Personal Responsibility for the Collective Good

The awards ceremony for young volunteers taking part in the Youth Forum and GIVE programmes took place last week. It was heartening to see 72 youngsters gain awards for a variety of skills that they can apply to community life. The ethos of taking personal responsibility for the collective good of the town is one we should all take heed of.

Helensburgh Station Disturbances

There is a great deal of public unease at the moment concerning the disruptive actions of juveniles in and around the station. You are assured that all agencies involved are energetically tackling this complex problem and all actions, that are possible under the circumstances, are being taken.

Summer Events

I would like to take this opportunity of thanking individual members of the Community Council for their efforts in bringing two new features into our summer. The Glasgow School of Art Exhibition and the Helensburgh Food Festival were a success and brought a new dimension to community life.

Community Council Initiatives

The Community Council has a number of initiatives in progress:

· Participation in the town roads infrastructure – first meeting 6 September

· Participation in the Waterfront Project – pending

· Monthly Beach cleans – now more than six months old and functioning well; good community volunteer support.

· Weed clean Colquhoun Square – a continuing event, until funding is approved to re-plant the shrubbery in the Square.

· We intend to concentrate a new focus on town environmental issues, principally recycling and litter, in the first instance.

Town Enhancements

We are seeking to make progress on three improvements to the town’s appearance:

· The first is to get the railway bridges at the Railway Station and at Craigendoran repainted, supporting a long-standing ambition of Cllr Aileen Morton on the subject.

· The second is to renew/repaint the three town entry signs.

· The third is to renovate the Rennie Mackintosh lampposts at the Hill House.

You, the public, will have your own ideas, which we would very much like to hear. We are open to any suggestions to add to the list – you can contact us through our website.