LINWOOD Community Development Trust is on a mission to improve the area as plans get under way for a new community centre.

The trust has acquired land at 'Mossedge Linwood' to develop the new facilities.

Funding permitting, these will include an all-weather football pitch, a growing area and a community facility which will generate future income and provide a valuable resource to the town's 9,000 residents.

With development funding support from Renfrewshire Council and the Big Lottery's Growing Community Assets Fund, the Trust will be appointing its own architectural design team this month.

The trust is also one of 40 organisations due to benefit from a £2.5m Scottish Government regeneration fund.

Gavin Newlands, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, welcomed the news that it will receive a share of the Strengthening Communities Programme (SCP) fund to help communities lead economic and regeneration work in their areas.

Mr Newlands said: “I’m delighted that Linwood Community Development Trust will benefit from this Scottish Government funding – investment designed to help communities across Scotland become more resilient, take ownership and control of their own areas and generate income by coming up with entrepreneurial ideas."

The trust was formed in 2011, the same year that Linwood was voted the most dismal town in Scotland and was presented with the Carbuncle Award from Urban Realm magazine.

The Linwood Community Centre had been demolished and new sports centre ON-X was built.

Unfortunately, the new facility does not have a 3G pitch, something Linwood Community Development Trust felt the community needed.

After years of struggle to have their voices heard Linwood Development Trust are now putting the wheels in motion to bring a new community centre to the town.

A consultation will take place over the next few months and will give the Linwood community the chance to have their say on what they would like to see in the new centre.

Kirsty Flannigan, community projects manager for the trust, said: "We know that the community are behind us on this they are waiting for this to happen.

"We have had fantastic comments and views from the community and great support for the centre to be built because it's obviously being built with the need of the community in mind."

Meanwhile, the trust are also running a number of projects with the aim of raising funds for the area and increasing opportunities for people living in the town.

Two years ago the trust set up the Kit & Caboodle project which provides a recycling and kit wash facility, to help sporting families and coaches save time, energy and money whilst supporting the reduction of CO2 emissions.

Kirsty said: "We worked closely with the local football teams on that project and they came up with the idea of Kit and Caboodle which was basically modelled on a project that had been delivered in Beith.

"It is kit washing which is air-dried reducing carbon emission because it wouldn't be getting tumble dried.

"The kits are washed in eco machines as well and we also have a recycling project which was about recycling old pre-loved football gear.

"We've made such an impact with the Kit and Caboodle that Clippen's School, which is a special needs school, is taking it over and run it as a social enterprise."

The Trust also started a community choir with more than 50 members of all ages attending.

Through a consultation process, Linwood residents highlighted the need to improve health and wellbeing, employability and local services.

This encouraged the Trust to develop a project known as ‘Roots of Linwood’, it provides access to high quality, low cost fresh fruit and vegetables.

These can be bought from the shop in Unit 19, Mossedge Industrial Estate, Linwood or can be delivered straight to people's homes.

The shop also provides volunteering opportunities for those who are retired, unemployed or have additional support needs.