This week's Councillor Column is written by Ellen Morton, chair of Argyll and Bute Council's Helensburgh and Lomond area committee.

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I WAS recently taken on a tour of the ongoing work in Hermitage Park, currently closed on safety grounds.

It was astonishing to see the scale of the £3.4 million project, funded mainly by the Heritage Lottery Fund but also by other partners like the Military Covenant and the council but, most importantly of all, driven very much by the work of the volunteers of the Friends of Hermitage Park.

The public should get its first sight of some of the work on Remembrance Sunday, when the war memorial area should be complete, with the new pavilion, play park and café areas ready next summer.

There is also a big horticultural element to the work which will take a few years to complete.

I also went to visit one of the local farms which was hosting schoolchildren from across Helensburgh and Lomond, educating them on food production, animal welfare and related issues.

Pupils from Rosneath to Rhu to Cardross were clearly enjoying a day in the fresh air, away from a school desk but obviously learning a lot as they went, assisted by school staff and local volunteers.

To end the week my final visit was to the opening of the James Street Community Park where I was pleased to plant a tree to mark our golden wedding anniversary.

What struck me about all three of these events was that they were good news stories arising directly from the actions of volunteers who gave freely of their time, energy and expertise to create something of benefit to the community.

One of the volunteers at the James Street opening summed it up perfectly when he said a small number of local people identified a problem, decided to help find a solution, worked positively with potential partners, including Argyll and Bute Council, and then rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in, overcoming every setback they came across.

When news programmes are depressing beyond belief, with stories of natural and man-made disasters all across the world, it is important to remember that there are a lot of good things happening too – mainly too small to hit the headlines, but nonetheless important – and that here in Helensburgh, we are particularly lucky to have so many good people working hard for their community, whether cleaning beaches, running sports clubs, music societies, festivals or whatever it might be.

Small they might be, but they enhance our quality of life in all sorts of ways and we should recognise and be grateful for their efforts.