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First Minister John Swinney today met firefighters at the scene of an ongoing wildfire incident in the Cairngorms National Park.The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has deployed significant resources to tackle this incident since the alarm was first raised on Wednesday, 15 July. This includes more than 100 firefighters, specialist wildfire units, and a high-volume pump drawing water from Loch Morlich, supported by partner agencies and helicopter water bombing […]

Balloch resident Kevin Osborne had the opportunity to meet the King as part of celebrations to mark the official opening of the Scottish Parliament on Saturday.The former submariner was the area’s Local Hero and guest of MSP Jackie Baillie, at the weekend event.He joined Jackie to mark the official opening of the seventh session of the Scottish parliament – which was established in 1999.Kevin was selected from a shortlist of […]

Summerfest, the FREE family festival at Loch Lomond Shores, is back on the 4th and 5th of July with lots of things to see and do!  With live music and entertainment, a whole host of street food and stalls, children's rides and much more, it's a great family day out for everyone.Lomond Radio will be taking control of the stage this year, hosting and organising the brilliant musical line-up over the […]

West Dunbartonshire Council has launched a fun packed programme of free and engaging activities over the school holidays.  The Council’s “School Holidays Involve Nurture & Engage” (SHINE) is a six week action packed programme that will help keep children fit, entertained and having fun over the school holidays. This year the Council is also offering a programme of free activities which are tailored to families of children with an additional support […]

Ellen McBride has stepped down as Church Representative on the Council’s Educational Services committee after dedicating 26 years to the role.Members of the committee bid a fond farewell to her at this week’s meeting.Ellen, a former pupil at Notre Dame Clerkhill in Dumbarton, graduated as a teacher in the late sixties, supporting local children in St Stephen’s Primary School in Dalmuir, and then Head Teacher at St Peter’s Primary School […]

A programme of free cycling and walking activities will be on offer for young people over the school holidays as part of the Summer of Sport initiative.West Dunbartonshire Council's Active Travel has partnered with Vale of Leven Trust and Dumbarton Football Club Trust to expand active travel opportunities for young people.The initiative builds on the work of Vale of Leven Trust, which already provides a wide range of cycling and […]

Additional support to help families from pregnancy to primary school will be rolled out in West Dunbartonshire in a first for Scotland.A new programme, delivered in partnership with charity Thrive at Five, will be available initially for up to 2500 children to help them develop strong foundations for life and learning as well as achieve long-term sustained improvements in their development. A key focus will be to improve children’s speech, language and […]

Decisions have been taken by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board on proposed changes at more than 30 fire stations. This follows an extensive nationwide Service Delivery Review undertaken as part of continuing work to modernise the Service and ensure operational resources are matched to changing risk and demand. The Board met yesterday [Monday, 22 June] to consider and decide whether the Service should proceed with a suite of recommendations developed […]

MSP Jackie Baillie has praised the efforts of local hero, Kevin Osborne, who is set to head to Holyrood to mark his significant contribution to the community.Jackie selected the Balloch man as her guest for the official opening of the Scottish Parliament’s seventh term, on Saturday.Faslane naval base worker, Kevin, was nominated for his effort in establishing volunteer group The Leven Line, which sees him dedicating his spare time to […]

MSP Jackie Baillie has helped fly the flag for local businesses, to mark Scotland Loves Local week.The event, organised by Scotland's Towns Partnership (STP), aims to showcase the best of local business and highlight the critical need for support from residents.Dumbarton MSP Jackie, visited local traders to mark the event, which runs from June 13th to 20th – coinciding with the World Cup, the theme for this year's event is centred around […]