Renfrewshire Leisure Archives

Programme of digital content and services will be stepped up as Scottish Government confirms Covid-19 Tier 4 measures for region

Venues operated by Renfrewshire Leisure will temporarily close after the Scottish Government confirmed new Covid-19 restrictions for the region.

Tier 4 protection measures mean that all leisure centres, gyms, swimming pools, libraries and the heritage centre run by the charity must close to the public from 6pm on Friday. The First Minister has said that the new rules covering Renfrewshire will be in place until December 11.

While in-venue facilities will be closed, a vibrant and varied package of content – covering everything from fitness and wellbeing to storytelling and nostalgia – will be available at www.renfrewshireleisure.com and via the online REN TV channel.

A vast selection of library books are also available for download via the array of services offered online by Renfrewshire Libraries.

Direct debit membership payments will be adjusted in light of the latest restrictions. Members will be contacted with details in the coming days.

Renfrewshire Leisure Chief Executive Victoria Hollows said: “We appreciate how disappointed people will be that our in-venue services have to be suspended to comply with the Scottish Government’s Tier 4 regulations to safeguard our communities.

“We remain here for you, however, and our team will be pulling out all of the stops to create and deliver more brilliant content for our members and the wider community online and via social media.

“While we cannot offer services in-venue, we hope that our work online will help the wellbeing of the region’s residents and keep people safe and well at what’s a challenging time for us all.”

Details on service updates will be shared as soon as they are available online and via Renfrewshire Leisure’s social media channels.

17/11/2020/by Danielle McGuire

AS a toddler Clare Hemsworth loved books so much she would correct her mum if she missed a word while reading her daughter a story.

And the youngster’s favourite trips with her dad would be to the local library.

Clare has gone on to forge a career working in libraries and has been so successful she has just won a top national award.

The 38-year-old schools library support co-ordinator with Renfrewshire Leisure has won the 2020 Library and Information Professional of the Year Award.

The award is made by CILIPS – Scotland’s Library and Information Professionals – and is sponsored audio digital publishers, Bolinda.

Clare has worked with Renfrewshire Libraries for the past seven years and as well as being the support co-ordinator for all school libraries, she is the school librarian at Castlehead High.

“I’m really honoured to have won this award,” she said.

“I was amazed to even be shortlisted and absolutely astounded that I won given the amazing work being done by the other librarians shortlisted across Scotland.

“I’m so pleased that the judging panel were able to see how much I love school libraries and a little bit of what we’ve been able to achieve in Renfrewshire.”

Clare has worked with Renfrewshire Libraries for seven years and was nominated for the award by the organisation’s Children and Families Development Co-ordinator, Andrew Givan.

Clare, who wins a trophy and £500 towards paying for professional development courses, continued: “I love libraries and I’ll do anything I can to make them more vibrant and accessible places to young people.

“I love it when a pupil comes into one of our school libraries and you can see how excited they are about asking for a new book they’ve heard about and want to read.”

Clare added: “I’ve enjoyed reading books since I was a young girl and my mum, Mary tells me that when she was reading me a story from a book, I would correct her if she skipped a word.

“And when I was growing up I loved going to the library with my late dad, Paul. That was our thing – going to the library together. I’ve loved books and libraries for as long as I can remember.”

Announcing that Clare had won the award, CILIPS praised her excellent work within the school library sector and for her commitment to the profession.

In particular, the judging committee commended Clare for the following:

The leading role she has taken in developing an innovative and forward-looking school library service in Renfrewshire including using new and creative technologies to engage young people
Her engagement with the school library sector such as bidding for School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF) funding to deliver new projects, knowledge sharing through delivering presentations at conferences, and speaking to Information and Library Studies students about school librarianship
Her support for young people for example her work with the school libraries attainment team to ensure pupils are engaging with reading and libraries and her collaborative work with the University of West of Scotland Library to support the transition of senior pupils into higher education
The active role she takes in the wider profession for example through undertaking Chartership and Revalidation and also being a CILIPS mentor to support others through the Professional Registration process

Joyce Higgins, Digital Library and Development Manager said: “We all so pleased for Clare winning such a prestigious award.

“There’s no doubting her commitment and enthusiasm to libraries and the schools libraries in particular.

“Clare, along with the other staff in our libraries, provide an excellent service to the public.”

09/11/2020/by Brian McGuire

TUI LAUNCHES WINTER 2021/22 AND SUMMER 2022 PROGRAMMES FROM GLASGOW AIRPORT AS APPETITE FOR TRAVEL GROWS

• 13 winter 2021 destinations on sale now

• Reintroduction of Naples and Alicante routes for winter 2021

• 23 destinations on offer from Glasgow Airport for summer 2022

• More demand expected for 4 & 5-star all-inclusive hotels with private pools or villas

29 October 2020: TUI UK has launched winter 2021 and 2022 holidays from Glasgow and is set to put summer 2022holidays on sale from 5th November, with thousands of free kids’ places, low deposits from £75 per person and £0 deposit on direct debit bookings made online on offer. This comes as 86% of customers surveyed in September said they expect to have gone on holiday again by next summer – reinforcing the growing appetite for future travel post Covid-19.

With on-going travel corridor uncertainty for some regularfavourites this winter, those craving sunshine during the coldest months have already booked for next winter, with strong demand in particular for Tenerife and Lanzarote so far from the extensive range of 13 destinations on sale from Glasgow Airport. The winter 2021/2022 programme will see the reintroduction of flights to Naples and Alicante, as well as four flights a week to the popular Canary Islands and increased frequency to Majorca.

With 57% of customers saying they expect to book a Mediterranean beach holiday for 2021, TUI anticipates greater demand for summer 2022 as people want to ‘make up’ for not being able to go away this year. So far, Greece is the standout destination of choice based on current bookings for next summer, with Turkey and Egypt also popular, and patterns indicate these trends could continue into 2022.

The summer 2022 programme from Glasgow Airport will see 23 destinations on offer, with increased flying to Naples and Cancun, as well as five weekly flights to Turkey and flights to Florida three times a week during the peak holiday season.

TUI is seeing an upward trend in 4 and 5-star all-inclusive hotel bookings for next summer, with over 40% of customers surveyed expressing this preference. This includes hotels which offer the ‘best of both worlds’ with villas or room options with private pools and accommodation as families in particular seek to continue to feel safe in their ‘bubble’. TUI will be offering 233 different options in 155 hotels for this growing category in summer 2021 and expects this trend to continue for summer 2022.

In the same vein, 18% of customers surveyed said they would look to book a villa holiday with car hire included, making social distancing easier on holiday. TUI is offering 150 villas with flights and car hire included for summer 2021 and summer 2022 in Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, mainland Spain, Portugal, Italy and Florida.

Richard Sofer, Commercial & Business Development Director at TUI said: “Our latest customer survey and booking patterns for next summer indicate that the great British public are looking forward to future holidays even more so as they may have been unable to take one this year. This is why we have launched our future holiday programmes through to the end of October 2022, so that families and couples alike can plan ahead to next year and beyond to make informed choices about what will make their perfect holiday from the wide range we have on offer.”

Paul White, Head of Aviation at Glasgow Airport, said:“The launch of TUI’s winter 21/22 and summer 2022 programmes is very welcome news and provides a much-needed confidence boost for our passengers and the industry.

“As well as delivering a huge range of destinations, the programme also brings greater choice and flexibility for customers keen to enjoy a well-earned holiday in 2021 and beyond following the disappointment of not being able to travel this year.”

29/10/2020/by Brian McGuire

Indoor fitness classes to remain suspended following updated Scottish Government advice

People across Renfrewshire are being urged to continue taking advantage of outdoor and online fitness classes in light of the Scottish Government’s latest Covid-19 guidance.

Indoor fitness sessions for over-18s remain suspended as part of continued measures to manage the spread of the pandemic.

Renfrewshire Leisure is operating extra outdoor and online fitness sessions, both of which have proven popular and attracted a strong following.

Mark Tokeley, Head of Leisure and Community Services at Renfrewshire Leisure, said: “We have a fantastic programme of socially-distanced outdoor exercise classes which has been tremendously well received and which we would encourage people to attend as an alternative. We have some brilliant fitness class videos online too and are continuing to build this content in response to customer feedback.

“We are also ready to support people to try something new – perhaps using the gym or going swimming. Switching up your usual routines can be a great way to boost fitness. Our team is on-hand to help in any way we can.”

Outdoor contact sports for the over-18s are also currently suspended as part of the same Covid-19 mitigation measures.

Details about the outdoor and online fitness classes – along with all other Renfrewshire Leisure services and the safety measures in place at this time – can be found at www.renfrewshireleisure.com/coronavirus.

21/10/2020/by Danielle McGuire

Exercise classes in the great outdoors

Renfrewshire Leisure expands outdoor and online programme while indoor classes suspended

An expanded outdoor exercise programme has launched to help Renfrewshire residents stay fit and healthy amid the latest Covid-19 restrictions.

One of Renfrewshire Leisure’s socially-distanced outdoor exercise classes at ON-X, Linwood

Renfrewshire Leisure has suspended all of its indoor exercise classes for over-18s until October 26 to comply with Scottish Government guidelines to slow the spread of the pandemic.

As part of efforts to continue supporting members and customers’ wellbeing during this time, the independent charity is temporarily stepping up its outdoor fitness session programme.

Nineteen extra outdoor events will be staged this week and next, with people able to exercise safely and socially distanced in line with all public health guidelines.

They will be held on track and artificial sports surface areas at the ON-X in Linwood.

An enhanced programme of fitness content for people to join in with is also being made available at www.renfrewshireleisure.com and via the RENTV channel.

Alan Cunningham, Indoor Leisure Services Manager at Renfrewshire Leisure, said: “Exercise is good for everyone’s physical and mental wellbeing, which is why we feel it’s so important we do all that we can to help people through these strange times.

“We have an established programme of outdoor exercise classes. Given their strong track record, we believe that temporarily expanding them is a positive way in which we can safely support people with their health and fitness. The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority.”

Bootcamp, HITT, attack, combat, metafit and circuit classes are included in the programme.

All sessions will comply with track and trace guidelines. Places are limited and must be booked in advance at www.renfrewshireleisure.com, where more details about the classes and safety measures that must be followed are available.

Meanwhile, filming is underway for a programme of exercise classes to be streamed online by Renfrewshire Leisure. These will range from relaxation to high intensity with sessions to suit ages and abilities. A broadcast schedule will be shared via social media once filming is complete.

Outdoor contact sports for the over-18s were suspended from 6pm on Friday as part of the Covid-19 protection measures governing Greater Glasgow.

12/10/2020/by Brian McGuire

Renfrewshire Leisure will suspend all of its indoor fitness classes for 16 days from 6pm on Friday (October 9) following the Scottish Government’s latest steps to tackle the spread of Covid-19.

The independent leisure and culture charity is also suspending all outdoor contact sports for over-18s to comply with measures outlined by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Gyms and swimming pools will remain open, operating with safety as the priority and within all Government guidelines.

Staff will also offer as much content as possible digitally, at www.renfrewshireleisure.com via the RENTV channel and across the organisation’s social media platforms.

Victoria Hollows, Chief Executive of Renfrewshire Leisure, said: “The safety of our staff and customers is our key focus. As an organisation, we are committed to doing everything possible to support our communities through this pandemic.

“We want to continue helping people with their health and wellbeing while they are unable to attend classes, which is why we will look to do all that we can online. We would also encourage anyone who normally enjoys our classes to try a session at our gyms or swimming pools, where we will be happy to welcome them in the safe environment we have created.”

Details of sessions available digitally will be shared via Renfrewshire Leisure’s social media channels and website, where information about all of the charity’s services and booking arrangements can also be found.

08/10/2020/by Brian McGuire

FUN lovers of all ages are in for a treat thanks to the Arts Team at Renfrewshire Leisure.

As part of the Fun Palaces Weekend, on October 3 and 4, the team are launching an online Creative Activity Map for Renfrewshire – sharing all the ideas and activities dreamt up by their creative community partners for their Tiny Revolutions Renfrewshire programme.

By logging on to www.renfrewshireleisure.com/creative-activity-map from this weekend people can discover an array of things to make or do; including how to make a cardboard guitar, create twisted braids with scraps of wool or make up a dance using the letters of their name.

Whatever people find on the Creativity Map that they would like to try out, they’re being urged to have a go and share what they make, by posting on social media using the #TinyRevolutionsRen or taking a photo and sending it to artsteam@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

People are also being urged to include their postcode with their photographs so their pictures can be added back into the map to build up a picture of creativity across Renfrewshire.

The Creative Activity Map for Renfrewshire is part of Fun Palaces 2020 – a free, nationwide campaign for culture at the heart of community and community at the heart of culture.

Each Fun Palaces event celebrates the unique skills and passions of local people – run by, for and with the local community.

Chairperson of Renfrewshire Leisure, Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes said: “We all need a bit of fun in our lives and our Creative Activity Map will give families the chance to have just that.

‘If you do join in, we’d love it if you’d share your creations with us, so we can show just how creative Renfrewshire is.’

Visual Arts Projects Producer, Kate Drummond said: “Launching the Creative Activity Map for Renfrewshire celebrates the breadth of partnerships and the involvement of artists and organisations from across the region in our Tiny Revolutions Renfrewshire programme. Ideas for simple, fun, creative projects have been shared with us by Kairos Women’s Group, WhoCaresScotland, STAR Project, Erskine Arts, Right2Dance, ReMode, local NHS Arts groups and the Foxbar Men’s and Women’s Sheds.

“Being part of the UK-wide Fun Palaces project quite literally puts Renfrewshire on the creative map.”

Fun Palaces are events that bring together arts, science, craft, tech, digital, heritage and sports activities – but above all PEOPLE – to work together, create together, have FUN together, and in doing so, connect our own communities, from the grassroots up.

Since 2014 a total of 1758 Fun Palaces have been made across the UK and worldwide by over 40,000 local people (‘Makers’) with 560,000 people taking part. This year will be the seventh Fun Palaces weekend.

01/10/2020/by Brian McGuire

CREATIVITY can improve young people’s well-being and help them overcome loneliness and isolation.

That’s the message from youth arts charity, CREATE Paisley which is hosting its second one-day Open Mind Summit, on Friday, October 9.

The free online event will feature a keynote speaker, panel discussions and workshops, exploring the role of creativity and culture in improving the well-being of young people and children – especially with new challenges arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

CREATE Paisley developed the Open Mind Summit in partnership with Renfrewshire Leisure, Kibble Education and Care Centre and the University West of Scotland by bringing together young people, educators, artists, researchers, youth workers and funders.

Last year’s summit attracted attendances from all over the West of Scotland.

Alan Clark, founder of CREATE, said ‘Young people need our support more than ever before. During the last few months, we’ve heard of so many young people who have struggled with feelings of isolation, lack of hope or have had to face a lot of uncertainty. They’ve experienced a worldwide pandemic, on-going climate crisis and confusion over exam results. This has impacted a lot of young people’s wellbeing.

“The Summit this year gives us a space to celebrate some of the amazing creative engagement over the last few months, how that’s brought young people together, as well as a space to look ahead and ensure young people’s voices are central to how we move forward.”

This year’s online Summit hosts a line up including keynote speaker, Steven McLeish, who is an internationally-known speaker and spoken word artist.

Steven will share his story and a message of hope with a focus of combating mental health and social issues, including dyslexia, depression and anxiety.

Panel sessions will cover various related topics from creative approaches to overcoming isolation to how children and young people’s voices are central to our changed world.

Other workshops will include Generation Scotland sharing their findings from their TeenCovidLife research and Malcolm Hamilton, creative director of Mufti Games leading a session on involving young people in decision making through playful consultation, evaluation and active citizenship.

Renfrewshire Leisure chairperson, Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes said: “The health and well-being of our young people is extremely important – especially in the current situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“This online summit will be a very useful tool and learning experience for both the organisations and groups who support young people with their mental health, but also young people themselves, giving them a better idea of how to deal with the issues they may face.

“Many creative minds will be coming together in this summit to explore young people’s well-being.”

The Open Mind Summit 2020 is funded by Renfrewshire Council and delivered in partnership with Renfrewshire Leisure and Create Paisley as part of Future Paisley. Future Paisley is radical and wide-ranging programme of events, activities and investments using the town’s unique and internationally significant cultural stories to transform its future.

Although the event is free, anyone interested should sign up to the Open Mind Summit in advance at http://www.openmindsummit.com/.

28/09/2020/by Brian McGuire

Eastwood Park Theatre, Giffnock, and Paisley Arts Centre, have received a total of over £161,000 from the open call for applications to the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund through Creative Scotland.

performingartsvenue

Awards made to performing arts venues in Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire as part of the £5million open call are as follows:

Eastwood Park Theatre, £90,000
Paisley Arts Centre, £71,961

Designed to support performing arts venues that cannot yet re-open due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Fund is helping to:

remove the threat of insolvency prior to the end of March 2021 to enable the development and delivery of activity as soon as practicable
allow for specialist / core staff to return from furlough or avoid redundancy to work on future sustainable activity plans
increase commissioning and employment opportunities for freelance artists and creative practitioners (between now and end of March 2021) to support continued public engagement while closed.

Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland said: “Despite the ongoing, detrimental impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on Scotland’s performing arts venues, and on culture as a whole, it is positive that we can offer some funding to help venues navigate these extremely challenging times. I’m also encouraged to see that this funding will help venues across many different parts of Scotland where they form such an important part of the cultural life of local communities.”

These venues are amongst 59 across Scotland sharing a total of £4.74million from the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund’s £5million open call. A full list of all 59 venues can be found on the Creative Scotland website.

Jude Henderson, Director of the Federation of Scottish Theatre (FST) said: “We welcome the announcement of these emergency awards to performing arts venues across the country. The funds will help to support the vital work they do in serving communities, providing employment and showcasing Scotland’s world class theatre and dance offer, much of which is created by our members.”

The Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund is one of a series of measures being put in place to help mitigate the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on the creative and cultural sector, including five new emergency funds which were announced by the First Minister on Friday 28 August and are being delivered through Creative Scotland as follows:

The £15million Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund, which opened for applications on Thursday 17 September, with a deadline of today, Thursday 24 September.
The £3.5million Independent Cinemas Recovery and Resilience Fund, which opened for applications on Monday 14 September with a deadline of Monday 5 October.
The £5million Creative Freelancer Hardship Fund, for which we issued an open call for partner organisations to help us distribute this fund, was launched on Friday 11 September, and has a deadline of Friday 25 September. We aim to be able to distribute funds from October. The Screen element of these Hardship Funds opened for applications on Tuesday 22 September.
The £5million Sustaining Creative Practice Fund includes £1.5million for the Culture Collective programme, mentioned in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, supporting organisations employing freelance artists to work in and with communities across Scotland. The remaining £3.5million has been added to Creative Scotland’s existing Open Fund which is open for applications from individuals now.

The previously announced £2.2million Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund has reached 72 venues across Scotland, including Paisley live music venue The Bungalow. Recipients were published on Tuesday 22 September and full information on awards made, can be found here.

Updates on all emergency funds are being published regularly on the Creative Scotland website and publicised through media and social media communications.

24/09/2020/by Brian McGuire

A NEW and exciting programme of online cultural events is being staged to celebrate Black History Month.

Black History Month, throughout October, celebrates and recognises the outstanding contributions people of African and Caribbean descent have made to the world over many generations.

Matt Hickman, lead vocalist of the band Brownbear is appearing in the Black History Month: Our Culture, Our Future series of online events.

The programme – Black History Month: Our Culture, Our Future – has been co-curated by Renfrewshire Leisure, Engage Renfrewshire, Jambo! Radio, Pachedu, University of the West of Scotland, Action for Culture and Ethics and the School of African Culture.

This inaugural year of events will be held via online platforms and on Jambo! Radio and includes an online exhibition called Museum of Me, curated by children from the African School of Culture; a podcast featuring the children discussing the theme of identity and exploring what it means to be African and Scottish living in Renfrewshire in 2020.

There will also be online performances from an eclectic mix of musicians and artists including Joshua Idehen, Brownbear, and storyteller Michael Kerins.

The celebration of Black History Month will culminate on October 28 with a webinar on the representation of black, Asian, minority ethnic talent in the arts in Scotland and Renfrewshire, in particular.

Speakers will include Milica Milosevic from Creative Scotland, musician Matt Hickman from Brownbear, and Christian Harrison from the University of the West of Scotland.

They will offer a range of insights for cultural practitioners, students and decision-makers into why black, Asian, minority ethnic representation is vital to the health of our arts sector and to vitality of our art.

Founder of Jambo! Radio, George Tah Meh explains; “Jambo! Radio is involved in the planning sub-group for Black History Month, in Renfrewshire and as a radio station for the people of Afro-Caribbean heritage, it is important we lead by contributing on the theme and programmes of Black History Month.

Poet and musician Joshua Idehen is appearing in the Black History Month: Our Culture, Our Future series of online events.

“It is also important for our organisation to be at the forefront of Black History Month for our audience and the Afro-Caribbean community in Renfrewshire.”

Regine Bews, founder of School of African Culture added: “In the preparation for the Black History Month 2020, we have been co-creating a digital project in partnership with Renfrewshire Leisure’s Creative Learning Team.

“My participation and the decision by Renfrewshire Leisure and Renfrewshire Council be involved in Black History Month is a huge step towards more inclusion of the black and minority ethnic community.

“For our organisation, this is a great opportunity to mark the presence of black African people in Renfrewshire; to foster pride in Scottish children of black African descent about their origins; to educate the community about African history in Renfrewshire and contribute to more community acceptation and cohesion.”

These activities for Black History Month are funded by Renfrewshire Council and delivered in partnership with Renfrewshire Leisure as part of Future Paisley. Future Paisley is radical and wide-ranging programme of events, activities and investments using the town’s unique and internationally significant cultural stories to transform its future.

Chairperson of Renfrewshire Leisure, Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes said: “The vibrancy of the black community’s art, music and literature is a wonderful aspect to both Scottish and Renfrewshire’s culture.

“This programme of events will certainly be welcome, entertaining and informative to everyone in Renfrewshire and throughout the rest of Scotland.”

Go to www.renfrewshireleisure.com/black-history-month/ for details about the Black History Month: Our Culture, Our Future events programme.

22/09/2020/by Brian McGuire

Renfrewshire Leisure to suspend indoor fitness classes after new Covid-19 measures announced

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