Letterson festivebin collection

Stirling residents are being asked to keep an eye out for letters about Christmas bin collection.

Temporary changes to schedules over the festive period take into account the public holidays on December 25 and 26 as well as New Year’s Day and January 2.

The council has posted letters to more than 40,000 properties across the region, informing residents of the changes and when to expect their collection.

Additional information on Household Waste Recycling Centre opening times and what to do if your bin is not collected due to adverse weather or unforeseen issues are also contained on the letter.

The changes are different for each area and collection route, but the new Stirling Council website features a postcode search which has also been amended to reflect the temporary changes.

A spokesperson said: “While there tends to be extra waste for a lot of households over the festive period, with food and presents generally in abundance, the letters should have all the info residents need to manage their waste, as well as detail on our waste recycling centre opening times.

“The updates to the service run between December 21 and January 7, allowing the waste service to still run while also allowing collection staff the chance to spend time with their families and friends during the public holidays.”

A Stirling woman who suffered a stroke at 30 has told how a new scheme is aiding her rehabilitation.

Ruth Hector, now 33, is benefitting from the Forth Valley Moving Forward After Stroke programme which is organised by the Stroke Association and Active Stirling.

The scheme has been running since February and is open to anyone living in Forth Valley who is recovering from a stroke.

As part of the 12-week programme, stroke–specific exercises and information sessions on health and secondary prevention of stroke are provided.

Ruth was a copywriter at BBC Scotland and took a sabbatical to travel around Australia for a year.

A few months after her return to Stirling she suffered her first stroke.

Ruth said: “I woke up one morning and I felt funny.

“I thought I would be all right and I lay in bed for about an hour and a half and then I tried to get up and my right arm was completely dead.

“I managed to get up but I fell back down again.

“I dragged myself to the door and I called my dad.”

Her father thought she had simply woken from a bad dream, but her mother recognised the symptoms of a stroke and she was taken to Forth Valley Royal hospital. As Ruth was making