A COMMUNITY garden that celebrates the heritage of a Renfrewshire village has been officially opened.

Members of Brighter Bridge of Weir, who are devoted to improving life in the village, created the new attraction during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dougie McNicol, the group’s secretary, told The Gazette: “We are mostly made up of retired people and got together around 12 years ago, after we decided the village wasn’t looking particularly great because of council cutbacks.

“The streets weren’t being swept regularly and the grounds weren’t being maintained.

“We took it upon ourselves to raise some money and clear the village up. It has gone from strength to strength over the past decade.

“The heritage garden has been a project we have been hoping to get off the ground for a while and it has kept us busy during lockdown.”

Organisers are confident the new garden, which is located behind the Co-op store in the village’s Main Street, will be popular with local residents.

Mr McNicol added: “We have various statues and garden ornaments, such as a castle and a bridge – things that are important to the heritage of Bridge of Weir.”

The garden was officially opened by Irene McCallum, with each of the features being unveiled by children from Bridge of Weir Primary School.

“The seeds were sown, so to speak, back in 2018 when we were awarded £1,000 by the authors of Supreme Sacrifice,” said Mr McNicol. “This was to create a feature marking the centenary of the end of the First World War and its cost to our village.

“Bridge of Weir already has a war memorial, so we decided we should celebrate the village’s heritage instead and we were able to raise additional funding for that.”

Residents and visitors can visit the site, which can be found behind the Co-op on the village’s Main Street.