Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust

LCDT AGM TOMORROW WEDNESDAY 22ND
7.30pm at the BOWLING CLUB (not the Golf Club as in previous years)
The bar will be open and the meeting will be followed by a mini-quiz 😀

If you can't make it along, you can join on zoom: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76236253924?pwd=um7tqLs0ab8y9lX8mrze05QmSAaJj4.1
Meeting ID: 762 3625 3924
Passcode: 7jkSHV

Or request a Proxy Form from [email protected]

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WWW.LOCHWINNOCH.ONLINE
1,107 hits in the first week!!!! And that's before we've even marketed it - we're waiting until every business, trade, freelancer, musician, crafter, etc is signed up before we push it out to the whole of Renfrewshire, Scotland and beyond on 1st December!

DEADLINE for remaining businesses, trades, freelancers, musicians, crafters, etc to sign up: Monday 27th November. https://www.lochwinnoch.online/membership-form

What a wonderful response! All donations for Teen Shelter (not quite a climbing frame) can be made by bank transfer:
Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust
Bank Account No: 65668364
Sort Code: 08 92 99
Ref: Park 'You/your business/group name'

Donations of £50 and over can have their names listed on the Sponsors' Board (be sure to let me know directly).

Thank you!

Remember this? When residents, businesses and Renfrewshire Council all pulled together to deliver an incredible new play park and provide new seating?? Well, don't worry we're not asking you to do another Olympics or anything like that 😅

However, progress is being made on the next phase: A Teen Climbing Frame 🥳, we didn't forget you, it just got a wee biteen delayed, sorry 😞, but we're on it now, with the full support of the Council again - thank you🙏.

As part of our fundraising for Phase 1 local businesses & community groups were invited to donate £50 in return for a mention on a Sponsors' Plaque and before we go ahead to fulfil this pledge, we wanted to give any business that might have missed that opportunity the chance to sponsor the Teen Climbing Frame and ensure their business/community group is included on that plaque.

Please contact me if you're interested.

After eight months of work by local residents - much of it volunteered - we're delighted to be able to announce that Lochwinnoch Online, our new village website, is finally live!

We hope over the next few months to build the site into a complete directory of local businesses and a one-stop-shop for village information, whether you're a local in need of a plumber or looking for something to do this weekend, someone from Glasgow planning a day trip and wondering what sort of shops we have here, or a tourist looking for a beautiful holiday destination.

We'd really encourage local businesses to sign up (and huge thanks to those who have already): the £50 per year membership fee (less than £1 a week) will help us keep the site updated and running to this impressive quality as well as creating a fund for marketing it to encourage more visitors to come and spend money locally.

For the first six months we're trialling totally free events listings, so if you're running an event in the village please do use our calendar to list it.

A local freelancer will update the website twice a month - once we've finalised those regular dates we'll make sure everyone knows about them.

For now, please explore our beautiful website, and let's see Lochwinnoch Online (and offline) flourish!

Home | Lochwinnoch.Online | The one-stop information hub for our village Lochwinnoch.Online is a one-stop shop for both residents and visitors: the information hub for our village: where to stay, where to eat, what to do, when is the post office open, all the answers in one place

Please join and come along to the AGM on Weds 22nd November - Bowling Club * Speaker * Mini Quiz https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUFh14vvyZ3V4edf2As8UUKi_Hy5Y97gK9eWQmSBsxMh2A7A/viewform

Having fun at Lochwinnoch Business Network’s RACE NIGHT. Thanks to all our sponsors, Jan behind the bar & everyone whose come out to support us. Working together to see Lochwinnoch prosper & thrive!

A wee reminder 😀

Has anyone had a survey done, preferably for a church, resulting in a recommendation for a type of heating system and estimated cost of same?

LOCHWINNOCH ONLINE * GOING LIVE * END OF OCTOBER !

Thanks to all the businesses, freelancers, trades & community groups who have signed up to LOCHWINNOCH ONLINE.

Your details are being processed and your products, services and activities will be promoted throughout the village, Renfrewshire and beyond, from the end of the month.

It's not too late to sign up: lochwinnoch.online/membership-form

Alternatively, wait until the end of the month, see what it's all about and join then.

Businesses, Freelancers & Trades - less than £1/week

Community Groups - £1/year

Membership Form | Lochwinnoch.Online Complete the form to confirm your membership and add your organisation or business to one of the pages on our website so visitors to Lochwinnoch can find out more about you.

A great big THANK YOU to our Local Councillors and the Local Partnership Panel at Renfrewshire Council who have kick started our funding drive with £2,700 towards a Teen Shelter in Lochwinnoch Park.

LOCHWINNOCH ONLINE

Sneak preview: www.lochwinnoch.online

Register now: lochwinnoch.online/membership-form

Membership Form | Lochwinnoch.Online Complete the form to confirm your membership and add your organisation or business to one of the pages on our website so visitors to Lochwinnoch can find out more about you.

Sneak preview: www.lochwinnoch.online
Register now: lochwinnoch.online/membership-form

Sorry for the radio silence while I've been settling into my new role as your Development Officer. It's been super exciting with lots happening:

LOCHWINNOCH BUSINESS NETWORK is up and running! Meeting the first Tuesday of every month, 6pm at The Bowling Club - please spread the word!

LOCHWINNOCH ONLINE, an exciting tool for residents and visitors alike, is going public very soon. More details to follow.

PARISH CHURCH, strong steering group in place researching the need & sustainability of a community buyout.

TANDLEMUIR PROJECT, opportunities for peatland regeneration, restoration of habitat & so much more, helping address flooding, current carbon release & loss of biodiversity. Community Consultation will take place next month - your participation would be much appreciated.

LOCHWINNOCH PARK REDEVELOPMENT. The Annexe mural design is underway, Phase 1 -workshops with children, wall near play park.
We're raising funds for a climbing frame/shelter for the teens.

LOCHHEAD SOCIAL GARDEN. All the preparatory work's been completed: soil testing, design finalised, planning permission received, Capital Asset Transfer is underway. Now we're raising funds for groundworks then it will be all hands on deck to bring it to fruition, including LOCHWINNOCH'S MEN'S SHED.

We're busy, we're ambitious, we're supporting you to achieve what you want for your village.

D A T E F O R Y O U R D I A R Y
LCDT AGM Saturday 4th November, 7.30pm The Bowling Club followed by a Guest Speaker and a Quiz!

If you'd like more information or to get involved please message me here or phone 07522 377339

Together we will see Lochwinnoch FLOURISH & THRIVE!!!

We're looking for volunteers! At LCDT we have a range of projects, at different stages of delivery. These include:

- Lochwinnoch Online (A project promoting local businesses and the local area for tourism, but also a business directory for those of us who live here)
- Lochhead Social Garden Project (Developing this one acre space in to a social garden)
- Tanndlemuir Project (Looking at feasibility of a Community Asset Transfer of a portion of Muirsheil Regional Park)
- Parish Church Project (Looking at the feasibility of a community buyout of the Church Building as an Arts Venue)

We also have a Mens Shed Group who are looking for new members.

If you have any time to offer we would love to hear from you. No experience necessary. If anyone does have experience of funding or administration we would be particularly eager to hear from you though as these are our priorities at the moment! Board positions are also available.

Here is a link for the Project Plan for Lochhead Gardens which we're constantly updating. This is a publicly accessed document which keeps the community informed about all elements of the project. Below is some copy from our Consultation section which outlines all the various consultations we have carried out in relation to the garden. It includes links to other related consultations including Renfrewshire Council's consultation, and Lochwinnoch Community Council's survey, which contributed to the Community Asset Transfer application process:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qPBbAIeCkJoYuQHORcVjMtnxJ36ai6nuPy-LamrLeLw/edit?usp=sharing

COMMUNITY CONSULTATION

Throughout the Project, we have depended upon research and surveys to guide us. There have been many community consultations throughout the development of the site, and these are ongoing. These have been conducted online through surveys as well as in-person on-site at consultation days; leaflet drops door-to-door; and via meetings with community members, community organisations and local businesses.

In March 2019 LochwinnochCDT commissioned Community Enterprise Ltd to undertake a community consultation to explore how the site should address local priorities. The survey
included a public meeting, an online survey completed by over 250 respondents and 3 focus group meetings for young people, working age people and older people. The report of the consultation noted that the village was generally a healthy and economically active community, although there are pockets of deprivation. The location of the Lochhead Gardens is particularly well suited for the community as it is centrally located and is easily accessible. The full results can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sZfXD80AO-Jb4lRhm68_qpLbeU2KSLaa/view?usp=sharing

Progress was slowed by the pandemic but an online survey was conducted in June 2020 reviewing popular opinion about potential uses for the site. The outcome of that demonstrated a strong interest in bringing it into community ownership for vegetable growing as well as for social activities.

The steering group for this site was originally set up in October 2021; It represents the current Site Users and is an open forum which anyone locally with an interest can join. Through them, we have been able to consult with the individual groups and organisation stakeholders, and their members.

The Trust carried out a Community Consultation online, between February and April 2022, which had 94 respondents. The outcomes were overall very positive and showed good support for the idea of developing this site. [All comments from this survey, and our responses, are recorded on the Project Plan linked above].

In April 2022 we applied for planning permission for the build of a new storage space, and this was granted in June of that year. We carried out extensive consultation at this time and received numerous letters of support from local businesses and individuals which were forwarded on to Planning Officers and local Councilors / the Community Council.

It was during this period that we put together this Project Plan; This is a live document which is shared in the public domain at all times and regularly updated as the project evolves. It is accessible via our website and social media and we sent the link to our membership, the residents of Lochhead Avenue, Lochwinnoch Community Council and many officers of Renfrewshire Council. This document contains more detail about our consultations and the results thereof and makes up part of our ongoing public consultation and communications.

In July 2022 we set up a distribution group for the owners of the next neighbouring properties in the Cooperage housing estate. Initial contact was made via their own social media for the estate, as well as by flyering every house on Lochhead Avenue. We had individual conversations with many households and listened to their ideas and general opinions. We surveyed them specifically to review their vision for the site, and understand fully any concerns they might have. We continue to engage with this group via email for any updates about the project, as we go and keep them updated about our plans and any work that is due to take place.

We met in person with Lochwinnoch Community Council to discuss this project in October 2022; At the meeting we discussed how the plans for the site fit into our local Place Plan.

Following the completion of the drawings for the Garden Design, we held two community consultations in collaboration with Garden Designer Rachel Bailey on Saturday 19th and Tuesday 21st November. Over the two sessions we had 83 visitors; on Saturday – 43 visitors, and on Tuesday – 40 visitors. Rachel explained to visitors about the garden design based on the earlier community consultation. Three different surveys were created for the consultation, enquiring about:

1. Outdoor Events - Fee Paying Activities
2. Market Stalls
3. Garden Activities, Volunteering Activities and Focus of LCDT

Results from the survey confirmed that the top response for using the garden was hosting a local market/market stalls, closely followed by workshops, and children’s parties and other family gatherings. Additionally there was support for hiring BBQ equipment and play equipment. When asked about what time of year would be most utilised, spring and summer rated most highly, however there was still support for activities in the autumn and winter.

Suggested issues to be considered were parking during larger events and access and facilities for those with disabilities. These have been taken in to account in our Business Plan and Risk Assessments.

Suggested activities to take place on site included wildlife surveys, wildflower planting, and wild cooking. There was also a high response rate to family activities and family play.
When asked whether respondents would like to take part in volunteering at the gardens, there was a favourable response, with 22 wishing to volunteer.

Further community online surveys included the market surveys detailed below at the bottom of this section. These were open to individuals as well as businesses and formed research for our Business Plan.

In March 2023 we distributed this digital flyer which is a summary of the project plans. 500 copies were also handed out door-to-door, via businesses, at our local library and via the Community Councils street stalls surveying the public about the project.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dEIn6gDm654xzr5-5o_yQOJ2VRASr-XN/view?usp=sharing

LochwinnochCDT have approx 130 members who we liaise with via email distribution of newsletters, updates and surveys. We encourage direct feedback from our members with enquiries or comments about projects. Our consultation opportunities are shared with the membership, but the membership are not consulted in isolation. The Trust has a small number of Associate Members who live outwith Lochwinnoch, but they are picked up in surveys by their postcodes.

We are in ongoing dialogue with local organisations and community groups to engage them and understand how the site could benefit them, and whether they have concerns. We have been approached by local organisations and sole traders seeking suitable spaces for their activities ranging from consulting rooms for therapies to space for an Arts Hub as well as a Mens Shed.

Links for more detailed breakdowns of the four consultations held in 2022 are available here.

April Consultation - Your Social Garden: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bmqs5eBH0vcfOtcSJqpcPy_vQlQicFQY-OBOOx_nie4/edit?usp=sharing

November Consultation - Outdoor Events / Markets: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b1vpC56fgX8VKRItWHjQQsysgkFdAFWQdkfJXSxGF7o/edit?usp=sharing

November Consultation - Garden Activities:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gu4vCaORvvwOHh00Smf1qdMQhDOAurOEoL_Bmc9F5b0/edit?usp=sharing

November Consultation - Market Vendors: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IOGf8lgdHWRNsxT5K_w4esnd6LmmLxYtXxQtGTO3EqI/edit?usp=sharing

Here is a link to a flyer we have been sharing as part of our latest consultation:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dEIn6gDm654xzr5-5o_yQOJ2VRASr-XN/view?usp=sharing

As part of our community asset transfer request for the site, Renfrewshire Council conducted a public consultation. Lochwinnoch Community Council also carried out a consultation which contributed to the overall outcome of Renfrewshire Council’s one. Details of these can be viewed via the following link. Here follows some infographics from Lochwinnoch Community Council’s survey which was 70% in favour of the transfer of land:

Lochwinnoch Community Council’s Survey which came out as 70% in favour of the Trust being granted the lease: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oWve_uvDjANLjQi9LquUnTgXutDA3Qy5/view?usp=sharing

Renfrewshire Councils overarching survey representations can be viewed along with the rest of the CAT submissions documents via this site:

https://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/article/4534/Community-asset-transfers

Community asset transfers - Renfrewshire Website What a community asset transfer is, our community asset transfer policy, Request an asset transfer, notices, representations, decisions and reviews on asset transfers.

We have exciting news to share. Today we received the decision notice from Renfrewshire Council confirming the outcome of the CAT panel review earlier this week and are delighted to announce that we have had our Community Asset Transfer request for Lochhead Gardens approved, in part. Renfrewshire Council have agreed to a ten year lease which was the main element of our application; They have asked us to meet certain conditions and carry out further impact surveys in three years time before granting the option-to-buy. For us, this is brilliant news. Our focus at this time is not on purchasing the land, and we would only be looking to take that step if/when the project is up and running as a success, and benefitting all locally.

If anyone has any questions for us on this, please feel free to get in touch here or email [email protected].

We are really grateful to everyone locally who took part in the consultations and engaged with this project. We are excited for what this space can be, and for what it means to our current partners Wildcare, the Larder and others. We're speaking to other groups and individuals about other possibilities here including a Mens' Shed residency, storage space for local groups, an Arts Hub, potential consulting rooms etc. We also want Force For Nature to have max involvement in the next stages of consulting and shaping the design. All changes to the current plan will be subject to further consultation. And we're actively looking for new steering group members if anyone wants to get invovled!

Whats' next? Realistically, major development on the site wont happen straight away. There will be some back-and-forth the get the contract in place, and then we need to do more consultation before apply for relevant permissions and funding. We shall be working towards enacting the plans which were consented by planning last year for a storage space, toilet block and running water/sewage connection, in due course.

Again, we're grateful for all the support we've received and we are committed to being community-led in this project and across all others. If you would like to know more about the Trust and our portfolio of projects, please contact us. We hope to have a new Development Officer in post soon and step forward, in to an exciting new phase.

Temporary Opportunity - Development Officer

We're currently hiring! This is an exciting time for the Trust with exciting, tangible projects in the offing. We're looking for someone to help us short term on a temporary basis, for up to three months, while we recruit someone on a longer term basis. Do you know anyone who might be suitable? Please share: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SXSIeU2DbITMtr1jN06dTucbXjMVbMIPF0nX-XYTQi8/edit?usp=sharing

Temp Development Officer Job Spec Immediate opportunity for a temporary Development Officer (potential longer term post) LCDT is at a critical stage in the Community Asset Transfer for Lochhead Gardens (see project plan: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qPBbAIeCkJoYuQHORcVjMtnxJ36ai6nuPy-LamrLeLw/edit?usp=sharing) and requi...

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that today is Pam's last day with the Trust. Pam has contributed a great deal in her year with us, including the delivery of a Warm Spaces Project which invested £23000 in to local businesses and venues, for the benefit of people who live here. Pam has also helped to facilitate the start of a local Business Network, supported the creation of separate business website (coming soon!) and assisted in the Lochhead Social Garden, Tanndlemuir, and Lochwinnoch Park Refurbishment projects. It's been a busy year of development for the organisation, and Pam has played a key role throughout. We wish her luck with whatever comes next. Thanks Pam - and don't be a stranger!

A Huge Thanks!

LCDT would like to say a huge thank you to Lucy Cunningham for her amazing efforts leading garden volunteers over the last three months! Pictured here with 2 volunteers (she's the madly grinning one in the middle) neither rain, nor wind, nor snow has dampened her enthusiasm for "all things garden".

As Lucy starts a new venture in Beith, we are so pleased to still have her on board as a volunteer. And also a huge thanks to the wee garden army each Saturday and Wednesday. Long may it continue under the watchful eye of Martin.

Lochwinnoch Business Network
Tuesday 28th March- 5 -6 pm
Three Churches

All business owners welcome!

Calling all Lochwinnoch Business Owners!

Are you looking for assistance to help your business grow? Would you be interested in collating with other local businesses to form a network that can collaborate, connect and share?

Then why not attend our first Lochwinnoch Business Network meet-up on Tuesday 28th March 5.00 - 6.00 at the Three Churches? All businesses welcome!

For further details and to book your place, contact Pam on 07522 377339 or email [email protected].

Facilitated by Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust

Have you recently received a survey through your door from Lochwinnoch Community Council, relating to our application for a 10 year lease of Lochhead Avenue? This is a separate consultation from the one Renfrewshire Council are currently conducting. We have attached a flyer which gives more detail about the project, but please get in touch if there is anything else you would like to know.

Here are the details.....

Lochwinnoch Community Council Survey:

This is being carried out online and on paper. If you have a paper form, you can return it to The Wee Shop on Church Street. Alternatively, you can complete it online via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WKJKVZ7?fbclid=IwAR1oNMrfnXmQj9Qp2c6y7Xkhxu67Iy8NFChn_6BwijTEW9wq8ldXkeap3sg

Renfrewshire Council's Consultation:

You can view the full application and all supporting documents including the business plan online at RCs Asset Transfer site. You can also see all the anonymised representations which have been made by the community so far: https://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/article/4534/Community-asset-transfers

We really appreciate any support you're able to offer that helps us to bring this bold project to life, for the benefit of all people locally.

UPDATE - Lochhead Gardens Community Asset Transfer Request

We have been sharing information locally about our Community Asset Transfer request for Lochhead Gardens. That application is now with Renfrewshire Council. On their advice, we made one notable change to the original plan, which is to extend the lease term asked for from three years to ten years.

The reasoning was that we would find funders more likely to award against a site with longer tenure; And also because it would help the Trust to avoid paying legals fees again in a short time period for the transfer. On this basis, we resubmitted the application and hope to hear the outcome in May 2023.

If you have any queries, comments or suggestions about this project, please get in touch.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qPBbAIeCkJoYuQHORcVjMtnxJ36ai6nuPy-LamrLeLw/edit?usp=sharing

LOCHHEAD GARDENS - GOVERNING DOCUMENT LOCHHEAD GARDEN DEVELOPMENT - PROJECT PLAN CONTENTS Project Overview Project Aims Project Scope Community Consultation Planned Activities Current Progress CAT Application Next Steps Drawings and Plans Photos Contact Details PROJECT OVERVIEW Lochhead Gardens is a one acre space in the...

Here is a reminder of our Project Plan for the Lochhead Garden project: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qPBbAIeCkJoYuQHORcVjMtnxJ36ai6nuPy-LamrLeLw/edit?usp=sharing

This document is a live plan which we update as we go, and gives the community complete access to the details of the project, including the results of any public consultations.

We would be especially interested in hearing from anyone who had any old pictures or maps of the site.

LOCHHEAD GARDENS - GOVERNING DOCUMENT LOCHHEAD GARDEN DEVELOPMENT - PROJECT PLAN CONTENTS Project Overview Project Aims Project Scope Community Consultation Planned Activities Current Progress CAT Application Next Steps Drawings and Plans Photos Contact Details PROJECT OVERVIEW Lochhead Gardens is a one acre space in the...

Tuesdays are a fab day to learn to knit!

Why not join us - we'll provide everything you need to get started!

Here’s a big Thank-You to all our volunteers who have been puttting in a big effort at the garden carrying out lots of unglamourous jobs, often in not very nice weather. This Team lead by Lucy has made it fun though! If anyone else is interested in helping out, we’ll be here every Wednesday and Saturday 10am - 1pm. Get in touch!!

What's happening at Lochhead Gardens?!

Over the past few weeks, we've had lots of volunteers come and help clear some of the site - thanks to everyone who has pitched in! We're in the process of removing the veg beds which will be rebuilt in new areas later this year when we hope to put Rachel Bailey's garden design in to action.

It's an exciting time for the project and we're now actively working towards a Community Asset Transfer for a longer term lease.

You'll see there is a bit of junk piled up in the middle of the site as a result of the recent volunteer work. We're getting a skip soon to get rid of this. There is still a lot of work to do to tidy up areas of the site, but there have been some big improvements too, like the mono-block driveway and the cladding on the cabins. Thanks to Luddon Construction which carried out this work as part of a Community Benefit scheme with Engage Renfrewshire!

If anyone has any questions about the project, the CAT application, or anything else, please get in touch. We would love some more steering group members if anyone would like to be involved....

Here is a link to our project plan which outlines a lot of what we hope to do with the site: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qPBbAIeCkJoYuQHORcVjMtnxJ36ai6nuPy-LamrLeLw/edit?usp=sharing

Are you keen to learn to knit? Have you started a knitting project and have lost your way? We can help!

Thanks to funding from Renfrewshire Winter Connections, we are offering free beginner knitting. Taking place in McKillop on Tuesdays from 1.30 - 3.30, we'll go through the basics of knitting, and each week, we'll encourage you to learn more.

If you've got needles or yarn you would like to use, please bring them along, otherwise, don't worry! We will provide you with everything you need to get started!

And best of all, because this is part of the Warm Spaces Network, it's free of charge to attend!

Lochhead Gardens Update

There's lots happening at Lochhead Gardens... our volunteers are having a winter clear up, getting ready for springtime. Thanks to the teams for the past few Wednesdays and Saturdays. They've been working really hard- it's looking great!

We've also submitted our Community Asset Transfer to Renfrewshire Council. Details of how to access the application will be available soon, but if you want to read more about what the community told us they want to see in the garden, have a read through our Lochhead Gardens Governing Document, available on our website https://lochwinnochtrust.org.uk/village-garden/

Thanks to everyone for your amazing support, and we look forward to creating a great community social space!

Lochhead Social Garden Project - Want to read about what the community told us they’d like to see in the social space? LOCHHEAD GARDENS – GOVERNING DOCUMENT We took over this disused space between Lochhead Avenue and the Parish Church at the start of the pandemic, with the intention to grow vegetables on it to feed people in ne...

Ready to Connect, Converse, and Create? Join us at the Lochwinnoch (Men's) Shed - Friday 10- 12

Castle Semple Visitor Centre

We kicked off our first Shed get-together last Friday, and it was a great success! Why not come along tomorrow and meet a great group- and get a free cuppa!

All welcome!