A popular physical activity game that has been played several times in the area is returning – and this time it will be taking place in Paisley for the first time!
Beat the Street is a real-life physical activity game that aims to get whole communities moving together by making exercise into a fun competition where participants of all ages can win points and prizes for taking part.
Beat the Street has already successfully been played in Glasgow, Falkirk, East Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire. Now Paisley residents can join in the fun with a game that takes place from Wednesday, 31st August to Wednesday, 12th October.
Prior to the game, residents will see special sensors called Beat Boxes appearing on lampposts around these areas. Once the game starts, players will hover their card over the Beat Box to start their journey, before walking, cycling or wheeling to the next one to score points. There will be 69 Beat Boxes placed around the town and players can then clock up active travel miles for their team.
The game is free and open to anyone of any age. Primary school children will be provided with cards and maps via their school and the wider community is invited to collect a free card from a distribution point listed at www.beatthestreet.me/paisley
Players can join a school team, a workplace team, charity team or community and the further that participants walk, cycle or wheel, the more points they will win for their team. The teams that top the leaderboards will be in with a chance of winning vouchers for books and sports equipment at the end of the six-week game, with prizes for average points too, so smaller teams are also in with a chance of winning prizes.
Councillor Michelle Campbell, Convener for the Economy and Regeneration Policy Board at Renfrewshire Council, said: “Beat the Street has been played several times around the area, but this is the first time it’s been played in Paisley!
“We’re delighted to have been able to bring the competition to the town and look forward to seeing how far everyone can walk, cycle, and wheel in the six-week game.
“Previous games nearby have shown that Beat the Street is a great way of getting children, families and our communities active. Not only that, but the game enables the community to lower its carbon footprint and also brings the community together which in turn improves wellbeing, increases feelings of safety and reduces isolation.”
Beat the Street Paisley has been commissioned by Renfrewshire Council with support from Paths for All’s Smarter Choices, Smarter Places programme. It is being delivered by Intelligent Health.
The game was created by Dr William Bird MBE to help tackle the UK’s low levels of activity, to help people incorporate healthy habits into their daily lives, as well also improving air pollution, increasing active travel and reducing congestion.
For more information on how to play, prizes and where to pick up a free card and map, click onto www.beatthestreet.me/paisley or search for @BTSPaisley on social media.
This year’s event, brought to you by OneRen, will take place on Sunday 21st August 2022. The 10K Road Race is suitable for runners of all levels from novices to experienced club and international runners. For families, friends and youngsters, there is the shorter Fun Run that takes in some of Paisley Town Centre’s most famous landmarks.
In 2019, 3500 people raced around the streets of Paisley in the 10K road race and Fun Run, and the 2022 event is sure to be another great one not to be missed!
Erskine Hospital return as our race charity this year, with donations being able to be made to them during sign up. Erskine provides unrivalled support to Veterans in Scotland, through four care homes and a Veterans Village, comprising of 44 cottages, an Activities Centre, five Assisted Living Apartments and 24 Transitional Supported Apartments.
Climate Cooking Challenge, fashion upcycling and community gardens part of £50,000 award for climate change projects in Renfrewshire
Communities in Renfrewshire will reduce food waste and emissions, recycle old clothes and textiles, and create community gardens, biodiversity areas and food growing areas thanks to funding awards from Renfrewshire Council.
The Community Climate Fund was created by Renfrewshire Council to offer local communities the chance to make environmental changes in their local area that will contribute to the target of Renfrewshire reaching net-zero by 2030.
£50,000 was allocated from the Council’s £1million Climate Change Action Fund, with up to £3,000 available to community organisations for each project – and a total of 18 projects have been successful.
One of a range of innovative ideas was a Climate Cooking Challenge devised by the Tannahill Centre in Paisley, which will reduce food waste by sharing techniques and skills with the local community around making the most of raw food, leftovers and surplus food.
Jamie Mallan, Business Transformation Manager at the Tannahill Centre, said: “This funding is going to make a big difference to families and individuals in Ferguslie as it will enable us to support local families by helping them to reduce food and energy costs at home at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is hitting really hard.
“Author Lorna Cooper will run workshops for residents from Ferguslie where she will share some of the recipes detailed in her book ‘Feed your Family for £20’ and some of the advice and tips she shares on social media which help families make leftovers go further, whilst also reducing their energy costs.”
Lorna will also work with the local sewing group, The Feegie Needlers, to produce non-electric slow cookers.
She said: “Made from a duvet and some fabric, non-electric slow cookers are a popular way of slow cooking all over the world. After bringing a pot of food to the boil and placing it inside the slow cooker, the retained heat will continue cooking for up to eight hours without any additional energy source.”
Renfrew YMCA SCIO plan to teach young people in the community about the effects of ‘fast-fashion’ on the environment and support them to carry out upcycling of clothes and textiles, with the aim of hosting an eco-friendly fashion show.
Taylor Smith, Renfrew YMCA Youth Development Worker, said: “Our project is an upcycling project that provides children and young people with the skills to take old clothes and make something new as we try to tackle the fast fashion problem and help with climate change.
“We are so excited that we have received this funding and have already started making upcycling hair bands and bangles in our summer programme.”
The Council’s Climate Change Action Fund provides initial funding to pilot new ideas and approaches, to support engagement and partnership working across Renfrewshire, and to accelerate the pace of change already being delivered through existing initiatives.
It is one of a variety of initiatives in place to support Renfrewshire’s aim of reaching net-zero by 2030.
Councillor Jim Paterson, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Planning and Climate Change Policy Board, said: “It’s fantastic to see the level of enthusiasm and creativity from our local communities as they help to tackle the climate change emergency in any way they can – and these projects are a shining example of what can be done.
“As a Council, climate change is considered in every decision we take and we are reducing our carbon emissions at every opportunity, but we know that we need our communities and businesses to do the same.
“We’ve set an ambitious target of reaching net-zero by 2030, but I am confident that as a Council we can lead from the front with the initiatives we have in place now and to come.
“Climate Change is a key priority of this administration, and we will continue to do all we can to reduce our emissions and support all of Renfrewshire to do the same.”
Other projects which received funding include food growing initiatives in Lochwinnoch, Williamsburgh Primary; community gardens in Kirklandneuk Primary, Langbank Primary, The Good Shephard Centre in Bishopton, Johnstone Castle Community Centre, Bishopton Community Centre and the Finding Your Feet centre in Paisley; biodiversity improvements in Ferguslie and Lochwinnoch; funding for bike repairs to support active travel; environmental improvements to the Howwood Park pavilion and Ferguslie Cricket Club; ‘Repair, Make Do and Mend’ sewing workshops, videos and a Mending Skills toolkit by Mossvale Community Church; and a community dye garden in Paisley.
All applicants whose projects did not receive funding have been supported by the Council and Engage Renfrewshire to identify other possible funding opportunities.
For more information on climate change projects in Renfrewshire, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/climatechange.
The projects awarded funding were:
The Tannahill Centre (£2,953)
- Climate Cooking Challenge
- Reduce food waste by sharing techniques and skills to make the most of raw food, leftovers and surplus food
- Reduce energy consumption through more efficient preparation of food
- Produce non-electric slow cookers using recycled household materials
Lochwinnoch Sustainable Community Garden (£1,000)
- Rewilding Lochwinnoch
- Improve biodiversity in the area by sowing wildflower seeds
- Interactive project aimed to be accessible for all
24th Paisley Boys Brigade (£3,000)
- Climate Challenge 2022
- Reduce energy consumption
- Learning how to grow food through a community garden
- Turning over church lawns to wildflower meadows
Kirklandneuk PS Parent Council (£3,000)
- ‘Mon the Weans, Mon the Bees, Mon the Community’
- Outdoor space for pupils to be creative
- Used for community food growing and preparation
- Biodiversity area in the school grounds
Own Yer Bike (£3,000)
- Volunteer Training/Parts for repairs
- Put five volunteers through cycle mechanics course to allow them to teach young people how to fix and maintain their bikes
- Purchase of parts to repair bikes for free to support active travel
Friends of Howwood Park (£2,840.60)
- Howwood Park Pavilion Renovation
- Renovate the pavilion in an environmentally friendly manner
- Insulation and low energy electrical fittings
- Minimise energy demand and maximise efficiency
Langbank Parent Partnership (£3,000)
- All the flowers of tomorrow are the seeds of today
- Establish the garden as an extension to the outdoor classroom
- Growing ground for fruits, vegetables and herbs
The Good Shephard Centre (£2,855)
- Community Garden
- ‘Fork to fork’ approach
- Follows GSC’s Young People’s Climate Change Agenda
- In partnership with Duke of Edinburgh Award, GSC School and Wellbeing teams
- Improve horticultural skills
Local Energy Action Plan (£3,000)
- Diggin’ It Together
- Food growing initiative for people in their own homes
- Reduce carbon emissions, promote mindfulness, tackle food insecurity, promote sese of wellbeing, opportunity to bring people together at community events
Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies (£2,220)
- Little and Large Explorers
- Renovate Johnstone Castle Community Centre’s garden
- Provide active travel equipment
- Learn new skills, such as planting, making flower beds, food hygiene
Ferguslie Cricket Club (£2,000)
- Climate Change projects
- Install LED lighting
- Creation of a small garden for biodiversity
Ferguslie Community Development Trust (£2,871)
- Sunshine on Ferguslie (schools project)
- Improvements to front gardens to encourage interest in nature
- Learn new gardening skills
- Create planters and birdboxes
- Community gardening clubs
Mossvale Community Church (£2,510)
- Sewing2gether All Nations – Repair Make Do & Mend
- Sewing workshops for members of the refugee and asylum seeker community
- Create Make Do & Mend videos
- Produce a Mending Skills toolkit
Williamsburgh Parent Council (£2,897.22)
- Getting Williamsburgh Growing
- Support children to grow their own food
Renfrew YMCA SCIO (£3,000)
- Make Renfrew Green
- Implement up-cycling into the organisation
- Teach young people about up-cycling and the effect of ‘fast-fashion’
- Host an eco-friendly fashion show
Bonnie Bishopton (£3,000)
- Community Gardens at the Community Centre
- Regenerate neglected land
- Create a community garden for health and wellbeing
Finding Your Feet (FYF) (£3,000)
- Turn an area of disused land into a garden and play area
- Sensory garden, outdoor children’s accessible play area, nature walks, bee keeping and gardening
Sculpture House Collective (£2,985.60)
- Community Dye Garden
- Green spaces used to grow plants and trees that can be used for dying and printing textiles
- Expand to satellite locations in Ferguslie Park area
- Engage and educate the local community
- Improve biodiversity
Paisley’s annual Sma’ Shot Day takes place on Saturday (2 July) with a day-long extravaganza of family entertainment in the town centre.
The event, which is one of the world’s oldest workers’ festivals, begins at 12 noon as the spectacular Sma’ Shot Parade sets off from Brodie Park.
Led by the sound of the Charleston Drum, the parade will make its way through the town to the main event site at Abbey Close and Bridge Street. It will be followed by a performance from local dance group right2dance and the traditional Burning of the Cork – a highlight of the Sma’ Shot Day celebrations.
This year’s Sma’ Shot parade is being co-ordinated by Bridgeman Arts in collaboration with local community groups and performers to tell exciting, undiscovered stories of weavers’ pasts as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022.
Families can enjoy an afternoon of live entertainment in Abbey Close with performances on the main stage from PACE Youth Theatre, who will re-enact the struggles of the Paisley weavers in their efforts for payment of the Sma’ Shot, the Starlight Music Theatre adult rock choir and swing band, Shaz Martin and The Well Happy Band.
Professional aerialists from All or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre will be on hand to dazzle visitors with acrobatics and performances. They will also host exciting ‘Watch, Fly, Come and Try’ bookable workshops for kids and adults to try out trapeze and other activities for themselves.
A ‘Doon the Watter’ seaside experience can be found in Abbey Gardens, equipped with deck chairs and a beach. Plus, there’s circus skills, bubble making and carnival fun from Paisley Community Circus and Big Top Circus and a performance from the RockUs community choir.
Local designers and makers will showcase their work at the contemporary Sma’ Shot Makers’ Market at The Art Department creative space in The Paisley Centre. Visitors can browse and purchase fantastic items, such as clothing, jewellery, accessories, interior design, gifts and souvenirs – and visit the mobile Future Paisley exhibition.
The Bungalow venue will also host an all-day programme of live music, including a kid’s ceilidh in the afternoon and the popular Poetry Slam in the evening.
The historic Sma’ Shot Cottages will be open for tours across the day, giving visitors the chance to take a trip back in time and see what life was like as a weaver in Paisley in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Sma’ Shot Day is organised by Renfrewshire Council as part of the area’s major events programme.
Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron said: “Sma’ Shot Day is one of the highlights of our annual events calendar which attracts thousands of visitors to the area each year.
“This year’s jam-packed programme has even more for families to enjoy – from the spectacular parade and Burning of the Cork to fantastic workshops, live entertainment and fascinating tours of the Sma’ Shot Cottages.
“I can’t wait to see everyone turn out on Saturday to celebrate the town’s rich history and creativity together.”
This year’s Sma’ Shot Day celebration is part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 Partner Events Programme.
To find out more about the event and to book places at workshops, visit: https://paisley.is/featured_
Renfrewshire is the place to be for family days out and events this summer.
With the school summer holidays underway, there are lots of ways to keep the kids entertained at the many great attractions, events and outdoor spaces the area has to offer.
Summer events in Renfrewshire begin on Saturday 2 July with Paisley’s annual Sma’ Shot Day.
The event, which is one of the world’s oldest workers’ festivals, will see a bumper programme of live performances, family entertainment and workshops.
Enjoy the colourful parade from 12noon as it makes its way from Brodie Park through the town centre. Once it arrives at Abbey Close, visitors can see the spectacular Burning of the Cork – a highlight of the day’s celebrations.
Then, get ready for the skirl of the bagpipes and the beat of the drum at Renfrew Pipe Band Competition on Saturday 23 July.
Renfrew’s Robertson Park will play proud host to its first ever pipe band competition, which will also feature aerial workshops, a farmer’s market, food village and much more.
The beautiful Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park has an extensive calendar of activities, including its Summer Kids programme of events for young people every Wednesday during the school holidays.
Each week will feature different practical outdoor events, including a variety of guided nature and wildlife walks with park rangers.
The park also offers sailing courses and paddle sport sessions for varying levels of experience.
The nearby RSPB Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve is home to stunning scenery and equally brilliant activities to go wild with the family.
The reserve is hosting a range of events across several weeks, including scavenger hunts, self-led activity trails and even a special dinosaur hunt.
Guided wildlife walks and pond dipping events will also take place on select days in July and August.
This summer, the Paisley First Business Improvement District is bringing BRICKLIVE’s Fantasy Kingdom to Paisley for a fun, free family day out.
Find amazing brick models located around the town centre on this magical trail, including knights, princesses, wizards and deadly dragons.
BRICKLIVE’s Fantasy Kingdom will run each day over the school holidays until Sunday 14 August. Collect a trail leaflet from The Paisley Centre or Piazza Shopping Centre and begin the quest.
Family favourites Funbox are coming to Johnstone Town Hall on Saturday 16 July for a Jungle Party.
Full of classic singalongs from Anya, Kevin and Bonzo (formerly of The Singing Kettle), this show will be jumbo-sized join-in fun for all the family. Tickets can be purchased via the OneRen box office.
The Paisley.is website is a one-stop shop to see the best things to do across Renfrewshire, including spectacular events, attractions and places to visit over the summer.
IMPROVEMENTS are now starting to be made to Hawkhead Cemetery only weeks after a pressure group began campaigning for Renfrewshire Council to carry out the work.
The Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery group was set up by Paisley newsagent, Desmond Barr after complaints about the “disgraceful state” of the Council-owned graveyard.
Shortly after the group was launched, they carried out a public survey to find out what issues people most wanted Renfrewshire Council to take action on at Hawkhead Cemetery. These included better maintenance and weeding of pathways, more regular grass cutting, repairing the many potholes on the roads throughout the cemetery and new signage.
Led by Desmond Barr, the Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery passed on the results of their survey to the local authority and began lobbying council officials and councillors to carry out repairs and better maintain the cemetery. Now the group report that the council has –
- begun a programme of regular and improved grass cutting;
- is investigating and has experimented with the best type of machinery to clear weeds and moss that covers pathways;
- started repairing potholes in the part of the cemetery that is currently most in use for new graves.
- new Hawkhead Cemetery signage will soon be erected.
Desmond said: “We have won some initial and important victories in the short time the Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery group has been campaigning for improvements.
“We’ve made a strong start to our campaign and have gained support from many members of the public and councillors from all political parties. These latest developments from the council to begin improvements to the cemetery are very welcome, although there is still a long way to go.
“I’ve spoken to several councillors and as recently as Sunday evening, organised a visit to Hawkhead Cemetery for Councillor Stephen Burns, who is the depute convener of the council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board.
“I got the impression from him that he thought the necessary improvements had already been made to the cemetery, but was shocked when he saw the disgraceful state the cemetery was still in.
“And within a couple of days workmen were out repairing potholes.”
The Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery survey – which more than 550 people completed – revealed that 95.3 per cent of those who took part either strongly agreed, or agreed that the council should give more attention to general maintenance including clearing fallen leaves and debris and weeding pathways.
The survey showed that 94.94 per cent strongly agreed or agreed that roads within the cemetery should be repaired and 89.69 per cent strongly agreed or agreed that grass cutting should be improved.
The questionnaire also saw 87.16 per cent of people strongly agreed or agreed that the council should increase community warden patrols in the cemetery grounds to counter issues such as anti-social behaviour and dog fouling.
Desmond added: “We appreciate the actions being taken by Renfrewshire Council but, as a group, we will remain vigilant to make sure the improvements remain in place long term and that other important issues the public have raised are also dealt with.”
To find out more about Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery, visit their website at www.friendsofhawkheadcemetery.org or to join the group go to the Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery Facebook Page.
Local voters are being encouraged to use their opportunity to cast their vote in the local Council elections in Renfrewshire on Thursday 5 May.
There will be 43 councillors elected across 12 ward areas and those elected will represent Renfrewshire for the next five years.
Polling takes place on Thursday 5 May between 7am and 10pm, with the votes counted and the results announced on Friday 6 May at the Lagoon Leisure Centre.
People casting their vote at a polling station should check their poll card as some venues may have changed since the previous election, with information on changes available on the Council website.
People who opted to vote by post but have missed the deadline to send it back are able to hand it in at any Renfrewshire polling station and there is a 10pm deadline for the replacement of lost or spoiled postal votes which can be obtained by calling the Election Office on 0141 618 2300.
Anyone who requires an emergency proxy vote can apply to the Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Thursday 5 May 2022 and the application form can be filled out via the Council website.
Alan Russell, Returning Officer for Renfrewshire, said: “I would encourage everyone to have their say and cast their vote on polling day as those elected will represent you for the next five years in Renfrewshire.
“Our polling places will be safe places for you to visit on 5 May, but please make sure you use your polling card to double check where you should vote as some of the venues may have changed.
“This election uses the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system so please make sure you mark your choices in order of preference, i.e., 1, 2, 3 etc – you can choose as many or as few candidates as you wish.
“I’m looking forward to election day as it approaches, and I want to thank all of our staff who are working hard behind-the-scenes to deliver this election smoothly.”
The results will be published on the Council website and social media channels as they are announced on Friday 6 May.
For more information about the election in Renfrewshire, you can visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/council-elections-2022.
Renfrewshire Labour today launched its manifesto for the May 5th Renfrewshire Council election, with a promise to “put Renfrewshire first” and “get the basics right.”
Unveiling its plans for a Labour administration in Renfrewshire over the next five years, the party outlined a raft of policies in the areas of education, the cost-of-living crisis, the economy and work, housing, local environment, health and social care, and transport.
Launching the manifesto, Chair of Renfrewshire Labour’s Local Government Committee Margaret McCormick said:
“Renfrewshire has been going backwards under the current SNP Council. They have been content to manage decline. They have broken promises, cut services, and continuously wasted taxpayers’ money. They have also completely failed to stand up for Renfrewshire against the cuts being inflicted on our community by both the SNP and Tory governments. The people of Renfrewshire deserve better.
Renfrewshire’s election on May 5th isn’t about the constitution or your position on independence. It’s about local people, local services, and the local community. Labour has a clear plan for change and for getting the basics right – with policies targeted to clean up our streets, fund the frontline, reinvigorate our town centres and local economy, and work to bring local buses under public control.
Renfrewshire Labour isn’t promising the earth. We’re just promising to run Renfrewshire properly. Plenty of councils manage to fix the roads and keep the streets clean. The SNP have had their chance in Renfrewshire and they’ve failed. It’s time for change.”
The policies detailed in the manifesto include:
- A freeze of all council fees and charges for at least two years, and a pledge to keep council tax low.
- A refreshed strategy to repair our roads and footways and an end to sub-standard road patching.
- Targeting wardens and CCTV in anti-social behaviour hotspots to make our streets and parks safer.
- Zero tolerance for fly-tipping and dog-fouling.
- Reducing Renfrewshire’s educational attainment gap and demanding a renewed emphasis on literacy and numeracy skills.
- School swimming lessons for all children by age 10.
- Creating a new master plan for town centres to unlock the potential of our high streets.
- Supporting local businesses by using council resources to buy local.
- Working to create a Strathclyde-wide bus network run for people not private profit.
- Building and enhancing the stock of social housing.
- Defending our green belt and giving local communities more say over planning decisions.
Speaking as the manifesto was launched, Paisley Northwest Labour candidate Ben Smith commented:
“The reception on the doors has been really encouraging. Residents who have historically voted for all parties and none are expressing enthusiasm for Labour, and exhaustion with this incompetent SNP Council. Our diverse and energised team of local champions will provide the fresh thinking and ideas that Renfrewshire Council needs.
“The SNP have had their chance. It’s time for change in Renfrewshire, and a vote for Scottish Labour is a vote to deliver that change.”
#PositivePaisley
Member of SCVO
