A local councillor has told of his plans to get the Linwood community involved in celebrating the town's history.

Robert Innes said he has held talks with Renfrewshire Council officers about the prospect of creating a museum in Linwood's Tweedie Hall or the ON-X sports centre.

He told The Gazette: "The town of Linwood has an immense amount of history, heritage and culture, from its humble beginnings as a small village to the factories and industries that called Linwood its home. 

"Unfortunately, you do not see much of this celebrated or on display around the town. I want people to be proud of being from Linwood and part of that is understanding what came before and how the town got to where it is today.

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"I have held initial talks with One Ren and Renfrewshire Council about how we can explore Linwood's past and put some effort into celebrating some of Linwood's history. 

"I have requested that we investigate the prospects of having some displays or information boards around Linwood and the possibility of a Linwood museum or exhibition situated in the Tweedie Hall or the ON-X."

Councillor Innes pointed to the work being carried out by the Linwood War Memorial Association as an excellent example of the local community being able to acknowledge its past. 

He said: "When I visit other towns in Renfrewshire, I see information, displays, statues and plaques telling me about the area - and rightfully so. I see a very limited amount of this going on in Linwood and that's what I want to change.

"We have fantastic community groups in Linwood doing excellent work, such as the Linwood War Memorial Association, who are doing an incredibly selfless act in finding a place in Linwood where people can remember their loved ones.

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"That group stepped up and is doing a great piece of work. Nobody else was going to do that for Linwood. It is efforts such as this that make it vital we do not forget the past. 

"My hope is Linwood continues to have the opportunities to delve into its own culture and history and that the community be involved at the heart of that."

Joan Melville, of the Linwood War Memorial Association, added: "It is wonderful to see an effort being made to restore people's pride in Linwood. 

"The Linwood War Memorial Association is fully supportive of this move to bring a museum to Linwood and we are keen to share the social history rediscovered as we research each of our fallen."