Paisley Town Hall Archives - Paisley Scotland

The people of Paisley are getting their first glimpse at what to expect from their transformed town hall – including entirely new rooms inside the existing building, and an increased capacity allowing bigger-name performers to bring new life to the town.

The magnificent Victorian-era town hall is currently undergoing major internal refurbishment into what will be one of the West of Scotland’s landmark entertainment venues when it reopens in 2021.

Renfrewshire Council is leading the work to turn the much-loved 19^th-century architectural gem into a 21^st-century facility which will drive new footfall to the area, while delivering upgrades essential to keep it at the heart of local life for generations to come.

Some initial artist images have been released, with more to follow in the coming weeks, and features people can look forward to in the revamped building include:

– the capacity of the main hall increased to 1,200 for a standing gig, allowing the venue to attract bigger and better shows than ever before, boosting the local night-time economy;

– entirely new rooms created inside the current building – including a new café-bar and dance studio built in currently-unused space. There will also be a smaller venue-within-a-venue – meaning more use, more footfall, and a better range of community events;

– transformed audience experience including lowered stage, new seating, better sightlines and acoustics, new reception area, and much improved access to and around the building;

– an entire replacement of the building’s decades-old electrical and mechanical equipment, and improved backroom facilities allowing more weddings and conferences;

The council is taking forward the £22m work as part of a much-bigger investment in the town centre designed to change the area’s future using its internationally-significant cultural and heritage story.

That includes a transformation of Paisley Museum which will almost quadruple current visitor numbers, a new modern home for library services on the High Street, and major investment in key outdoor spaces such as Abbey Close and County Square to create places which will keep residents, students and visitors in the town for longer.

The building’s operators Renfrewshire Leisure have already been speaking to some of Scotland’s top music promoters about using the venue when it reopens.

Mark Mackie, of Regular Music – who has worked with some of the industry’s biggest names as the man behind massive gigs including the Castle Concerts at Edinburgh Castle and Summer Nights at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Bandstand, said: “As a Paisley buddy myself, I’m really excited about the transformation of Paisley Town Hall.

“This investment is great news for gig-goers in the west of Scotland and it’s definitely a venue Regular Music would look to bring bands to. The new facilities, refurbished auditorium and café-bar will make it a must-visit venue for bands and audiences.”

Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, chair of Renfrewshire Leisure, said: “Paisley Town Hall is a much-loved building which has been at the heart of life in the town for generations – but to keep it there the interior of this beautiful building needs the revamp now being delivered.

“The council is making a substantial investment – not just to do the necessary maintenance to keep the building viable, but to take what it can do to a totally new level.

“As a result, the revamp is predicted to double the number of people who use it each year – bringing new life to the town centre and helping anchor our ongoing wider work to use our outstanding cultural and heritage story to bring new visitors to the area.

“It also means creating a facility in which people will be able to experience world-class culture on their own doorstep, with all the opportunities that means to make people’s lives better.

“And while the renovation is happening we will be making sure everybody knows Paisley continues to remain open for business.”

The building is being redesigned by award-winning architects Holmes Miller, whose previous projects include the redevelopment of Old Trafford and reshaping Hampden for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The town hall revamp is being run by Renfrewshire Council in partnership with Hub West Scotland – a Scottish-Government-backed firm who help public-sector bodies get value for money when investing in large infrastructure projects.

The council worked with Homes Miller and Hub West Scotland on the new Johnstone Town Hall –which has won a string of industry awards since it opened in 2015.

Initial work to clear out the building is already under way, with stonework and roof repairs taking place over the summer, ahead of main construction work starting towards the end of the year. The building is due to reopen in late 2021.

08/02/2019/by Brian McGuire

Day visits to Renfrewshire almost doubled between 2015 and 2017, new figures have revealed.

The sharp rise was unveiled in the first annual update of the Renfrewshire Visitor Plan 2018-2021, which aims to develop the area as one of Scotland’s key tourist destinations.

Visitor Plan 2018

It showed that day visits to Renfrewshire rose from 2.73 million between 2013-2015 to 5.33 million between 2015-2017 – with the area’s thriving events calendar proving popular with visitors.

There was also an increase in day and overnight visitor spend from £72.5 million to £99.1 million during the same period.

The first update of the Renfrewshire Visitor Plan – which was shown before Renfrewshire Council’s Leadership Board – includes the following key achievements:

– visitor numbers to Renfrewshire’s events are expected to exceed growth of 8% in 2018 – surpassing the target of 4% year-on-year;

– The delivery of 15 events, including four major visitor events in 2017 – Paisley Food and Drink Festival, the British Pipe Band Championships, The Spree Festival and Paisley Halloween Festival – all of which witnessed increased attendee numbers;

– the launch of Paisley Welcomes, a new customer service excellence and product familiarisation training programme to enhance the visitor experience in Renfrewshire;

– increased support for tourism business growth with 53 businesses supported and 34 businesses and agencies now regularly engaged in a tourism business network.

This year also saw the development and launch of a new destination brand and the area’s first ever digital guide to Paisley and Renfrewshire – www.Paisley.is.

The website promotes Paisley and Renfrewshire as a place to live work and visit and offers a guide to what’s on across the region, with dedicated content for each town, village and attraction.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “It’s fantastic to see such positive results in the first annual report of the Renfrewshire Visitor Plan as we continue to work towards transforming tourism in the area.

“Renfrewshire has so much to offer, from our rich heritage and a wide variety of visitor attractions across our towns and villages to our cultural events calendar, which continues to go from strength to strength.

“The phenomenal increase in both day visits and visitor spend underlines the benefits that Renfrewshire’s tourism offer has on the local economy and the appeal for those visiting the area.

“We will look to build upon this in the coming years by continuing to forge positive relationships with the tourism sector across Renfrewshire and strengthened partnerships with national agencies.

“This first report on the Renfrewshire Visitor Plan highlights the excellent work being carried out to build our visitor economy and is a key part of our plans to use our culture and heritage enhance the area’s reputation as a key visitor destination in Scotland.”

Gordon Smith, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: “This incredible increase in day visits and spend in Renfrewshire is testament to the brilliant work being done to boost the area’s tourism and events offering.

“Tourism is more than a holiday experience – it is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy and touches every community, generating income, jobs and social change. VisitScotland is committed to encouraging and supporting the industry to provide world class service, facilities, events and attractions to keep up with ever-changing consumer demands and it is clear that Renfrewshire is making huge strides to ensure visitors continue to have memorable experiences in the region.”

03/01/2019/by Brian McGuire

THE final fling before Paisley Town Hall closed for a major refurbishment was of the Highland variety.

A sell-out Festive Family Ceilidh was the last event before the doors closed until the Town Hall re-opens in 2021 as a major venue attracting events and people to the town.

The festive ceilidh featuring traditional Scottish music and dancing has been a popular event for several years.

Victoria Hollows, chief executive of Renfrewshire Leisure said: “There was no better way to celebrate both the end of the year and the Town Hall closing for renovation than to have a full-house of people enjoying themselves.

“And when the building re-opens there will be many more exciting events and shows taking place there to look forward to.”

The refurbishment of the Town Hall is one of the key projects within Renfrewshire Council’s £100 million investment in venues and infrastructure over the next few years, as part of a wider plan to use the town’s unique heritage and cultural assets to transform its future.

02/01/2019/by Brian McGuire

Scotland’s Year of Young People in Renfrewshire has provided the perfect backdrop to showcase the talents of young people in the area through a year-long programme of events and opportunities to get involved, according to Renfrewshire’s specially appointed Children’s Champion for the year, Councillor Michelle Campbell.

Halloween youth panel, volunteers and mentees (3)

The Year of Young People 2018, delivered by the Scottish Government, working in collaboration with VisitScotland, EventScotland, Young Scot, Children in Scotland, Scottish Youth Parliament and YouthLink Scotland, saw thousands of Renfrewshire’s young people get involved in a year-long programme of events across the region.

Halloween parade

Renfrewshire Council Youth Services has been working with youth work partners and youth groups to deliver activities focussing on the YoYP six themes that young people had identified as most important for them – participation, education, health and wellbeing, equality and discrimination, enterprise and regeneration and culture.

Halloween parade

More than 200 young ambassadors were selected from across Scotland to represent their local communities, including ten young people from Renfrewshire. The YoYP Ambassadors and Renfrewshire Youth Voice Groups worked together to raise awareness and promote young people’s participation across the authority. Several events were successful in securing national funding through the Event Scotland Create18 grants offered as part of the themed-year. These events included a young writers festival, community fun days, a cheerleading taster session, and positive mental health event. Renfrewshire Council also awarded local funding to support a series of youth activities throughout the year to help put ideas into action including holiday programmes, pop up cinema, mobile laser quest sessions, Escape Rooms and community-based youth events – all co-designed by local young people.

17 May 2018 - YOYP mental health - Trinity High pupils at the wellbeing base - JCON (2)

09 Jul 2018 - YOYP mental health - Youth Commission Go Zone Glenburn - JCON

Youth Generations Assembly Sep 20 2018 (12)

Young aerial performers from this year's Halloween Festival

Youth Generations Assembly Sep 20 2018 (17)

Youth Generations Assembly Sep 20 2018 (19)

Youth Generations Assembly Sep 20 2018 (6)

The Halloween Festival signature YoYP project was led by the Renfrewshire Council Events team in conjunction with Renfrewshire Youth Services, attracting more than 34,000 people to the area in October. The event involved more than 700 local young people who had the opportunity to help shape the programme for the event and took part in the parade, aerial displays and also gained valuable work experience by working as part of the council’s events team, and with artists, and youth workers.

A lasting legacy of this partnership working across Renfrewshire is increasing young people’s involvement in the existing Renfrewshire events programme, including Sma’ Shot Day. This included working to make events accessible to wider youth participation, including working to reduce barriers to participation by making tickets and transport to events available to targeted groups. Around 3,600 young people engaged in Renfrewshire’s events throughout the year. The formation of a Youth Events Panel will work into 2019 to continue the involvement of young people shaping and creating youth friendly events in the future.

Councillor Michelle Campbell was selected as Renfrewshire’s Year of Young People Champion and has been attending a range of events across Renfrewshire throughout the year.

Councillor Campbell said:

“I was delighted to be appointed as the Council’s ambassador for young people during this specially themed year and I’ve been privileged to spend a lot of time meeting and listening to young people from across Renfrewshire over the last year. It’s delivered a real shift in welcoming young people to not just share their views, but also to include them in decision making and planning so they help inform our policies going forward.

“The Year of Young People gave our local young people a chance to really showcase their ideas and talents and to celebrate their achievements throughout the year and it’s been fantastic to see all the opportunities they’ve been able to take up as part of our events programme.

“Young people have a key role in their own education and we can continue to work to support that through the networks that have developed as a legacy of the Year of Young People 2018.”

Renfrewshire Youth Voice celebrated the end of the YoYP with their Positive About Youth Awards, which was a celebration of young people’s contribution to their peers and communities.

Jade Lochhead, the current Chair of Renfrewshire Youth Voice said:

“2018 gave us an opportunity for young people and youth work to be valued and listened to. Our Youth Assembly this year gave young people a platform to speak out on matters that we think are important.

“RYV will continue the theme of “Participation” into 2019 – Look out we’ve got more plans coming to Renfrewshire to keep us on the map.”

The Young Scot Renfrewshire portal hosted digital content created and curated by young people during the YoYP campaign. This will remain as a space to host films, photographs, blogs and reviews by young people and allow a wider youth audience to participate and engage with youth events in 2019 and for the years to come.

Caste Study

How Renfrewshire’s young people took centre stage at Paisley’s Halloween festival

Around 34,000 people flocked to Paisley for the Halloween Festival in October, celebrating the town’s witchcraft past.

The festival, supported by the Year of Young People 2018 and EventScotland, was significantly enhanced for the themed year with a full town centre takeover.

Young people were at the heart of the festival’s development, with a 28-strong Youth Events Panel working alongside Renfrewshire Council’s Events Team and Youth Services to design and deliver the programme, while more than 700 took part in a new creative learning programme. This offered the opportunity to participate in all aspects of festival delivery from performance to live event management and technical production.

The Youth Events Panel involved young people from across Renfrewshire with differing needs which ensured a diversity of voices in the event’s creation and helped act as a driving force that shaped, developed and delivered the event activities.

Throughout the programme, the young people were supported to learn new skills and make new connections that will prove invaluable.

One of the young people involved in the aerial performance, Patrick Doherty, said he enjoyed having his creative ideas listened to in an open and fun environment.

Patrick said:

“My personal challenge was meeting new people and working in a group with people I didn’t know, but I was able to overcome this and really enjoyed the experience.”

Andi Brogan, who was also part of the aerial performance, enjoyed learning a new skill and being able to network with aerial dance theatre company, All or Nothing.

Andi said:

“As someone who wants to be a professional dance artist, this was an invaluable experience.”

Youth Events Panel member, Jessica Willcox, said:

“Being involved in Halloween allowed me to have a completely new experience. I’ve made new friends and been able to socialise, which has increased my confidence.”

Head of Marketing, Communications and Events at Renfrewshire Council, Louisa Mahon said:

“To have so many of our young people at the heart of the festival’s planning and staging as co-creators made it extra special and we have been delighted to have delivered such a major event in partnership with Event Scotland.

“Our high profile, high impact, ambitious Halloween Festival working with leading creative partners All or Nothing, Bridgeman Arts and 21CC, ensured our children and young people’s skills, talents and diversity shone on a local and national stage.

“Thank you to all the young people who were involved in making this year’s event such a huge success.”

02/01/2019/by Brian McGuire

Almost 30 projects have been supported in 2018 through Renfrewshire’s Culture, Heritage and Events Fund – including a two-day music festival, a mini Mela and jewellery making classes.

Paisley International Tango Festival 2018 (2)

The fund was launched in February 2016 to support Paisley’s bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021 and has continued as part of a wider plan to use culture and heritage to transform the area’s future, supporting 27 projects in 2018 alone.

It aims to create more chances for people to get involved in cultural activity, help young people develop, boost the local economy, raise Renfrewshire’s profile, and show how creativity can boost education, social inclusion and quality of life.

Three rounds of the Culture, Heritage and Events Fund have been completed in 2018, with a fourth round closing for applications in early December.

Paisley International Tango Festival 2018 (2)

Local groups and organisations supported in 2018 include The STAR Project, Paisley YMCA, Right2Dance, Media Monty, Johnstone Band, Paisley Opera and Renfrewshire Carers Centre.

Since 2016, almost 300 applications have been received to the Culture, Heritage and Events Fund from communities, businesses and cultural organisations in Renfrewshire and across Scotland – with a total funding request of £3,422,984. Over a third of these have been supported, with a total of £886,544 spent.

Successful completed projects to date include teenage animator Morgan Spence’s Lego stop-motion animation about Paisley – now seen by millions – and local dance group Right2Dance bringing Sir Matthew Bourne’s Re:Bourne company here for a week-long residency.

The CHE Fund is part of a wider cultural regeneration plan for Paisley which also includes a £100m investment in town centre venues, including the £42m project to turn Paisley Museum in to an international-class destination based around the town’s unique heritage and collections.

Drew Moir, who was awarded funding to host the 2018 Paisley International Tango Festival, said: “The Paisley Tango scene would not exist without support from the Culture, Heritage and Events Fund. We now get approached by two or three professionals a month who want to be invited to perform here, a testament to the quality of the event and the friendly environment our town can create.“

This year, Renfrewshire Council have also launched a new fund, designed to support Renfrewshire’s cultural sector. The Cultural Organisations Development Fund is open to cultural and creative organisations across Renfrewshire and will complement the Culture, Heritage and Events Fund, providing support to build the resilience and sustainability of local organisations, helping them realise their cultural ambitions.

Leader of Renfrewshire Council, Iain Nicolson said: “The CHE Fund has been key in involving local people in cultural and creative activity and it’s great to see so much interest in the fund over 2018.

“We know involvement in culture has a positive impact on health and wellbeing and the projects supported have given people the chance to take part in new experiences and benefit in a number of different ways.

“Through the CHE Fund we’ve seen activities supported in communities right across Renfrewshire and I’m looking forward to seeing what projects the fund can support in 2019.”

The results of the current round of funding are due to be announced in February, with further funding rounds to be announced for 2019 in the new year.

For more information on Renfrewshire’s cultural grants, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/culturalgrants

27/12/2018/by Brian McGuire

Paisley’s Halloween and Spree festivals attracted record numbers in 2018 and delivered a £2.4million economic boost to Renfrewshire.

Paisley Halloween Festival

That’s according to the findings of independent assessments into the two October events, which also showed more people flocked to Renfrewshire from across Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Inspired by the town’s dark and deathly witch history and against the backdrop of the 850-year-old Abbey, Paisley’s Halloween Festival welcomed 34,000 people for two nights of ghoulish goings-on, up by 8000 on 2017.

Thirty-percent of attendees were aged 26 and under – reflecting the popularity of the key date on Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018 celebrations.

Paisley Halloween Festival was supported by the Year of Young People 2018 event fund managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.

There was a 30% rise recorded in visitors from the rest of the UK and growing numbers staying overnight, while the festival attracted almost 13,000 Scots from outside Renfrewshire.

This led to a 300% increase in visitor spend to £907,031 and a phenomenal total £1.96million injection into the economy, with traders’ tills swelling from an average spend of almost £60 per visitor on food and drink, entertainment and shopping over the two-day programme.

Martha Reeves - Spree Festival

The numbers also add up from The Spree, with a £434,702 total economic boost from the 10-day music, arts and cultural festival, up by £311,000 on 2017, and an average spectator spend up by 50% coming as music to the ears of Renfrewshire businesses.

This year saw record ticket sales as almost 11,000 people – including 2000 from outside Renfrewshire – enjoyed the festival which featured Motown legend Martha Reeves and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.

There was also a Wee Spree programme for kids during the school holidays and 1400 people packed out venues across the region as the inaugural Spree for All took the festival to pubs, community halls and even bowling clubs in Paisley, Johnstone, Linwood, Lochwinnoch and Renfrew.

Satisfaction levels soared at both events and attendance surveys also showed the events reached a new audience and attracted people to return in equal measure.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “It was phenomenal to see such great numbers coming along to Paisley’s Halloween Festival and to Spree and now this report shows exactly how it translates into more money for the local economy and more spend with local traders.

“We’re working hard with our partners to put on unique events which are a fixture on the calendar for Renfrewshire residents and which attract new audiences from Scotland and the rest of the UK.

“It was particularly pleasing in the Year of Young People to see so many families experiencing the Halloween Festival, added to the hundreds of gifted young performers taking part and the popularity of Spree For All spread the benefits of the festival around Renfrewshire.

“Renfrewshire has so much to offer and major events are an important part of our plans to use our culture and heritage to drive footfall and cement our status as a popular visitor destination.”

Researchers pored over the figures and interviewed hundreds of attendees at the two Renfrewshire Council events to compile the detailed reports, which are being welcomed by the local business sector.

Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Bob Grant, said: “Both these council events are firm favourites on the calendar and this report is most welcome, underlining their importance to the local economy.

“Town centre traders will welcome this significant spend and to see more people staying overnight is good news for local hotels too. We’re all proud of what Renfrewshire has to offer and it’s great to know that more people than ever before are learning about our unique heritage and culture.”

19/12/2018/by Brian McGuire

Blog, Events, Music, Newsletter, Paisley, Paisley Events, Paisley History, Paisley Photographs, Paisley Town Hall, Paisley Visitor Attractions, People from Paisley, Press Release, Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire Council, renfrewshire events, Renfrewshire Leisure

Bid to gather Buddies’ Town Hall memories

Paisley Town Hall has played a huge part in the lives of generations of Buddies.

Now a new project to gather people’s memories and photographs of the much-loved iconic building has been launched.

Renfrewshire Leisure wants to hear from anyone who has a special memory of the Town Hall whether it involved a dance or concert held there, a first date, wedding, formal dinner, graduation or a special event.

The Memories of Paisley Town Hall project is being run as the building is about to be closed at the end of this year for a major refurbishment, which will see it re-open in 2021 as a major venue attracting events and people to the town.

All you have to do is log on to www.renfrewshireleisure.com/townhallmemories and post your memories and pictures of the Town Hall. People can also pop into the Town Hall before it closes at the end of this month and complete a postcard.

Victoria Hollows, chief executive of Renfrewshire Leisure said: “While the Town Hall is closed we want to keep it alive in the hearts and minds of Paisley Buddies.

“We want to hear everyone’s Town Hall tales, from funny stories to how the building has played a part in their lives and memories of some of the shows and famous bands they have seen there.

“It’s well-known that music star Paolo Nutini was discovered by his first manager at Paisley Town Hall when he stepped in to give an impromptu performance on the stage while hundreds of teenagers were waiting for Fame Academy TV show winner, David Sneddon to appear. Were you there?”

Victoria added: “When we gather people’s stories and photographs we’ll publish them online so everyone can enjoy each others memories of the building over the generations.”

The refurbishment of the Town Hall is one of the key projects within Renfrewshire Council’s £100 million investment in venues and infrastructure over the next few years, as part of a wider plan to use the town’s unique heritage and cultural assets to transform its future.

16/12/2018/by Brian McGuire

Enthusiastic community members are being encouraged to sign up for their nearest Local Partnership ahead of the deadline for applications.

Local Partnerships meeting

Enthusiastic community members are being encouraged to sign up for their nearest Local Partnership and have their say on the issues that matter locally.

The community representatives will be a key part of the new Local Partnerships, sitting alongside local elected councillors and representatives from the public sector and the voluntary sector.

They will help shape the discussion and debate at Local Partnership meetings, bring their expertise and local knowledge to decision making and provide an important link to local people.

Local Partnerships meeting

The closing date for membership applications is Friday 14 December.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “I’d encourage anyone who has a passion for their community to put their name forward to become a member of their Local Partnership.

“We want to achieve a range of views and give local people the opportunity to have their say on the issues that matter to them within their community.

Local Partnerships meeting

“It’s important that the opinions of local people are highlighted so get in touch and take this opportunity to make a difference.”

A series of community events have been taking place across Renfrewshire to introduce the new partnerships and to encourage people to become community representatives, with the first official meetings of the new partnerships set to take place in early 2019.

The seven new Local Partnerships take on the same boundaries as Community Councils and replace the previous five Local Area Committees, with membership being split evenly between local elected members and local community representatives.

The partnerships will work together to identify the priorities for the local community and representatives will have a key role in the allocation of funding to local voluntary and community groups.

For more information on the Local Partnerships and to submit your application to become a member, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/localpartnerships.

12/12/2018/by Brian McGuire

A new fund designed to support Renfrewshire’s cultural sector launched this week as one of the legacies of Paisley’s UK City of Culture bidding process.

Skyline Paisley

The Cultural Organisations Development Fund is open to cultural and creative organisations from across Paisley and Renfrewshire, it will provide support to build the resilience and sustainability of organisations, helping them realise their cultural ambitions and fulfil their potential.

The fund will run for the next three years (to 2022) and could support organisations to cover core costs such as staffing, improve their governance and management, and build new audiences and partnerships across Scotland, the UK and internationally.

It is open to Renfrewshire based organisations or groups that have a cultural or creative purpose.

The fund will complement the existing Culture, Heritage and Events Fund which was set up during the Paisley 2021 bid and has supported more than 100 one-off events and projects since 2016.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “This new fund is key to continuing our ambitions to support Renfrewshire’s cultural sector to fulfil it’s potential.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson

“The Culture, Heritage and Events Fund has already succeeded in increasing the number of people getting involved in creative activity in Renfrewshire and the Cultural Organisational Development Fund will support organisations to develop their capacity and progress with longer term planning.

“The fund will support organisations within Renfrewshire to build and strengthen partnerships both locally and further afield and develop national and international profile.

“The ongoing work to expand our creative capacity goes hand in hand with our £100m investment to transform our cultural spaces, allowing Paisley to attract a wider range of cultural activity and events, and cement our place as a cultural town and as one of Scotland’s key destinations.”

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the Renfrewshire Leisure Cultural Services team, who administer the fund on behalf of Renfrewshire Council, before applying.

The first application deadline is 1 March 2019 with funding decisions due to be made in May 2019. Further funding rounds will take place in October 2019 and February 2020.

Advice surgeries will be held in January 2019 to allow organisations who are considering making applications to attend and seek further information and guidance.

To find out more and to view the application guidance, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/CODF or email codf-enquiries@renfrewshire.gov.uk

30/11/2018/by Brian McGuire

Buddies are being invited to have one last look inside Paisley Town Hall today/tomorrow (Thursday, November 29) before it undergoes a £22 million transformation.

The doors will be open for people to attend a free event which will not only celebrate the rich history of the iconic building, but will present early stage plans on how it might change.

The redevelopment plans for the Town Hall will be explained including the recovery of lost rooms and hidden gems in the building.

The night begins at 6pm with the developing plans being shared with the public. Then between 7pm and 9pm there will a Ta Ta Toon Hall celebration featuring film archive footage, music, song, artwork from local groups and the reading of a poem specially-commissioned from local poet, Jim Ferguson.

Although the event is free, anyone wishing to attend should book a ticket to attend by calling 0300 300 1210 or by calling into Paisley Town Hall or Paisley Arts Centre.

Paisley Town Hall’s £22 million transformation is part of a £100 million investment in the town’s cultural infrastructure. This includes investment to re-develop Paisley Museum, Paisley Arts Centre and the launch of our Library in the High Street, Paisley.

The Town Hall will close its doors at the end of 2018 for work to begin and will re-open in 2021.

Fiona Naylor, acting chief executive of Renfrewshire Leisure said: “Paisley Town Hall has played a part in the lives of many generations of people living in Renfrewshire.

“It has a wonderfully rich history and we want to celebrate that. We also want to show people what they can look forward to when the transformation is complete in three years time.”

28/11/2018/by Brian McGuire