Nuisance Helpline
Anti-Social Behaviour
Noise problems
CHATTERBOX
Support and Advice
Every day 9am – 10pm
Tel: 0800 169 1283
Community newsletter produced by lochwinnoch publicity committee for lochwinnoch cc
What’s On
• Advice Works - Tuesdays 10am
-12.30, Lochwinnoch Library. *
• Kickjitsu for Kids - Monday
nights, Parish Church Hall.
• Kickjitsu for Adults - Mon-
day nights, 7pm, McKillop Hall.
• Tai Chi for Beginners -
Friday nights, 6.45-7.45pm, The
Room, Lochwinnoch Library.
• Yoga Classes - Wednesday
nights, 7.30pm McKillop Hall.
• Morag’s Keep Fit
Mondays and Thursdays from
7pm, McKillop Hall.
• Lochwinnoch Community
Walks - Mondays (ex. Public
Holidays), 10.30 am at The Cross.
• Slinky Strollers - parent and
pushchair walks every Thursday at
10.30am, Castle Semple Centre.
• NEW - Meditation/Creativity
Classes and Creativity Work-
shops - details inside. *
• 5th, 19th and 26th June
Jazz at the Junction with
Richard Mulhearn & Friends. *
• Saturday 7th June - Coun-
cilor Neil Bibby’s Surgery, from
9am at the McKillop Institute.
• 10th, 17th and 24th June -
Senior’s Forum Tea Bar from
10am—2pm, McKillop Institute.
MATTHEW NEW & SONS
ROOFING - ROUGHCASTING -
Emergency Repairs, Storm Damage
Insurance Work, New Roofs, Flat Roofs
Roughcasting –UPVC Cladding—Guttering
Tel No 01505 843400
FMB Certificate No 26366
No 174 June 2008
www.lochwinnoch.info
• Tuesday 10th June -
Wednesday 25th June
Wind Farm Public Local In-
quiry at Radio City, Kilbirnie
- daily from 10am to 4pm
(details inside). *
• Wednesday 11th June -
Lochwinnoch Playgroup En-
rolment Evening at 7.30pm at
McKillop Institute. *
• Friday 13th June -
TCT 2008 ‘Not the Booze Cruise’
Tickets on sale now. *
• Saturday 14th June -
Lochwinnoch Open Race *
and
Lochwinnoch Gala Day *
• Saturday 21st June
Councillor Arthur’s Surgery from
11.30am at the McKillop Insti-
tute. *
• Thursday 26th June -
Lochwinnoch Elderly Forum
meeting at 1pm, the McKillop
Institute. *
• Tuesday 1st July—
Lochwinnoch Community Coun-
cil meeting at 7.30pm, Guild
Room, Parish Church. *
• Friday 4th July - Psychic
Night at Lochwinnoch Bowling
Club at 7.30pm. *
BUILDING MAINTENANCE
ASIST
Anti-Social Investigation
Team
Office 8:45am – 4:45pm
Ask for David McLaren or
Barrie Anderson
Tel: 01505 325 030
• Saturday 5th July
Councillor Bibby’s Surgery, from
9am at the McKillop Institute. *
• Friday 18th July - Cream Tea,
Lochwinnoch Parish Church. *
• Sunday 20th July -
Gardens Open Day all over
Lochwinnoch - details inside. *
* See inside for more details
on these and other events.
VILLAGE EVENT
PLANNER
Lochwinnoch Post Office has a wall-
mounted calendar, where members of
the public can enter details of forth-
coming events.
Please use this calendar to avoid any
clashes when planning dates of events
and, of course, to help publicise your
events within the village.
TEENAGE CANCER TRUST
APPEAL FOR HELP
Yes, it's that time of year again.
We are looking for donations of
unwanted or surplus gifts, etc for
prizes for the Teenage Cancer
Trust Not the Booze Cruise On-
board Raffle on Friday 13th June.
If anyone wishes to donate any-
thing, please contact Angela
O'Neill at 63 Lochhead Avenue,
or John Delaney at Calder Lodge,
Newton of Barr.
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:
chatterbox@lochwinnoch.info
To advertise in Chatterbox
Tel: 07899 746403 or e-mail:
chatterboxaccount@btinternet.com
Copy Deadline for JUly ISSUE
IS Friday 27th JUNE 2008

Home and Garden
Maintenance
Landscaping services
01505 683575 OR
07961 934606
Husband and Wife team
Councillor Arthur’s
Report
I’m delighted to announce that agree-
ment has just been reached and, once
again, our Annual Community Foot-
ball Camp will take place at Viewfield
Rovers football ground from Monday
14th to the Friday18th July. The camp
will run over the five mornings from
9:30am to 12:30pm and is open to
children aged 4 years to 12 years in-
clusive and will cost £4 per morning.
This year’s event is in partnership
with Lochwinnoch Space, St.Mirren
Football Club, Viewfield Rovers and
Renfrewshire Council. St.Mirren’s
Fraser Robertson and his coaching
staff will deliver a very professional
programme tailored to meet the needs
of the various age groups.
Application forms will again be dis-
tributed through the school but can
also be obtained by emailing -
FrazerRsnfc@aol.com or by contact-
ing me on Tel: 843507.
It was an honour and a privilege for
me to accept my invitation from the
1st Lochwinnoch Company Girls’
Brigade to carry out their Presentation
of Awards at their Annual display.
As well as a terrific performance of
“Joseph” there were the team games,
which of course had audience partici-
pation. Let’s just say that there’s room
for improvement in my attempts at
dancing! My thanks and congratula-
tions to Captain McKinlay, the
office bearers and all the girls for a
fabulous and most enjoyable eve-
ning’s entertainment.
Another invitation that I was delighted
to take up was the one from Castle
Semple Rowing Club, to attend their
Annual Regatta that took place at the
Castle Semple Centre.
As well as enjoying the racing and
presenting some medals, I was re-
minded of my teenage years where I
spent many a happy day as a mem-
ber of the club, which was founded
back in 1970. Who would have
thought back then that 37 or so years
on the Club would be boasting a
membership of 120, which has a
range from primary school children
through to some substantially older
members.
My attendance at the display and
regatta reminded me that it is the
dedication of volunteers and com-
mitment of the members of all our
clubs and groups that help provide
the foundations and lifeline of our
communities. In return I’m more
than happy to pledge my support to
groups and clubs.
A full house, which included myself,
enjoyed another great evening’s en-
tertainment within the library. This
time round it was laughter all the
way with ‘Harry the Polis’ aka Harry
Morris whose repertoire included a
few short stories, a few funny gags
and a few true to life experiences.
Another successful event by Marga-
ret and the girls.
It was also my pleasure to go along
and support the Calder UF Church
Summer Fete and the Boys Brigade
Jumble Sale.
My Surgery is on the third Saturday
of each month at 11:30am in the
McKillop Hall but there is no need
to wait for a Surgery if you require
my help, you can contact me on
843507 and we can agree a time
when we can meet.
Councillor David Arthur
LOCHWINNOCH
COMMUNITY
COUNCIL
If you want to know more about
what’s going on in your village and
get something done, then come
and join Lochwinnoch Community
Council. Meetings are every
month on the first Tuesday, 7.30 in
the Parish Church hall. Next
meeting is on Tuesday 1st July.
The CC deals with planning mat-
ters, liaises with the police and the
SRANI path group and deals with
the council on matters relating to
roads and pathways. But we could
do more if we had more members!
If you have matters to bring up,
please either attend a meeting,
send a letter to the Secretary at 79
High St or email us at -
cc@lochwinnoch.info
Lochwinnoch
Library
ADVICE WORKS
Tuesdays 10am –12.30pm
Advisors are on hand to help fill in
claim forms, check and advise on
welfare benefits and money problems.
Advisors can provide expert advice on
a wide range of debt related topics,
such as credit card, mortgage arrears,
council tax, etc.
The service is FREE, confidential
and open to all residents of Ren-
frewshire.
LIBRARY OPENING HOURS :
Monday, Wednesday and Friday:
2pm–5pm & 6pm–8pm
Tuesday and Saturday:
10am–1pm & 2pm–5pm
Closed Thursday.
THANK YOU
The grand sum of
£381
was raised at the Spring Fling
Ceilidh for students from
Johnstone High School to visit
Tanzania.
(Next ceilidh is Fall Ball
 PINGAT JASA
MALAYSIA
One of the first conflicts after
World War 2 was the communist-
led insurrection in Singapore and,
what was then called, Malaya. The
uprising began in 1948, effectively
ended in 1960 but with unrest con-
tinuing in some areas until 1966.
The Malayan Emergency, as the
years of terrorist activity are eu-
phemistically known, meant de-
ployment of British troops as colo-
nial rule had prevailed in that area
since 1874. The insurrection was
led by the Malayan Communist
Party which had been courted and
trained by Britain during World
War 2 to fight the Japanese. At the
end of the War a growing sense of
nationalism emerged in Malaya; it
was an uneasy development given
the ethnic make-up of the country.
The Communist Party was largely
made up from ethnic Chinese and
Indian communities but distrusted
by a majority Muslim population.
AILEEN FERGUSON
MSc., FCIPD, MBACP, SMTO
COUNSELLOR & HOLISTIC THERAPIST
LOCHWINNOCH
Counselling (Individuals and couples) Treatments
Depression, Anxiety, Bereavement,
Relationships, Work Issues, Stress,
Trauma, Panic Attacks, etc.
www.aileenferguson.com
01505 843714
Civil unrest led to atrocities and
to the deployment of thousands
of British troops across the pen-
insula.
Over 40 years later those who
served in this difficult guerrilla
war are being honoured by the
Malaysian Government. Why it
has taken so long to present our
troops with a medal commemo-
rating their efforts is hidden in
political machinations and proto-
cols which bemuse us mere
mortals !
But the medals are now being
presented at ceremonies
throughout the UK by the Miltary
Attache from the Malaysian High
Commission in London.
A local man, Gordon Blair, re-
ceived his medal at the ceremony
held in the Dewar Centre in Perth
last month. Gordon was in the
Royal Military Police ( Fifth Dog
Company ) based in the Passar
Panjang Barracks in Singapore
for the duration of his period of
National Service 1960-1962.
He is pictured with his wife,
Janette, shortly after receiving
his medal. The citation
reads “This medal is awarded to
the peace-keeping groups
amongst the communion coun-
tries for distinguished chivalry,
gallantry, sacrifice and loyalty in
upholding the Peninsula of Ma-
laysia sovereignty during the pe-
riod 1957-1966.“
The medal was seen for the first
time at the 2007 Armistice Day
Service in London.
Many congratulations to Gordon
who seems to be the only local
man to receive this honour.
Therapeutic Massage, Hot Stones
Indian Head Massage, Seated Acupressure,
Reiki Master/Teacher.
Vee Bee Sugarart
For all your cake decorating needs
Stockist of Patchwork Cutters,
PME, Tinkertech, Orchard,
FMM and many more.
Cake Stand Hire & Cake Tin Hire
Personalised wedding and
celebration cake decorations available to
suit any occasion!
Come along and see our selection.
Professional or amateur, everyone
is catered for.
Opening hours:
Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri 10am – 4pm
Weds,& Sat 10am – 1pm
Ring Judy on 01505 683689 or visit
19 Main Street (The Cross)
Kilbirnie, Ayrshire
KA25 7BX
Mail Order our speciality.
LOCHWINNOCH
PLAYGROUP
Enrolment Evening
for 2008/2009 session
Wednesday 11th June
at 7.30pm
at the McKillop Institute
There are currently spaces available
for the next session,
starting in August 2008.
Playgroup is held in the McKillop
Hall on Monday, Tuesday &
Wednesday mornings
from 9:30am – 11:30am
Children aged from 6 months
to 2 years are welcome.
Please join us
for wine & nibbles…all parents
are welcome to attend and we
look forward to meeting you.
All children currently enrolled
will be allocated a place and a
start date at the meeting.
 LCD and PLASMA SCREEN INSTALLATIONS
WALL MOUNTS SUPPLIED AND FITTED
REPAIRS DIGITAL UPGRADES MULTIROOM
AERIAL AND SATELLITE FREE ESTIMATES FULLY IN-
SURED

New Website for Local Biodiversity group LOCHWINNOCH

Renfrewshire’s BULB BOWLING CLUB
contributed an article to May
Charity and Voluntary
Chatterbox regarding the Aspen Are having a
Organisations Tree Project, offering FREE Aspen Psychic Night
Trees to good homes.
Renfrewshire Council for Volun- by ‘Second Sight’
tary Services (RCVS) is currently BULB have asked Chatterbox to on
putting together a new online data- Friday 4th July
print a small change to their e-mail
base that will offer free access to at 7.30pm.
information on every charity, address. Correct phone and e-mail
voluntary organisation and com- contact details are given below.
Private Readings available.
munity group in the Renfrewshire For information contact:
Tickets £5, available at
area.
Joe on 07789897325
the Clubhouse, or
To this end, we’re asking for help or e-mail:
phone Margaret on
to make sure no one is accidentally BULBLochwinnoch@hotmail.co.uk Tel: 01505 843013.
missed out. We would like every
charity, voluntary organisation
and community group in Ren-
frewshire to contact us to make LOCHWINNOCH BURDZ
sure they’re included in the data-
base. Well done to the 22 Burds who flew!
It’s completely free for an organi- in the Women’s 10K on Sunday 18th May
sation to be added to the database. to raise money for charity.
Simply contact RCVS’ Information
and Communications Officer,
Gordon Mclean, at -
gordon.mclean@rcvsweb.co.uk to
take advantage of this free public-
ity and make sure everyone in the
area knows about you and what
you can offer.
Full data protection laws will
apply - and be strictly adhered to –
only relevant details like opening
hours, services available, contact
information, etc will be made
available to the general public.

RCVS will be launching this new

online service once we have a com-
prehensive list of local charity and
voluntary organisations. Anyone
with internet access will be able to
use it at no charge.

Many Thanks
I was in hospital recently for an
operation and when I came
home, I was overwhelmed by
the enormous amount of cards,
gifts and flowers I received
from family, friends and people
in our village.
The phone calls and visits from
our locals, their kindness was
really appreciated.
Lochwinnoch has always been
caring - willing to give and will-
ing to help one another and they
just proved that to me and my
family.
So thank you to everyone for all
your kindness. And not forget-
ting our two nurses - Ann and
Jeniffer - who were just great.
Sadie Burns
GARDEN OPEN DAY
No fewer than eight gardens in
Lochwinnoch will be open
to the public on
Sunday 20th July
along with the RSPB Lochwinnoch
wildlife garden.
The gardens are very varied, large
and small, some with rare and ex-
otic plants, others with shrub and
herbaceous borders, as well as a
garden with fruit trees, soft fruit,
and glasshouse.
Starting in Calder Street or the
Main Street, the well known yellow
"Gardens Open" signs will direct
visitors to the gardens and there
will be maps at each site to lo-
cate the others.
The gardens are to be open from
1pm to 5pm and there will be teas
and a plant stall at the Church
Halls in Church Street. The entry
charge of £4 gives access to all
the gardens.
Kilbarchan Chiropody & Integrated
Complementary Health Practice
Our extensive team of specialist practitioners are here to ensure you
get the right care at the right price.
Our fields of expertise include Chiropody, Podiatry, expert Nail Surgery, advice
on all aspects of footcare, Huna energy healing sessions and many more.
Please call 01505 705112 to arrange an appointment
or your free consultation with any of our practitio-
ners.
Teenage Cancer Christian
Trust Scotland Aid Week
11 – 17 May 08
Every year in Scotland 160 teenagers
and young adults, between the ages
of 13 and 24, are told they have That was the week that was!
cancer and many of them face years Lochwinnoch helps empower people in
of treatment and long hospital stays. poor communities and lets them grow a
future.
Our top priority is to build enough
TCT units to provide for every Christian Aid Week was seven amazing
young person in Scotland diagnosed days of fundraising, prayer and action
with cancer. against global poverty. Time, money and
voice were added during this week, and
The first Scottish TCT unit opened have been multiplied to make an impact
in 2007 at the Beatson West of around the world through Christian Aid.
Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow. You added. We multiplied.
It has 6 beds and is for 16 to 24 year
olds with cancer living in the West of
Scotland. The unit has a very wide
LOCHWINNOCH Christian Aid Group
was active in and around the village on
catchment area with patients coming Christian Aid Week – 11th to 17th May.
from as far away as Orkney and The community of Lochwinnoch gave
Dumfries for treatment. generously in their support when the red
envelopes came through their letterboxes.
At the end of this year a 2 bed unit
for 13 to 16 year olds will open at the The total cash collected was £3,313 and
Royal Hospital for Sick Children in
over 150 Gift Aid forms were signed,
Edinburgh for teenagers in the East which will augment the total by a further
of Scotland. £430, giving a magnificent overall total of
We are now appealing for funds to
create a TCT unit at The Royal
£3,743.
Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill Thanks are due to the organising commit-
in Glasgow, to provide for 13 to 16 tee, the wonderful mini army of collectors
year olds with cancer living in Glas- and to everyone in the village who made a
gow and the West of Scotland. contribution.
This unit will have 6 beds and cost
£700,000 to build. We need to raise
Every pound given will help Christian Aid
£350,000 of this total in Scotland,
fund projects throughout the world where
this year, to ensure that this unit can
there is genuine need. We have taken an
be built and open by early 2009.
opportunity to make a difference to the
lives of those blighted by disease, famine
Since the death of their son Andrew
and war.
in 2003, the Delaney family has
fundraised tirelessly to get TCT
Lochwinnoch should be proud to have
units built in Scotland. It seems
only fitting that the TCT Yorkhill Helped empower poor communities to
better their lives.
Unit will be located on the very ward
that Andrew was admitted to back in Thank you
2002. David McCall, Local Organiser

19 YEARS IN BUSINESS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS GO ON AND ON…
UPVC WINDOWS AND DOORS
MAINTENANCE FREE UPVC
FITTED FROM £400.
ROOFLINE AND FULL
WINDOW REPAIR SERVICE
HINGES, LOCKS AND MISTED
AND BROKEN GLASS REPLACED.
JENNY WI’ THE
AIRN TEETH
By Adrian Tharme
On the evening of 23rd Septem-
ber 1954 an extraordinary event
took place in the Hutchesontown
area of Glasgow. According to
the Glasgow newspaper “The
Bulletin”, police had to be called
by residents because hundreds of
children were rampaging through
the streets and climbing the walls
of the Southern Necropolis look-
ing for a monster with iron teeth.
Similar scenes occurred the fol-
lowing evening but then petered
out. In the search for explana-
tions, some blamed a horror
movie which had recently been
shown at a local cinema. Others
focussed on the impact the new
horror comics being imported
from America might be having.
Of local interest, one of the edu-
cationalists who wrote in the
Scottish Educational Journal on
the incident was Norman Buchan
who later became our much ad-
mired constituency MP.
Some researchers followed a line
of inquiry into the incident by
investigating a possible origin in
folklore. They found an article
written in 1902 but referring to
an earlier period which gave de-
tails of a belief then widely held
among Glasgow’s East End chil-
dren. This suggested that an
ogre lived in a house close to
Glasgow Green. The house was
occupied by two spinsters, one of
whom had prominent teeth with
very apparent metallic fixings.
She was dubbed “Jenni wi’ the
airn teeth” by the children.
ESTABLISHED 1989
To further their investigation into
this folklore, the researchers
sought input on any similar, ear-
lier tales. And a strong link to
Lochwinnoch folklore was
brought to their attention by the
then Cathie Robb (now Cathie
Hymers of Lybster) who was one
of the authors of the SWRI’s
“History of Lochwinnoch” pub-
lished in 1966.
Tradition in the village had it that
any misbehaviour by children
was threatened with the warning
that “Jenni wi’ the airn teeth will
get you”. And this “parents’
bogeyman” derived from old
Lochenyochian folklore, The
Legend of Ringan Semple.
Ringan Semple was the keeper of
the Peel Castle (the ruin still visi-
ble across the loch from Castle
Semple Visitor Centre) and was,
by reputation, a warlock. In the
Legend, he is described as a
“camsheuch and capernoytit carl,
and seildon made his compei-
rance afore frem folk “. He was
in league with others
“Wha wonnit in the lochsyde
heuch” and principle of these was
“Jenni wi’ the airn teeth”.
Updated research into the possi-
ble folklore basis of the Glasgow
incident was carried out in 1978
by the Department of Social
Studies at the Paisley College of
Technology and in 1985 for the
International Conference on Con-
temporary Legend held in Shef-
field. Other “iron teeth” charac-
ters were reviewed at this Confer-
ence and included Baba Yoga,
Tante Arie and Tom Dockin from
the folklore of Russia, Juras, and
Yorkshire respectively.
OUR PROdUCTS ARE
INSTALLED IN OVER ONE
HUNDRED LOCHWINNOCH
HOUSEHOLDS.
Contact - PETER McGARVEY
Tel: 01505 614654
However none of these predated
the mention of “Jennie wi’ the
airn teeth” in the Lochwinnoch
legend which originated around
the time the “dingan doun” of
the Peel castle in 1735.
We are fortunate to have a copy
of this legend in the original local
dialect form of old Scots with a
translation kindly produced by
Gordon Walkinshaw. These,
along with the academic papers
mentioned above, are available to
view in the archives held in the
Community Library.
The copy of the Legend and much
of the background to this article
were provided by Cathie Hymers.
Many thanks, Cathie. You are still
a real Lochenyochian gem !
MEDITATION AND
CREATIVITY
CLASSES
Meditation/ Creativity Class
Thursday nights,
5th & 19th June, 6:30-8:30pm.
Creativity Workshops
14th June, 6th July and
2nd August from 9:30am -
1:30pm, including lunch.
◊ Meditation ◊ Visualisation ◊
◊ Sharing ◊ Creative Project ◊
◊ Ceremony ◊
Come and have some fun and
nourish your creative self.
Call Libby for details on
Tel: 01505 842604.
Saturday 14th June 2008
GALA DAY is getting nearer and pre-
parations are almost complete for a
bright and very colourful day.
The Carnival parade will assemble at
Auld Simon at 12.00 noon and leave
for the park at 12.30pm. We are
delighted to introduce Lochwinnoch's
own Samba Band ' LOCHYBOOM'.
They will be on hand to provide us
with live music.
' The Tug of War ' looks like being a
big attraction. There's still time to
register your team by contacting ' Jud '
on 0784 6030641.
Ducks will be for sale for the Duck
Race on the day at £1.00 each.
Childrens’ Craft Competition.
Application forms are available from
Penman's Pharmacy. The winner will
be presented with the 'Penman Cup'.
The Gala Committee Bottle Stall are
raffling a gallon bottle of whisky as
well as running the bottle stall.
Look out for our fire eater! Also jug-
gling, uni-cycling and stiltwalking.
New attractions for the children this
year include a magic show.
We hope you will support this com-
munity event once again.
Come and have a great day out! The
lucky programmes are still priced at
£1.00 and should now be for sale in
the usual outlets.
Remember....Do not throw your pro-
gramme away as it may contain the
lucky number. You could be jetting
off to Santa Ponsa !
Is there a kind hearted person out
there who could lend us a generator
for the day? It would be very much
appreciated. If so, please contact
Christine on 0781 5087794.
Help also required to assist in putting
up marquees on the day. An early
start is required. Contact Christine at
the above number if you can help.
That's all for now except to say that
the Gala Committee hope that every-
one enjoys the day and has a great
time.
1st Lochwinnoch Company,
The Boys’ Brigade
26th running
Of
LOCHWINNOCH
OPEN RACE
at 2.15pm
on
Saturday 14th June
The race was first run in 1983 as part
of the Boys’ Brigade Centenary cele-
brations and was held on the 3rd
Saturday in June - at the request of
St Joseph’s College, to avoid clashing
with their fete. The race has always
been staged on that Saturday right
through to the present day.
Registration - Lochwinnoch Par-
ish Church,
Race starts at 2.15pm in Calder
Street, Lochwinnoch,
Distance 6 miles for adults and
4.1 miles for youths (under 16s),
Route - Calder Street, past
McKillop Institute, Bridgend,
Burnfoot, Golf Clubhouse, Corse-
field Road, Glenlora, Gavelmoss,
West Hills, turning before the
A760 and re-tracing the route to
Calder Street for the finish.
Medals awarded for 1st local in
each category.
For more information,
contact Murray Lawrie on
Tel: 0141 887 8791.
Harry Morris,
aka
‘Harry The Polis’
entertained a large
audience at Loch-
winnoch Library last
month, with stories,
‘truths’ and ‘half-
truths’ from his time
as a police officer.
At the end of the evening, Harry
summed up the more serious side of
what it takes to be a police officer
and has given Chatterbox permission
to reproduce the poem he recited on
the night. Thought provoking.
I’m just a Man like you.
I have been where you fear to be
I have seen what you fear to see
I have done what you fear to do
All these things, I have done for you
I am the man you lean upon
The man you cast your scorn upon
The man you bring your troubles to
All these men, I have been to you
The man you ask to stand apart
The man you feel should have no heart
The man you call the man in blue
But I’m just a man, just like you
And through the years, I’ve come to see
That I’m not what you ask of me
So take these handcuffs and this baton
Will you take it? Will anyone?
And when you watch a person die
And hear a battered baby cry
Then do you think, that you can be
All these things that you ask of me?
I’m just a man like you!
LW
LOCHWNNOCH
WRITERS
THE WRITERS MEET
IN THE LIBRARY, HIGH STREET ,
ON MONDAYS 9.30-11.30AM.
This month, the first of a two-part story set in
the village..all characters fictional of course!
Mainly but not exclusively for children.
SPINNER THE SPIDER, THE
GUARDIAN OF THE LOCK
by Ronnie McCorrisken
S pinner was a spider who lived in a
door-lock in Burnhead House, an
old cottage in Lochwinnoch.
Generations of Spinner’s family had lived
there for hundreds of years since the
property had been built, usually ignored
by the human inhabitants of the house.
The owner of the house during Spinner’s
period of occupation was Rory, who lived
there and also ran a little Bed and
Breakfast. People came from all over the
world, and the guests at that time were
the Merrycan family. It was a very
friendly, happy place and his young son
Struan enjoyed helping out during the
school summer holidays.
There was a kitchen garden, beautifully
cultivated by Struan’s friends Matthew
and Alexander, along with their parents,
Jon and Helen Knight. One day, Struan
and Rory wanted to dig up some
vegetables, so they went to the side door
of the house. It was a ‘stable door’ which
could be opened in two parts, top and
bottom. Struan gently pulled the top part
open. As usual, there was Spinner the
Spider, who froze for a moment, looked at
Struan, then scampered sideways into the
dark recesses of the door lock.
Struan leaned over and said ‘Good
Morning, Spinner’ , for that was the name
he thought would most suit him, into the
spider’s hiding place. The shy spider
reminded Rory and Struan of the time
when Scotland’s king was inspired by the
sheer determination of a similar little
fellow.
Struan said, ‘Dad, do you think Spinner
could be a relative of the very spider that
encouraged Robert the Bruce?’
Rory laughed and said ‘I’d like to think
so! Now, stop ‘spinning’ out the time and
start digging! I’ve promised the
Merrycans some delicious soup, and I
can’t make it unless you help me gather
the vegetables.’
The people of Lochwinnoch usually
lived in harmony, but further up the hill,
even with beautiful and relaxing views of
the loch, village life was not as peaceful
as it once had been. A new family, the
McSluggers from nearby Millingtown, had
been temporarily given a house here
because their last house had been
damaged by fire ‘in mysterious
circumstances’. The members of this
family were, shall we say, less than
popular with their new neighbours, due to
their selfishness and noisiness. Bob and
Eve McSlugger and their disruptive brat of
a son, Shuggie, made their neighbours
wish that they would move on again soon.
One day, while Rory and Struan were
away fishing at the loch, Shuggie
McSlugger pushed open the creaky old
black iron garden gate that led into
Burnhead House.
T he old gate groaned on its ancient
hinges and the spooky sound made
Shuggie shiver! He sneaked round
the house looking in the windows. He had
seen an old film on TV about cat burglars
and thought he would try it out! He stood
on an old sandstone block to peer into the
dark interior. Standing on tip-toe, holding
on to the window sill with his left hand and
shading his eyes with his right, he
squashed his forehead, nose and right
eye up against the window pane. As he
did so he bumped the glass slightly.
On the other side of the glass, only an
inch away from Shuggie’s face, Spinner
the Spider was dozing peacefully. He
was sunning himself in a kind of spidery
hammock he had woven, suspended from
the corners of the window frame and
rocking gently in the cooling breeze
coming through the air vent. Sudddenly
he was rudely awakened by what seemed
to him to be a tremendous THUMP!
When he opened his sleepy spidery
eyes, the squashed and distorted face of
Shuggie McSlugger was flattened against
the glass like the underside of a flounder!
(This was a flat fish his grandfather had
told him about once, after coming back
from an accidental trip to the seaside .
Grandfather Ziggy had seen an old green
fishing net lying against the door, just
before the human family went away for a
day trip. He had become entangled in it
when he had gone to investigate what he
imagined to be the exotic handiwork of a
Martian spider. But that’s another story.....
Spinner didn’t like the look of Shuggie
at all, and it wasn’t just due to the sight of
his horribly twisted features: Spiders can
JOB VACANCY
Lochwinnoch Playgroup is looking for a new
Play Leader
Playgroup is held on a Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday in the
McKillop Hall, Lochwinnoch. Hours 9am to 12pm.
If you think you may be interested,
please contact Tel: 07779 661474 for more information or an application form.
sense when someone is up to no good.
Just then Shuggie slipped on the stone,
let out a yell then disappeared out of sight!
As he picked himself up off the warm,
dusty patio, Shuggie saw something glint
beside the sandstone block. It was a pair
of brass keys! With a sly grin, Shuggie
picked up the keys, thinking to himself,
‘You wee beauty! The secret key-stash!’
Spinner scrambled towards the Stable
Door where Shuggie was heading to try the
keys. To save time, spinner threw a web-
line from the window sill to the lock. Like a
miniature Tarzan he swooped down and
then up, then wriggled into the lock, un-
certain what to do next. He heard a
tremendous clatter as Shuggie tried the
first key in the lock. It wasn’t the right one,
but Spinner knew that when he tried the
other key, Shuggie would be able to enter
the house. Then Spinner had a brainwave!
As Shuggie tried the second key into the
lock, Spinner wove his strongest web ever
and lassoed it around the key just in time.
Wrapping as much as possible around the
head then the body of the key, he made it
bulky and secured it to the inside of the
lock . Then he clogged up the lock itself
with his amazingly strong floss-like sub-
stance. Shuggie tried to turn the key with
all his might but he .. just .. could ..
not .. make .. it .. work! He realised it
wasn’t going to be easy: the key it seemed
to be glued in there.
H
e kept the key gripped firmly
between his fingers, in the lock
ready for his next attempt.
Unnoticed by the malevolent Shuggie,
Spinner popped his head out of the lock.
This was his big chance to thwart the
beastly boy! Spinner sprinted heroically
down Shuggie’s fingers and over his wrist,
spinning his web and throwing it around
the sweaty flesh as he ran. Within
seconds, the door-handle, lock, key and
the perpetrator’s puffy hand and wrist
were wrapped , double-wrapped and even
triple-wrapped by a grey, fluffy but sticky
spider’s web. A velvety tube now
encased Shuggie’s hand: it looked just
like his arm had been sucked up an
elephant’s trunk!
When he had stopped panting, Shuggie
looked up, just as Spinner disappeared
into the lock. It was as if someone had
knitted him into a one-armed strait-jacket
stuck to the doorhandle! He struggled
and shook his arm, but to no avail....
 SAVE
YOUR REGIONAL
PARK CAMPAIGN
At the AGM held in the Parish Kirk
Hall on 13th May, approval was given
to change the name of Ladymoor
Wind Factory Action Group
(LWFAG) to Save Your Regional
Park campaign (SYRP). It had been
clear for some months that our name
was no longer appropriate in that
Ladymoor windfarm had changed its
name to Wings Law windfarm and we
were also fighting so many other wind-
farms proposed in CMRP. The choice
of our new name was made easy in
that it describes exactly what we are
about and matches our banners and
website name -
www.saveyourregionalpark.com
Nigel Willis, Chairman of SYRP, paid
tribute to the large number of people
who had dedicated a lot of time and
effort throughout our second year to
helping our cause through fund rais-
ing, obtaining signatures for objections
to the various applications during the
year and for the Scottish Parliamen-
tary Petition to encourage the Govern-
ment to make Regional and National
parks 'out of bounds' to any more
windfarms.
In addition, a colossal amount of work
had been done preparing for the Pub-
lic Local Inquiry (PLI) called by the
Scottish Government as a result of the
Kelburn Windfarm developer's appeal-
ing the rejection of their application to
North Ayrshire Council last year.
The PLI will take place in
Radio City, Kilbirnie on Tuesday
10th June, starting at 10 am, and is
scheduled to take at least 10 work-
ing days.
The public are encouraged to attend
and it is very much hoped that as
many people as possible from Loch-
winnoch will attend as much as possi-
ble. It will be an interesting experience
to see how these PLIs are developed
and the more public attending the bet-
ter as it demonstrates the local
strength of feeling against this wind-
farm proposed in CMRP.
Robert Maund, Chairman of the Na-
tional Council for National Parks and a
member of the SYRP committee gave
an excellent presentation entitled
"Scotland's National Parks: The future
by Land and Sea.
A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail...
Don’t forget to tell him how you feel on
Father’s Day (June 15) with a card or gift from Now & Then -
whether it’s a pocket money present or a generous gesture.
Gifts Cards Jewellery Leather Home
ST VINCENT’S Paisley Vision 10k - Sun. 31st August
Great Scottish Run -Sun 7th September
HOSPICE EVENTS Why not get running and raise vital funds
through sponsorship. We will give you
4k Fun Run & Buggy Fit - on sponsorship forms and a t-shirt to help
Sunday 22nd June you on your way.
Race starts at 11am at Castle Semple
Centre, Lochwinnoch,. Take part in our Golf Day - Friday 29th August
4k Fun Run incorporating a buggy fit for Join us at Erskine Golf Club for a fun
parents and small children. All ages day of golf. £250 per team of 4.
and abilities welcome. Contact us for an
entry form. Unwanted Gifts
Do you have any unwanted gifts that are
Tea @ 3 - Friday 27th June in new or very good condition? St. Vin-
Join us at the Barn Tea Room for cent's Hospice Fundraising Team run vari-
Tea @ 3 on Friday 27th June. ous raffles, tombolas and other activities
Why not organize your own Tea @ 3 at at various events. Donations of unwanted
work, in your home or in your school. gifts or bottles can go a long way in help-
ing to raise vital funds.
Summer Fete - Saturday 19th July
In St Vincent’s Hospice grounds. Charity Collections
Call us to book a stall or to lend your We have various collections arranged in
support by volunteering to help on Shopping Centres and Supermarkets
throughout the year. If you can spare
the day. Donations gratefully re-
some time to help, please contact us.
ceived for tombolas, raffles, knitting,
home baking, jewellery, bottle and Recycling
plant stalls. We can raise money by recycling - Ink
Cartridges, Mobile Phones, Stamps, For-
Sleeping Beauty on the Lawn - eign Coins, Old/Broken Jewellery. These
Sunday 3rd August at 2pm at can be handed in to our shops in Renfrew,
The Byre House, Formakin Estate, Johnstone, Linwood, Lochwinnoch, Pais-
Bishopton. ley, Barrhead and Bridge Of Weir or at
the Hospice itself.
Chapterhouse Open-Air Garden
Theatre company will present
For more information or if you can
“Sleeping Beauty”; a day aimed at
spare some time to help out, please
families. Children are encouraged
contact Lorraine or Jane in the
to dress up in their favourite fancy
Fundraising Team at St Vincents
dress. Ground open for picnics
on Tel: 01505 705635
from 1pm. Bring your own rugs or
or e-mail us at:
low-backed seating. Refreshments
lorraine.valentine@svh.co.uk or
available. Contact us for tickets.
jane.cox@svh.co.uk
 A WEIRD WALK IN Lochwinnoch residents -
THE FOREST Can I help? If so, please don’t
by Derek Parker hesitate to get in touch.

SEVERAL years ago, I had a weird

experience while working as a ranger
at Muirshiel country park in the hills
above Lochwinnoch.
It was a foggy September afternoon
and night was falling as I followed a
footpath through conifer trees cling-
ing tenaciously to the steep hillside
above the rugged glen where the River
Calder churned and foamed from its
source on the moors to its destination
in Castle Semple Loch.
Among the dark-green foliage of soar-
ing spruce and pillared pine trees, I
could see the granite obelisk which
marked the grave of Lord Francis
Nathaniel Conyngham, Member of
Parliament for County Clare and
Crimean War naval hero, who died at
Muirshiel House (which he owned) on
September 14, 1880, just 10 days
before his 48th birthday.
My walk in the forest that day coin-
cided with the 90th anniversary of
Lord Nathaniel's premature death.
The temperature dropped chillingly,
the conifer-canopied woodland fell
silent and I became aware of a forbid-
ding, and even frightening, presence
which made me retrace my steps down
the Windy Hill footapth back to the
ranger hut in the carpark.
It seemed I had taken a quantum leap
into a parallel universe and that the
veil of time was torn asunder. I had
visions of these sad scenes in the
Muirshiel mansion 90 years earlier,
when mourners gathered round Lord
Nathaniel's flower-festooned oak and
silver-mounted coffin and listened to
words of comfort from the minister,
the Reverend JG Cunningham.
Among the sable-suited and dark-
frocked mourners were Lord Francis'
sister, Lady Churchill, and his
nephew, the Earl Charles Spencer, an
ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales.
As mourners journeyed the four miles
from Lochwinnoch up into the hills to
the melancholic mansion in horse-
drawn carriages, the village church's
lugubrious peals tolled up the Calder
Glen.
Douglas Alexander, Lochwinnoch’s MP
Write to: 2014 Mile End Mill, 12 Seedhill Road, Paisley, PA1 1JS
Tel: 0141 561 0333. E-mail: dalexandermp@talk21.com
or come to one of my advice surgeries.
Lord Francis had erected the 20-foot
-high monument four years earlier to
the memory of his parents, the Mar-
quis and Marchioness of Conyng-
ham.
Aware of his own impending death -
possibly as a result of tuberculosis -
he commissioned his own brick-
lined grave to be hewn from solid
rock below the heather-clad hill-
side memorial overlooking his be-
loved Muirshiel home.
It was a wet, misty and gloomy after-
noon as the black-clad cortege sol-
emnly snaked its way up the steep
slope, with the coffin borne on the
shoulders of six stalwart estate work-
ers who were, from time to time. re-
lieved of their heavy load by another
six men.
After the graveside oration by the
Reverend John Russell, beautiful
wreaths of violets, heather and im-
mortelles - a variety of daisy - were
laid on the coffin which was lowered
down into the teneborous tomb
where it is still embosomed today in
its woodland bower.
For years afterwards, I passed the
Conyngham Monument during my
Muirshiel park patrols but never
again experienced the eerie sensa-
tion which I encountered that
foggy afternoon on the anniversary
of Lord Nathaniel's burial.
Sometimes, the minister's words
echoed down through the ages; "In
summer, may this grave be ever
green. May the wild flowers bloom
and shed their fragrance to the gen-
tle breezes that hum a lullaby to the
silent sleeper.”
"And in winter may the sparkling
snow mantle our fallen friend in his
coverlet. Gone to sleep, may his res-
urrection be one of everlasting joy."
VILLAGE FUND
RAISING FOR HIV
VICTIMS IN MALAWI
In its 200 year history, Lochwinnoch
Parish Church has witnessed many
musical events but none more exciting
than the melodies created by the sound
beating of djembe drumming on May
23 at a workshop sponsored by Loch-
winnoch International Aid (LIA) and
Servas Britain.
Mary Boleweza, a lively Malawian
visitor, led over 30 participants of all
ages, who practised some basic tech-
niques and played different drum
tunes, before she sang some solo
songs and played African music.
The enthusiastic audience response
showed this event was enjoyed by
experienced drummers and those in-
terested in listening to African music.
Our thanks go to the Minister for
supporting this event.
The workshop raised -
£215
for two Malawian charities that Mary
works with: Make Hope for Aids and
Namasimmba. LIA plans to match
this sum and the money will be used
to buy bicycles to transport people
into hospitals and support under-
privileged or orphaned kids who are
not going to school but need food or
clothing.
If you would like to support LIA,
please visit our stall at Gala Day on
14th June, where you can find out
more about our recent work and how
to join us. Alternatively, for more
details about LIA, please contact Bob
Turner on Tel: 01505 843068.
 From the Parish
Church
“I feel it in my fingers,
I feel it in my toes.
love is all around me,
and so the feeling grows.”
Reg Presley
Watching the news is a pastime
which is causing increasing anxi-
ety. All I seem to hear about are
deaths, especially violent deaths of
young people. Today (Thursday
29th May), in Scotland, I heard of a
woman’s body being found in
Queen’s Park and an 18 year old
woman dying in Dundee. In Lon-
don, 17 year old Sharmaake Has-
san is the 15th young person this
year to suffer a violent death.
That is an appalling figure; the
death of any young person is a
tragedy, not only to their family,
but to society as a whole. Why can
we not stop this apparent descent
into violence?
When the apostle Peter raised a
sword to a slave of the High Priest,
Jesus warned him that ‘all who
take the sword will perish by the
sword’. Yet we cannot blame our
young folk for their own deaths.
Indeed, who could have failed to
be moved by the sheer courage of
Jimmy Mizen’s parents. He was
fatally wounded in an unprovoked
attack in southeast London. We
would have forgiven Jimmy’s par-
ents for lashing out at the young
man who stole their son from
them. Yet recognising that every
young life is precious, Margaret
Mizen had sympathy for Jake
Fahri, who has been accused of
causing Jimmy’s death. While the
media have screamed, ‘thug’ and
‘yob’ Mr. and Mrs. Mizen refused
to see their son’s alleged killer as
anything but a victim himself.
Margaret sees young men like Jake
Fahri as victims of lack of love. On
the day of Jimmy’s funeral both
Margaret and her husband faced
the massed media and Mr. Mizen
said, “It does not have to be like
this.
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for your free market appraisal or for further details.
Perhaps we all need to look to
ourselves and look to the values
we would like and our responses
to situations in our life. Some-
times we might be drawn into
certain ways of our living. It is
our choice but change has got to
come from all of us.”
Recognising anger as a destruc-
tive emotion, Mrs Mizen told re-
porters, “Anger breeds anger and
bitterness.”
While we cannot say why Jake
Fahri grew up to have so much
hate and resentment inside him,
little Khyra Ishaq, from Bristol,
didn’t live long enough to reach
adulthood. Neglected in her own
home, she died of lack of love.
Both her death and Jimmy
Mizen’s were avoidable. Now we
have to ensure those deaths were
not in vain.
What has this to do with life in
Lochwinnoch? London and Bris-
tol are over 300 miles and light
years away from our village. Or
are they? If what is missing in the
lives of Jake Fahri and Khyra
Ishaq is love, then we have a duty
to ensure that all children know
love. Children are made in the
image of God and so deserve to
be treated with love and respect.
We all know the old adage,
“charity begins at home.” The
word translated as ‘charity’ in the
King James version of the Bible is
‘love’ in more contemporary
translations. So the old saying
now becomes, “love begins at
home.” In my home. In all
homes. If I cannot or do not love
my family, then I have no right to
stand in the pulpit and preach
about a God of love.
Of course I get it wrong. I know
better than anyone that I am not a
perfect parent. Yet, by the grace of
God we are forgiven our mistakes.
God knows we cannot be perfect,
yet as long as we keep trying to
love, both our own children and
the children of our village, they
will grow up in security. Just as
they have imperfect parents, they
are not always perfect cherubs
themselves. However, as God for-
gives us, we are called to forgive
them and together, we can show
the world a better way. Just as
anger breeds anger, so love breeds
love. This week the theme at
Lochwinnoch Primary School as-
sembly was friendship, we were
reminded that friends care for and
support one another. In other
words, friendship breeds friend-
ship. Let’s hope and pray that our
young people grow up, not just
knowing love and friendship, but
letting those feelings grow.
Yours,
Rev. Christine Murdoch
CREAM TEA
Friday 18th July
From 2pm—4pm
LOCHWINNOCH
PARISH CHURCH HALLS
Usual stalls, including
tombola
Tickets: Adults £2, Chil-
dren £1
All welcome.
 News from
CucinaMinucci
at the Junction
New
Summer Coolers menu:
Drink In or Take Away,
treat yourself to a Caffè Frappé
(Italian Style blended coffee drink),
Blended Fruit Smoothie or a tradi-
tional Ice Cream Milkshake.
Joanna and I continue to support
“Fairtrade for Lochwinnoch” and
are increasing the level of Fairtrade
and Organic products in stock.
You will also be able to buy one of
our Fairtrade Cotton Bags, to show
your support, at only £2 each.
We would like to assure you all that
although we support the Fairtrade
movement, as does Renfrewshire
Council, we are still committed to
sourcing more and more products
from local suppliers and to using
local produce wherever possible.
Cucina Minucci
at The Junction
Licensed Caffè
2–4 High Street,
Lochwinnoch, PA12 4DA.
Tel: 01505 – 842 225
Breakfast • Lunch• Jo’s Baking
Live Music Nights
Fairtrade & Organic
food products,
ECOVER Eco-Friendly Cleaning,
Nuts, Seeds & Whole Foods,
as well as traditional
Italian Products.
EAT IN or TAKE AWAY
For more details and
upcoming events
Visit: www.cucinaminucci.co.uk
Ivan and Joanna Minucci
and the team
JUNE is for JAZZ and
JUICE !!!
The Junction will be celebrating one
year of very popular live Jazz events
this month by hosting 3 different Jazz
artists over three weeks. Kicking off
with Stewart Forbes (Saxophone) on
June the 5th a regular artist at the
Glasgow International Jazz Festival
which is also on this month!! Then the
local Lorne Cowieson will literally
blow us away with his amazing trum-
pet playing on the 19th and finally
Richard Mulhearn is back in his usual
slot on the last Thursday (26th) with
his interpretation of Beatles classics.
Tickets are already selling fast so
please pop in to the Junction or call
01505 842 225 to avoid disappoint-
ment. As well as the usual Cheese,
Wine and Antipasti, there will also be
a Main Course option available - see
posters for details.
Ivan & Jo will be getting everyone to
“cycle for their smoothies” at this
year’s GALA DAY on the 14th of June
Don’t miss it!!!

Lochwinnoch a Fairtrade Village? ARCHITECTURE

IN JOHNSTONE
Do you already buy Fairtrade products when you can?
The square in Johnstone is not bad:
If not, are you ready to give it a try? the paving stones are mostly regular –
and clean – and the Cenotaph is a
There are now two ways that you can support the fitting memorial to the folks from
campaign to make Lochwinnoch a Fairtrade Village: Johnstone who died in last century’s
by signing a supporters’ form and wars. To add that the square is pic-
by using a special shopping bag. turesque would be an exaggeration or
a downright lie.
Some of the older houses, traditional
Local residents who are ‘fairtraders’ can complete a special supporter’s form to remind Scottish, are quite pleasant, but the
newer ones are, in a word, grim.
them to think ‘Fairtrade’ when they purchase goods. We wish to record the number of
I would hazard a guess that the archi-
supporters and their names; but, if you don’t want your name published, we’ll respect tect who designed them sharpened his
your privacy. teeth designing flats in the suburbs of
We have also produced Albania. They are unrelentingly
a cotton shopping bag with the slogan square and as interesting as a corn
'Lochwinnoch Supports Fairtrade’ flakes box.
This is now available for sale at £2. Unless the dramatic decision was
made to demolish them and start
Why not buy one to help spread the Fairtrade message in the village and help increase again – probably ‘not-viable’ - we are
the amount of Fairtrade products used by the village? stuck with them.
Both the form and the bag are available in the Junction or Heritage Farm Shop. Something the authorities could do
immediately to improve the general
Will you make a commitment to help others around the world achieve some economic ambiance of the square is - improve
stability for themselves by paying a fairer price for their goods? the seating. The wooden slats in the
Please visit the Fairtrade/ LIA stall at Lochwinnoch Gala Day on Saturday 14th June existing seats look as though they
and find out more about our recent activities. could have been there since Queen
Victoria was on the throne.

MAIL SCAMS
Beware of letters advising household-
ers that they have won large sums of
money in prize draws. These letters
are often followed up by a phone call,
advising the householder that they will
soon receive the first instalment of
their prize, which will be delivered to
their door by a company representa-
tive. They go on to explain that in
order to receive the money, the house-
holder will have to pay a small fee,
normally in the region of £2,500, to
the representative on their arrival.
The advice is, if the letter sounds too
good to be true, then the chances are
that it probably is! Members of the
public should be very wary about re-
plying to correspondence suggesting
they have won a large sum of money
in a prize draw. If you receive a com-
munication of this nature, contact the
police and make your family members
aware of the matter.
REMEMBER
Do not open your doors to any-
one that you are not sure about.
Don’t leave your Sat. Nav. in
your vehicle.
Use a chain to secure bicycles at
all times. You can have bicycles
security marked at your local
Police Station.
***
USEFUL CONTACT NUMBERS
Strathclyde Police – 0141 532 5900
Johnsone 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.
J Quinn & Son Memorials
Personal Service & Quality Guaranteed
New Memorials
Additional Inscriptions
4a Dalry Road, KILBIRNIE
Please Call 01505 685455
SCHOOL’S NEARLY
OUT
TIME TO PLAY AT
CLYDE MUIRSHIEL
REGIONAL PARK
The summer holidays will soon be
here and already staff at Clyde Muir-
shiel Regional Park are gearing up to
provide a wide variety of activities to
keep the kids busy.
Andy Pollock of North Boat Hire,
who operates the boat hire facilities
on Castle Semple Loch said -
‘the brilliant weather of late has
been great for business, just what I
need after last year’s wet and windy
summer. It’s great to see the place
busy and people enjoying them-
selves on the water. My special of-
fer for June is ‘Five Pound Sundays’
when nothing will cost more than a
fiver, do come and take advantage
of all the different row boats,
kayaks and pedal boats.”
Come July, Junior Multi Activity
Weeks take place at Castle Semple
Centre, Lochwinnoch. Kids (8-15
year olds) can have fun learning or
improving their skills doing five dif-
ferent outdoor activities over 5 half
days each day. New activities for
2008 include rock climbing and ab-
seiling as well as kayaking, orien-
teering, raft building and mountain
biking – the exact activity does de-
pend on the weather each day.
Courses cost £85 for the week and
do need to be booked in advance.
The new Paddle Sport courses -
‘Start’ is 2 hours, ‘Passport’ is 2 days
or ‘Discover’ is 4 days - for kayaking
and canoeing are proving popular
and can be done more than once.
Willie McLeod, Senior Instructor at
Castle Semple said,
‘these courses allow kids lots of op-
portunities to improve their skills
and so become proficient with their
Cleaning & Renovations
Indoor Showroom
Mon 10am-5pm, Tue-Fri 10am-2pm
Evening & Weekends by Arrangement
paddling skills in different boats.
Castle Semple Loch is a safe place to
learn these skills before tackling riv-
ers or the open sea. “
Youth dinghy sailing courses remain
as two day courses and run on several
mid-week dates throughout July and
August. Check our website for exact
course dates or pick up a leaflet at a
Regional Park Visitor Centre.
For those who want to stay firmly on
dry land the Rangers based at Muir-
shiel Country Park have a variety of
activities taking place. These include
the wildlife viewing project at
Muirshiel, which focuses on the Hen
Harrier plus other wildlife - ravens,
cuckoos and lots of late spring and
summer wild flowers.
During July and August the Rangers
at Muirshiel run ‘Nature Notes’ on
Tuesdays and ‘Wednesday Wildlife
Watch’.
At Cornalees Visitor Centre, Loch
Thom wildlife is thriving - Roe deer,
Canada Geese, goslings, cuckoos and a
mallard duck and 7 ducklings - happy
in the waters of the Greenock Cut!
Easy wildlife watching can be had on
‘SwallowCam’ - live images are com-
ing into the Visitor Centre from a
swallows nest.
PLEASE NOTE
The fields surrounding all our Visitor
Centres are full of spring lambs – we’d
like to remind everyone enjoying the
countryside and using the various
sign-posted walks to please keep their
dogs on a lead.
More details of all walks, activities and
events can be found in leaflets at
Visitor Centres or take a look on the
Regional Park website -
www.clydemuirshiel.co.uk
(See back page of Chatterbox for Visi-
tor Centre contact details and opening
hours. Ed)
 LORDS & LADIES,
PAST & PRESENT
ATTEND SEMPLE
TRAIL OPENING
The 1st and 21st Lord Semple were two of
the guests of honour at the recent official
naming and opening of the ‘Semple Trail’
– the route network around Castle Semple
Loch, Lochwinnoch. The first three
phases from Lochwinnoch Railway Sta-
tion, to the Village of Lochwinnoch and
along to Parkhill Wood are now complete
and formally opened.
The Semple Trail is named after the Sem-
ple Family who owned land around the
Castle Semple area for almost 5 centuries.
The ribbon was cut and Lord Jamie Sem-
ple, current head of the Semple family
declared the new section of the path net-
work open. Lord Jamie Semple said -
“The family are delighted. It is fantastic
that the local community and SRANI
wanted to use our family name so long
associated with this area. I do hope lo-
cals and visitors alike will make good use
of the facilities.”
Lord Jamie Semple, the 21st Lord was
accompanied by the medieval ‘1st Lord
Semple’, Councillor Derek Mackay,
Leader of Renfrewshire Council and John
Lauder, National Director of Sustrans
Scotland.
Councillor Derek Mackay said -
“the Council is committed to environ-
mental projects, we fully recognise the
social and economic values projects such
as The Semple Trail can have. The launch
of the ‘Clean Renfrewshire Do Your Bit’
campaign earlier in the day is more evi-
dence of our support of the environment.
With the ribbon cutting ceremony com-
plete, a community procession of nearly
200 people walked along the new path
to Castle Semple Centre. Celebrations
included live music, children’s activi-
ties, refreshments and free bike hire.
The Semple Trail links routes, facilities
and attractions around Castle Semple
Loch. One of the recently completed
sections provides an off-road section of
the National Cycle Network through
Lochwinnoch. Completion of this
means people can now walk or cycle
between the village, the visitor centres
and the station without worrying about
traffic on a busy road.
John Lauder, National Director of Sus-
trans Scotland said -
“As a significant partner in SRANI we
are delighted to see these phases com-
plete. We are keen to develop local and
national routes but also routes into and
between communities of which this pro-
ject is a fine example.”
Charlie Woodward, Manager of Clyde
Muirshiel Regional Park and host of the
Semple Trail celebrations said -
“plans for the network include much
more than simply creation of the path!
With further community and funding
support, future development will not
only allow greater access to the area
around the loch but also greater access
to the many natural and built heritage
features in the area and improve oppor-
tunities for tourism and economic
growth. A conservation Statement,
funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund is
currently being prepared.”
(See opposite page for details of this
project. Ed.)
Sky Dancing
Hen Harriers at Clyde
Muirshiel Regional Park
Staff at Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park are
delighted that the Hen Harriers have re-
turned again to the moors of Clyde Muir-
shiel for another breeding season.
These wonderful birds of prey can be seen
‘sky dancing’ and displaying as they pre-
pare to nest in Clyde Muirshiel Regional
Park. The central moorland core of the
Regional Park was designated as a Special
Protection Area (SPA) in December 2007
because of its population of Hen Harriers.
Ken McGinigal, Senior Ranger at Muir-
shiel Country Park said, “This year, there
has been even more activity and action
than last year hence the guided moorland
walks have been exciting with most groups
seeing some impressive displays and sky
dancing. Nearly everyone has seen at least
one of several Hen Harriers along with
other moorland birds such as ravens and
cuckoos.”
Guided walks are currently taking place
every Saturday afternoon, starting at Muir-
shiel Visitor Centre, 4 miles up the glen
from Lochwinnoch. If you have your own
group you can organise a walk at a time to
suit you and the Rangers by contacting
them on: 01505 842 803.
The Visitor Centre currently has video
highlights of last year’s Hen Harrier breed-
ing season, information panels, kids activi-
ties and amazing still photographs of Hen
Harriers. Live pictures of the 2008 season
will be dependant on the co-operation of
the birds and having a ‘technically suitable
nest’. If all is well, highlights of the foot-
age will also be shown at the nearby RSPB
reserve at Lochwinnoch.
From Lochwinnoch there are brown signs
to direct people to Muirshiel Country Park,
and during the project season, yellow AA
road signs will be visible. Anyone inter-
ested in volunteering on the project should
contact the RSPB Reserve, Lochwinnoch.
Free transport will be available in June and
July from Lochwinnoch to Muirshiel Visi-
tor Centre. The Saturday afternoon bus
will collect people from the Railway Sta-
tion, RSPB Reserve or Castle Semple Visi-
tor Centre, getting people to Muirshiel
Country Park in time to join the guided
walk/see the TV pictures. Alternatively
people can make use of the free transport
to go for their own walk, have a BBQ or a
picnic for the afternoon. Please Tel: 01505
842 803 to book places on the bus.
 WHAT CAN YOU
TELL US ABOUT
CASTLE SEMPLE
ESTATE?
Members of the public attended a
Consultation Event on Wednesday
21st May at Castle Semple Visitor
Centre, Lochwinnoch, to hear
about the project being undertaken
by Land Use Consultants (LUC) on
an assessment of the historic as-
sets of the former Castle Semple
Estate.
The Project
Land Use Consultants (LUC) has
recently been commissioned by the
South Renfrewshire Access Net-
work Initiative (SRANI) to develop
a Conservation Statement for the
heritage assets in the area around
the Castle Semple Estate.
As many of you will know, SRANI
is a partnership initiative between
LMEG (Lochwinnoch Millennium
Events Group), Clyde Muirshiel
Regional Park, RSPB Scotland,
SUSTRANS, Scottish Natural Heri-
tage, Renfrewshire Council and the
Lochwinnoch and Howwood Com-
munity Councils. The project aims
to create an easily accessible path
network linking the historic sites,
natural heritage features and visi-
tor facilities in the Castle
Semple Country Park.
The development of the Conserva-
tion Statement is a key step to-
wards a funding bid to the Heri-
tage Lottery Fund that would be
used to conserve, enhance and im-
prove access to various heritage
assets in the local area.
The Estate
The former Castle Semple Estate
represents over 500 years of devel-
opment, evolving from the strong-
hold of a medieval warlord, to the
refined country estate of an inter-
national merchant and finally into
a colony of state-established small-
holdings.
This rich history has furnished the
area with an outstanding range of
sites and monuments dating from
each of the periods of develop-
ment, from medieval churches
and tower-houses to early 20th
century railway infrastructure. As
well as the physical remains, the
power and status of the inhabi-
tants of Castle Semple ensured
that the area has strong links to
major historical events in Scot-
land and much further afield.
Land Use Consultants
explained ……..
Over the last month, we have un-
dertaken desk based historical
research, and field inspection of
some of the historic sites in the
area. By researching how the
Estate has developed over time,
we can better understand the
area’s history and how each of
the individual elements combine
to create the heritage resource
that exists today.
However, there are still things
that we don’t know so we need
the insights and knowledge of
local people to really get to grips
with some of the estate’s history
– particularly that relating to the
20th century.
How you can help...
• Please let us know what as-
pects of the historic landscape
are really important to you, and
why. For example:
Significant views; Industry in the
area; Favourite places; Family
connections; Interesting discov-
eries or local stories; Anything
else you think might be helpful!
• Please give us any information
you might have on the following
research topics:
Smallholdings:
Do you know who the original
tenants/owners were?
Were they people from the Loch-
winnoch area, or from elsewhere?
Insights into agricultural practices.
Industry:
Do you know of any old mine
workings in the area?
Industry: (continued)
Do you have family connections
with mills in Lochwinnoch or
further down the Black Cart?
The lochs and meadows:
Can you or any of your family re-
member incidents where loch lev-
els were particularly low?
The Barr Meadows (now the Barr
Loch) were requisitioned for train-
ing during World War 2 – do you
know what sorts of activities they
used them for?
Do you remember the Barr Mead-
ows before they re-flooded in
1946? Do you have any photos?
Park and woodland:
Do you know of any programmes
of tree-planting or felling?
Information or experience of resto-
ration of designed landscape fea-
tures, e.g. the grotto and ice-house.
• Let us know about any old pho-
tographs, newspaper cuttings or
prints you may have.
• Tell us which parts of the
estate’s history interests you most.
Why is it important to get in-
volved?
A central part of the ‘Conservation
Statement’ exercise is defining the
significance of historic environ-
ment features. Although factors
like historical associations and ar-
chitectural quality are important,
the values attached to places, sites
and landscapes by local people will
play a central role in deciding
which areas merit interpretation or
restoration work.
If you were unable to attend our
recent Consultation Event at Castle
Semple Centre, but would still like
to contribute, please contact us at:
glasgow@landuse.co.uk or call us
on 0141 334 9595.
Alternatively, contact the SRANI
Development Officer on 01505
842882 ext. 25 for further infor-
mation.
It is hoped the draft report will be
available towards the end of the
summer and this will again pro-
vide an opportunity for consulta-
tion and comment.
 VISITOR CENTRES - OPENING HOURS
News & Events at Castle Semple Centre Open daily, 1000-1700 hrs Tel: 01505 842882
RSPB, Muirshiel, Cornalees Centre - Open daily, 1100-1600 hrs from April to October.
(Toilets open daily.) Tel: 01475 521458
Cornalees & Castle Muirshiel Centre - Open daily, 1100-1600 hrs from April to October.
(Park and toilets open daily.) Tel: 01505 842803
Semple Centres RSPB Reserve - Reserve is open at all times; the Visitor Centre is open
daily from 1000-1700 hrs. Tel: 01505 842663.

• Saturday 7th June and
Sunday 8th June
National Radio Boat Champion-
ships, A Class. A rare opportunity
to see these impressive 6 ft scaled
sailing boats, from all over the UK,
racing on Castle Semple Loch.
• Sunday 8th June
Springwatch from 11am-4pm at
RSPB Lochwinnoch. A day of fun-
filled activities for all the family.
• Sunday 8th June
Map and Compass Course at Cor-
nalees Centre. Ideal for beginners
or those keen to brush up on their
skills. Advance Booking is essen-
tial. Tel: 01505 842 882, Ext 20.
• Wednesday 11th June
Pound and Pace Walk round the
Greenock Cut. The newly re-
stored 6.5km narrow canal makes
for an excellent 10.5km circular
walk with fantastic views over the
Clyde to the Argyll hills beyond.
Meet Cornalees Centre, 10.30am
for an 11am start.
• Saturdays - 14th June,
21st June & 28th June.
Birds by Bus. FREE transport
from RSPB and Castle Semple
Centre to Muirshiel for a walk,
BBQ, watch the Hen Harriers on
TV or join the Hen Harrier Coun-
try Walks. Tel: 01505 842803 to
book a place.
• Sunday 22nd June -
4km Fun Run to raise funds for St
Vincent’s Hospice. Starts at
10.30am from Castle Semple Cen-
tre. For details, contact Lorraine
or Jane on 01505 705 635. More
than just a stroll in the Park!
• Saturday 28th and Sunday
29th June - Adult Level 1 Sail-
ing Course at Castle Semple
• Centre. To book, Tel: 01505
842882 Ext. 20.
Chatterbox is produced for the Community
Council of Lochwinnoch through financial
assistance by Lochwinnoch Community Coun-
cil and local sponsors and advertisers. The
editor welcomes all items for possible inclu-
sion but will reserve all rights over them. All
views are of individuals. The editor accepts no
liability for errors
• Sunday 29th June - Fan-
tastic Frogs, 12 noon to 4pm at
RSPB Reserve. Tel: 842663.
• Clyde Muirshiel Regional
Park Wildlife Watch
Swallow Cam at Cornalees Cen-
tre 11am to 4pm;
Hen Harriers at Muirshiel, Birds
on TV and Hen Harrier Country
Walks.
Parkhill Challenge starting from
Castle Semple Centre every day;
Summer Programme - Ranger-
led events and outdoor activity
courses - various Visitor Centres.
• RSPB
Summer Holidays Club
Fridays in July - 4th, 11th,
18th & 25th, and
Fridays in August - 1st & 8th
from 11am to 2pm.
Join us to take part in mini-
beast safaris, pond dipping,
bird watching, wildlife gar-
dening or indoor activities if
weather is poor.
For more details on these ac-
tivity days and to book a
place, Tel RSPB Centre on:
01505 842663. Note - Adults
must accompany children
aged 8 and under throughout
the sessions.
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A reader e-mailed to say -
THANK YOU
To the lovely people of Lochwinnoch.
My husband and I visited your lovely
wee town in April. I have a dear
friend who lives there and we were
visiting for a few days.
I am such a bird lover that I had to
take advantage of feeding the swans
on the loch. It was so nice that
these great creatures are tame and
easily hand fed much to my delight.
On the evening of our last day I
bought 5 loaves from the Spar shop,
sorry if there was none for your
Sunday breakfasts but I took them
to the loch and fed every last crumb
to your swans and even the ducks in
particular the little white one.
I just wanted to say thank you for
the beautiful ending to our trip.
Also thank you to Mr. Bill Johnstone
for his hospitality as we stayed with
him for a few days.
I am hoping for another trip home
to Ayr next spring and coming back
up to fatten the swans again.
Lyn and Cody Gwynn
Roy Utah USA.
0141 950 1423 GLASGOW
01505 842176 AYRSHIRE
01786 820130 STIRLING
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