As we all recover from the festivities of Christmas, I’m taking a look back on a fantastic first six months as Provost of Renfrewshire.

From welcoming young people to the first ever Youth Commission to discuss mental health, celebrating 100th birthdays with community members and turning on the Christmas lights in Paisley and Renfrew, I have hardly had a minute to catch my breath.

I wouldn’t change a minute of it, though.

Having been a councillor for the past 18 years and having lived in Renfrewshire all my life, I know the fantastic people we have and the unrivalled community spirit which binds us all together.

While Paisley may not have won its bid to be UK City of Culture 2021, our campaign has given the area a new lease of life and the investment which has been guaranteed will make an undeniable difference to the town.

We have the opportunity to transform Renfrewshire and this has been given an incredible boost by the announcement the £65million National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland will be based in Renfrewshire.

The centre aims to make Scotland a global leader in advanced manufacturing and will bring thousands of jobs and significant private investment into the area.

It’s just one of a number of reasons to be excited for 2018 in Renfrewshire and I cannot wait to see what the year brings for us all.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year when it comes.