Residents pay their respects to the Armed Forces in Renfrewshire

Renfrewshire has paid tribute to the Armed Forces as residents attended services across the area to mark Remembrance Sunday.

The largest service took place at the Cenotaph in Paisley town centre where military personnel from the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy paraded around the town centre.

A short service then saw a series of readings by local ministers, before the Royal British Legion presented their standards.

A bugler played a moving rendition of the Last Post ahead of the traditional two-minute silence, following which wreaths were laid on behalf of the Armed Forces, schools, local organisations and community groups.

Renfrewshire’s Depute Provost Cathy McEwan, who laid a wreath on behalf of the people of Renfrewshire, said: “This weekend provides us all with an opportunity to pay our respects to the Armed Forces, past and present, for all they do to keep us safe, while remembering those who have given the ultimate sacrifice so we can live our lives as we do today.

“It was fantastic to see so many people turn out across Renfrewshire once again as services returned to towns and villages for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

For those who were unable to attend a service in-person, Renfrewshire Council’s ‘Renfrewshire Reflects’ film featuring representatives from local communities aired on the council’s social media channels from 10:20am on Remembrance Sunday, finishing with the national two-minute silence.

In addition to the video, this years Remembrance Day podcast highlights the work of Poppyscotland to celebrate 100 years of the Poppy as the national symbol of Remembrance. Landmarks across Renfrewshire have also been lit in red to mark the occasion.

Services took place at Elderslie, Houston, Kilbarchan, Renfrew, Paisley, Lochwinnoch, Howwood, Johnstone and Bridge of Weir. For more information, visit: www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/remembrance2021