Team “Oota Puff” Did It! Total raised so far £7863.12!


On Sunday 17th April “Team Oota Puff” (Jan Johnston, Linda Lowry, Lyndsay MacAlister & Shari Low) completed the London Marathon, all 26.2 miles of it - yes we did feel every one of them!


We would like to thank all our families and friends who have supported and encouraged us over the last year, especially when we were stressed out & dreading the task ahead of us. You kept us all going.


A huge thank you also to our sponsors, Boundaries Fencing, Caledonian Tree Services, S Johnston Builders, Millar Scaffolding, Toozup, The Bridge of Weir Leatherworks, The Watermill Hotel, Merparts, Robert Baxter of Gibbleston Farm & Lomo and loads of gratitude to The Cross Café, Pieri’s and The Village Newsagents who took CLIC Sargent cans and harassed people into putting their change into them. We couldn’t have done it without you all.


If you would like to view our fundraising page please log on to www.virginmoneygiving.com/ TeamOotaPuff


The operators of the No. 1 bus from Kilmacolm to Johnstone have given the statutory 70 days notice to Strathclyde Passenger Transport that they intend discontinuing the service due to commercial reasons. I am actively lobbying SPT to try and fi nd a replacement for what is a vital link for many people.


I am pleased to report that the crawl hole in the Multi- Use Games Area at Birkmyre Park has been removed. This means that the planning permission condition of operating hours of 9am to 9pm can now be satisfi ed. The MUGA is a valuable asset to the village and I look forward to seeing it being used for the variety of sports for which it was designed.


I have been approached by many bowlers concerning the recently closed Inverclyde Bowling Centre. This important facility had fallen on hard times and, as a director of Inverclyde Leisure, I am working hard to enable I.L. to come to an arrangement with a new committee in order to reopen the venue. It is up to the bowlers of Inverclyde to demonstrate their support. I am sure they will do this and thus make the project feasible.


Curlers have been concerned about the necessity of changing the refrigeration plant at the Waterfront by 2014 at a cost of £300k / £400k. I can report that the work will be carried out supported by Inverclyde Council, Inverclyde Leisure and Sports Scotland. I am sure that the many Kilmacolm members of the Port Glasgow Curling Club will be pleased that the club’s future is secure.


I had an ecumenical Easter with the Graduation Mass at St Stephen’s High School, the Easter assembly at Newark Primary School, the joint Good Friday service with the Old Kirk and St Fillan’s, the Easter Day morning service at Knapp’s Loch and fi nally, the quite superbly- organised Easter service in St. Columba’s church, where the pupils of Primary 7 led their school in their Easter celebrations.


The old Community Centre and Library building has been taken off the market and, in order not to detract from the appearance of the village, its exterior will be painted at a cost of £3000. The shop and the garage have had a lease extension of one year.


My surgeries will be:


22nd June 6pm to 7pm Clune Park Community Centre 30th June 10am to 11am Kilmacolm Community Centre


You can contact me on 01475 741969 or 01475 712727or 07766992294


kilmacolm & quarriers


I am sure that users of Kilmacolm’s new library will agree that it has been well worth the wait. The Library has been fi tted out to a very high standard and includes a children’s section and a learning zone with 11 public access PCs and an interactive whiteboard, which will enhance the computing classes the Library Service is planning to run. An offi cial opening event with author Alex Gray will take place at 7.00 p.m. On Thursday 9 June.


I am delighted to report that at its meeting on 3 May the Council’s Safe, Sustainable Communities Committee allocated the sum of £25,000 for the upgrading of the West Glen Road play park. Offi cers will now draw up plans for the park in consultation with the local community.


This latest investment in play facilities follows on from the provision of a new play area at Quarrier’s, in partnership with the Village Council, and major investment in Birkmyre Park in the shape of an upgraded play area, the re-opening of the putting green and the new multi-use games area. Budget provision has also been made for improvements to the grass pitches at Birkmyre. This work should be carried out some time in 2012.


River Clyde Homes is in the process of planning internal and external improvement works to its stock in Kilmacolm to be carried out during the current fi nancial year 2011/12. Once the exact scope of the works has been agreed and contractors appointed tenants will be invited to a public meeting. The internal works will consist of kitchen and bathroom upgrades and electrical rewiring.


In his column last month Lib Dem Councillor Tom Fyfe was highly critical of attainment levels in Inverclyde schools and implied that I was complacent about this. This is far from the case. Improving educational attainment in Inverclyde is a top priority for the Administration. We are making a huge investment in new and improved schools to provide a better learning environment for our young people and at a time of signifi cant cuts in public expenditure we have sought to minimise the impact of these cuts on our schools.


Inverclyde has rightly gained a reputation as a forward thinking education authority, which has punched above its weight in relation to attainment when compared to other authorities with similar levels of deprivation. That is not to say that we are content to rest on our laurels. Senior Offi cials of the Council are under no illusion that Administration members want to see our commitment in terms of funding matched by a commitment on their part to drive up standards in our schools. I won’t accept anything less for my children and for the children of my constituents.


My advice surgeries are advertised on the Council’s website (www.inverclyde.gov.uk) and in The Greenock Telegraph. My surgeries this month are on Monday 13 June at 6.00 p.m. In Kilmacolm Community Centre and on Monday 27 June at 6.00 p.m. In Clune Park Resource Centre.


You can contact me directly to discuss any matters that are of concern to you by telephone on 01475 712020 (during offi ce hours) and 871368 (home) or by email to Stephen.McCabe@ inverclyde.gov.uk. Alternatively you can write to me at 10 Victoria Gardens, Kilmacolm PA13 4HL.


You can keep up to date with my work as a Councillor by visiting my blog: http:// councillorstephenmccabe.blogspot.com/


Khaki And Blue – The Colours Of My Life


Mike Jefferis gave a talk to the GVRC intriguingly entitled “ Khaki and Blue – The Colours of my Life”. He explained that his career had comprised two 21 year stints – the fi rst in the Army (everyone got ‘Khaki’) and the second in the IT sector mostly with IBM (most knew that IBM is known as the ‘big blue’, though your humble scribe had to ask!).


Most Plymouth lads joined the Navy, so Mike perversely joined the Army. He was selected for offi cer training and attended Sandhurst. Mike also revealed that he had been something of an army boxing champion!


Having resigned his commission, Mike moved into a company in IT, which quickly became part of IBM, and in the next 21 year period he worked in 11 countries and 19 centres in the UK for some 21 customers.


When he retired, Mike moved some 10 months ago to Kilmacolm, close to his daughter and grandchild, since when he had been ‘decorating’! However he still has time to be a keen curler and impressively he has bagged some 140 Munros. An itinerant for most of his life, hopefully Mike has come to rest in our community as he is now taking over the International convenorship in the Gryffe Valley club.


The photo shows Mike, fl anked by fellow Rotarians - President John Tuck and Tom Langley who introduced him.


42 |JUNE 2011 | your LOCAL news every month - in print and online |


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