Charles Pring

I never thought I would walk into a shop on Paisley High Street and find every last inch of it covered with chocolate paint. That was before Anya Gallaccio’s STROKE exhibition came to town. Paisley-born artist Anya Gallacio has taken over a formerly vacant retail unit at 18 High Street and coated the place from floor to ceiling in chocolate. Why exactly? Who knows, but it’s not the first time she’s done it; a number of venues across the globe have felt the full force of her dark chocolate decors.

Renfrewshire residents have been making the most of the area's recently renovated tennis courts, with new figures revealing just how popular the ‘ace’ new facilities are. Robertson Park and Johnstone Park Road tennis courts officially reopened in July following a £343,000 renovation, managed by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and funded by Renfrewshire Council, the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation.

A new baked goods establishment has teased locals with a short and sweet announcement in which they promise to “open soon.” Going by the name Crust & Crumble, the new eatery shared a post on Facebook declaring that they will soon be open for business in Bridge of Weir. According to the post, they will be serving “a fantastic selection of Aulds the Bakers savouries and cakes, great coffee, food to go, and a variety of snacks.”

A long-serving art teacher has signed off in style with a colourful new mural on a bike container, as her school embraces the positive benefits of cycling. Lesley Hinde recently retired after more than 20 years teaching art at Linwood High. One of her last acts at the school was to design and orchestrate a huge mural on the side of a shipping container used to store bicycles.

A proposed Tesco Express has received permission to go ahead, despite objections from residents and fears for local businesses.

A determined resident appears to have succeeded in his efforts to reverse a proposed parking restriction, following a site visit from council officers last week.

Barrhead Rotary Club are launching a new community initiative this week to help keep the streets free of litter.

Efforts are underway to bring live music back to a “totally underutilised” town centre bandstand. Local resident Rachael Smith decided to get live music back onto Johnstone’s historic bandstand, which has adorned Houston Square since 1891.

A care home in Johnstone has celebrated its 20th birthday - including four carers who have been there since the very start.

“People are coming to Paisley instead of Glasgow now” says the owner of a new takeaway restaurant in the town centre.