We are running brand new football sessions for unemployed young people aged 16-29 in various regions across Renfrewshire. These will be taking place in Ferguslie, Johnstone and Erskine, and will be running on Wednesdays with Ferguslie due to start next week.
Please see attached poster
A crowd of thousands enjoyed an all-day family spectacular of parades, performances and pyrotechnics as one of the world’s oldest workers’ festivals took over Paisley town centre on Saturday.
The annual Sma’ Shot Day event turned the town into a hub of activity as the sun shone, with more than 50 events taking place across 20 outdoor stages and venues.
The event – which celebrates the victory of Paisley’s weavers in a 19th-century industrial dispute – celebrates the town’s rich textile heritage and had the theme ‘let’s party like its 1856’.
The fun began with the colourful parade – featuring colourful characters, floats and costumes and led by the Charleston Drum – from Brodie Park to the town centre.
This year’s event was taking place in a new event site in the streets around the town’s historic Sma’ Shot Cottages.
Huge crowds gathered at Paisley Arts Centre for the spectacular pyrotechnic Burning of the Cork, featuring an effigy of one of the middlemen who demanded payment from the town’s weavers for the Sma’ Shot – the unseen thread which held together the Paisley Patterned shawls.
The outdoor stages saw performances from groups including PACE Youth Theatre, Right2Dance, Starlight Music Theatre and a drumming finale from the Charleston Drummers School of Rock.
Families enjoyed kids’ activities including an outdoor beach, circus skills and carnival workshops in the streets around New Street, Shuttle Street and Brown’s Lane
The pubs and clubs along Shuttle Street opened their doors for the day to join in the fun – with The Bungalow hosting a family ceilidh with local group Fèis Phàislig and kids workshops in Faction nightclub.
Local businesses across the town have been throwing open their doors for the Creative Craft Trail, with designers from Renfrewshire’s InCube creative business incubator showing off their skills at various venues around the town today and tomorrow.
Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron, who joined the parade on the day, said: “Once again, there was a wonderful family atmosphere along the parade route and at the event itself as we celebrated this important part of Paisley’s heritage.
“The new event site worked really well and helped spread the activity and benefits throughout the town centre.
“We were delighted this year to work with many of the pubs, shops and cafes to make them venues for event activity and drive footfall directly through their doors.”
Sma’ Shot Day is part of Renfrewshire Council’s major events programme which last year brought around 160,000 attendees and an economic boost of around £4.7m to Renfrewshire.
VETERANS from Erskine have enjoyed a day out in Paisley thanks to organisers of the Paisley 10k Road Race and Fun Run.
The visit to well-known attractions in the town was part of the Armed Forces veterans’ charity, Erskine being chosen as the official charity partner of this year’s race events organised by Renfrewshire Leisure on Sunday August 18.
Four residents and two members of staff were given a tour of the town’s museum store, Paisley: The Secret Collection and Paisley Abbey, as both are on the route of the 10k and Fun Run.
Runners taking part in the events – sponsored by sports and outdoors retailer Decathlon – are being encouraged to also raise money for Erskine, which is Scotland’s foremost provider of nursing, residential, respite and dementia care for veterans and their spouses.
Erskine’s Head of Fundraising and Communications Sara Bannerman said: “As charity partner for the Paisley 10K Road Race and Fun Run 2019 Erskine was delighted to have our veterans visit part of the travel the route of upcoming Race. They had a wonderful day.
“Erskine has a long history of community support from the people of Renfrewshire and we, on behalf of our veterans, would like to thank all each and every one for their generosity and kindness.”
Chairperson of Renfrewshire Leisure, Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes said: “Our charity partner this year is a very worthy cause and I hope a lot of money is raised to help the good work they do.
“The Paisley 10k and Fun Run are two fantastic events for both the serious and not to serious runners, as well as the families and friends who come out to support them.
“There’s still time to sign up to take part in either of the races.”
You can register for the race by logging on to www.renfrewshireleisure.com or by telephoning 0300 300 1362 or picking up an entry form from any Renfrewshire Leisure venue.
PUPILS from Renfrewshire have won the Inter Authority Athletics Championship.
They competed against fellow secondary school pupils from East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.
The victorious Renfrewshire team of 85 competitors came from Park Mains High; Johnstone High; Linwood High; Renfrew High; St Andrew’s Academy; Paisley Grammar, Castlehead High and Gleniffer High.
They took part in the 100 metres, 200 metres, 300 metres, 800 metres and 1500 metres races, as well as long jump, high jump and shot putt. They also competed in relay races for boys and girls for S1 to S3 pupils in championships recently held in Greenock.
The competitors won their way into the Inter Authority Championships team after Renfrewshire Leisure organised its own athletics competition for local secondary schools.
Chairperson of Renfrewshire Leisure, Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes said: “Well done to the pupils who took first place overall winning lots of medals in the process.
“We encourage young people to make sport and physical activity a part of their lives and hopefully they will carry on taking part in sport as they grow older.”
CHILDREN can rocket into space without leaving the ground if they take part in this year’s Space Chase Summer Reading Challenge.
Young book readers from aged four to 11 will be landing at libraries all over Renfrewshire to borrow books for free and take part in the challenge.
And there will be out-of-this-world prizes for everyone who borrows and reads six books of their choice during the school summer holidays.
Local libraries will also be staging various events and activities based on this year’s Summer Reading Challenge theme of the Space Chase.
The initiative, from Renfrewshire Libraries, in association with The Reading Agency is aimed at encouraging young people to read more books. It runs from June 17 to August 17 and children are being encouraged to head for their local library to sign up for the challenge.
As the children finish reading each book they are given a sticker for their Space Chase folder and as they completed their challenge they will receive a free badminton pass and swim pass for Renfrewshire Leisure sports centres and swimming pools.
And thanks to big-hearted local businessman, Paul McGrath, who is managing director of Consilium Contracting Services, one lucky winner from each library who completes the challenge will receive a pair of cinema tickets. Paul has sponsored the Summer Reading Challenge locally for the past three years.
The Summer Reading Challenge will be taking place in libraries throughout Renfrewshire, including the temporary library beside The Lagoon Leisure Centre, in Paisley, which offers a whole range of services such as Bookbug, after school children’s activities, digital skills support and public access to computers.
Chairperson of Renfrewshire Leisure, Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes said: “The Summer Reading Challenge is an exciting way to inspire children to have a love of books and to read more.
“We’ll do more than just encourage the children to read books as they’ll have lots of fun with the different space-themed activities in our libraries.
“And they’ll also be rewarded for reading books and completing the challenge with some stellar prizes.”
An initiative is being launched to encourage more girls in Renfrewshire to take part in sport
A small army of coaches will be trained and go into primary schools to encourage girl pupils to take up either basketball, gymnastics, dance or girls football.
The project is being financed by a grant of almost £23,000 from the Scottish Government’s Women and Girls Fund and will be run by Renfrewshire Leisure in partnership with the Scottish Football Association, Scottish Gymnastics, basketballscotland and Renfrewshire Council.
A survey by Renfrewshire Leisure showed that at least 35 per cent of primary aged girls were considered to be inactive, as they took part in between zero and three hours per week of sporting activity.
The four sports in the project were in the top ten requested by girls taking part in the survey, as activities they would be most likely to take part in.
Now more than 80 coaches, chosen from current sessional staff, volunteers, sports clubs, sports leaders and placement students, will be specially trained and go into local schools to deliver the programme of sports to more than 1500 girl pupils.
Each of the 49 primary schools in Renfrewshire will receive a total of 24 hours of coaching made up of six hours for each sport in six-week blocks and girls-only sports clubs will also be set up in primary schools.
The project will also give girls a pathway to joining one of the many accredited local sports clubs.
Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, chairperson of Renfrewshire Leisure said: “Following the results of the Renfrewshire Leisure survey it was obvious one of the priorities should be to encourage more girls to take part in sport and physical activity.
“We hope to see the girls who only take part in up to three hours of sport to increase their activities to more than seven hours a week.
“We will train the coaches to provide the environment where the girls can learn a new sport and develop their skills, even to the extent of becoming competitive in a particular sport.
“We aim to increase the number of girls taking part in sport and this can only be good not only for their immediate health and well-being, but as they grow into adulthood.”
Scotland’s Sports Minister, Joe FitzPatrick said: “There are so many benefits to making sport and physical activity a part of daily life.
“From improving physical and mental health, to developing skills and strengthening communities, the impact can be life-changing and that’s why we want as many people as possible to enjoy those benefits.
“It is encouraging to see that participation in sport and physical activity by women and girls in Scotland is increasing, but some still face barriers to taking part.”
It’s game on as record-breaking crowds are expected to turn up this weekend for Scotland’s biggest gaming event.
More than 6000 fans will descend on The Arena at intu Braehead for PLAY Expo Glasgow 2019 for the two-day extravaganza of gaming and popular culture on Saturday and Sunday, June 8 and 9.
And for the first time the Scottish Gaming Championships are being held at the show with the heats being held on Saturday and the head to head contests to find the country’s top gaming gladiator on Sunday.
Many of those attending PLAY Expo Glasgow will be dressed in some amazing costumes as they re-enact the characters from their favourite video games.
PLAY Expo Glasgow is staged by experienced video game show specialists, Replay Events. Organiser Andy Brown said: “Ticket sales have been phenomenal and already we have sold many more tickets than we did for the same show last year.
“It’s definitely going to be a record-breaking weekend and I expect we’ll have more than 7000 through the doors compared to 5000 last year. A lot of this is down to the bigger show we’re putting on with more video games and gaming machines for people to play.
“It’s going to be a fantastic, colourful weekend with the fans coming along dressed as characters from their favourite video games and as well as the tickets already sold we also expect a lot of people to turn up on the day.”
The PLAY Expo Glasgow has something for everyone including retro consoles and computers, classic arcade and pinball machines, indie and modern games for PC and console.
There will also be gaming tournaments, LAN gaming and Cosplay contests, board games, Minecraft, Fortnite, merchandise stalls and much more. And best of all, once you have bought your entry ticket, all the games are free to play.
For the first time, this year’s show features live entertainment with Australian comedian, John Robertson hosting his hilarious game show The Dark Room, which sees members of the audience being trapped inside an imaginary retro video game.
Log on to www.playexpoglasgow.com to buy tickets that start at £16 for adults and £10 for youngsters or pay at the door of Arena in the lower mall next to Costa Coffee.
PRIMARY school girls have been getting a kick out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which starts this weekend.
Almost 200 girls from all over Renfrewshire took part in a festival of football organised by Renfrewshire Leisure, at Ferguslie Sports Centre.
The Primary 5 to Primary 7 pupils certainly had a ball with football coaching, games and a visit by Bonnie – the official mascot Scotland women’s team who play their first game in the top international tournament against England, on Sunday, June 9.
The event – organised to celebrate the Women’s World Cup and to encourage more girls to take part in sport – has been made possible with funding from the Scottish Building Society.
Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, Chair of Renfrewshire Leisure said: “It was fantastic to see all these girls enjoying a game of football and I hope it serves to whet their appetite to play even more football.
“Using the increased profile the World Cup has given women’s football, this event has built on the great work Renfrewshire Leisure’s Active Schools team has developed over the last couple of years in the girls’ game.
“We’re also working closely with a number of local grassroots clubs who now have girls sections to encourage more girls to take up the game.”
Read Write Count Moving Up kits have been gifted to every Primary 7 pupil in Renfrewshire to support their transition to secondary school. Nine local authorities including Glasgow, Inverclyde, Dundee, West Dunbartonshire, North Ayrshire, Clackmannanshire, North Lanarkshire and East Ayrshire will take part in the pilot scheme, which aims to support parents and pupils during a time of change.
Pic Alan Richardson Pix-AR.co.uk
Free to use from SBT
The Scottish Government initiative, in partnership with Education Scotland and Scottish Book Trust, will provide a kit containing the following items:
The Moving Up kit was created after consultation with local authorities and ADES (Association of Directors of Education). Learning professionals, librarians and teachers provided feedback about items that would be helpful for Primary 7 pupils who are transitioning into secondary school.
Pic Alan Richardson Pix-AR.co.uk
Free to use from SBT
Scottish Book Trust will also provide training and support to all the local authorities involved in the pilot scheme, helping to build and enhance current transition programmes between primary and secondary schools.
Deputy First Minister and Education Secretary, John Swinney, said:
“The move to high school is a new and exciting time for many pupils and families but it can also bring a degree of uncertainty. These unique packs are a national first and aim to make the transition between primary and secondary a little easier. The kits contain items and advice which will give pupils the best chance at a smooth change and help parents and carers to support their children at this important time.”
Pic Alan Richardson Pix-AR.co.uk
Free to use from SBT
The Moving Up kits will be delivered by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said:
“The transition from primary school to secondary school is an exciting time for young people, and our new Read Write Count Moving Up kits give pupils and parents much needed support. Learning professionals, librarians and teachers were consulted to ensure that the Moving Up kit contains essential items for any pupil starting high school this summer.”
THEY’RE turning into right good sports at Renfrewshire Leisure with a host of money-saving offers this summer.
You can get great deals to play a variety of sports including golf, football, bowls, swimming and membership of their fitness suites.
Free Baby swims at Johnstone Sports Hub 20.4.18
The reduced fees for football, golf and bowling run from July 1 until August 11.
An hour-long game of five-a-side football will only cost £20 at Seedhill Sports Centre, which works out at £2 a player.
If golf is your sport, a junior will get to play a round at Barshaw for free when they are accompanied by a paying adult. There is also unlimited play on the course for 12 to 16 year olds between noon on a Sunday and 7pm on a Thursday for only £20. And for £40 students get the same deal.
You’ll be bowled over with the chance for children to play a game of bowls, at Lochfield when they are accompanied by a full paying adult or with an adult bowls membership.
Between June 1 and August 31 you can get unlimited access to the various Renfrewshire Leisure fitness suites, classes and swimming pools for 40 days at a cost of only £40.
And during the same period two people can get joint membership for £39.95 per couple if one of the two is joining for the first time.
If you want to make a splash this summer a 30-day family swim pass for two adults and two children will cost only £20 and gives access to all Renfrewshire Leisure pools.
