CHATTERBOX No 178 October 2008 www.lochwinnoch.info Community newsletter produced by lochwinnoch publicity committee for lochwinnoch cc MATTHEW NEW & SONS ROOFING - ROUGHCASTING - BUILDING MAINTENANCE Emergency Repairs, Storm Damage Insurance Work, New Roofs, Flat Roofs Roughcasting –UPVC Cladding—Guttering Tel No 01505 843400 FMB Certificate No 26366 Nuisance Helpline Anti-Social Behaviour Noise problems Support and Advice Every day 9am – 10pm Tel: 0800 169 1283 ASIST Anti-Social Investigation Team Office 8:45am – 4:45pm Tel: 01505 325 030 Editorial & copy for Chatterbox Let us have your stories, notices, news, information, events & items of interest — either hand-deliver them to the Chatter- box drop-box in the Library or e-mail to: [email protected]To advertise in Chatterbox Tel: 07899 746403 or e-mail: [email protected]Copy Deadline for November Issue Is Wednesday 29th October ‘08 What’s On See centre pages for club activities, village events & classes See back pages for Visitor Centre, RSPB and outdoor events/activities. GO TEAM LOCHWINNOCH! A local team of 6 recently took part in the Pedal for Scotland 53 mile cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The team consisted of Scott Isaksen, Derek Drynan, Scott Milligan, Gordon Morrison, Gerry Mcdermott and Andy Gibson. Between them they raised an excellent figure of around £1,700 which will go towards the new TCT unit in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill. The cycle was completed in a time of just over 5 hours including stops (watch out Chris Hoy!). The team would like to thank everyone for their kind donations, and welcome anyone who would like to join them next year. WELL DONE TEAM! Scotlind's Gym After 8 great years, Scott and Linda have decided to move on to new things and have closed the gym. It will be missed by many but we wish them well as Linda goes into teach- ing and Scott develops property, and maybe even joins the boys in blue - no pun intended! In the gym's eight years, they built up a very loyal customer base and unlike many gyms theirs was always friendly, welcoming, supportive and encouraging; many a runner, cyclist and weight lifter was encouraged to go that extra mile. Scott and Linda also built up a suc- cessful home hire business for fit- ness equipment with customers from Ayr to Stirling. They sold this in 2006, which allowed Scott a little more time to develop property interests. A memorable event in August 2005 was, of course, Scott and Linda’s wedding. Many gym members at- tended the church and then the re- ception at the golf club. What an ar- ray of beautiful, buffed bodies were on show that day! Cheers and all the best in the future then to Scott and Linda. Scotlind’s Gym was indeed that sort of place – a friendly place where everybody knew your name. CONGRATULATIONS On October the 8 th , two well-known Lochwinnoch residents, Willie and Margaret Wilson, celebrate their Diamond Wedding Anniversary. Willie and Margaret met while working in Joe’s Furniture Works and raised two sons, Drew and Tom. The couple, known affectionately as ‘Jack and Vera’ to their family, have played an active part in village life. Both are long- standing members of Lochwinnoch Bowling Club and it was only this year that Willie, age 87, stepped down as cellerman, to give a younger Mary a job! He has not, however, relinquished his reserved seat in the lounge. Willie and Margaret are very much loved by all their family, many of whom are resident in the village. Although this is your special day To share with one another It’s special too, for everyone who loves you That’s why so many loving thoughts Come with this wish for you For everything to make this day Just perfect for you two. Happy 60 th Wedding Anniversary From all the family.
Transcript
CHATTERBOX
No 178 October 2008
www.lochwinnoch.info
Community newsletter produced by lochwinnoch publicity committee for lochwinnoch cc
MATTHEW NEW & SONS
ROOFING - ROUGHCASTING - BUILDING MAINTENANCE
Emergency Repairs, Storm Damage Insurance Work, New Roofs, Flat Roofs
Roughcasting –UPVC Cladding—Guttering Tel No 01505 843400
FMB Certificate No 26366
Nuisance Helpline Anti-Social Behaviour
Noise problems Support and Advice
Every day 9am – 10pm
Tel: 0800 169 1283
ASIST Anti-Social
Investigation Team
Office 8:45am – 4:45pm
Tel: 01505 325 030
Editorial & copy for Chatterbox
Let us have your stories, notices, news, information, events & items of interest — either hand-deliver them to the Chatter-box drop-box in the Library or e-mail to: [email protected]
To advertise in Chatterbox Tel: 07899 746403 or e-mail:
See centre pages for club activities, village events & classes
See back pages for Visitor Centre, RSPB and outdoor events/activities.
GO TEAM LOCHWINNOCH!
A local team of 6 recently took part in the Pedal for Scotland 53 mile cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The team consisted of Scott Isaksen, Derek Drynan, Scott Milligan, Gordon Morrison, Gerry Mcdermott and Andy Gibson.
Between them they raised an excellent figure of around £1,700 which will go towards the new TCT unit in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill.
The cycle was completed in a time of just over 5 hours including stops (watch out Chris Hoy!). The team would like to thank everyone for their kind donations, and welcome anyone who would like to join them next year.
WELL DONE TEAM!
Scotlind's Gym After 8 great years, Scott and Linda have decided to move on to new things and have closed the gym. It will be missed by many but we wish them well as Linda goes into teach-ing and Scott develops property, and maybe even joins the boys in blue - no pun intended! In the gym's eight years, they built up a very loyal customer base and unlike many gyms theirs was always friendly, welcoming, supportive and encouraging; many a runner, cyclist and weight lifter was encouraged to go that extra mile. Scott and Linda also built up a suc-cessful home hire business for fit-ness equipment with customers from Ayr to Stirling. They sold this in 2006, which allowed Scott a little more time to develop property interests. A memorable event in August 2005 was, of course, Scott and Linda’s wedding. Many gym members at-tended the church and then the re-ception at the golf club. What an ar-ray of beautiful, buffed bodies were on show that day! Cheers and all the best in the future then to Scott and Linda. Scotlind’s Gym was indeed that sort of place – a friendly place where everybody knew your name.
CONGRATULATIONS On October the 8th, two well-known Lochwinnoch residents, Willie and Margaret Wilson, celebrate their Diamond Wedding Anniversary. Willie and Margaret met while working in Joe’s Furniture Works and raised two sons, Drew and Tom. The couple, known affectionately as ‘Jack and Vera’ to their family, have played an active part in village life. Both are long-standing members of Lochwinnoch Bowling Club and it was only this year that Willie, age 87, stepped down as cellerman, to give a younger Mary a job! He has not, however, relinquished his reserved seat in the lounge. Willie and Margaret are very much loved by all their family, many of whom are resident in the village.
Although this is your special day To share with one another
It’s special too, for everyone who loves you That’s why so many loving thoughts
Come with this wish for you For everything to make this day
Just perfect for you two.
Happy 60th Wedding Anniversary From all the family.
CHATTERBOX Chatterbox is a free community news-paper, produced for the Community Council of Lochwinnoch through finan-cial assistance from local sponsors and advertisers and distributed every month by volunteers. The aim of those in-volved is to produce an informative and entertaining journal for those who live, work and visit in this area. The Editor welcomes all items for possible inclusion but will reserve all rights over them, i.e. the right to shorten, edit or not publish any item. Special request - when writing to us, please provide your name and contact details in order that we may get in touch with you for clarification on any items for Chatterbox. Your personal details will not be published unless you ask us to do so. Please note, all views are of individuals and the Editor accepts no liability for editorial errors or statements and claims made in advertisements. Thank you.
VILLAGE EVENT PLANNER
Lochwinnoch Post Office has a wall-mounted calendar, where members of the public can enter details of forthcoming events.
Please use this calendar to avoid any clashes when planning dates of events and, of course, to help publi-cise your events within the village.
Lochwinnoch Art Group News
The latest exhibition by the Art Group is under way and is well worth a visit. The exhibition opened with a preview night and is open to the public from Friday 26th September until Saturday 25th October.
The exhibition is held in the ' Library Room ' and is open during library hours.
Art Group Meeting The next meeting of the Art Group is on Monday 13th October at 7.30pm in the McKillop Institute. Please note the change of venue. The meetings run fortnightly and, what-ever your ability, everyone is welcome to come along.
The Lochwinnoch Guide to Stress Free Christmas Shopping
1. Give the mall a miss and walk into the village. 2. Browse Now & Then’s huge choice of different, affordable and interesting
gifts - earmarking something for each member of the family. 3. Go for a coffee, lunch or a drink while you ponder your present options. 4. Return to make your purchases, while also selecting from the wide range
of boxed, individual or Lochwinnoch Christmas cards. 5. Decide that you can treat yourself while you are there with the money
you have saved on fuel and from competitive pricing. 6. Return home in a good mood, put your feet up and feel smug. You got
something special, supported village businesses and saved energy.
P.S. Even if you can’t decide, we do gift vouchers !
Gifts Cards Jewellery Leather Home
8 Church Street Lochwinnoch 01505 843311 Open 9-5 Monday-Saturday and 12-4 on Sundays
MASONIC CLUB EVENTS
PRIZE BINGO NIGHT On Friday 17th October 7.30pm at the Masonic Club
Everyone welcome.
FASHION SHOW On Friday 31st October
at the Masonic Club. Tickets available at the door.
(look out for posters with more details soon)
LOCHWINNOCH INTERNATIONAL
AID Music for International Aid
Lochwinnoch International Aid is holding two events in October to raise funds with the help of local musicians who are giving their time and skills to our cause. All money they raise goes to a variety of projects around the world and in the past year these have included a water supply project in Malawi and cyclone victims in Bangaladesh.
On Saturday, 4th October
Richard Mulhearn's Jazz Band will be playing in the Lochbarr Football Centre lounge from 8.00pm. Richard plays with the well-known Republic of Sound and has established a regular Jazz evening in the Junction cafe in Lochwinnoch. Tickets are £6, half price for children.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
On Saturday, 25th October
The Shed Inspectors, a fairly new bluegrass-hillbilly band are ap-pearing at Lochwinnoch Bowling Club. Based in Lochwinnoch, they are now appearing all over Scotland - because they make great music! Tickets also £6 and £3 for children. Tickets for both events are avail-able from Lochwinnoch Paper Shop, The Brown Bull, Cucina Minucci or by phoning Peter Kennedy on Tel: 01505 503080. Further details about Lochwin-noch International Aid are at www.lochwinnochaid.org.
Look out for posters around the village,
which give further details.
USEFUL CONTACT NUMBERS Strathclyde Police – 0141 532 5900 Johnstone Police – 01505 404000 Johnstone Community Safety Office – 01505 404023 Trading Standards – 0141 840 3233 Care and Repair – 0141 812 4111 Renfrewshire Council - Tel: 0141 842 5000 Anti-social Behaviour Investigation Team (ASIST) - 01505 325030 Victim Support – 0141 887 0328 Nuisance Support & Advice Helpline – 0800 169 1283 Crimestoppers – 0800 555 111
Community Safety Office, Johnstone Police Station.
Councillor Arthur’s Report
Congratulations to the following resi-dents who picked up prizes in this the 80th anniversary of the Council’s Annual Garden Competition, which is run by Renfrewshire Council’s Depart-ment of Housing and Property Ser-vices. Renfrew Town Council awarded the first Garden Competition trophy in 1928 and there are now over 30 trophies given out each year in a variety of categories.
Mr & Mrs Parr, 24 Harvey Terrace, picked up the first prize in the cate-gory of Best Flower Garden in Loch-winnoch, with Bert Matthews, 60 Crookhill Gardens, securing a treble of wins by lifting The Alastair Nimmo Trophy for Best Garden in Lochwin-noch, the Gryffe Trophy for the Best Complete Garden in the Landward Area and first place for the Best Flower and Vegetable Garden in Loch-winnoch.
As you may now be aware a CCTV camera has been installed at The Cross. This has been achieved through the Lochwinnoch Partnership. The primary aim of the installation is to prevent and detect crime and anti-social behaviour in and around the area. It is designed to record images, which will be viewed remotely by Strathclyde Police and Renfrewshire Council. This information can be used to prosecute any person committing criminal or antisocial acts.
The camera will monitor the public area of The Cross and will not be intrusive to any household, shop or other prem-ises. The CCTV will help to detect those who blight our community through their antisocial behaviour and is an excellent example of local people, the Council and the Police all working together to better our community. In order to maximise the use of the CCTV camera, I ask that all criminal and antisocial behaviour incidents are made known to both the Police and to the Council. The system is managed by Renfrewshire Council’s Antisocial Investigation Team (ASIST) whose contact details are at the top of the front page of Chatterbox. Other contact numbers, which may be useful, are Strathclyde Police on Tel: 0141 532 5900 and Crimestoppers on Tel: 0800 555 111. Useful contact numbers for other agencies are given at the end of my report.
Church Street, Lochwinnoch Tel: 01505 842337
EXCLUSIVE 2009 CALENDAR - - AROUND LOCHWINNOCH - -
FROM PAINTINGS BY ARTHUR G. CARSWELL
7-Day Newspaper Delivery Service, Fresh morning rolls, Milk from the local dairy, Newspapers, Magazines, Stationery, Confectionery,
Gifts, Agents for Dry Cleaning, Curtain Cleaning, Ironing, Press only, Alterations and Repairs, Shoe Repairs, Laundry.
LOCHWINNOCH ELDERLY FORUM
The Forum is very active and membership is increasing. Many aspects of life in the village are dis-cussed and any issues arising are brought to the attention of the relevant authorities to try to get them resolved. The Forum is open to everyone over 55 and annual membership, inclusive of Christmas meal and any outings, is only £2. Our Drop in T Bar, open on Tues-days from 10am to 1pm, providing tea, coffee and biscuits for 50p, is very successful. Off to a good start is the Forum Lunch Club, organised by our chairman Alastair Nimmo. This is open on Thursdays from 11.30am to 1.30pm, when you can enjoy …
Soup with crusty bread 80p Choice of sandwiches with
tea/coffee for 80p Tea/coffee and biscuits for 50p.
Where else can you get this?
Both T Bar and Lunch Club are held in the McKillop and are open to everyone, regardless of age.
An opportunity to enjoy a chat in good company.
Any questions?
Phone Gordon Nicholl on Tel: 01505 842632.
Further information on identifying antisocial behaviour and who can help are contained in a special fea-ture later in this issue of Chatterbox. At the last Local Area Committee (LAC) meeting several groups within Ward 8 were successful in their grant applications and this included Calder Drama Club who received a grant of £450. Application forms are available by contacting Jean Wilson, Corporate Services, Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire House, Cot-ton Street, Paisley PA 1 1TR or 0141 840 3564 or [email protected] My next Surgery is on Saturday 18th October but there is no need to wait for a Surgery. If you require my help, you can contact me on Tel No: 843507 and we can agree a time when we can meet. Councillor David Arthur
LOCAL LIBRARY BECOMES A TIME-
MACHINE….. FOR A FEW HOURS!
Doctor Who’s famous Police Box isn’t the only time-machine as more than 60 Lochenyochians discovered when they went to the local Community Li-brary on the 18th of September. At two o’clock, after they had all taken their seats in the Museum Room, a button was pressed and they were taken on a journey back over half a century in time.
The time-machine took them back to renew auld acquaintance with friends and relatives living in the village in the early 1950’s. But first the latest streets and houses in the village were visited by the time-travellers. Soon after the end of the second World War new “pre-fab“ housing had been built in Glenpark Road and Mansefield Road. In the early 1950’s more housing was needed and this was developed on Braehead, Ewing Road, Semple Ave-nue, and Calderpark Avenue. The time-travellers stopped off at each of these reminding themselves of which family had lived in which house. They noticed how much cleaner the streets were and that every garden was well tended. In Calderpark Avenue they met up with Catherine Murray sweep-ing the pavement outside Number 5, where she lived with her daughter Helen’s family. Many of the travellers then remembered that everyone swept the pavement outside their houses at that time and saw how pride and val-ues had changed over the years. In total they saw only two cars parked in these streets and one of these looked as though it might have been the doctor’s on his rounds so not a perma-nent feature of that street! But it was the people they had really come on this time-journey to see and their luck was in. This was 1953 and one of the frequent trips organised by District Councillor Jimmy Speirs for the older residents was about to leave the village. The specially chartered train with it’s engine building up a head of steam was at the platform of the village station where Stationmas-ter Mr Wylie and his staff were organ-ising the departure to Leven in Fife. After the train journey the time-travellers joined the day-trippers for a pre-arranged afternoon tea in Leven Parish Church hall. Among the old
friends they met again were Mr and Mrs Mair, Mr and Mrs Smith, Abe Wales, Gracie MacMillan, Mr and Mrs Woods, and Mabel Luney. In total about 100 had made the day-trip.
Another button was pushed and the time-travellers moved forward to 1955 and another of these wonderful days-out arranged by Jimmy Speirs. This time the destination was Dun-fermline and more weel-kent faces were boarding the train for the jour-ney. Old friends like May Campbell with her daughters Sheena and Muriel, a young Janette Kerr ( now Mrs Blair ) with her grandparents, Bob Harper and his wife, Agnes Gillies and her daughter Louise, Mr and Mrs O’Hagan with their grand-son Norman and his parents George and Jean McGinigal, Mr and Mrs Arthur (grandparents of our present Councillor), Mrs Gilmour with her daughter Unity, were among the many villagers on the trip.
Next stop on this journey through time was 1958 and the time-travellers were able to attend a Na-tional Party of Scotland Christmas Social in the McKillop Institute. The festively decorated hall was packed out with villagers all seated at tables enjoying the afternoon tea and cakes At the top table, the much respected figure of Roland Muirhead, then in his 88th year, was spotted chatting with his wife. Other tables were oc-cupied by Ossie Eddlestone and his neighbour Mr McKinnon, Mrs O’Neil, Mrs Ireland in one of her trade-mark hats, Gavin Smith, Lizzie McIntosh, Willie Glen whose farm-house was then in the High Street, Mr and Mrs Crisp from Bridgend, Mrs Edgar from the garage on John-shill, and many, many, more familiar faces. Nat Smith was on the stage entertaining the party with songs in his rich baritone voice.
By now the time-travellers were in much need of refreshment so the time machine was switched off, the library restored to the present day and a break for tea accompanied by the wonderful home baking of li-brary staff and Mima Kilburn.
Memories of the vibrant and cohe-sive social life of Lochwinnoch in the 1950’s had been revived. The tea-break had also revived the time-travellers for they were again ready to journey back, for a final time that afternoon, to see more old Lochen-yochians.
The time-machine was in action again and landed in the McKillop where the committee organising a Darby & Joan Social was meeting. It was winter 1956 and in pre-central heating days so the open fire in the small ante-room warmed the group which in-cluded Liza McLauchlan, Billy Brett, Jock and May Speirs, Margaret Shaughnessy, and Tom McManus. The time-machine was then put into ultra-rapid mode and it moved its oc-cupants across the years and village locations more randomly. It gave glimpses of early Calder Glen and Lochwinnoch Amateurs football teams with players including Arthur Graham, a young John McManus, Lawrence Wylie, and his brother Joe. Mrs Finnie was spotted chatting with Mr and Mrs Jack Crisp near Harvey Cottages. A group of friends including Barry Ritchie, Anna and Tom Smith, Anna and Charlie Clelland and Willie Fenion were seen watching the then Scottish Cross Country Champion (Lochenyochian Harry Fenion) receiv-ing his medal. Rab the Bear (alias the Laird o’ Bogheid) but more properly remembered as Robert Smith, was seen outside his cottage at Boghead. Re-acquaintance was briefly made with Willie Storrie who had the Men’s Hairdressers where the Garthland Pub Lounge stands today. The time-machine was finally switched off (or someone didn’t feed its meter) and the trip back to say “hello“ to the villagers of the 1950’s was over. A special thanks was given to the time-machine operator and or-ganiser of the trip, our Community Librarian Margaret Sweenie. She had made the job of the guides for the tour, Adrian Tharme and Johnny Mair, a very easy and enjoyable one.
The time–travellers donated £110 to St Vincent’s Hospice in
lieu of ticket charges. And so to the truth !! The time journey was actually made possible not by a time-machine but thanks to one Lochenyochian’s legacy to the village. In his photographic record of the vil-lage and more especially of it’s people, the late Pat Smith (Senior) has left us a truly remarkable archive.
Our thanks to his son “ young Pat “ for making this available to us.
Eat Fresh!! Eat Local !!
Cucina Minucci
at the Junction
Caffè Deli
Wholefoods Homebaking
NEW HOURS Same Passion for Food
Mon to Wed 9am to 5pm Thursdays 9am to 7.30pm Fri & Sat 9am to 8.30pm Sundays & B/H 10am to 4pm
To book call: 01505 842225
www.cucinaminucci.co.uk
Chameleon Crafts Club Arts & Crafts for kids age
12 years and up.
The next art workshop for young people age 12+ is on Saturday 11th October 2-4pm, once again at the RSPB (to whom many thanks!). The theme this month is working with clay – make your own money-pot or creature to store your bits and bobs. The work produced will be fired and available next session for uplift. Please note that this is the last work-shop before Christmas. However, to make up for it, there will be 2 work-shops in January. Next year’s dates are: January 11th, January 31st, February 28th and March 21st. Each workshop is £10 and covers all mate-rials. If you’d like to join please call the RSPB (01505 842663) who’ll pass on a message to Cait, the tutor.
Top Marks ... were awarded to Lochwinnoch pupil, Nathan Brackenridge, who attained 1st in Mathematics and 1st in Craft and Design in the 2007/2008 Johnstone High School awards. (Congratulations Nathan, on your achievements. Sorry for the delay in publishing your results but we didn’t have the information last month. Ed)
Cucina Minucci at the Junction
www.cucinaminucci.co.uk
There have been several changes at the caffè over the last few months, some more obvious than others. Most of you will have noticed we have moved the counter back to the Church Street corner of the room and created a much bigger reception area as well as incorporate a small deli counter next to the till – whew! We are especially excited about opening later as of Thursday the 18th of September. The Caffè menu con-tinues into the evening and there will be more exciting hot dishes up on the board. Always freshly prepared as usual, with some authentic Italian dishes. With an emphasis on a cas-ual dining experience, you are en-couraged to pop in for a coffee and cake or a glass of wine, some cheese & olives selected from our deli!! Richard Mulhearn continues to en-tertain with his monthly “Jazz at the Junction” sessions on the last Thurs-day of every month. Booking is essential and there is always an option of £15 for Cold Antipasti or £25 for a three course meal. Music starting from 8pm. In October we also have a special treat for you all in the form of Neil Wilson the Guitarist on the Friday 24th – please look out for posters with more details.
See you soon. Ivan, Joanna & the Team.
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LCD and PLASMA SCREEN INSTALLATIONS WALL MOUNTS SUPPLIED AND FITTED REPAIRS
DIGITAL UPGRADES MULTIROOM AERIAL AND SATELLITE FREE
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LOCHWINNOCH SURGERY
31 Main Street, Lochwinnoch Dr Stephen McLaughlin joined the practice in August and has an inter-est in Dermatology and started a minor surgery clinic. Flu Vaccine will be available at the end of September ‘08. If you are over 65, diabetic, asthmatic or have a chronic disease, please contact the surgery and make an appointment with the Practice Nurse.
Tel: 01505 842200
MEDITATION AND CREATIVITY CLASSES Meditation and Creativity Classes on Thursday evenings from 6.30-8.30pm on 9th and 23rd October. Come along, nurture your heart, explore your own truth and be supported by a small group. All are welcome. Saturday Workshops from 9.30am-1.30pm. Sat. 4th October - the web of life; Sat. 8th November - creating sacred space. Cost £20 or £18 concession (includes lunch). Call Libby for details on Tel: 01505 842604.
Lochwinnoch Community Buyout Group AGM
A date for this is still to be set but will probably be in mid-November.
Watch out for notices.
LCBG The Struthers Project
SATURDAY NIGHT Pat Thomson
S aturday night again. Sally, Margaret and Susan will be here in about half an hour, so I better get ready. We’re off
to catch the ten past eight bus to Largs. It’s the Moorings to-night. When we get off the bus we’ll go and get our dance tickets and a pass out ... Then we’ll go to Nardini’s for a coffee and a toasted sandwich. The autumn is here so we’ll get it for sixpence less than last week. Always the same after the Glasgow September weekend, prices come down. After our coffee we’ll stroll back along the prom to the dance hall. By the time we get there, change our shoes, check our hair and make-up, and put our coats in the cloakroom, it should be time to go into the hall. If we’re too early the place is half empty, too late and it’s full, no chance of a seat. Since it’s a mild night the balcony doors are wide open. With the soft music and the rush of the waves on the shingle we could almost be in Italy again. We usually have a good night down here. It’s Charlie Harkins and his Kit Kat band as usual, so we’ll get a fair mix of fast and slow dances with a few oldies thrown in. Sure enough he’s starting with a slow foxtrot and we’re soon on the floor. This is followed by a quickstep, then some jive, a Canadian barn dance, then maybe a waltz. Soon everything starts to blur and take on a dreamlike quality. The softly lit ballroom, the multi coloured spinning lights from the glass ball on the ceiling, the music, in fact the whole ambience of the place.
“How are you getting home to-night,” asks one of our partners, “Would you like a lift?” “No thank you, I’m going home in a big red Daimler, so I don’t need a lift.” “It wouldn’t be any bother, I’m passing there anyway.” “Oh! Are you, where do you come from?” “I’m from Greenock, didn’t I say.” “No you didn’t and how come if you stay in Greenock you’ll be passing through Lochwinnoch? Do you even know where that is? I don’t need a lift so you can take the straight road home.”
That’s the girls shouting it’s time to go. A quick change of shoes and we’re out and off up the main street to the bus station. There’s a chippie en route and up goes the cry - anyone want a fish supper!
LOCHWINNOCH WRITERS October 2008 A NEET OOT AND A WEE FROG
“Where are you going girls,” asks a conductor. “Lochwinnoch,” we reply. “Third bus along.” So on to the bus, up the stairs and sit somewhere in the middle. The fleet leaves on time some going direct to Paisley, some to Johnstone and the one we’re on that stops at every stop. It only goes as far as the garage at Milliken Park anyway. Soon there’s a good going sing song, everything from top of the charts to old favourites but a must is The Northern Lights, with the whole bus singing their heads off and the conductor yelling for silence. A waste of breath. Happy carefree days.
The nursing home sitting room is almost in darkness when the nurse comes in with a cup of tea. She switches on the lights and is concerned to see tears coursing down the old lady’s cheeks. “What’s wrong,” she asks kindly. “Nothing,” replies Myra, “They’re happy tears, I was just reliving memories of times past.”
GURNEY THE FROG Davie Dougan Ah’m jist a wee frog, an’ ah live neath a log Ah’ll eat midges, an’ any wee fly Ah jist shoot oot mah tongue An’ although ah’m jist young Ah kin catch any bug that goes by. Ah’m dark green like a leaf Though ah hivnae goat teeth Ah jist sook aff the bits that taste nice Then mah tongue goes tae work Be it daylight or dark Diz it gie ye the creeps, when ah burp? Ah’ll eat worms, -- well ah’ll try Should a fat wan slide by “Girls! Geeze a wee kiss please, ah sigh? Cos ah’m really a prince, a wull try tae convince”
(Girls’ Voices)
“Och! Yer jist a wee frog. But ye try”!
THE WRITERS NEXT MEETING MONDAY 6TH OCTOBER
LIBRARY 9.30-11.30AM PROFESSIONAL TUTOR!
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LOCHWINNOCH HOUSEHOLDS.
Contact - PETER McGARVEY Tel: 01505 614654
remember that it is easy to twist truth. We are all guilty of twisting parts of our faith to suit our own ends. Yes we must love ourselves, but let us remem-ber that we are to love our neighbours too. We are called to love our neigh-bours as ourselves – self love should not overshadow love of others and love of others should not lead us to denying our own needs. The answer, as with so much of life, is in finding the right balance. Going back to that time when I was finding it hard to love myself, I dis-covered that the greatest love wasn’t inside of me. I discovered that it sur-rounds us all. When I realised that the Lord of Creation loved me, then I was able to love myself. Surely the love of God surrounding and upholding us is truly the greatest love of all.
Yours,
Rev. Christine Murdoch
Whitney Houston’s anthem was re-leased at a time of my life when I wasn’t very good at loving myself. It is true that unless we can love ourselves and accept ourselves warts and all, that we will not be very good at loving other people. However, we need to guard against self love becoming the only love in our lives – loving our-selves too much is as bad and as de-structive as not loving ourselves enough.
One of the great joys of recuperation over the past few months has been the gift of time. The sheer luxury of read-ing a novel in the middle of the morn-ing has been a joy I have savoured. I have read many books over the weeks ranging from the sublime to those books which should never have been published. I haven’t necessarily en-joyed all the books, yet if a novel has made me think, then reading it has been a worthwhile experience. One novel I am still not sure about is Ben Elton’s “Blind Faith”. Set in the future, some 50 years after global warming has caused much of the world to be flooded, the novel intro-duces us to a parody of 1984. Like that novel, citizens are no longer able to have that which we take for granted – a private life. Cameras are all seeing and life is lived as though one were a member of a perpetual reality TV show, with neighbours able to view our lives in all the gory detail. The difference is that in “Blind Faith” society revolves around a new religion which is a twisted version of Christi-anity. It is compulsory to worship the trinity of the Lord, the Love and Diana. People are reminded con-stantly that they are made in the
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image of God and as such they must not only love their bodies, they must worship them and so must everyone else. To that end, people dress in minimal ways, leaving little to the imagina-tion. Citizens are also encouraged to indulge themselves in whatever way they wish leading to destructive life-styles as ‘people of size’ eat them-selves to death. The hero of the novel, Trafford Sewell, begins to notice the contradictions within the faith and as he starts to use his mind, he realises that everything the people are told to believe is built on shifting sand. I haven’t yet finished this book and the jury is still out on whether I would recommend it to others, yet it has certainly made me think. The idea of loving ourselves to destruc-tion is quite frankly grotesque, yet the Bible does encourage us to love ourselves. What the temple leaders in “Blind Faith” have done is take one little part of the Bible and twisted it for their own ends. Before we condemn them, let us
From the Parish Church
Because the greatest love of all is happening to me. I found the greatest love of all inside of me. The greatest love of all is easy to achieve.
Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.
VOICES IN PAISLEY 5th Annual Festival Friday 24th October to
Saturday 8th November 2008
Features concerts by high-profile profes-sional groups of international repute.
Call 01505 850344 for more information.
LOCHWINNOCH COMMUNITY
COUNCIL
Annual General Meeting
This year’s AGM takes place on Monday 3rd November in the McKil-lop Institute’s Lesser Hall. Members of the public are most welcome to at-tend and also to hear 2 presentations: one from Oxfam and its fight against global inequality and the other from a representative of our local Fairtrade Group, which aims to guide Lochwin-noch into becoming a Fairtrade Vil-lage in the very near future. Refresh-ments will, as usual, be available in the form of wine, beer, juices and nib-bles …fairly traded, as far as possible.
Treasurer
It is vitally important to the continua-tion of the community council that a volunteer from the local area come forward to take up the role of Treas-urer. This is a role that is not too on-erous, but needs close attention to de-tail and a feel for numbers. Anyone interested should come along to the regular Community Council meeting on the 7th October or email the Secre-tary at [email protected] If you have matters to bring up to the Community Council, please either attend a meeting, send a letter to the Secretary at 79 High St or email us at [email protected]
It’s your village …. make it your community council.
meetings (which are open to the pub-lic) during the year. These included Police Inspector John Laing on new policing arrangements, Anne McNaughton on CC support and, re-cently, Mary Ogilvie on the Renfrew-shire Neighbour Mediation Service.
Chris Gould, CC Deputy Chairperson, cites one of his areas of activity to be the ongoing correspondence about the dry-stane dykes at the Engine Tees, which might at last result in some-thing (cheap) getting done. This is an on-going saga where the CC has been patiently writing to the absentee land-lord who is responsible for the dry-stane wall along the A760 on the ap-proach to the village. The owner’s fac-tor has been very reluctant to take any action, but it looks as though there’s a glimmer of hope that the wall will be tidied to some extent.
Chris has also been actively writing to any and all of those with responsibility for the station to consider disabled/ pram access to the down line. Like much of the CC’s work, it may be quite a while before this bears fruit, but it’s work that needs to be done on behalf of our local community.
Another area where the CC is active is in the Community Partnership Group which comprises of the Police, ASIST, our local Councillor and a representa-tive from the Community Council. This group has very actively and ably represented the people of Lochwin-noch to ensure that we are not forgot-ten, despite being small and the last outpost of Renfrewshire. This group has been involved in the CCTV instal-lation at the Cross, with financial as-sistance from the CC. It is expected that its presence will reduce anti-social behaviour in a renowned hot spot.
To round up this snapshot of some of the work of the Community Council, I can report that the Community Coun-cil has a standing objection to wind farms being erected in Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park and always formally objects on behalf of the village when an application is notified. This stance was determined by the outcome of the very large public meeting held by the CC when the first wind farm proposal was made, back in 2006. In June, representatives from the CC attended and spoke at a public enquiry into the Kelburn wind farm application. Lesley Scott Secretary Lochwinnoch Community Council September 2008
CC activities and achievements 2007-8
Lochwinnoch Community Council’s AGM is coming up, so perhaps it’s pertinent to ask “what does the Com-munity Council do?” I asked a cou-ple of the stalwarts what has been going on over the past year or so. CC Chairperson, David Fowles, has for some time now represented Lochwinnoch CC on the SRANI (South Renfrewshire Area Network Initiative) committee. Working with the SRANI group, the CC was suc-cessful in securing a grant from For-ward Scotland under the Community Environmental Renewal Scheme towards the completion of the path-way from St. Brydes to Fancy Bridge. The pathway is now open and it is possible to reach Howwood from the cycle path without having to brave a long section of the Bridesmill Road. The CC was also involved in the opening of the section of cycle path from Lade Bridge to the entrance of Castle Semple Visitor Centre and continues to be closely involved with the forthcoming Conservation Report commissioned by SRANI.
The CC has been pleased to be able to offer sponsorship to aspiring young - and not so young - residents in their exploits. Tall Ships, Roma-nia, Nepal and the Scottish Polo Championships have featured in this and the CC also contributed to the village Christmas lights appeal.
David also reports that following the Scottish Executive's decision to de-centralise the administration of the Unitary Authorities, the CC now has a representative on the Local Area Committee, which will give first hand knowledge of all that is going on in our area.
Finally, David pointed out that vari-ous speakers have addressed CC
Renfrewshire Neighbour Mediation Service Tel: 0800 169 1283
The Anti-Social Behaviour helpline (number above) is open 9am-10pm. They can be contacted regarding neighbour noise (e.g. loud TVs, youth disorder, street football, noisy parties, fly tipping). The staff will either ad-vise or refer the caller to, for example, the police or noise enforcement offi-cers who can issue warning notices, or the graffiti squad. They can also put you on to Renfrewshire Neighbour Mediation Service.
The main part of the Neighbour Me-diation Service’s work is early inter-vention in disputes. They aim to open channels of communication when per-haps things are so bad, neighbours aren’t talking civilly. The staff focus on the future, not going over old ground. The service is free, confiden-tial and involvement is voluntary. Referrals come to them via housing officers, helpline self-referral, police, landlords. Anyone in Renfrewshire can refer. RNMS then meet both par-ties on neutral ground and don’t take sides but hear the issues from both points of view. Mediators are impartial. They facili-tate and guide the meetings, keep the meetings safe and allow speakers their time. Suitable cases are - • the ones that are fairly new dis-putes as these respond best to inter-vention, • where no great fear of violence or intimidation is present. If there is, then the matter would be referred to the Anti-Social Behaviour Team, • where they are able to negotiate (i.e. where alcohol or mental health problems are not an issue) as both par-ties have to sustain their agreement where there is no legal action pending
Renfrewshire Neighbour Mediation Service has an 80% success rate… most people want to resolve the bad feeling. The above is taken from notes made at the Lochwinnoch Community Council meeting of 2nd September 2008. The speaker was an RNMS representative.
Report that pothole How many times have you been out in your car or bike and hit a pothole or narrowly missed a severe pothole that could result in damage to your car, bike or yourself? You think to yourself, “why has someone not re-ported that pothole, it’s been there for weeks”. Potholes and road defects are more than just a nuisance to car owners, they are a danger to cyclists! I am writing in because I had a seri-ous accident after hitting a pothole whilst out cycling that left me hospi-talised with a head wound, concus-sion, amnesia and bad cuts and grazes. I hate to think how bad I would have been if I had not been wearing a helmet.
What can you do? Councils can’t be everywhere, and if they don’t know about a pothole, they can’t fill it in. So if you want to get it repaired, you have to report it. A very easy way to do this is via the web site www.fillthathole.org.uk which contacts the right council for you, to get the roads repaired quickly and easily, so you can spend your time driving/cycling and not dodging obstacles. The web site also allows you to see other hazards that have been reported and a list of what percentage of holes that have been fixed in your district. Inverclyde at present has only fixed 13% of re-ported holes and Renfrewshire is on 27%.
If everyone who reads this article could report at least one pothole then the councils would be forced to act on the large number of com-plaints, making the roads a lot safer. It is a very easy web site to use, sim-ply click on Report a Hazard on the web site, fill in the questions on the hazard, click on the map where the hazard is, which will show up as a flag on the map, then your name and address. You can also add photo-graphs to the site. It only takes a minute to do this and Fillthathole will do the rest.
Please pass on this web address to everyone you know in the UK to make the roads a safer place. If we don’t report it, the councils will be less likely to fix it!
LOCHWINNOCH SWRI
Rural meetings got off to a great start with an excellent slide presen-tation by John Kinloch. John trans-formed a neglected one acre garden into a masterpiece of garden design, which he opens to the public to raise funds for cancer charities. The “before” and “after” slides were amazing and he had a wealth of useful tips to pass on. The competition winners were:
A Floral Arrangement in an Egg Cup 1 A Cochrane 2 P Matthews 3 L Anderson A Jar of Lemon Curd 1 D Donn 2 P Matthews 3 A Cochrane The next meeting is on 15th October, at 7.30pm in the McKillop Institute when the topic will be Wildlife Crime and the speaker will be Ser-geant J Simpson.
Come and join us!
Write to: 2014 Mile End Mill, 12 Seedhill Road, Paisley, PA1 1JS Tel: 0141 561 0333. E-mail: [email protected]
or come to one of my advice surgeries.
L o c h w i n n o c h r e s i d e n t s - Can I help? If so, please don’t h e s i t a t e t o g e t i n t o u c h .
Douglas Alexander, Lochwinnoch’s MP
What’s On (Clubs, classes and
local groups)
• Lochwinnoch Community Walks - Mondays (ex. Public Holidays), 10.30 am at The Cross.
• Lochwinnoch Toddlers Group - For under 5’s, every Monday and Wednesday from 9.30-11.30 at the McKillop. (Resumes Wed. 1st October.)
• Kickjitsu for Kids - Monday nights, from 5pm-6.45pm in the Parish Church Hall.
• Lochwinnoch Gymnastics Club - For primary school-age children, every Monday from 5pm-7pm at the Annexe. Phone Coby for details on: 0772 9051615.
• Morag’s Keep Fit - Mondays and Thursdays from 7pm, in the McKillop Institute.
• Lochwinnoch Choral Society. Rehearsals held on Monday eve-nings, Parish Church/Church Hall. Juniors from 7-7.30pm, In-termediates 7.30-8.30pm and Seniors from 8pm.
• Advice Works - Tuesdays 10am -12.30 at the Library. *
• Drop-in T Bar - Lochwinnoch Elderly Forum. Every Tuesday from 10am-1pm, McKillop Insti-tute. All welcome. For details, call Reta on: 01505 842054.
• TaeKwon-Do Fitness and Self-defence classes for beginners, chil-dren and adults. Tuesdays from 5-6pm, McKillop Institute. For details Tel: 01259 210716.
• Linda Margaret School of Dancing - Tuesdays from 4pm-8.45pm, McKillop Institute. For details, Tel: 0141 581 9104.
• Scottish Country Dance Club - On Tuesdays, from 7.30-9.30pm, the McKillop Institute.
• Boys Brigade - Anchor Boys and Junior Sec-tions meet on Tuesday nights and Company Section meet on Friday evenings at the Parish Church Hall. (See notice board outside the church for more details.)
• Girls Brigade - 1st Lochwinnoch Company Wednesday evenings from 6pm-9.15pm at the Parish Church Hall for various age groups.
• Yoga Classes - Day-time classes on Tuesdays (starting on 7th October), evening classes on Wednesdays, at the McKillop Institute. *
• Happy Harminis - Fun for pre-school children. Thursdays from 10am in the McKillop Insti-tute. Contact Frankie Plater for details: 01505 612248.
• Slinky Strollers - on Thurs-days (see back page for details).
• Lunch Club - Lochwinnoch Elderly Forum. Every Thursday, 11.30 am-1.30pm, McKillop.*
• Calder Drama Club—Thursdays, from 8pm-10pm McKillop Institute.
• Scottish Slimmers - Thurs-days from 7/7.30pm, McKillop Institute. Register for free.
• Lochwinnoch Pre-School Gymnastics for children from 18 months to 5 years. Every Fri-day, from 10.15am - 1.45pm at the Annexe. Details from Coby on: 0772 9051615.
• Tai Chi for Beginners - Friday nights, 6.45-7.45pm, The Room, Lochwinnoch Library.
Godspell
In this issue of Chatterbox, you will read of the celebrations planned for the bi-centenary of the Parish Church building in Church Street. The celebrations will continue well into next year and a major event will be a production of the Rock Musical, ‘Godspell’ on the 26th and 27th March, in the McKillop Institute.
Godspell (an old fashioned spelling of the word gospel) was written by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak and premiered in New York in May 1971.
The play follows the stories told by Jesus (most famously played by David Essex) and contains well known songs, such as Prepare ye The Way of the Lord and Day By Day. While written for 10 charac-ters, the beauty of Godspell is there is a place for anyone who wishes to take part. Castings will take place later in the autumn for our own pro-duction of the musical and a role will be found for all who come along.
In the meantime, we need to put to-gether our backstage crew, therefore a meeting will be held in the Parish Church on Wednesday 22nd October 2008, for anyone interested in taking part in any way.
While Godspell is a minimalist pro-duction and as such is very simple to produce, we need help with stage management, scenery, choreogra-phy, costume, make-up, props, prompting, catering, publicity and a myriad other tasks. If you have ever wished to be part of a production crew, but don’t know where to start, then Godspell is the answer. Simple choreography; outlandish costumes made up of clothes we all have hid-den away; outrageous make-up, which is simple to design and apply; straightforward props all go towards creating a production that stimulates senses.
If you can help in any way, please come along to the Parish Church, on Wednesday 22nd October at 7.30pm. Many thanks.
Antiques, Curios and Crafts A dynamic selection of oils, watercolours and
limited edition prints. Bespoke crafts by local artisans, vintage and
contemporary jewellery. Well worth discovering for yourself.
The Barn on the Farm, open 10am till late every day
Contact Greta Logan on Tel: 01505 683338 Mob: 07786 720586
West Bankside Farm, Geirston Road, Kilbirnie, KA25 7LQ
Just opposite the Golf Course on the Largs Road.
Dates for your diaries
• Saturday 4th October - Concert -“Music over 200 years” with Paisley Abbey Choir at 7.30pm in the Parish Church. *
• Saturday 4th October— Jazz with Richard Mulhearn at Lochbarr Football Centre Lounge from 8pm. *
• Sunday 5th October - Lochwinnoch Parish Church Bi-centenary Service in the Parish Church at 11am. *
• Sunday 5th October - Charity Dawg Dawdle - starts at 2pm from the Glendale Arms, Glengarnock to Lochwinnoch. (Details on posters around the village.)
• Sunday 5th October - Parish Church Bi-centenary Exhibition opens in the Parish Church for visitors at specified times during October and will move to the Library Room for the month of November. *
• Saturday 4th, Thursday 9th and Thursday 23rd October - Meditation/Creativity Classes and Workshops. *
• Saturdays - 4th and 25th October - Krafty Kids group morning and afternoon sessions at Youth Space, McKillop.
• Tuesday 7th October - Lochwinnoch Community Council monthly meeting at 7.30pm, Guild Room, Parish Church. *
• Monday 13th October - Lochwinnoch Art Group evening at 7.30pm, McKillop Institute. *
• Wednesday 15th October—Lochwinnoch SWRI meeting at 7.30pm, McKillop Institute. *
• Thursday 16th October - Lochwinnoch Historical Society evening, 7.30pm in the Guild Room of the Parish Church. *
• Friday 17th October - Prize Bingo Night, at 7.30pm in the Masonic Hall. *
• Saturday 18th October - Councillor Arthur’s Surgery from 11.30am at the McKillop Institute. *
• Saturday 18th October - Fete at Lochwinnoch Bowling Club from 11am-4pm. Bric-a-Brac, Tombola, Tea Room, etc.
• Friday 26th September to Saturday 25th October - Art Exhibition during opening hours in the Library Room. *
• Saturday 25th October - Bluegrass Night with The Shed Inspectors at Lochwinnoch Bowling Club. *
• Sunday 26th October - Champagne Tea and Fashion Show for Teenage Cancer Trust at Mar Hall Hotel. *
• Sunday 26th October 2008 British Summer Time ends. Put your clocks back 1 hour at midnight on Saturday 25th October.
• Friday 31 October - Fashion Show at the Masonic Hall. *
• Saturday 1st November - Christmas with a Conscience stalls at the Parish Church Hall.
• Monday 3rd November - Lochwinnoch Community Council AGM at 7.30pm in the Lesser Hall, McKillop Institute. *
• Saturday 8th November - Ceilidh at Lochwinnoch Bowling Club, 7.30pm for 8pm, Tickets £5 available from Margaret Tel: 843013.
• Sunday 9th November - Gala Concert in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Concert Hall. *
* See inside this issue of Chatterbox for further details.
Lochwinnoch Parish Church
Bi-Centenary Celebrations
Saturday 4th October Concert at 7.30pm in the Parish Church. Music over 200 years with Paisley Ab-bey Choir and organist John Langdon. Tickets - £5 for adults, £3 for children, available now from church members or pay at the door.
Sunday 5th October Bi-Centenary Service 11am in the Parish Church. Dedication of the two quilted and embroidered banners by the Modera-tor, The Right Rev. Dr. David Lunan. Bi-centenary Exhibition Opens in the Church on 5th October and will be open for visitors on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 2pm-4pm dur-ing October - i.e. 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th October. The exhibition will then move to the Library Room and will be open during normal library hours from 3rd to 29th November.
Sunday 23rd November Organ Recital at 1pm in the Parish Church.
All are welcome.
BEITH DOMESTICS 54 Main Street, Beith
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• SAME DAY callout • FREE estimates and advice • NO CALL OUT CHARGE for local customers
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CORRECTION Former Muirshiel miner, Sam Coch-rane wrote to us this month, regarding a couple of items in the Muirshiel Mines article in July Chatterbox. “This states I was a supervisor, I was only an ordinary miner, therefore, had no juris-diction to order miners to abandon the mine. The article about my hair standing on end had nothing to do with a build up of electricity. Myself and another miner were sent to work in a particular part of the mine. On entering, the hair on the back of my neck began rising and I sensed danger. We immediately left and I re-ported it to the foreman. We were given a different job. Soon after my co-worker was called by the foreman and he and another miner were put in the dangerous spot. About three minutes later the roof came down, one killed and the other had a broken back.
The accident was taken to the High Court in Edinburgh and was found in favour of the miners.” Sam Cochrane Chatterbox replies. We are sensitive to Mr Cochrane’s concerns and are happy to feature his letter, in full, in Chatterbox. We would remind readers that items fea-tured in Chatterbox are the views of indi-viduals. Chatterbox can accept no liabil-ity for errors, statements and claims.
WHAT IS ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR? Antisocial Behaviour describes a wide variety of actions that can cause alarm or distress to others. Here are some examples: • Abusive or threatening behaviour • Being drunk or rowdy in public • Committing racial or sectarian harassment • Creating unnecessary noise, particularly at night • Vandalism • Dropping litter or dumping rubbish • Graffiti
Some of these things may not seem serious in themselves, but if they are repeated over a period of time, they can make people’s lives a misery.
WHO CAN HELP?
That depends on the problem. Seri-ous crimes should be reported to the police. But Renfrewshire Council better deals with many incidents of antisocial behaviour. The Council will be able to advise you whether to call the police. The Council provides a wide range of services that specifically tackle antisocial behaviour.
These include:
• Neighbourhood wardens who can deter antisocial behaviour and identify problems at an early stage • The Antisocial Investigations Team (ASIST) which tackles prob-lems on behalf of residents and con-nects them with appropriate services, such as the police • A mediation service to help resolve disputes between neighbours • Environmental services, which deal with problems such as noise nuisance, litter and illegal dumping.
ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR HELPLINE
The Council has set up an Antisocial Behaviour Helpline. It provides a sin-gle, convenient point of contact for all of the Council’s antisocial behaviour services. All calls to the ASB Helpline on
0800 169 1283 will be treated in complete confidence. Our trained staff will provide practical advice, reassurance and assistance, to help you sort out any difficulties you have with neighbours or other people in your area. You can call the ASB helpline from 9am to 10pm, seven days a week. If you need to report incidents that hap-pen outside these times, you should call Strathclyde Police on
0141 532 5900.
DON’T ACCEPT THE UNACCEPTABLE
The Council and Strathclyde Police take antisocial behaviour very seri-ously and are determined to stamp it out. People in Renfrewshire do not have to accept behaviour which in-timidates them or affects their quality of life. If you feel that your life is being af-fected by the unacceptable behaviour of others, then call the ASB Helpline now on 0800 169 1283.
TOGETHER WE CAN STAMP IT OUT
(This article has been reproduced with the kind permission of
Renfrewshire Council’s Media Relations Department. Ed.)
STAMP OUT ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN RENFREWSHIRE
As you know, Karl Jenkins is making another appearance at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Armistice Sunday (9th November) with his award winning piece - 'The Armed Man' .
We are really struggling for sponsors this year, due to the ‘credit crunch’ and are dependent on people coming along and buying tickets. I urge you to get a group of friends together and book tickets quickly for a spectacular night out for a most worthwhile cause.
Tickets are on sale now from either the Royal Concert Hall’s website - http://www.glasgowconcerthalls.com/whatson/ event/72453 or from the Box Office on Tel: 0141 353 8000. Profits will go directly to build-ing a second TCT Unit at Yorkhill.
Wondering about transport to the concert? John Delaney will be organising a coach from Loch-winnoch. To book a seat on the coach, contact John asap on Tel: 01505 844801 or by e-mail at: [email protected]
WHAT A STAR !
Well done to Mrs Gurjit Lally, who ran in the Great Scottish Run (half marathon) in September to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust. To date, Mrs Lally has raised
£1,074.43 for TCT and she would like to thank all her customers at the Keystore for their very generous sponsorship and support.
Champagne Tea And Fashion Show
On Sunday 26th October 2008
at Mar Hall Hotel, Earl of Mar Estate,
Bishopton. Champagne Reception at 3pm
Followed by Afternoon Tea and Fashion Show, starting at 4pm.
National Youth Choir of Scotland (Chorusmaster Christopher Bell)
Conducted by Karl Jenkins Elizabeth McCormack Mezzo Soprano Programme includes Rodrigo ‘Concierto de Aranjues’ Ian Watt Guitar Peter Cynfryn Jones Conductor November 9th 2008 7.30pm Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Tickets £27, £22, £17.50 Box Office 0141 353 8000
Teenage Cancer Trust
Des and John would like to thank everyone, once again, for their donations and support in enabling us to raise the grand sum of £6,938 to date, from our West Highland Way walk for TCT. There are still a few out- standing Lochwinnoch pledges, so please get in touch (see next column for John’s details) or visit the website, which will remain open for a further 2 weeks - www.justgiving.com/johndelaneytct By the time the charity collects the Gift Aid tax relief from HMRC, the total should reach £8,000.
Lochwinnoch Library
Why buy
when you can borrow? New books have now arrived at Loch-winnoch Library. Here’s a sample of some of the new titles added to library stock. Scattered Leaves by Virginia Andrews When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson Land of Summer by Charlotte Bingham Hold Tight by Harlan Coben Broken Window by Jeffrey Deaver Final Breath by John Francome Remember Me? By Sophie Kinsella Gypsy by Lesley Pearse Sail by James Patterson
Renew and Reserve at
www.renfrewshwire.gov.uk/libraries
Library members can view, renew and reserve their library loans online. All you need to get started is your library membership number and a password. If you don’t have a password just ask at any library.
“Your Village” Want to find out more?
Why not browse through our collection of local photographs and step into a very different
world that was … Lochwinnoch.
ADVICE WORKS Tuesdays 10am –12.30pm
Advisors are on hand to help fill in claim forms, check and advise on welfare benefits/money problems. Advisors can provide expert advice on a wide range of debt related topics, such as credit card, mort- gage arrears, council tax, etc. The service is FREE, confidential and open to all Renfrewshire residents.
LIBRARY OPENING HOURS : Monday, Wednesday and Friday:
2pm–5pm & 6pm–8pm Tuesday and Saturday:
10am–1pm & 2pm–5pm Closed Thursday.
Tel: 01505 842305
Lochwinnoch Historical Society
We started our 2008-09 session with speaker, Colin Campbell, who talked about his book “Can’t shoot a man with a cold”.
The main purpose of Colin’s talk was to give wider recogni-tion to the poetry of Lt. E. Alan Mackintosh MC, attached to No. 4 company of the 4th Sea-forth Highlanders, and who died on 4th December 1917 during the battle of Cambrai, at the age of 24.
The story of this young soldier’s life and especially the reading of a number of his poems was at times emotional, telling of the dedication of Alan Macintosh to his duty as a soldier and the sacrifice of millions of others, who “for your tomorrow, we gave up our today”. Colin’s book was available at the meeting and should anyone be interested in buying a copy, please phone me for his details. Our next meeting is on Thurs-day 16th October at 7.30pm in the Guild Room of the Parish Church. Our speaker that eve-ning will be Joy Blair, whose talk is entitled - “The Crums of Thornliebank”.
Annual Membership is still £8 and an evening visit is £2, which includes tea and biscuits. For further information, please contact Gordon Nicholl on Tel: 01505 842632.
Lochwinnoch Fairtrade Group
We’re well on the way to putting in our application to have Lochwinnoch awarded ‘Fairtrade Village’ status. To get this award we have to show that folk in and around the village have a good awareness of the Fair-trade principles to make sure that people get a fair wage for their la-bours in producing foods like tea, coffee, fruits and so on. We have to show that a reasonable number of households within the village buy Fairtrade products. IF you haven’t signed up as a Fair-trade Supporter, then there are forms for you to sign on the display board at the Junction. We need as many supporters as possible in the next few months to help with our application. We have to show that a reasonable number of retail outlets stock Fair-trade products. We have already persuaded a number of local busi-nesses to use Fairtrade products. Everyone could use Fairtrade tea/coffee/biscuits at work. We hope we’ve got enough going in this village to get us through the ap-plication process. BUT we want more local people to start choosing Fairtrade products. The more this happens ,the more support goes to poor parts of the world. A propor-tion of Fairtrade income goes to-wards improving social provision in poor areas such as health and educa-tion support. IF you need more in-formation, then there’s material on the notice board in the Junction.
“Yoga is for weirdos, women and wimps…”
Yoga silences the body. Meditation silences the mind.
Far from being a wimp, you gain more self-respect. People do yoga because it makes them feel good. However stiff you are, you will get more supple. Yoga was in India as long as 5,000 years ago. The word yoga means experiencing oneness. With prac-tice, we awaken to the fact that body and mind are one. Then you can experience being connected with everything in Crea-tion. This feels very refreshing. I often hear “I’m stressed out and can’t get my head together.” How can any of us get our heads to-gether when our bodies are full of physical tension – or when we sleep badly because our heads keep racing and the body gets more and more wound up. Many people go to a gym to de-stress. Sometimes this does not help enough. Weights and gym are great for getting fitter but they don’t always relax or heal the body. Yoga can heal and relax you at a deeper level.
5 Church Street, Lochwinnoch Tel: 01505 842047
Setanta Live Football - 50” Plasma screen Beer Garden Open - Families welcome.
Every Wednesday 7.30pm - TEXAS HOLDEM POKER LEAGUE - FREE to play!
Every Tuesday - FREE POOL/DARTS
Saturday 4th October Paisley Gazette POPSTAR KARAOKE NIGHT
(entry forms from the bar)
Saturday 11th October CURRYOKE
£5 per ticket - price includes Starter, Main Course and Karaoke. (tickets available from the Garthland Arms)
Saturday 18th October LIVE BAND - GAMBLE, GAMBLE and DREVER
Friday 31st October HALLOWE’EN PARTY DISCO
FREE cocktail to all fancy dress party goers - Prize for best cos-
Breathing practice helps calm the nervous system, helps purify cells in the body and helps to ease depression.
Meditation is not easy…..but it is simple! Sitting in silence brings automatic effects.
A class consists of warm ups, posture work, breathing practice, deep relaxation and a short medi-tation. Wear loose clothing, bring mats, blanket and cushion.
Mary moved to Lochwinnoch in March ‘08 and is delighted to en-joy such beautiful walks from her doorstep. She has spent the last 22 years in Houston & Bridge of Weir but you would not know it from her accent!
Bankside Stables is a family run livery yard, approved by the British Horse Society,
with 24/7 supervision. Full-time, Part-time and Assisted Livery at DIY
rates offered.
For further details, please contact John Logan Tel: 01505 685371 Mob: 07990 501240
KA25 7LQ Just opposite the Golf Course on the Largs Road.
Sky at Night Lochwinnoch October 2008
This Month’s constellation is actually three. The Summer Triangle can be seen high in the west above the Village and is formed by Cygnus, the Swan; Lyra, the harp which contains the 5th brightest star Vega; and Aquila, the Eagle. Cygnus is the largest and does appear as a swan in flight with the head lower-most and the wings outstretched. Lyra is to the right and Aquila below. From the Village you can also make out the Milky Way, which aligns with the body and neck making it easy to find. Autumn heralds the return of Orion which rises over the Braes by midnight. The Orionid meteor reaches its peak about 1.30am on 21st October. The shower radi-ates from the top left of Orion. You may see meteors for a few days either side of the peak but the moonlight may interfere. The Moon is Full on 14th October and New on 28th October. Jupiter is still visible in the evening over Beith setting over Glenlora.
This and much more will be found on the Village website www.lochwinnoch.info
Coats Observatory Viewing Nights These start again on Tuesday 28th October 2008. Public viewing nights are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6.30pm-9pm. Night viewings are weather dependent and cannot take place in rain, high wind or on cloudy nights. Phone the Observatory, in advance, on 0141 889 2013 to check that viewings are taking place.
Tell us your thoughts on Parkhill Wood
Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park is looking to draw up a plan for the management of Parkhill Wood to guide work over the com-ing years. The objective is to improve the wood for wildlife and for visitors.
We shall be considering aspects such as: • Enhancing the biodiversity, including control of non-native species • Access within the wood • Recreational opportunities • Restoration of historical features
We are keen to involve the Lochwinnoch community in this project and would very much like to hear people’s ideas and opinions on the current state of the woods and their aspirations for the future. Our consultations will take several forms so there are many ways to contribute to the discussion.
Accordingly, a guided walk with Rangers will be held on Saturday 11th October. Meet at Castle Semple Centre at 13.45pm. More information is given below and another walk will take place in February 2009.
Additionally, we are hosting an indoor consultation session on Thursday 6th November at 7.30pm at Castle Semple Visitor Centre. Tea and coffee will be served. All are invited.
Remember the Fifty Passages?
Autumnal walk to Courtshaw Hill and Parkhill Woods Saturday 11th October 2008
This Ranger-led walk, leaving Castle Semple centre at 13.45 to Parkhill Wood, is one with a difference. It will be the first of several seasonal trips to the area over the next year. The term ‘the fifty passages’ was used by children of Lochwinnoch to describe the remnants of the maze on Courtshaw Hill. The walk will be a gentle Saturday afternoon stroll, giving walkers the chance to familiarise themselves with the area and its history and taking about 2 hours. The Park management are seeking some community input into future plans for the wood, which might involve looking at how the park might maintain aspects of the designed landscape, and this walk is the start of this process, allowing a two-way com-munication. We are looking to maintain and improve the bio-diversity of the woodland and its potential for further leisure use - both active and passive, so the greater the number who join the walks the more ideas may be generated. Whatever your interest, the walk promises to be a lovely after-noon out.
The Sempills were also involved in a fierce family feud with the Cuning-hames of Craigends, near Houston, around that time. They were impli-cated in the murder of William Cun-ninghame, the Laird of Craigends, who was waylaid in the grounds of HIS estate in 1533 and brutally murdered by the Sempills and their accomplices.
Also, on a hillside overlooking Castle Semple Loch, is the site of a battle at Muirdykes Mount involving the Scot-tish Covenanters and the dragoons of King James VII and II on June 18, 1688. Several men were killed during the conflict.
During my time as a ranger at the country park, a sword and some bul-lets dating from that era were discov-ered when a field was being drained near Castle Semple Loch. The finds were dated to the 17th century Cove-nanting period.
Archaeologists and historians believed they could have belonged to a soldier fleeing from the Battle of Muidykes and who drowned in the marshes. Some scholars even think that the skeleton of the soldier and his horse could still be lying buried in the murky depths of the loch to this very day.
Lord Sempill, William Cuninghame and the Battle of Muirdykes fugitive all have one thing in common. They suf-fered violent deaths.
So, could the faceless horseman wan-dering the Lochwinnoch countryside be the restless spirit of one of these three victims of Man's inhumanity to Man - his face crushed beyond recog-nition by a weapon, or weapons, during a fierce feud many centuries ago?
Returned from the grave, galloping through the gates of death and riding eternally across Renfrewshire's broad acres as he once did in days gone by?
The grey horse's flowing mane bris-tled menacingly. The sinister steed and its ghostly rider emerged from the darkness like diabolic demons from the infernal regions. As the bus approached the phantom fig-ures, Helen looked apprehensively at the fearsome visitants and was about to toot her horn to warn them of her approach. Then she recoiled in horror.
BECAUSE, AS THE APPARITION TURNED ROUND AND LOOKED TO-WARDS HER, HELEN SAW THE HIDEOUS HORSEMAN DID NOT HAVE A FACE. THERE WAS JUST A BLACK, GAPING HOLE BENEATH HIS HAT AND COAT COLLAR. "Did you see that?" she yelled in fear at her passengers as the bus drove past the gruesome spectre. But they shook their heads. No one, except her, had noticed the phantom on horseback.
Not long afterwards, Helen gave up bus-driving. She could not banish the dreadful vision of the faceless phantom from her mind. The last I heard of her several years ago, she was working in a supermarket.
In the cold light of day, it is easy to mock ghostly presences in lonely locations and dismiss them as fig-ments of the imagination. Yet, as one immersed in the history, folklore and legend of the area, I was aware that other people had claimed to see similar apparitions in the countryside around Lochwinnoch.
I was also aware that several people had died violently in the area hun-dreds of years ago. Among them was the First Lord Sempill, who built the historic Collegiate Church on the shores of Castle Semple Loch in the early 16th century. He was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.
THE GHOSTLY HORSEMAN by Derek Parker
It was a wet winter night as bus driver Helen Leitch drove her coach along the narrow country road between Lochwinnoch and Howwood. Howling wind moaned eerily through the leafless trees with their skeletal branches. Torrential rain cascading furiously on to the road was resplen-dently reflected in the bright glare of the bus headlamps. All around, the pitch-black countryside was veiled with night's sable shroud. It was a landscape with which I could easily identify. As a countryisde ranger at Muirshiel Country Park and the Barnbrock campsite high in the hills above Lochwinnoch I cycled that way every morning and night on my way to work at all times of the day and night. The 'back road,' as it is known locally, was especially spectral between the North Gates entrance to Castle Sem-ple small-holdings and Markethill Dairy about half-a-mile farther up the steep hill.
So, when Helen called in at the Muir-shiel visitor centre and told me her story, I could understand the terrify-ing emotions engendered by her dra-matic experience that dark night. She told me how glad she was that there were a few people on the bus. Its lights glistened reassuringly like beacons in the darkness. As the coach approached the bend in the road at the North Gates, Helen reduced her speed.
Suddenly, she was aware of a sharp drop in the temperature. As the chiil intensified, she looked to see if the cabin window was open. But it was closed. Peering through the gloomy night and driving rain, she noticed a shadowy figure lurking menacingly beneath an overhanging tree.
It was a man on horseback. But there was something scary about the eerie apparition. The man wore a long black coat, dark trousers, knee-length boots and a dark, broad-brimmed hat. He was like someone from another epoch in history.
SPECIAL OFFER ON MEAT EVERY WEEK NEW DISCOUNTED MEAT PACKS - AVAILABLE IN VARIOUS SIZES
SEASONAL GAME - PARTRIDGE, PHEASANT, WILD RABBIT AND VENISON AVAILABLE SOON
Don’t forget to visit our stall at the Lochwinnoch Christmas Farmers’ Market at Castle Semple Loch on Sunday 7th December 2008.
39 High Street, Lochwinnoch PA12 4AB Tel: 01505 844941
SHOP OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
RSPB LOCHWINNOCH
NEWS
Photography Competition WINNERS !
The votes are in, they have been counted and verified and the winning entries from each category are as follows: BIRDS 1st place - Heron in Flight by Robert Beattie 2nd place - Goldfinch by Marie Crum 3rd place - Thirsty Duck by Raymond Watson WILDLIFE 1st place - Grey Squirrel by William Blair 2nd place - Common Blue Damselfly by John Alexander 3rd place - Looking for Lunch Too by Shirley Adamson PEOPLE 1st place - Toddler and Tiddler by Catherine Frew 2nd place - I Spy by Raymond Watson 3rd place - Enjoying Art by Zul Bhatia LANDSCAPE 1st place - After the Rain by Robert Beattie 2nd place - Barr Loch from Path by Daniel Ferguson 3rd place - Pond View by Douglas McKnight UNDER 15’s 1st place - Grasshopper in Grass 2nd place - Swan Drying Wings 3rd place - Blue Tit and Friend Congratulations to the winners and many thanks to all of this year’s par-ticipants. A full list of each participant’s placing in the competition is available on re-quest to the RSPB Centre. Prizes were awarded for first and sec-ond place, with certificates for 3rd placed entries.
ROLLERSTROLL Everybody’s doing it! Whether it’s the Pari-Roller Friday night 25 km skate around the streets of Paris or the London Sunday Stroll and the London Friday Night Skate, people are taking to skating in their thousands across European cities.
Nearer to home, over the summer months, skaters have been taking part in a relaxed, informal skate along the cyclepaths of Lochwinnoch on Wednesday evenings. This event is aimed at new skaters who have taken lessons or have previously skated and can manage the basics of stopping to cope with the en-try and exit hill next to Castle Semple Centre. The stroll is a slow pace and allows time for everyone to catch up. Lessons are recommended for first-time beginners, the event is free, skaters take part at their own risk and juniors must wear safety pads and a helmet. From October, the Lochwinnoch Rollerstroll will switch to Sunday mornings, starting at the Castle Semple Centre car park at 11am, weather permitting.
If you would like to take part in the Lochwinnoch Rollerstroll or if you would like more information about lessons,
contact Instructor Don Morton (ICP certified) on 07733 276 902.
NAME ………………………………. (Block Capitals please) FULL ADDRESS (for deliveries) ………………………………. ………………………………. ………………………………. POSTCODE ……………….. Contact number (in case of queries) - Tel: ……………………………....
CHATTERBOX SPECIAL DELIVERY
One of our readers has written in to us with a great suggestion to make Chatterbox more accessible to those village residents who are not able, personally, to collect a copy of Chatterbox from the various outlets around the village and visitor centres. We know that some of our readers are unable to negotiate the steep hills in the village and/or perhaps live alone and would like to keep up-to-date with village life and local news and depend on friends, family or neighbours to deliver Chatterbox to their homes. If you fall into this category and you would like to have a copy of future issues of Chatterbox delivered to your door by our volunteers, please com-plete the coupon below, cut it out (after you have finished reading Chat-terbox, of course!) and either hand it in or have a friend or neighbour hand-deliver it to the Chatterbox Drop Box in Lochwinnoch Library for our col-lection. Chatterbox is a free publication and we are not in a position to post copies out to readers. For those living further afield, Chatterbox is also available in electronic form on the Lochwinnoch village website, at - www.lochwinnoch.info/chatterbox
RSPB LOCHWINNOCH
EVENTS
Fright Night Friday 31st October
6pm to 9pm (walks every 30 minutes)
Join us for a spooky walk through the woodland, meeting lots of creepy characters.
Please book in advance. £2 for RSPB members and 50p for Wildlife Explorer members. £4 for adults/£2 for children for non-members.
Twilight Talks 2008
Don’t miss our evening events with a twist during the remainder of
2008.
Shopping and a movie Tuesday 11th November 5pm-9pm
(film show time 7.30-9pm)
Browse for Christmas presents and join us for our film show, starring “The Flying Dustbin - a portrait of
the fulmar”.
Serengeti National Park Tuesday 16th December 7.30-9pm
Reserve Manager, Zul Bhatia, gives us his yearly talk about the wildlife of the Serengeti. Please book in advance for all evening events. £2 for RSPB mem-bers, £4 for non-RSPB members.
Tel: 01505 842663
NEW ! Subscribe to the
Lochwinnoch Blog!
For weekly updates about what is happening at the reserve, visit:
Here are further details on some of our October events.
Young Volunteers
Taster Day Saturday 4th October 11am-4pm
Do you have kids between the ages of 12 and 18? Do they want to become more involved with conservation and the work of the RSPB? Live local to Lochwinnoch?
Then why not come along to the RSPB Lochwinnoch’s Young Volun-teers Taster Day to find out more. Please book in advance at the RSPB Centre or phone us on: 01505 842663.
Wildlife question time Tuesday 7th October
7.30pm - 9pm
Join us for a discussion about wildlife, chaired by a variety of local natural history experts. Please book in ad-vance, submit your questions before-hand and come along to find out the answers.
Build a Bug a Home ! Friday 17th October
Three sessions available:-
10am—11am, 11.30 - 12.30pm and
1pm - 2pm Please book in advance.
All children must be accompanied by an adult. Waterproofs and wellies recommended.
Feed the Birds Day! Sunday 26th October
11am to 4pm at the RSPB Centre
Join in with lots of activities to help feed the birds. Pick up tips and infor-mation on looking after the birds over the winter.
FREE EVENT
For All Your Garage Door Needs Garage Doors . Remote Control Openers
The Cross, Lochwinnoch PA12 4DB (10 mins from Glasgow Airport on A737)
News & Events at RSPB, Muirshiel,
Cornalees & Castle Semple Centres
• Slinky Strollers - Thursday morning walks, starting at 10.30am from Castle Semple Centre.
• Roller Stroll. Starting at 11am on Sunday mornings, weather per-mitting. A relaxed, informal skate along the cyclepath. See inside for details.
• Saturday 4th October - Young Volunteers Taster Day. From 11am to 4pm at the RSPB Centre. See inside for how to book.
• Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October. Adult Dinghy Sailing Seamanship Course - teaching the skills to sail in difficult conditions. To book in advance, Tel: 01505 842882, Ext 20.
• Sunday 5th October - Seeds and their Needs. Help harvest wild seeds around the Nature Trail at Cornalees Centre, 1pm-3pm.
• Tuesday 7th October - Wildlife Question Time from 7.30-9pm at the RSPB Reserve.
• Saturday 11th October - Chameleon Club workshop mak-ing clay pots at RSPB Centre. Fur-ther details inside Chatterbox or contact, Tel: 01505 842663.
• Saturday 11th October - Remember the fifty passages? Two hour, Ranger-led, autumn walk in Parkhill Wood, visiting the old maze at Courtshaw Hill. The walk starts at 1.45pm from Castle Semple Centre - see inside for more details.
• Saturday 11th to Sunday 19th October - Lochwinnoch Wild-square Week. Adopt your own patch throughout the week. More details from the RSPB Cen-tre or visit - www.rspb.org.uk/wildsquare
VISITOR CENTRES OPENING HOURS AND CONTACT DETAILS
Castle Semple Centre Open daily, 1000-1700 hrs. Winter Opening hours from 4th November - Open daily 1000-1600 hrs. Tel: 01505 842882 Cornalees Centre - Open daily, 1100-1600 hrs from April to October. Open at Weekends only - 10.30am-3pm from Nov ‘08 to March ‘09. (Toilets open daily.) Tel: 01475 521458 Muirshiel Centre - Open daily, 1100-1600 hrs from April to October. Open at Weekends only - 11am-3pm from Nov ‘08 to March ‘09. (Park and toilets open daily.) Tel: 01505 842803 RSPB Reserve - Reserve is open at all times; the Visitor Centre is open daily from 1000-1700 hrs. Tel: 01505 842663.
• Saturday 11th to Monday 20th October - October Fest. Autumn Air on bikes, in boats or on foot. Come and enjoy the autumn colours, hire a bike or a boat at Castle Semple Centre. Running daily from 11am-3pm, or until poor weather stops play!
• Sunday 12th October— Feeding Fun. Join RSPB staff for activities to help birds during winter and get bird feeding ad-vice. At Castle Semple Centre from 12 noon to 3pm.
• Friday 17th October - Build a Bug a Home, courses at the RSPB Centre. To book in advance, Tel: 01505 842663.
• Sunday 26th October - Feed the Birds Day from 11am - 4pm at the RSPB Centre. Join in with lots of different activities to help feed the birds during winter and see demonstrations of bird care equipment.
• Wednesday 29th October - Conservation Volunteer Session at Muirshiel Centre from 1pm. Enjoy some healthy outdoor work, keep fit and help nature. Gloves and equipment provided.
Chatterbox is produced monthly for the Community Council of Lochwin-noch through financial assistance from local sponsors and advertisers.
The editor welcomes all items for possible inclusion but will reserve all rights over them. All views are of individuals. The editor accepts no liability for errors.
• Friday 31st October - Fright Night. Meet creepy characters in the RSPB Reserve’s spooky woods. To book and pay in advance, see inside for details.
• Sunday 2nd November - Craft Fair organised by the Re-gional Park. This event brings together local craft producers and runs from 11am to 3.30pm at Cas-tle Semple Centre.
• Thursday 6th November - Tell us your thoughts on Parkhill Wood. Come along to our consul-tation at 7.30pm at Castle Semple Visitor Centre.
• Sunday 9th November Hen harrier talk - Muirshiel Wild-life. An afternoon presentation about the hen harrier and the spe-cial landscape protection in place to safeguard the moors where it hunts and breeds. Includes CCTV footage of this year’s hen harrier family. From 2pm at Muirshiel Centre. Tel: 01505 842803.
INTERESTED IN FUNGI ?
There’s a small display about fungi in Castle Semple Visitor Centre.
