Paisley Food and Drink Fest
COUNCIL LEADER IAIN NICOLSON
Renfrewshire Council and my SNP administration is committed to doing everything it can to help our communities and most vulnerable thrive.
Householders will now be seeing their council tax statements coming through their letterbox.
We were pleased to be able to agree and accept the offer from the Scottish Government and froze the council tax for this year.
This is a boost for families who we know are still working through difficult financial times.
Our Making of Ferguslie Park project has helped transform the area, creating 101 new homes.
Residents can now have their say on the next stage of our proposals for the area. A public exhibition of our plans is currently on display at the Tannahill Centre and will run until Monday, April 8.
I would urge everyone who lives in the area to come along to the exhibition and give their views.
You can find out more by searching ‘Making of Ferguslie’ on the Renfrewshire Council website.
I was delighted to attend the 2024 Provost’s Community Awards at the Normandy Hotel in Renfrew last week.
It was a fantastic night recognising the local heroes who make a real difference in their communities.
Renfrewshire is home to an incredible number of residents who selflessly put their communities first and it’s an honour to be able to celebrate that dedication and commitment with them.
This year’s winners were Ronnie Brown (community volunteer), Youth Interventions (community group), Louise Dempsey (employee of the year), Caroline Gormley (arts & culture), Nicole Perry (sports award) and Team Up to Clean Up (Provost’s Award for outstanding achievement).
Congratulations to you all, and thank you for all you do for Renfrewshire.
I was also delighted to see the new Paisley Central Library and Paisley Museum being recognised with two prestigious awards.
Paisley Central Library won an EDGE Award and was described as ‘setting the standard for public libraries in Scotland’ by judges.
Paisley Museum and its architects AL_A won the cultural regeneration category at the AR Future Projects 2024 Awards, beating Prado Museum in Madrid, the Shanghai Opera House, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum and a new maritime museum in Karamursel, Turkey.
I’m proud we can support cultural regeneration projects like these which are so important to Renfrewshire, creating awardwinning places and spaces which support our communities, economy and civic pride.
It’s spring which means our first major event of the year is just around the corner.
Paisley Food and Drink Festival, which runs on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, will welcome a vibrant street food market and vendors offering a range of global dishes for visitors.
There will be more than 35 traders – including some of Renfrewshire’s favourite food and drink outlets, licensed bars and entertainment.
Free activities will also be on offer for children, including pizza-making workshops, interactive theatre performances, creative writing and storytelling workshops, free face painting, inflatables and balloon modelling.
I’d encourage everyone to try and make it along to what is sure to be a great event.
Over the years I’ve made many chocolate mousses – but I have to say this one is really excellent.
I’ve made it seasonal, by adding some Easter eggs as decoration, but that is entirely up to you and you can decorate it depending on your taste and the season!
One key tip is to ensure that you use a good-quality chocolate – don’t be tempted to use a cheap variety.