Norman Muir, convener of Helensburgh Community Council, writes for the Advertiser about the latest news from the town's local champions.

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Praise

It may have escaped your attention, but the Sunday Times newspaper ran an article on July 9 naming Helensburgh as one of the 25 best places to live by the sea in the UK.

Whatever the judgement or criteria that were used in this assessment, it has been written in the national press and we are left with the consequences of living up to the accolade.

It is a salutary lesson that the town is constantly on display to onlookers and residents alike, and impressions become much more acute and important in the scheme of things.

This means that the work sponsored by the community council, and supported by our loyal band of volunteers, to make the town neat and tidy becomes much more focused and valuable in maintaining high standards of maintenance and cleanliness.

However, it is the responsibility of everyone to assist.

We cannot do this without the assistance of Argyll and Bute Council with whom we are working more and more in partnership for resources and money and of course the general public of the town.

So we have much to live up to and take pride in our ambience and quality of life.

Waterfront Engagement Process

The engagement process by Avison Young is now concluded and we await the findings.

Hopefully they will correlate with our Visions for Helensburgh survey which culminated in the two-day exhibition in Victoria Halls in March 2022.

The community council did not participate in the engagement due to a potential conflict of interest between ourselves and the commercial bidders on the site.

However, many of our members attended as individuals in other town groups. We have also raised a number of queries on the marketing process.

Twinning

The 40th anniversary of our twinning with the French town of Thouars falls this year and a delegation from the town has gone to France to celebrate the occasion.

A further invitation has been received from another French town, Le Taillan-Medoc, which is being processed. It is good that such associations take place for the potential cultural benefit to the town.

Litter Bin Replacement

We are working in concert with Argyll and Bute Council to replace the unsightly steel bins in the centre of town and the provision of larger plastic bins to take more refuse.

It is taking time to achieve but progress is steady.

Beach Cleans

Our shoreline attracts a great deal of driftwood and of course lots of other detritus from the ebb and flow of the waves.

It would help our efforts to keep the beach clear if anyone who wishes to take away the driftwood for their wood fires does so. You are more than welcome.

A final diary note: our July beach clean is scheduled for Saturday, July 29.