A LOCAL councillor has praised the organisers of this year's Lochwinnoch Gala Day - for reviving the event after a one-year hiatus. Andy Doig, who represents the town, was full of nothing but thanks for Jane Owens and the rest of the Gala Day Committee for their "great community spirit and hard work." He told The Gazette: "I was delighted to have been asked by the Lohwinnoch Gala Day Committee to open the event and I do think their choice may have been influenced by the theme being Scotland.

"The sun was splitting the skies and it was a tremendous community event that showed the great community spirit that exists in Lochwinnoch.

"Thanks to folk like Jane and the rest of her team, the sense of community that we all share was shown at its best.

"I asked those attending the Gala to show their appreciation to Jane by giving her and the team a round of applause which they duly did." And the SNP man - who also represents Johnstone North and Kilbarchan - said it was more than just the people of Lochwinnoch who benefitted from the committee's hard work.

He said: "I met many constituents that came from further afield such as Johnstone and Kilbarchan to the Gala Day.

"I was pleased to make the point in my opening speech that Lochwinnoch, like Scotland as a whole, is very proud of its own sense of identity and sense of community.

"It was also a pleasure to congratulate the Gala Queen, Lauren McNulty, and her maids of honour.

"I made the point in my opening address that hopefully the happy memories of her crowning at the Gala Day would always be with her and her team." But Doig wasn't only in the mood to reminisce this week - he also said he and his constituents were looking to the future.

He said: "Lochwinnoch 2013 was a tremendous outpouring of community spirit and I think everyone in the village is now eagerly looking forward to Lochwinnoch Gala 2014." Linwood Community Development Trust is delighted to announce that it has come together with Beith and Lochboisdale Development Trusts to form the 'Grow Trust'.

On first sight, it may seem an odd collaboration - Lochboisdale Amenity Trust on South Uist, Beith Community Development Trust in the semi-rural area of North Ayrshire and Linwood Community Development Trust in the urban central belt - setting up the Grow Trust to develop and support their agendas.

This collaboration of urban and rural Trusts, brought together with the support of Oxfam, arose from the shared journey and experience of these three community Trusts, an experience shared by thousands of community organisations up and down the country.

The Grow Trust will initially work with Linwood, Beith & Lochboisdale to make their plans achievable and will provide a range of professional advice, property development and facilities management support to all three trusts.

Jeanette Anderson, Chairperson of Linwood Community Development Trust said: "This is an excellent opportunity for Linwood, Beith & Lochboisdale who are all community-led Trusts. Being a part of the Grow Trust will allow the groups to tap into expert advice and assistance whilst planning their individual projects. It is the ambition of all of the groups to run sustainable social enterprises within their communities thus generating revenue that can be re-invested locally. Linwood Community Development Trust is delighted to be part of this innovative new venture." For further information please visit www.growtrust.org