A Paisley lad and pupil of Trinity High School, who is part of the team Dancepoint are looking for local support to not just cheer them on for the live finals but to vote too when the show is on, they are a fantastic young group with tons of potential and crucially talent. You can see Dancepoint on the Greatest Dancer on BBC1 this weekend…
A bright third floor 395 sqft office located at Mirren Court Three available to let now!
This modern office has LED lighting, central heating and lots of natural day light. The office has a large shared break out / tea prep area. The space is perfect for 3/4 people.
Meeting room hire is also available.
Please contact us on 0141 843 4211 to get more details!
Paisley Pirates, fresh from three wins on the trot in the Scottish National League, face one of their most daunting tasks so far as they head for Edinburgh this Sunday to take on the Murrayfield Racers (face off 6.00pm). The side from the capital has so far inflicted three heavy defeats on the Pirates, who are hoping that their recent winning streak will stand them in good stead against a side which has so far proved to have had the Indian sign over them in league and cup matches. Murrayfield have seldom been troubled in the SNL so far this season, but suffered a rare 5-4 reverse to Solway Sharks, the other blockbusting side in the league this year on Saturday, although they did go to Aberdeen and record a 4-0 shut out victory on the Sunday.
Pirates, on the other hand, have steadily climbed up the league table in recent weeks, their three wins from three matches in actual fact netting them eight points, as with matches against Belfast Giants SNL counting for double points, their 13-4 win against the Irish side last Sunday netted them four vital league points in their quest for an end of season playoff place, where they hope to successfully defend their title.
Pirates return to home league action the following Sunday (9 February) when they take on local rivals North Ayrshire Wild (face off 4.30pm).
A new long-term community-led strategy is set to transform Ferguslie into a place where everyone can thrive.
Community organisations will work with Renfrewshire Council on a consultation with local residents to get their creative ideas for a new place plan that will meet their needs.
Statistics published today (Tuesday 28 January) reveal that an area in Paisley’s Ferguslie Park is no longer at the bottom of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation table.
Community organisations have already been working with local people on what’s needed to change perceptions about Ferguslie when residents have already said they are wholeheartedly proud to live there.
The new place plan will determine how the community wants to use vacant and underused land, enhance green spaces and support local community groups to ensure more opportunities are available in the area.
It will also continue the work that began with Paisley’s bid to be UK City of Culture by using culture and heritage to transform the lives of people living in the area, developing key projects such as culture being ‘prescribed’ to reduce social isolation and Castlehead High’s partnership with Glasgow School of Art to use creativity to raise attainment.
Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “People in Ferguslie have been a strong force for change in the area, and this new place plan will be led by their ideas of what will make their community thrive.
“The community have already said that the SIMD results do not define them, and they’ve been leading the changes taking place across the area.
“Residents have told us their ideas for housing in the Tannahill area through extensive community consultation carried out by voluntary organisations embedded within the area.
“Now we are asking residents how they want to use green and vacant spaces across the area and what the council can do to enable these plans to come to fruition.
“The plan will capture how the community want to develop the area with the necessary amenities and infrastructure to support their ambitions for Ferguslie.
“It will also build on cultural and industrial history and look at how perceptions of Ferguslie can be turned around and transforming the area into a desirable one to live, work and visit.”
John MacIntyre, chairperson of Ferguslie Community Council, said Ferguslie is better than ever before. He said: “Having spent all my life in Ferguslie Park, I have seen it at it’s worse and now at its best, with further improvements around the corner.
“For far too long our past reputation based on these types of statistics has made it harder for us to play a full part in the wider Renfrewshire area.
“This is clear evidence that we do not deserve the tag of most deprived estate in Scotland. It’s time to praise the community efforts and actions taken over many years, in bringing Ferguslie Park out of the statistical disadvantage it has suffered too long from.”
Terry McTernan, volunteer for the environmental-focused Darkwood Crew, spoke passionately about the community funding itself over the last two years. He said: “The community is paving its way to a better future. In the case of our Routes for All project, we are literally doing that by improving pathways and connections across the area.
“Now that we have built an active and empowered community, we are able to take advantage of local and national programmes and think about how we can do our part for the environment and climate change.”
Karen Campbell, chair of charity Pals of the Privies, says the changes in community perception is all down to the community itself. She said: “It’s all down to the people who live here. We decided to get together and do things to make positive changes in the community. We started having local events that were free to attend and we changed how we did things in the local community.
“The community meals night is a good example. Community groups take turns to cook for the community, it’s free and it gives everyone a chance to get out of their home and talk to people. Having events to reduce social isolation has been incredibly important for us.”
Long-term change is already underway thanks to collaborative work between residents, community groups, the Council and local partners.
101 new-build homes will be built within the Tannahill area of Ferguslie using residents’ aspirations and requirements.
Families are supported by the Council’s Tackling Poverty programme, which received a five-year investment of £5million in 2018.
The funding provides families with advice on money, fuel debt and energy bills and funds to help with the cost of the school day. It also provides children and young people with free activities during the school holidays and support for their mental health and wellbeing.
Many local people who faced a range of barriers to employment have been successfully supported into work through a community-based employment project that people can drop into every Friday at the Tannahill Centre. The project is run by Renfrewshire’s jobs and employability programme, which is ranked the best performing in Scotland.
Local charities and community groups are supported to grow and develop by Engage Renfrewshire, a third sector organisation based in Ferguslie Park and funded by the Council and Scottish Government.
Community representatives in the newly founded Paisley North, West and Centre Local Partnership have equal say with councillors on how to spend money in the area.
More than £5,500 has been awarded from the Local Partnership budget to support St Ninian’s church choir, football kit and fees for Blackstoun United Football and improving disability access led by Renfrewshire Access Panel.
Charity Pals of the Privies has been transforming local green spaces, having received £50,000 funding from the council and £20,000 from children’s charity Wooden Spoon for Glencoats Park play area.
£3,000 was also awarded to the charity to support a Halloween event and Christmas trail in an underused green space.
Community group Darkwood Crew are working on improving pathways around the area, with £4,500 funding coming from the council, and £4,500 from Paths for All.
£10,000 funds from the council will also support a feasibility study on future facilities for the Tannahill Centre.
Councillor Nicolson added: “Ferguslie is leading the way in its own transformation, and the council will continue to work with them to transform the area.
“It is important not to let these statistics define any area or the people who live there. There has been long-term cross-party support for improving the opportunities available to people which is why in our council budget we extended funding for our Tackling Poverty programme for a further five years. Success will only be achieved by working in partnership with communities, local groups and our education and health partners.”
Paisley Thread Queens
Local artists Gillian Steel and Kevin Cameron along with pupils of Mary Russell School in Paisley are undertaking a project for Paisley Townscape Heritage and Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (Paisley TH.CARS2).
The Thread Queens Project will involve the pupils exploring the histories and personal stories of the thread mill girls in Paisley. We are looking for women who used to work in the mills to assist the young people in their research by doing interviews about their experiences and would really appreciate anyone who can help us. If you think you can please get in touch with Gillian at gilliansteel@hotmail.com. Look forward to hearing from you!
FlightPath Fund award will see pupils from seven schools take part in the Engineering Development Trust’s Go4SET programme –
Pupils from seven local secondary schools will take part in a national Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) competition thanks to a £7000 award from Glasgow Airport’s FlightPath Fund.
The project, run by the Engineering Development Trust (EDT), sees teams of six S2 pupils participate in the 10-week regional Go4SET programme. During this time, they will work with a company mentor to produce a report, model and a five-minute presentation on one of three STEM-related projects focusing on sustainability and the environment – Fit for the Future, Smart Surroundings and Future Proof or Designing Building for Climate Change.
As part of the project, the pupils will also take part in a site visit to their mentor’s company to see STEM application in the workplace.
Go4SET gives the pupils the opportunity to develop skills, inform subject choice and change perceptions about STEM by raising awareness of how studying these subjects can lead to a rewarding career. The pupils taking part in the Go4SET programme will gain an SQA Steps to Work Award SCQF Level 4 and a Bronze Industrial Cadet Award.
Support from the airport’s FlightPath Fund has ensured that 42 S2 pupils from the following secondary schools in Renfrewshire, Glasgow, East and West Dunbartonshire participate in Go4SET:
Bearsden Academy Gleniffer High School
Trinity High School Turnbull High School
St Peter the Apostle High School Clydebank High School
Drumchapel High School
Archie Hunter, Chair of the FlightPath Fund, said: “Our science, engineering and technology sectors face significant challenges in terms of skills and people shortages.
“STEM-sector related employment in Scotland is set to grow by 4% by 2027, so projects such as Go4SET are absolutely vital in ensuring these challenges can be met.
“The FlightPath Fund focuses its community investment in a number of areas including education, the environment and employment. Go4SET ticks each of these boxes and the £7000 award from the Fund will ensure that the pupils from the chosen secondary schools in our local communities gain an insight to the exciting STEM-related career opportunities that are out there.”
Research has shown that the exposure of younger age groups to STEM related employers, encourages more students to choose post-16 courses in these subject areas, eventually leading to the study of STEM degrees at university.
A regional section of the Go4SET programme was launched today (Thursday, January 23) at the University of the West of Scotland campus in Paisley.
Flora Lewis-Gotts, Partnership Manager for Scotland at EDT, said: “We are delighted that the Glasgow Airport FlightPath Fund committee has chosen to support the EDT Go4SET programme this year.
“The programme got underway today with a launch event at the University of West of Scotland, Paisley, where the students met their sponsor and company mentor who will guide them through the project and take them on a site visit.
“We are looking forward to welcoming the students back to UWS in May for the Celebration and Assessment Day, when one team will be crowned regional winner and go through to the National Final at the Glasgow Science Centre in June.”
In 2019, the FlightPath Fund award more than £110,000 to over 70 local clubs, community groups and charities. This amount was also boosted by a record £20,000 donated by Glasgow Airport passengers via six currency collection globes based in the terminal.
To find out more about applying for funding support, visit: www.glasgowairport.com/community,
Fault Lines is a reimagining of a fashion show, looking to show the boundaries between how we look and how we see other people. Two Destination Language have assembled a truly diverse cast in terms of age, ability and race, and will have them taking to the catwalk while audiences flick between audio channels silent-disco style, creating their own soundtrack. The channels move between audio description, pop bangers, colonial history, language exploration. No two people will get the same show.
Two Destination Language present
FAULT LINES
A fashion show on the fracture of feminism and fabric.
Ride the wave – travel the catwalk.
Creating a catwalk experience like no other, award-winning theatre makers Two Destination Language present their most ambitious project yet as part of Edinburgh’s Manipulate Festival 2020.
Examining the ever blurring cultural lines between how we look and how we see each other, Fault Lines will bring five strong, brave and diverse femme performers together to share one stage, with each audience member choosing their own accompanying narrative.
It’s a cast that is diverse in background, diverse in colour, and diverse in ability. Audiences will meet Damyana Radeva, whose story was told so powerfully in Two Destination Language’s debut show Near Gone; Caroline Ryan, performer and award-winning BSL interpreter, who will be speaking her own script and her own dialogue throughout, privileging BSL and D/deaf audience members; Cindy Awor, a young actor who describes herself as “a Scot from Uganda,”; Welly O’Brien, a disabled dancer who performs without a prosthetic leg; Hannah Yahya Hassan, an autistic Scottish-Bahraini performer; and Rachel Glower, who performs in the show as well as stage manages, driving the cast on and ensuring they ride the catwalk.
The audience will experience the show as a kind of historical, political, musical silent disco. Using the Listen Everywhere app, every audience member will be able to navigate between six distinct channels at their own pace. This is the only show where you can flick between a playlist of guilty pleasures, a history of the domination of the English language, and personal narratives of otherness and belonging, each of these and more illuminating the flowing garments, breaking stilettos and killer looks sashaying down the runway.
This is a show that foregrounds the beauty in our differences. Under the experimental eyes of creative duo Alister Lownie and Katherina Radeva, Summerhall’s Old Lab will transform into an unorthodox runway for two world premiere performances with national tour dates to be announced later in the year.
Combining playfulness, movement and text, Fault Lines invites us to question our own assumptions in this powerful play of identity, equality and inequality in this time of tectonic shifts. This is Susan Sontag meets America’s Next Top Model.
A first-of-its kind study with radical ideas for how Paisley town centre could look in a decade has been published – and aims to start a conversation about what might be possible in the town.
The ‘Vision for Paisley Town Centre 2030’ is the result of a unique link-up between Renfrewshire Council, the Scottish Government and Scotland’s Town Partnership – and uses Paisley as a test case for a series of bold ideas imagining how empty retail space could be better used
Aileen Campbell, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, will officially unveil the report at an event in the town centre today.
The study – produced by Glasgow-based Threesixty Architecture – is based on the idea changes to the way people shop have left towns like Paisley with far more retail space than they need
The authors lay out a series of radical ideas for how the town could be rebalanced to better meet community need – bringing with it new life and footfall. Their suggestions include:
– introducing hundreds of new town centre residents, including repurposing the Paisley Centre shopping centre into a new residential quarter with ground-floor retail;
– new ‘attractors’ such as a High Street cinema, or European-style food hall housing independent food and drink businesses;
– bolstering remaining retail by concentrating it back on to the High Street and street-fronts;
– new public spaces for outdoor activity, and new lanes and streets creating new views and routes to ‘hidden’ parts of the town centre
– how key vacant historic buildings such as the Liberal Club, YMCA building and TA Building could be brought back into use;
– other ideas such as shared office spaces or makers’ spaces, a new hotel, and relocating parts of university and college campuses into the heart of the town centre;
Cabinet Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “This study represents another significant milestone in the regeneration of Paisley and is further evidence of the ambition and commitment of the local community and partners.
“A huge opportunity now exists to use this collaborative vision to create more positive change in the town, as well as sharing learning which can benefit other town centres and communities across Scotland.
“The Scottish Government will continue to work in partnership with local government to support the regeneration of our towns and high streets.”
Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson said: “The way people shop has changed forever, and towns everywhere are seeing the same issues with empty retail space.
“We can’t turn the clock back but we can consider how we could change to attract new life and footfall in future – and that’s what Paisley is doing.
“It’s important to stress these are not concrete plans – they are a set of ideas designed to spark a conversation about what might be possible over the next decade.
“Paisley town centre is already changing for the better – the number of new cafes and restaurants and new housing built in recent years shows it is recognised as a good place to live and invest.
“Current and future council investment will make Paisley even more attractive to the private sector, but change of the scale imagined by the Vision could not be achieved by the council alone – so we want to hear from developers who could make that next stage of the journey happen.”
The contents of the report build on work already happening to use Paisley’s unique cultural and heritage story to transform its future through the Future Paisley programme, which aims to build on the momentum created by the town’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021.
That includes a £100m investment in the town’s venues and outdoor spaces, including turning Paisley Museum into a world-class destination for the town’s internationally-significant collections, which last week saw £3.8m of funding confirmed from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Paisley is already finding new uses for vacant High Street spaces – construction will start soon to bring a formerly-empty retail unit back into use as a new learning and cultural hub housing library services, for which the first images have just been revealed.
That will build on the success of Paisley: The Secret Collection – the UK’s first publicly-accessible High Street museum store, which opened in 2017 – showing Paisley’s ambitions to put culture at the heart of its future high street are already being realised.
The Paisley Vision was produced after gathering feedback from key local partners – including community groups, businesses, educational establishments and private developers.
The idea for a High Street cinema is already being taken forward by a local group – the Paisley Community Trust – who, with support from the council, are developing their own plans to convert an existing building for that purpose.
Gary Kerr, chair of the Paisley Community Trust, said: ““It’s exciting to see such a transformational and radical vision for Paisley’s future revealed. Paisley Community Trust fully back this new vision for Paisley and we congratulate Threesixty Architecture on producing a superb piece of work.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see cinema at the forefront of the vision. This completely aligns with our current plans to bring cinema back to the heart of our town.
“We believe a cinema by and for our community is a vital first step in realising the wider vision for regeneration in the town centre. It’s Project One if you like.
“We’ve been working behind the scenes on it for a while now and will reveal more details very soon. We also look forward to seeing the other concepts from the vision being explored and developed into regeneration projects of their own in the years ahead.”
Colette Cardosi, chair of town centre business improvement district Paisley First, added: “In recent years, Paisley has found itself firmly back on the map with fantastic events for visitors and a growing number of independent businesses.
“However, like many towns throughout the country, we need to continuously adapt and evolve and Paisley First welcomes collaboration on any long-term strategy for the future which can help bring in new investment and new footfall to local businesses in Paisley town centre.”
Phil Prentice, chief officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, added: “Paisley has a rich tapestry of heritage and culture, is steeped in industry and tradition, and has many major assets.
“We hope this exciting blueprint can create a high street fit for 21st century citizens and Paisley can become an exemplar for other large towns across Scotland.”
Alan Anthony, managing director of Threesixty Architecture, who authored the Vision, said: “This study shows a people-first approach that reconnects the whole community to their town centre.
“We have an unprecedented opportunity to rebalance our High Street back to a place with a rich mix of uses. As a lifelong Paisley Buddy, it’s exciting to think Paisley could lead the way on town centre regeneration in Scotland.”
The council now hopes to hear from developers who are interested in investing in Paisley – with one firm which has already done so believing a template for success already exists.
Brian Clark, managing director of Park Lane Developments, said: “We believe Park Lane’s partnership with Renfrewshire Council on the regeneration of the former Arnotts department store has already shown the way for how the public and private sector can work together to transform a town centre site.
“That project has already delivered 67 completed private and social rented housing along with the welcome addition of the Pendulum restaurant. The final phase is just about to go for planning and will bring an additional 70 new homes.
“The site was derelict for 10 years and is now back in beneficial use bringing new residents and activity back into the town centre – and shows the potential that exists in Paisley as a place to live and invest.”
Residents and businesses have the chance to see and give their views on the Paisley Vision plans for themselves at a public exhibition open in POP (the former Post Office) in the town’s Piazza shopping centre – on Friday 24 (1 to 4.30pm), Saturday 25 (9.30am to 4.30pm) and Monday 27 January (9.30am to 3pm).
The full report can also be viewed online at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/paisleyvision, along with a Q&A which goes into more details on the ideas it contains and what happens next.
So delighted to see I am a finalist in The Scottish hair and beauty awards in the category of Freelance Wedding Hair/ Makeup Specialist of the Year finals in February 2020.
For more information on awards and finalists use link below.
Additional Monday to Friday flight will bring extra 26,000 seats
Glasgow Airport passengers travelling to and from Dublin will enjoy even more choice following Aer Lingus Regional’s decision to introduce an extra weekday flight this April.
The move will see services operated by the Irish carrier increase from five to six flights Monday to Friday and boost capacity by an additional 26,000 seats.
Operated by Aer Lingus Regional franchise partner Stobart Air, the Dublin service is popular with leisure and business passengers travelling between Glasgow and the Republic of Ireland’s capital city. The additional service has been timed to compliment onward connections to popular North American destinations including New York, Boston and Chicago.
The additional Monday to Friday flight times are as follows:
Glasgow Airport’s head of aviation Paul White said: “The additional week-day flight brings a 17% increase on what is a hugely-popular service. This is tremendous news for passengers travelling between both Glasgow and Dublin, whether it is for business purposes or to enjoy a city break in each destination.
“The addition of this service also guarantees greater choice and flexibility for passengers making onward connections to a number of North American destinations from Dublin.
“The Republic of Ireland’s capital city remains one of our busiest routes with more than 170,000 passengers making the short trip across the Irish Sea via Aer Lingus in 2019. Likewise, Glasgow continues to be a very popular destination for Irish visitors, so this latest announcement is welcome news indeed.”
A spokesperson at Stobart Air said: “Stobart Air is pleased to increase capacity on the Glasgow-Dublin Aer Lingus regional route. Aer Lingus Regional’s Glasgow to Dublin service has proven extremely popular with both business and leisure travellers, and 2019 represented the fourth consecutive year of growth on the route.
“The increase in frequency is a direct reflection of customer demand and is in keeping with the strong performance of our extensive route network connecting Scotland and Ireland. We are therefore very pleased to be able to offer our customers greater choice and convenience on the route and to build on our great relationship with Glasgow Airport.”
The additional flights start on Monday 6 April and are on sale now. Visit www.aerlingus.com for more information.
