 or email: [email protected].

Friday 28th June - 2pm - 4pm Garden Walk Get inspired with our head gardener Willie on a stroll through the gardens.

Sunday 30th June - 2pm - 4pm Dog awards Contests and awards for the best behaved, best fetch, and funniest dogs.In addition to public events we also organise various activities for children’s parties, scout & guide groups or corporate events. We would be pleased to discuss your requirements further and would be pleased if you email us at [email protected]

Grow Kilbarchan – Plant ExchangeSaturday 22nd June Too many seedlings and not enough space to plant them? Looking for different varieties to grow? Grow Kilbarchan will be hosting its launch event on Saturday 22nd June in the Guide Centre, Kilbarchan from 11am-1pm. Bring your surplus plants to exchange for others. If you have no plants to bring, there will also be plants available to buy. Find out about the best plants to grow to support the bee population; learn about composting; swap seeds… and more! This is a free event. Tea and coffee will also be available for a small charge.Are you interested in growing your own food or community growing? Do you sometimes have surplus plants or produce? A new group Grow Kilbarchan is starting up to bring like minded people together from Kilbarchan and the surrounding area.If you’d like more information, please come to our launch event on the 22nd June, or contact LEAP’s Community Development Officer Susie Herteleer on 01505 842530 or [email protected]

Lawn Care for JuneIt may be necessary to mow twice a week. If rainfall is low (ha ha) then water the lawn thoroughly, but not frequently, to encourage deep root growth. If weeds are still prevalent then apply a lawn weed treatment when the soil is moist. If clover exists then rake lawn before mowing.Information source:- www.lawnandmower.com/Lawn-Calendar.aspx

Bridge of Weir Horticultural SocietyThe Horticultural Society welcomed Dr Alison Moss to the May meeting. Alison, a well-known local gardener, spoke to the group about garden care and pruning. Also she discussed several points for local gardeners to consider before deciding on a style of gardening such as aspect, elevation, soil and weather conditions. In the relatively wet Bridge of Weir adding extra grit to containers for Alpines will create a much better growing condition.Alison recommended scarifying grass areas in the spring and autumn, adding moss killers and lawn improvers with care and only when free of the chance of frost. She considered the best fertilisers to be slow release or organic such as bonemeal.The talk illustrated the need to leave plenty of room when planting by showing newly planted gardens and then the same scene a few years later. Pruning was another topic discussed, being the tricky aspect of plant maintenance. As a rule of thumb it was suggested to prune after flowering or fruiting or any damage such as caused by wind. Also, before wielding secateurs or loppers check if flowers have blossomed on this year’s growth and prune accordingly.Some of the “best plants ever” for Bridge of Weir were suggested such as Willows (Salix), hardy Fuchsias, Buddleias, Deutzias and Hydrangeas. The evergreen shrub which Alison considered best of all for its garden worthiness was the hardy Forest Flame (Pieris).

Kilbarchan Bee Keepers AssociationThe beginning of May was disappointing for the bees and their keepers. The cool wet weather has meant that the bees haven’t been able to build up the colony numbers with new young bees as expected at this time of year. The increase in young bees is necessary to replace the bees that have seen the colony through the winter as they naturally die off. Beekeepers throughout the UK have lost colonies in high numbers which will make it more difficult to provide new Beekeepers with bee stock. At long last is seems that the weather is starting to improve, enabling bees to gather pollen from plants such as gorse, berberis, willow and dandelions. Once the horse chestnut candles open the bees will gather the nectar to convert into honey. You can tell which of the horse chestnut flowers the bees have been working on as they lose their lovely pink hue once the flower has been pollinated signalling to the bees not to visit it. The fruit trees in gardens & hedgerows will soon become a valuable source of food for the bees and other pollinators in the area. Sowing patches of wild flowers around the edges of our gardens would be a great way to attract the wildlife and that may help improve your vegetable and fruit crops too.

The Bumble Queen bees have been seeking out new homes for their nests over the past few weeks, so it won’t be long before we see all the different varieties visiting the raspberries and other goodies. How many different types can you find in your garden this year?If you are interested in beekeeping for yourself or the whole family, anyone is welcome to join. Contact Ian Craig, the KBA Secretary on 01505 322684 or via email: [email protected] if you would like to know more!

Astrantia ‘Hadspen Blood



West of Scotland DryStone WallersWell that’s where the weather sends us these days!Our first event of the season in March had to be postponed because of the heavy downfall of snow. Half of the attendees were coming from Callander, and couldn’t even get out of the town, never mind up to the training site at the Braes. Even on the following Tuesday when the road was finally cleared the drifted snow was still over the top of the old wall. The course was re-arranged for 3 weeks later, and started in cold but bright weather with the obligatory health & safety talk and a brief description of the anatomy of a drystone wall, then it was up to the site to start

stripping down the old wall and laying the foundations. Once the guide lines were up building commenced. With the enthusiasm of the trainees & help from the 4 instructors progress up to the throughband level at the half way point was rapid & the first day’s work was completed in record time. All the participants enjoyed themselves & learned a lot over the weekend. We returned to Calloghant Farm in Kilbarchan to finish off the curved wall round the cottages car park and a week later we were at Kilmacolm Agricultural show. Our next project is a drystone

feature for the Gardening Scotland Show at Ingliston Showground near Edinburgh. The show is on from May 31st to June 2nd. Anyone visiting the show is welcome to call in at the stand and say hello (and shelter from the rain!!!!!)The next Kilbarchan training course is the weekend of June 22nd/23rd, when surely we will have better weather! Details of the course can be found at www.wsdswa.org.uk/#/training/

The June Gardencut down pulmonarias, and then drench the • soil around them with a liquid feedlift and divide clumps of primulas• cut the foliage of daffodils and tulips down to • the groundlightly trim broom after flowering to keep • plants in shape

continue watering anything newly planted until it has • established

tie tall border plants to their supports• train clematis shoots to their supports• feed acid-loving plants with a special liquid fertiliser• plant out tender summer-bedding plants if all risk of •

frost has passedSummer Perennials

Summer is high season for perennials. There is almost

no restriction to the uses and colour combinations that are possible. Coming into flower now the Astrantias are good plants for the border. There are many varieties – a few are illustrated below.Astrantias are superb hardy perennials for light shade under trees and shrubs, or in a moist border. They will, however, tolerate drier soils as long as the plants are surrounded with a thick layer of mulch in the spring. This particular variety ‘Hadspen Blood’ has carmine-red pincushion flowers on maroon stems. After flowering, cut back close to the ground as fresh new foliage and a late crop of flowers will appear shortly after. It will not spread far, but is known for self-seeding. Divide from September to November.

Astrantia ‘Major Roma’

Astrantia ‘Maxima’

Astrantia ‘Hadspen Blood



Why should you vaccinate your dog every year?After the initial excitement of getting a puppy you will want to make sure that he or she is fully protected against disease, so for most people the first stop is to their local vet to have a course of vaccinations administered. Vaccines are administered from 6-7 weeks of age, with a second injection some 2-4 weeks later. Some vets will also recommend a further injection at 16 weeks. A booster vaccination is needed every year after that to keep up the protection.

What are we vaccinating for?1. Core vaccinations that protect against life threatening diseases such as Distemper, Canine Adenovirus, Canine Hepatitis and Canine Parvovirus.2. Non-core vaccines where the diseases are common, but not life threatening such as Leptospirosis and Kennel Cough.Distemper used to be known as “Hard Pad” because affected dogs developed a strange hardening of the pads. But more worryingly it caused some dogs to have potentially dangerous seizures. Adenovirus and Hepatitis cause liver disease and are potentially fatal. Parvovirus is a really common problem in and around cities and causes horrible smelling diarrhoea, which can prove life threatening in puppies and older dogs if not treated early. Leptospirosis can be caught from infected rat urine, and causes kidney failure. Kennel cough causes a disease not unlike whooping cough in children, and can prove difficult to treat.At PetVets, to encourage owners to have their pet’s health checked and to give any new puppies the best possible start in life, we are offering your pet’s booster or first vaccination absolutely free of charge for a limited time. Give us a call at the surgery on 01505 800366 to register your pet and arrange an appointment today!

Re-homing PetsCan you offer a home to any of our featured pets?

Murphy is a Patterdale Terrier Cross aged 5-7 years.He has basic housetraining and likes to be clean in the

house! He gets on well with other dogs. Needs some training, but is a quick learner. He loves playing with toys. If you play with me, I love it even more! Murphy needs an adult only home where his new family have had experience with rescue dogs before.Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre, 315 Hamilton Road, Uddingston, Glasgow, G71 7SL. Open: 12noon - 4pm (including weekends); 12noon- 7.30pm on Tuesdays; closed: Wednesdays

Inverclyde CatsSeth & MartiThese two cats have a very strong bond and they cannot therefore be separated. They have been moved around too often in the past and deserve the chance of a loving, forever home.Contact the Inverclyde Branch please call us on 07740 947160. All rehomings are subject to a successful home visit.

Maurice is a 5-8 year old Lurcher

Maurice is a friendly boy who would suit a family home with older children. He enjoys attention and regular walks. Maurice is looking for a new, forever home to enjoy and relax in. If you can offer Maurice a loving home, please call and quote ref 260798.To contact the centre about any animals, please call 03000 999 999 or visit www.scottishspca.org/rehoming

Renfrewshire CatsJackJack is only 10 months old and would make a great family pet. He has been brought up as a housecat but would love to be able to see the outside world. He is a very friendly black and white boy. Ref: DTo contact the Renfrewshire Branch on 0141 876 4133. All rehomings are subject to a successful home visit.

pets



Charity Fun Horse Show

Come and have a fun day and help us raise funds for Cancer Research UK on Sunday 9th June, including Clear Round Jumping ~ Sponsored Fun Ride ~ Auction & Raffle ~ Tea and Cake!!

Reasons Why Dogs BarkDogs bark from time to time, but excessive or prolonged barking can be annoying for people living or working nearby. The most common reasons a dog will bark are:- To seek attention- To defend its territory- To display pleasure or excitement- To express boredom, frustration or loneliness- It may have a medical problem which is causing it discomfort or pain

Preventing your Dog from Becoming a Barking Nuisance -Any incessant barking should not be ignored by a dog owner. If the behaviour isn’t checked in some way, or you just ignore the dog completely in the hope that it will stop, the chances are that the dog will perceive your inaction as permission to carry on barking. That’s not to say that you should punish the dog each time it barks. It might simply be expressing its excitement at seeing you, or as the result of you playing a game with it which it enjoys.But your dog needs to understand when barking is permitted and where it needs to restrain itself, and that only comes with proper training. There are plenty of training manuals you could use or, alternatively, you could always enrol your dog in a training class or have a dog trainer visit you at home. More often than not, the main problems arise when the owner is not present to check the dog. Therefore, if you go out for long periods, this could trigger the incessant barking. And, unless your dog is highly trained, don’t keep it outside in a kennel if it’s the type of dog that has an incessant barking problem.

If your pet has gone missing & you would like to place a notice in The Advertizer, please call 01505 613340 or email [email protected]. We can also put updates on our website & Facebook. This service is free of charge!

Rescue CentresDogs Trust Glasgow: 0141-773-5130 - www.dogstrust.org.ukHessilhead Wildlife Rescue: 01505-502415 - www.hessilhead.org.ukInverclyde Cat Protection: 07740-947160 - www.inverclyde.cats.org.ukJohnstone Cat Rescue: 01505 337321Renfrewshire Cat Protection: 0141-876-4133 - www.renfrewshire.cats.org.ukScottish SPCA: 0141-882-1688 - www.scottishspca.org

Scottish SPCA Car Boot Sale

Saturday 8th June - 10am - 3pm - Glasgow ARRC (formerly Glasgow Cat & Dog Home), 125 Kinnell Avenue, Cardonald, G52 3RY. £10 per car space - hurry now to reserve yours! Call Anna on 0141 810 8091/ 0141 882 4873 or email [email protected]. Featuring microchipping service for just £12, tombola, refreshments and lots more.


60

Trades and services

business classified ADVERTISING

business ad rates:Trades & servicesBlack & White ads only

Lineage: up to 20 words £12.00* Boxed ad: £6.60* per column cm

PrOPerTY & HOLidaY HOMescars FOr saLe

Lineage: up to 20 words £12.00* Boxed ad: £6.60* per column cmPhoto: add £6.00* (colour)

*all prices subject to VAT

The Business Advertisements (Disclosure) Order 1977

nOTice TO adverTisersThe 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.

BUsiness services TraininG

HOMe care OFFered

225_JUNE13_60-63 CLASSIFIED.ind.indd 60 23/05/2013 14:05:22

61

DEADLINESif you want something placed in

the next issue either send an email to:

[email protected] call the office:

01505 613340 (24hr ans)

FRIDAY 14 JUNEJULY ‘13 issUe:

deadline: 14th June• delivery: 28th June•

aUGUsT ‘13 issUe:deadline: 19th July• delivery: 2nd aug•

PeTs & aniMaLs

TLC for pets. Dog walking, cat feeding & sleep-overs. Spaces in Bridge of Weir and Houston. Reasonable rates. Contact Carol on 01505 690264 or 07837 457413.

TUiTiOn

HeaLTHcare/BeaUTY

MisceLLaneOUs

FLORIDA: superb selection of hand-picked villas and condos near Disney and Gulf Coast. Rates from £250 per wk - also property purchase service with rental support. Call Hazel on 01505 613603 www.floridaselectvillas.com

HOLidaY HOMes

Houston registered childmind-ers. For an informal chat to find your best childcare, call Elizabeth Waddell T: 614925

Kilmacolm/Quarriers area reg-istered childminders. P/time or F/time vacancies for u-5’s and after school. T: 873839.

cHiLdcare

PrOPerTY FOr saLe/TO LeT

HOLIDAY FOR SALE – July 4th to 18th 2013. 5 Bedroom villa with pool. Hillside location, 10 mins to coast. South West France – 10 mins from Spanish Border. Price includes flights for 4 people. Price £3,600. Tel: 07751 313356.

MUsic TUiTiOn

siTUaTiOns vacanT

HOMe care OFFered

cOnTenT OF THe GrYFFe adverTiZer cannOT Be rePrOdUced WiTHOUT

PriOr cOnsenT FrOM THe PUBLisHer.

The Gryffe Advertizer is a magazine published by The Gryffe Advertizer Ltd

advertising throughout The Gryffe advertizer:Definitions: “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 these Conditions of Acceptance of Advertising.All Advertisements in this Publication must not contravene • the Standards.Insertion of Advertisements and/or Editorial is strictly at the • discretion of the Publisher.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 is scheduled to appear.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.


62

ADVERTISINGsales & wants ad rates:

UP TO £200 ....... Free£201 to £500 ..... £5.00£501 to £1000 ... £10.00Over £1000 ..... call for details.

Use our Sales & Wants form below and post to The Advertizer, Neva Place, Bridge of

Weir, PA11 3PN.or email your items to [email protected] Business Advertisements (Disclosure) Order 1977

nOTice TO adverTisersThe 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.

sales & wants

Bridge of Weir, Freeland Church. Tel: 01505 612245

Brookfield, Village Hall. Tel: 01505 321031Houston, The Carrick Centre. Tel: 01505 612203

or 613613Houston, The Compass Centre.

Tel: 01505 615441 or 612617Kilbarchan, Guide Centre. Tel: 01505 702758.Kilbarchan, Old Library Centre.

Tel: 01505 706070 Kilmacolm, Cargill Centre Tel: 01505 873994Kilmacolm, Brownie/Guide Hut.

Tel: 01505 872797 Kilmacolm, Masonic Hall. Tel: 01505 873059Quarriers Village, Sommerville Hall. Tel: 01505

614513 or 612300.Please add your community hall details to our

list - email to [email protected]

halls to let

iTeMs FOr saLeBaBY eqUiPMenTSnuggly 2ply circular shawl as

seen at Kilmacolm Show. £50. Tel@ 01505 873252.

Britax B Duel 3 Wheeler Buggy Purple Hardly used £150. or nearest offer. Tel: 07968 507307.

Pink Lion Rocker Like new £20. Tel: 07968 507307.

Baby Bjorn baby carrier. Black with white stripe trim, suitable for babies from 8lbs - 25 lbs. Exc cond, hardly used. £20 Tel : 07775 874456.

Fisher Price Bounce & Spin Zebra. Good condition £15 Tel : 07775 874456.

Kids 12 - 18 mth Zoggs Trainer-seat for swimming. Nev-er used. £5 Tel : 07775 874456.

Britax child seat for car. Suitable for about 18 months - 4 years old. Good condition. £15ono. Tel: 01505 874676.

Chicco Childs back carrier 6mths+. Rain cover, sun canopy. Used once. Was £80, sell £35. Tel: 01505 702751.

cLOTHes & sHOesMother of the Bride Hat - Cath-

erine of Partick stunning Mother of the Bride/Groom Hat, shades of purple/mauve. Cost £300 new accept £150. Tel: 01505 320719

Mother of the Bride shoes and bag - Catherine of Partick Mother of the Bride/Groom shoes size 3/4 and match-ing clutch bag, mauve/sil-ver shades. Cost £250 new accept £100. Tel: 01505 320719

Ralph Lauren ladies jeans - size 10 and 12. Used but in excel-lent condition. £20 each. Tel: 07875 218064.

Ralph Lauren Men’s oxford shirt size 15.5” neck. Large. Yellow. Used but in excellent condition. £20. Tel: 07875 218064.

Ralph Lauren Ladies polo t-shirts. Size Small and Me-dium. Used but in excellent condition. £20. Tel: 07875 218064.

Armani Denim Shirt. Men’s size Large. Used but in excellent condition. £20. Tel: 07875 218064.

Reiss Ladies Dress Trousers. Grey Size 14. Used but in excellent condition. £20. Tel: 07875 218064.

Boys black converse boots size 13.5. Hardly worn. £12. Tel: 01505 706855.

Gina Bacconi, Size 12. Long lilac skirt & lilac top. Ideal for bridesmaid. Still has label on. £30. Tel : 01505 874103.

JS Collection, House of Fra-ser, bronze evening dress. Bronze & cream brocade top with satin flowing from high waist to floor. Size 12, still has label on. £30. Tel : 01505 874103.

Per Una, size 10. Long dress dusky greys. Detailed nech drop of chunky beads. Worn once. £15. Tel : 01505 874103.

Jacques Vert size 10, long straight raisin coloured dress with side split & long match-ing jacket. £40. Tel 01505 874103.

Admiral vintage football jumper size M/L, brand new, £12 Tel: 07517065917

Ladies shoes size 5 ,suit-able for formal occasion, black, high heels, £10 Tel: 07517065917

M&S, cerise hearts fluffy dress-ing gown. Age 6/7. £4. Tel: 01505 874103

Medium net Tutu. Still has label. Cost £16 new, accept £8. Tel: 01505 874103

Mens feel fresh socks. Size 9-12. 3 pairs still in packag-ing. Cost £8. Sell £4. Tel: 01505 874103

Size 9 Green Wellies. F & F. Brand new with label. Cost £14. Sell £5. Tel: 01505 874103

Country Casuals, tencel mate-rial long denim blue coloured dress. Size 12. Still has labels on. £20. Tel : 01505 874103.

Brownie T-Shirt & Trousers. Waist 28, Chest 28, Suit 7/8 year old. Good condition. £5. Tel: 01505 874103.

St Columba Boys blazer, chest 30”, used 1 week. £50. Tel: 01505 873686.

HOUseHOLd & GardenGreaves & Thomas Dining Table

oval, opening to round. £30 ono. Tel: 01505 690610.

G Plan Corner Unit. £20 ono. Tel: 01505 690610.

4 brown faux leather high back dinning chairs. £50 ono. Tel: 01505 610853 or 07821205929. Pick up only please. Crosslee area.

Deck Boards with artificial grass surface, size:144mm x 28mm. Lengths: 12 x 3.4m, 14 x 2.7m, 4 x 2m. New, un-used, stored dry. £200. Tel: 07961 284886.

Kitchen appliances (SMEG hob, Siemens integrated double oven and dishwasher) together with Pronorm fitted kitchen units. Great condi-tion, available due to house renovation. £200. Tel: 01505 320600.

Bar stools - set of four - cream leather with backs and swiv-el. Elegant stainless steel legs £60ono. Tel: 01505 874676.

Coffee Table - large colonial style from “Indowoods” 2 drawers. Rustic finish. £60 Similar style TV cabinet with 2 doors £20. Tel: 01505 874676.

Tall pull-out kitchen unit white shaker style doors. 2100mm high and 300mm wide £20. Tel: 01505 874676.

King-size bed - oak/leather fin-ish - seldom used £100. Tel: 01505 874676.

Dark Oak Dining Suite - Down-sizing is dictating the sale of our immaculate traditional country kitchen style dining room suite in solid dark oak. Bought in 2007 at a cost in excess of £2800, it consists of extending table 77” x 42” (59” x 42” without extension). 4 chairs and 2 carvers, Curio cabinet 40” wide x 54” high (top and bottom combined) x 16” deep, display cabinet with cupboards below 51” wide x 79” high (top and bottom combined) x 17”deep. Photos available & Inspection wel-come in Houston - Uplift only. £495. Tel: 01505 690514.

Radiator cover, walnut effect extra large, L 223cm, H 90cm, D 20cm, great condition £40. Tel 07868 524787.

Antique (French) bed set-tee £195ono. Tel: 01505 506385.

3 piece suite with loose cov-ers. Professionally cleaned. £195ono.Tel:01505 506385.

Karcher pressure washer. Used once. Inc hose & lance. £35. Tel: 01505 540066.

PeTsBudgie cage, rarely used £5.

Tel: 01505 871874.Large Rabbit Hutch. £35 ono.

Tel: 01505 506385.

eLecTricaL & GasFreezer, Frigidaire FVE3803A,

under counter 4 drawer freez-er, hardly used, exc cond, white. Still under warranty. £45. Tel 07868 524787.

sPOrTsAdidas Puremotion Golf shoes

for sale .Size 8.5 , given as gift but wrong size so not used .£35 .Call 07890 695414 or email [email protected]

Metallic pink girls tag along fix-es to adults bike. Adjustable seat suitable for 4yrs - 8yrs. Perfect for summer cycling! £50. Tel: 01505 873488.

Cross Trainer - Kirsty Gallacher Cross Trainer. New condi-tion. £50. Tel: 01505 320719

Bowls. Ladies. Size 00. Taylor International. Excellent condi-tion. Curling stone emblem. £50. Tel. 07914 310916.

2 Judo suits size 150, white, would fit age 10-12 ap-prox £10 each. Tel 07868 524787.

Ladies white ice skating boots. As new. £60 ono. Tel: 01505 506385.

2 top of the range leather sad-dles, bridles and head col-lars etc. Offers. Tel: 01505 506385.

TOYs/GaMes/dvdMini Ninjas game for DS 7+. £5.

Tel: 01505 706855.2 x boys jigsaws 250 & 300

pieces. £5. Tel: 01505 706855.

Junior scrabble game 5+. £7. Tel: 01505 706855.

Box of Magnext. £10. Tel: 01505 706855.

Pictureka Game 6+. £7. Tel: 01505 706855.

Lego games: Robo Champ 6+. £5. Lava Dragon 7+. £5. Monster 4 7+. £5. Magma monster 7+. £5. Tel: 01505 706855.

Remote control tarantula £10. Tel: 01505 706855.

Open Season game for DS 3+. £5. Tel: 01505 706855.

Rayman game for DS 3+. £5. Tel: 01505 706855.

7 Zibits with lightening ball arena and power lab playset. £30. Tel: 01505 706855.

Lego Hero factory 7 x small, 2 x medium, 3 x large. £40. Tel: 01505 706855.

Scooter - in-line, small wheel folding scooter, blue. Used tw ice . £10 Te l : 01505 872442

2 Scooters, one pink, the other blue. Well used but in good working order. £10 each. Tel: 01505 350111.

Hobby horse, soft head, wooden pole, small wooden wheels. £2. Tel: 01505 350111.

Wooden cash register for kids by Wonderworld. £10. Tel: 01505 350111.

Standalone 6Ft Pool / Table tennis Table, Safety Dart-board on the underside. Pool cues, TT bats & balls includ-ed. Can be stored upright for convenience. Purchased for £300 from John Lewis, hardly used, will accept £100. Tel: 07506 750799.

WWE Toy wrestling ring (52cm * 52cm) & cage, 14 different wrestlers, dress up champi-onship belt £50 for all. Tel: 07507 750799.

Nintendo DS Games, Tinker-bell/ Littlest Pet Shop Jungle/ Nintendo Dogs Labrador & friends. £5 each or £10 the lot. Tel: 01505 874103.

Ludo. Still in sealed packaging. £3. Tel: 01505 874103.

Trampoline (10ft) with enclo-sure. Good condition. Su-perTramp brand. £85 ono. Tel: 07540 074698.

DVD’s: New moon, Eclipse, Aquamarine, Batman Begins (Christian Bale). £3 each or £10 the lot. Tel: 01505 874103.

Splash & Play water wings, still in packaging. £3. Tel: 01505 874103.

Henna Hand Painting Kit, inc henna powder 100gms, henna oil, 3 stencils, 1 de-sign book. £5. Tel: 01505 874103.

Baby Born doll & singing potty. £5. Tel: 01505 874103.

Junior Ready Steady Cook Marshmallow Maker, with full instructions. Tel: 01505 874103.

Selection of over 10 hardback books. Suit girl 4-7 years. £5 the lot. Tel : 01505 874103

Talking Lion Cub. Excellent condition. £10. Tel: 01505 874103.

Selection of cuddly toys, lge floppy dog (bhs), 2 bear fac-tory bears & soft teddy. £5 the lot. Tel : 01505 874103.

Six Nerf guns + loads of ammo! All in great condition. Guns are: Havok Fire, Raider, Recon, Maverick (x2), Barrel Break. £50 ono. Tel: 01505 615055.

Sand Pit £10 ono. Tel: 01505 506385.

Variety of toddlers garden toys including slide, trampoline, caterpillar rocker, tunnel, table & chairs. All exc cond. Tel: 01505 540066.

OTHer iTeMsSanta Fe (2009) rubber/plas-

tic type boot mat for sale. Rarely used. £25. Tel: 01505 871874.

Range Rover Vogue 6 spoke wheel and new tyre for sale. Goodyear Tyre has never been driven on 255/55R19 £75. Tel: 01505 871874.

Oval white bath with taps (180cm x 96cm) £60. Tel: 01505 871874.

Unused balanced flue gas fire Robinson Willey supereco £100. Tel: 01505 615789

Folding camp-bed. Aluminium frame. Used twice - as new condition. £15 Tel: 01505 872442

Junior French Horn. 3 years old in excellent condition. £75. Tel: 01505 615055

Fish tank. Lovely big tank in excellent condition. 12W x 10H x 24”L. £20. Tel: 01505 350111.

Fish tank in perfect condition. Only year old. 12 x 12 x 20”. £20. Tel: 01505 350111.

Aquarium heater. Elite. Water heater. 100W. For use in aquarium up to 100L. Easy to use and works perfectly. £8. Tel: 01505 350111.

4 demi johns. £3 each or £10 for the 4 of them. Tel: 01505 350111.

2 brand new newel posts by Richard Burbidge. Looks most like

NTO/90 on website. £10 each. Tel: 01505 350111.

Velbon tripod PH-656Q plus case. Great condition. £10. Tel: 01505 350111.

Childs first (36inch)acoustic Guitar & cover. Never used £20. Tel: 07506 750799.

Scholl Foot Spa; as new – never used – still in the box. £20. Tel: 07506 750799.

Pocket mechanical watches,50 years old, £30 Tel: 07517 065917.

Amber necklace £35. Tel: 07517 065917.

Amber bracelet, £35 Tel: 07517 065917.

Silver chains, bracelets, £20-£35. Tel: 07517065917

Caravan porch awning: Quest Coniston Elite 260. Fits height 230-250cm ground to rail. Storm guys, easy erect frame, easy to dry, 2x Doors, Wall and draught skirt, Full Door Mesh Ventilation Panels, Canopy Poles, Extra Strengthening points, Size 260 x 250 x 230/250cm. Used once - great condition and very clean. £350 new so grab a bargain at £159.99 Tel: 0787 656 3768

Suzy Smith si lver zipped evening bag. As new. £10. Tel: 01505 874103

Hohner Guitar, Good condition. £20. Tel: 01505 864314.

B M W A L L O Y S - 4 N o . 195x65x15. Original BMW Alloy Wheels including Tyres all in excellent condition. £150. Tel: 01505 320719

Roof bars for Citroen Xsara Picasso £35. Tel: 01505 321249.

Acoustic Solutions MK-2054 electronic keyboard with adaptor and stand. £35. Tel: 01505 614112.

Car roof box - large capacity cost £300 sell for £100. Tel: 01505 874676.

Original ‘Liberty’ curtain mate-rial. 3 lots. £40 per metre. Tel: 01505 506385.

Roof bars for Citroen Xsara £25. Tel: 01505 321249.

WanTed iTeMsOld records Wanted 45`s &

LP`s CASH Paid. Tel: 07710 777571.

Cash paid for Music CDs ( a few or a lot ). Tel: 0141 882 5594 or 07765 115347.

Yamaha DT 175 MX & DT 125 MX. Yamaha RD 250, 350 & 500 - running or not. Cash waiting. Free collection. Tel: 07951 227767.

G Plan Teak set of coffee/side tables. Tel: 01505 690610


63

BY caTeGOrYadverTisers - a TO Z

business directory

BY caTeGOrY

@ease Removals & Transport . . 371on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 1,33D Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . 54A Gallagher Painter&Decorator . . 35A O’Hare - Building Services . . 5A Peebles Landscape Contractor . . 57A&G Driveways . . . . . . . . . . . . . BkA&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 13ABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BkAffluent Financial Planning . . 21Affordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7Aileen Ferguson Hypnotherapy . . 28Alistair Stewart - Driving Ins . . 31Andrew McAlindon Electrician . . 2Apple Tree Garden Design . . . 55Architectural Drawings . . . . . 21Arco Locksmith . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Arlene Donald . . . . . . . . . . . . . BkArlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 41Ashes Hair & Beauty . . . . . . . . 38Auldton Stoves . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Auntie Jacquie’s Dog Grooming . . 59Bathroom Solutions by MPH . . 11Baytree Interiors . . . . . . . . . 5BCE Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Beaton Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . 8Beautique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Bell Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Bernie’s Cafe Deli . . . . . . . . . 28Board Stiff (Houston) . . . . . 35Bobbins Coffee & Craft shop . . 33Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54BOW Design Architect . . . . . . . 21BOW Stone Works . . . . . . . . . . . 57Branch Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6Brookfield Alarms . . . . . . . . . 33Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 34Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 37,6C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 29Carry Farm Lodge For Sale . . 38Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 21Charles Stewart Decorators . . 5Charlie Orr Plasterer . . . . . . 16Cheetham & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Chips Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Classique Window Blinds . . . . 27CleanDryCarpets . . . . . . . . . . . 37Clear Brew Limited . . . . . . . . . 9CLH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Clyde Coast Décor . . . . . . . . . 38Cochran Dickie Estate Agents . . 21ColCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Collins and Paterson Auctionee . . 39Collins Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Come Clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Computer Repairs . . . . . . . . . . 1Conservatory Conversions . . . BkConstruction & Property Servic . . 13Council Events . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 18Craig Kennedy Gardening . . . . 54Crosslee Driver Training . . . 5D Gilmour Garden Maintenance . . 54Decorus Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Delta Electrical Services . . 41Derek McBride Aerials . . . . . . 21DJY Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16DMG Garden Services . . . . . . . . 54Dog Vacation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Drivesafe School of Motoring . . 10DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 13East Fulton Motors Ltd . . . . . 26Elliott Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Fergusons CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Ferringtons Hypnotherapy . . . 11,24First Domestics . . . . . . . . . . . 31G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6GA Building Design . . . . . . . . . 16Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . . 56Gary Forbes Painter Decorator . . 33GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Gibb Stuart Ironmongers . .. 22,23,35Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 56Gordon James Ceramic Tiler . . 33Gowanlea Nurseries . . . . . . . . . 57Greenlaw Dental Care . . . . . . . 14Grid Design Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Accountants & FinancialAffluent Financial Planning . . 21Cheetham & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Fergusons CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Stewart Independent Financial . . 1

Architectural ServicesArchitectural Drawings . . . . . 21Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 21GA Building Design . . . . . . . . . 16Grid Design Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Art, Gifts & FlowersBobbins Coffee & Craft shop . . 33Crafts of Calder Gallery . . . 18Leishman Fine Art . . . . . . . . . 3Twisted Willow Florist . . . . . 28

Auctioneers & ValuersCollins and Paterson Auctionee . . 39

Automotive ServicesChips Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Collins Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26East Fulton Motors Ltd . . . . . 26Gryffe Garage Motor Engineers . . 31Lightbody Vehicle Management . . 21

BathroomsAffordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7Bathroom Solutions by MPH . . 11G Woods Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . 6

BedroomsBurndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 37,6

Blacksmith & MetalworkMcLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 36The Iron House . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Building ServicesA O’Hare - Building Services . . 5BOW Stone Works . . . . . . . . . . . 57Bridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6Construction & Property Servic . . 13James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 41Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 33M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 15MF Building Services . . . . . . . 16RPH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 31SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 14Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 33Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 8

CateringKaren Rankin Catering . . . . . . 13

CharityQuarriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

ClassifiedBOW Design Architect . . . . . . . 21D Gilmour Garden Maintenance . . 54

Cleaning & PowerWashCleanDryCarpets . . . . . . . . . . . 37Come Clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18DS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 13Gryffe Roofing Services . . . . 15MattVac Carpet & Upholstery Cl . . BkNutech Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . 2Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 30Omni Housekeeping . . . . . . . . . 15

Coffee ShopsBernie’s Cafe Deli . . . . . . . . . 28Bobbins Coffee & Craft shop . . 33

Computer, IT & WebColCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Computer Repairs . . . . . . . . . . 1Laptop and PC Repairs . . . . . . 21

Council NoticesCouncil Events . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Inverclyde Council Devel’t ... . . 39

Gryffe Garage Motor Engineers . . 31Gryffe Roofing Services . . . . 15HABITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Henderson’s Kilts . . . . . . . . . 34Houston Locksmiths . . . . . . . . . 3Howe Joinery & Building Servic . . 2I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 33Inverclyde Council Devel’t . . . . 39James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 41James Martin - Painter & Decor . . 3JayBee Double Glazing Repairs . . 13JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1John H Barney . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29John McKay Gas & Heating Eng . . 10John Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18John Roach Funeral Directors . . 36John Smith Turf Supplies . . . 54Johnstone TOA Taxi Co . . . . . . 33Just Jhoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Karen Rankin Catering . . . . . . 13Kieran Turner Aerial&Satellite . . 3Kilbarchan Agricultural Soc . . . 34,58Kilbarchan Chiropodists . . . . 34Kilbarchan Dental Practice . . 9Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 33Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1Lamont Electricians . . . . . . . . 3Laptop and PC Repairs . . . . . . 21LaserLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Leishman Fine Art . . . . . . . . . 3Lightbody Vehicle Management . . 21Lind Letting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3M&E Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16MAS Electrical & Security . . 2Matthews Cleaning Services . . 35MattVac Carpet & Upholstery Cl . . BkMBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 15McGowan Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 31McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 36MF Building Services . . . . . . . 16Millennium Group . . . . . . . . . . 10MJ Lawnmowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57MS All Trades Limited . . . . . . 4Nix Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . . 38NLP Positive Changes . . . . . . . 29Nomad Music Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 45Nutech Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . 2Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 30Omni Housekeeping . . . . . . . . . 15P Thomson Upholstery . . . . . . . 41Paul Ferguson - Confidence . . 7PetVets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Phoenix Gas Services . . . . . . . 1Powerdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BkPurple Tree Care . . . . . . . . . . 54Quarriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Quicksale Property Auctions . . 10R Williams Tree Surgeon & Grou . . 56Ranfurly Decor . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Renfrewshire Leisure . . . . . . . 19RPH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Saltire Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 35Scott Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Shower Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Smart Dog Grooming . . . . . . . . . 59SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 31SP Groundcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Speedy Cycle Repairs . . . . . . . 51St Columba’s School . . . . . . . . 45Stewart Independent Financial . . 1Stickytiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Strutts For Mutts . . . . . . . . . 59SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 14Take the Lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 33TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2The Consulting Room . . . . . . . . 29The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 18The Iron House . . . . . . . . . . . . 34The Osteopaths . . . . . . . . . . . . 2The Right Move . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 8Top Kat Driving . . . . . . . . . . . 18Travel a la Carte . . . . . . . . . 3Tulisa Rose Landscapes . . . . . 55Tulisa Rose Roofing . . . . . . . . 16

Twisted Willow Florist . . . . . 28Vanda’s Mobile Hairdressing . . 3W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 57West of Scotland Landscape . . 55Woodburn & Beattie Joiners . . 5

Cycle RepairSpeedy Cycle Repairs . . . . . . . 51

DrivewaysA&G Driveways . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk

Driving InstructorsAlistair Stewart - Driving Ins . . 31Crosslee Driver Training . . . 5Drivesafe School of Motoring . . 10Paul Ferguson - Confidence . . 7Top Kat Driving . . . . . . . . . . . 18

EducationNomad Music Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 45St Columba’s School . . . . . . . . 45

ElectriciansAndrew McAlindon Electrician . . 2Bell Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Delta Electrical Services . . 41GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Lamont Electricians . . . . . . . . 3MAS Electrical & Security . . 2

FencingBoundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54McLaughlan Metal Fabrication . . 36

Firewood & LogsAuldton Stoves . . . . . . . . . . . . 3W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 57

FramingCrafts of Calder Gallery . . . 18Leishman Fine Art . . . . . . . . . 3

Funeral ServicesBeaton Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . 8John Roach Funeral Directors . . 36

Garage Doors & GatesPowerdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk

Garden Service & Design3D Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . 54A Peebles Landscape Contractor . . 57Apple Tree Garden Design . . . 55Casa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 21Craig Kennedy Gardening . . . . 54DMG Garden Services . . . . . . . . 54Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . . 56Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 56Gowanlea Nurseries . . . . . . . . . 57John Smith Turf Supplies . . . 54MJ Lawnmowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57R Williams Tree Surgeon & Grou . . 56SP Groundcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Tulisa Rose Landscapes . . . . . 55W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 57West of Scotland Landscape . . 55

Gas & Heating ServicesA&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 13C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 29GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 33John McKay Gas & Heating Eng . . 10Phoenix Gas Services . . . . . . . 1

Glazier1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 1,3TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Hairdressers & BarbersArlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 41Ashes Hair & Beauty . . . . . . . . 38Nix Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . . 38Vanda’s Mobile Hairdressing . . 3

Health, Beauty & FitnessAileen Ferguson Hypnotherapy . . 28Arlene Mitchell Hair & Beauty . . 41Beautique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Decorus Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Ferringtons Hypnotherapy ..... 11,24Greenlaw Dental Care . . . . . . . 14HABITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Just Jhoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Kilbarchan Chiropodists . . . . 34Kilbarchan Dental Practice . . 9LaserLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29NLP Positive Changes . . . . . . . 29Renfrewshire Leisure . . . . . . . 19The Consulting Room . . . . . . . . 29The Osteopaths . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Home HardwareFirst Domestics . . . . . . . . . . . 31Gibb Stuart Ironmongers . .. 22,23,35MS All Trades Limited . . . . . . 4

Home ImprovementsCasa Homes & Gardens Architect . . 21Conservatory Conversions . . . BkHowe Joinery & Building Servic . . 2

Home InteriorsBaytree Interiors . . . . . . . . . 5Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 37,6Classique Window Blinds . . . . 27Old Mill Chimneys . . . . . . . . . 30The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 18

Home SecurityBell Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Brookfield Alarms . . . . . . . . . 33

JoinersCLH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35DJY Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Howe Joinery & Building Servic . . 2James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 41JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1M Addison Joiners & Builders . . 3McGowan Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 31RPH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Saltire Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . 35SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 31SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 14Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 33TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Woodburn & Beattie Joiners . . 5

Kilt & Dress HireHenderson’s Kilts . . . . . . . . . 34

KitchensAffordable Luxuries . . . . . . . 7Burndale Workshop . . . . . . . . . 37,6Howe Joinery & Building Servic . . 2Taylor Made Joinery . . . . . . . . 33

Laundry & IroningBoard Stiff (Houston) . . . . . 35

Leisure & RecreationKilbarchan Agricultural Soc... 34,58

LocksmithsArco Locksmith . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Elliott Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Houston Locksmiths . . . . . . . . . 3

Painters & DecoratorsA Gallagher Painter&Decorator . . 35Charles Stewart Decorators . . 5Clyde Coast Décor . . . . . . . . . 38Gary Forbes Painter Decorator . . 33James Martin - Painter & Decor . . 3John H Barney . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29John Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18M&E Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Ranfurly Decor . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Pet Services & TrainingAuntie Jacquie’s Dog Grooming . . 59Dog Vacation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59PetVets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Smart Dog Grooming . . . . . . . . . 59Strutts For Mutts . . . . . . . . . 59Take the Lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

PlasterersBryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 34Charlie Orr Plasterer . . . . . . 16James Kerr Joiner . . . . . . . . . 41Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 33

PlumbersA&J Plumbing Heating & Gas . . 13C Hunter Plumbing Heating Gas . . 29GasMan Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11I D Plumbing & Heating . . . . . 33JDPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Shower Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Property, Sales & LetCarry Farm Lodge For Sale . . 38Cochran Dickie Estate Agents . . 21Kingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1Lind Letting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Quicksale Property Auctions . . 10

Removals@ease Removals & Transport . . 37The Right Move . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Restaurant & BarsClear Brew Limited . . . . . . . . . 9

RetailGibb Stuart Ironmongers . . . 22,23,35The Furniture Barn . . . . . . . . . 18

RoofingBridge of Weir Roofing . . . . . 6Bryan Slaven Slater & Plaster . . 34Gryffe Roofing Services . . . . 15Kilellan Roofing . . . . . . . . . . 33MBS Roofing & Building Contrac . . 15RPH Joinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6SMG Roofing & Building Contrac . . 31SW Scott - Joiners & Builders . . 14Thomas McMaster & Son Ltd . . 8Tulisa Rose Roofing . . . . . . . . 16

Social CareQuarriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

SolicitorsKingsley Wood & Co Solicitors . . 1

Special OccasionsABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bk

Sports Clubs & EventsRenfrewshire Leisure . . . . . . . 19

StorageBCE Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

StovesAuldton Stoves . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Taxis & Minicoach hireABC Taxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BkJohnstone TOA Taxi Co . . . . . . 33

TilingGordon James Ceramic Tiler . . 33Scott Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Stickytiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Travel AgentsArlene Donald . . . . . . . . . . . . . BkTravel a la Carte . . . . . . . . . 3

Tree SurgeonBranch Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Glenmoss Landscapes . . . . . . . . 56LJX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Purple Tree Care . . . . . . . . . . 54W B Smith & Son . . . . . . . . . . . 57

TV & SatelliteDerek McBride Aerials . . . . . . 21Kieran Turner Aerial&Satellite . . 3Millennium Group . . . . . . . . . . 10

Upholstery ServicesP Thomson Upholstery . . . . . . . 41

Window CleanersDS Cleaning (Windows) . . . . . . 13Gryffe Roofing Services . . . . 15Matthews Cleaning Services . . 35

Windows, Consv & Repair1on1 Double Glazing . . . . . . . . 1,3Conservatory Conversions . . . BkJayBee Double Glazing Repairs . . 13TD Cameron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The Business Advertisements

(Disclosure) Order 1977

nOTice TO adverTisers

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.


T: 01505 613340 E: [email protected]


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