Paisley Daily Express
BANDING TOGETHER INMEMORY OFDEREK
A fundraiser to support the family of Derek Russell has raised in excess of £8,000 just one week after he was fatally injured at a Paisley demolition site. The impressive sum was reached on the eve of Rangers’ Scottish Cup match with Annan Athletic at...
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‘DONOTHAND OUTCASHTILL PROBEISOVER’
Paisley-based charity Kibble has been given an undisclosed sum in Scottish Government funding despite being investigated over financial decisions. The organisation is currently the subject of a near three-year probe by the Scottish charity...
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SOLARFARMIS ABRIGHTIDEA
A former landfill site could be transformed into a solar farm as part of Renfrewshire Council’s ambitions to generate green energy in the area. The local authority has confirmed this week that it is carrying out initial research into the creation of a...
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36-year-old in‘critical condition’
A trauma team was dispatched to Paisley yesterday morning amidst a major incident in Foxbar. Three ambulances, three fire engines and a dozen police officers descended on Waverley Road shortly after 9am following reports a man had been injured. The...
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PERVERTCAGED FORMESSAGES TOSCHOOLGIRL
A paedophile who sent highlysexualised messages to a Renfrewshire schoolgirl has been jailed. Scott Barr targeted the youngster, who was aged 11 at the time, on Snapchat and WhatsApp. He asked her to send him pictures of herself, praised her for her...
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DRIVE-THROUGH SITEPLANSCOULD CREATE120JOBS
Fresh plans for a commercial development in Paisley – including a McDonald’s drive-through restaurant – are back on the table in a move that could create 120 jobs. Chargemaster, trading as BP Pulse, has resubmitted a bid for planning permission for...
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MSPHITSOUTAT RISEINVIOLENT CRIMEAS‘NOT GOODENOUGH’
Violent crime in Renfrewshire has rocketed by 23 per cent in the past four years, new data has revealed. Figures, obtained by Scottish Labour, show criminal violence and common assault both rose by 23 per cent across the local authority area between...
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Cinema disaster service
Buddies came together on Hogmanay to mark the 96th anniversary of the Glen Cinema Disaster. Seventy-one children died on December 31, 1929, when smoke billowed into the auditorium and terrified youngsters were crushed in the stampede to the locked...
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MBEHONOUR ISHUMBLING
A St Mirren director who grew up with dyslexia says he is “humbled” to have helped people - after he was awarded an MBE. Paul McNeill – who has been on the Saints board as a SMiSA representative since 2022 – was named in the King’s New Year Honours...
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I’MSCARED IWON’TSEE MYSONS GROWUP
A Paisley mum fears she won’t get to see her children grow up after a 15-year battle to get her life-threatening health condition diagnosed. Holly McGougan was told she has Addison’s disease in September, having spent years suffering from severe...
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MSP:MY AGONYOVER ASSISTED DYINGBILL
A Paisley MSP has backed assisted dying despite admitting he doesn’t know if he would “ever be strong enough” for his chronically-ill wife to request help to die. George Adam said that legislation progressing through Holyrood to allow terminally-ill...
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ONEINFIVE SHOPS‘LYING EMPTY’AMID RETAILCRISIS
Almost one-fifth of town centre retail properties in Renfrewshire are empty, worrying new figures have revealed. Statistics, obtained by Neil Bibby MSP (inset), show the vacancy rate for high streets across the local authority area is 19 per...
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16 REPORTS ABOUTRATS MADEEVERY WEEKTO COUNCIL
More than 16 complaints about rats are being made to Renfrewshire Council every week, new figures have revealed. The data, obtained by Neil Bibby MSP, shows that 828 complaints about rodents were made to the local authority in the 2024/25 financial...
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Minister wants to ‘do better’ for young folk
The Paisley-born MP tasked by Keir Starmer to reform the welfare system says getting young people off benefits and into work is the“cause of our times”. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said tackling youth unemployment had a class element as...
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POLICEPLEATO TRACEMANIN HIGHSTREET AFTERASSAULT
Police have released images of a man who may be able to assist with investigations into a serious assault in Paisley. The grainy images from CCTV follow the attack which took place on High Street 18 months ago, on Saturday, June 29, 2024, at...
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SEXATTACKER BEHINDBARS FORSTRING OFASSAULTS ONWOMEN
A sex attacker who preyed on women and girls has been jailed for 11 years. John Muir was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow having been convicted of a string of crimes. The abuse occurred between 1987 and 2018 at different locations in...
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APREMIER PARADEFOR PAISLEY
St Mirren will be taking the Premier Sports Cup through Paisley town centre tomorrow afternoon to celebrate their stunning 3-1 victory over Celtic at Hampden last week. Fans will be able to see their heroes cruising through town from 12.30pm when an...
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NEWCARPARK PROPOSALIS OFFTOAFLYER
A proposal for a car park on the site of the former Clansman Club near Glasgow Airport has been given the green light by planning chiefs. It has been confirmed a request for permission for the 179-space facility in Abbotsinch Road, Paisley, has been...
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OURTERRORAT MASSSHOOTING
A Renfrewshire fitness influencer has spoken of her terror after “hearing screaming” and narrowly missing the horrific mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Lily Anderson, 20, (pictured right) from the Johnstone area, arrived in Australia 12 days ago...
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Forthe l veof thegame
St Mirren’s League Cup Final victory was sealed with a kiss. Legendary manager Stephen Robinson received a peck on the cheek from proud wife Robyn at Hampden after Celtic were vanquished. The Northern Irishman paid tribute to his partner in the...
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HAMPDEN HEROES
Paisley got the party started last night as St Mirren celebrated winning the League Cup. Buddies piled into the town centre to greet Stephen Robinson and his players at the Town Hall following a 3-1 win over Celtic in the final at Hampden. Jonah...
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ONEDAY,ONETOWN, ONEDREAM... TOGETHER
The Saints are coming! More than 13,000 members of the black-and-white army will wake up tomorrow morning with hope in their hearts as St Mirren face Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup Final. All roads lead to Hampden as Stephen Robinson’s men dream of...
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ROADCLOSEDBY HORRORCRASH
Causeyside Street in Paisley was closed yesterday afternoon after a pedestrian was knocked down. The woman was reportedly struck by a car near the junction with Gordon Street at 12.10pm. Emergency services raced to the scene where it is understood...
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‘SURVIVORS VOICESMUST BEAMPLIFIED’
The public inquiry into the botched Emma Caldwell murder investigation has begun amidst serious concerns it will not look at Iain Packer’s other victims. Justice secretary Angela Constance announced yesterday that the inquiry had formally...
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COPSRECOVER £100K OF CANNABISIN HOUSERAID
A man has been charged with drug offences after cannabis worth an estimated £100,000 was discovered at a property in Paisley. The Class-B substance was uncovered as part of a raid on a property on Laighpark View in the Shortroods area of the town on...
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NEEDFORCCTV INPARKSCOULD NOTBECLEARER
A“horrified”Renfrewshire councillor is imploring his peers to back proposals for CCTV in parks following the rape of a young woman in Paisley. green spaces must be “made safe” for women and children days before councillors are set to discuss his motion...
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FUNDIN CONNOR’S MEMORY HITS £11K
A fundraiser for a much-loved Paisley schoolboy has surpassed £11,000 after his sudden death. Connor Gray, 14, sadly passed away on Wednesday, November 26. The teenager had been a pupil at Paisley Grammar School and played football with St Peters...
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WE’RENOT AVE-INGIT
A Renfrew street named after the disgraced former Prince Andrew could be changed, thanks to a council motion. Renfrewshire councillors will be asked to back a call for a consultation on the possibility of renaming Andrew Avenue at a summit next...
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WORLDCUP ZONEWOULD BEFAN-TASTIC
A World Cup fan zone could be created in Renfrewshire. Scotland’s men’s team will be taking part in their first finals in 28 years next summer. Dedicated members of the Tartan Army are plotting their trips to the United States, Canada and...
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‘It’s up to us to go to Aberdeen and get a result’ Saints boss Robbo believes victory can be a new Don for battling Buds
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‘CHERISHED CONNOR’S PASSING HASLEFT DEEPVOID’
A schoolboy who tragically died in Paisley has been named locally. Connor Gray, 14, sadly passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, November 26; he had been a pupil of Paisley Grammar School. At the weekend, his football club, St Peter’s FC, paid...
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FOODBANK ISRUNNING ONEMPTY
The shelves at Renfrewshire Foodbank are almost completely bare four weeks before Christmas – a situation described as“dire”by food bank bosses. The food bank, which provides an emergency three-day food parcel to people in financial crisis, says it...
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EMILY’S KINDNESS SHONE THROUGH
Tributes have poured out across Paisley this week for proud Buddie Emily Brown. A dedicated advocate for the victims and survivors of the Glen Cinema Disaster and a community activist, Emily has been described by her loved ones as “an incredible...
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PREDATORCARE WORKERRAPED TEENAGERFROM CHILDREN’SHOME
A former care worker who raped a girl from a Renfrewshire children’s home where he was a manager has been jailed for nineand-a-half years. Denis Donnell, 47, repeatedly preyed on the vulnerable teenager who was left badly affected by her harrowing...
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MANGUILTY OFCHAINSAW MURDERBID ONOFFICER
A man has been convicted of chasing a police officer with a chainsaw and attempting to murder him. Liridon Kastrati, 32, had been accused of brandishing a chainsaw at officers in Paisley in broad daylight on May 6, 2024 at around 1.30pm. He had...
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Seven days of targeted searches
More than £82,000 of illegal drugs have been recovered in Paisley as part of seven days of targeted action. Police officers intercepted two alleged drug deliveries in the town and found two cannabis cultivations as part of proactive...
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REFUNDS SWINDLER AVOIDS PRISON
The former assistant manager of a Renfrewshire builders’ merchants who admitted to embezzling over £23,000 by making fake refunds to himself has avoided a jail sentence. Disgraced Erol Doganoz was snared when a customer of Paisley Jewsons’ attended...
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IT’SVICTOR-TREE FORRESIDENTS
Controversial plans to tear down trees and expand a van and sales centre in Paisley have been withdrawn again amid a backlash from residents. Architects recently submitted fresh proposals on behalf of Classic Land and Property which, had they gone...
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MUSEUM BUDGET CRISIS
The budget for Paisley Museum has rocketed by a further £4.5 million as council bosses seek to resolve a disagreement over the final bill with its contractor. Renfrewshire Council confirmed this week that the budget for the museum now stands at £68.7m...
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OPEN
Renfrew commuters won a temporary reprieve from travel chaos yesterday as Renfrew Bridge reopened after a three-day closure. But Renfrewshire Council has warned another “extended closure” of the £117 million crossing will be required tomorrow to...
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SCHOOL’S EXPANSION PLANGIVEN GREEN LIGHT
A multi-million-pound extension of Park Mains High School in Erskine — which sparked an influx of objections — will go ahead after it was approved by Renfrewshire councillors. Education officers’ bid for permission for the proposal at the Barrhill...
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‘SWIFTANDDECISIVE’ ACTIONCALL ORPLANFOR CENTREWILL BEABANDONED
External finance experts will be employed to take a second look at proposals to regenerate the Paisley Centre. Renfrewshire Council this week reaffirmed its commitment to the project, and securing expert guidance, after officers deemed the current...
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TEENAGEBOY ‘STABBED’ON BONFIRE NIGHT
A child was allegedly stabbed during an altercation in Paisley on Bonfire Night. The 13-year-old was reportedly with friends at Paisley Cross when he was struck by a knife near the Holland and Barrett shop. Police raced to the scene at 8.55pm when...
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SPEIRSFIELD HOUSETOBE DEMOLISHED AFTERTWO FIRESIN ONEYEAR
A fire-damaged former nursing home in Paisley will be knocked down — a situation that has been branded a “really sorry state of affairs”. The owner returned with a fresh application to fully demolish the B-listed Speirsfield House in Stevenson Street...
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Cash-strapped Hawkhead eye green sale for new housing
A long-standing bowling club in Paisley has unveiled plans to sell off unused land for housing in an attempt to secure its own future. Hawkhead Bowling Club in Gartmore Road confirmed the proposal as part of an application to Renfrewshire Council for...
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MOTHEROFAUTISTIC TEENCLAIMSSCHOOL STAFFMEMBER ‘MOCKED’SON
A Linwood mum says she is outraged after a member of staff at her son’s school allegedly mocked the way he entered the building. Carolann Denvir claims she was left speechless during the alleged incident involving 15-year-old Logan in March. She...
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22-BEDWARDCLOSURE SPARKSCONCERNFOR ELDERLYCARE
Ward 36 at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) will close in the coming weeks, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has confirmed. Health chiefs announced plans last year to close the ward and redirect its resources into a Hospital at Home service...
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COME ON YOU SAINTS
The black-and-white army are off to Hampden tonight. More than 8,000 St Mirren supporters will descend on the south side of Glasgow for the club’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final showdown against Motherwell with a fantastic pre-match display...
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FIGHTTOSAVEWAR MEMORIAL
Fears are growing in Renfrewshire that a memorial dedicated to decorated war heroes will be torn down. The memorial – which sits on the former Thornly Park campus of the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) – is dedicated to the fallen soldiers of...
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Johnstonecampusshockas closuresandmergersloom
Johnstone schools will likely close or be amalgamated as Renfrewshire Council sets out its preferred options for the future of education in the town. A paper — to be considered by councillors at today’s children services and education policy board —...
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MANCHARGED AFTERCARHITS PEDESTRIANS INTOWN CENTRE STREET
Two people were taken to hospital after being struck by a car in Paisley at the weekend. Police say the incident happened around 7.20pm on Saturday night. Emergency services personnel were called to the scene on Weir Street with the pair subsequently...
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THUGJAILEDFOR MOBILEPHONE GRABAND CARRYINGKNIFE
A disgraced children’s home manager has been found guilty of raping a girl within his care. Beast Denis Donnell was convicted of four charges of sexual assault and rape following a trial at the High Court in Paisley. The offences happened over a...
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BUILDER’SFIRM WORKERSNARED OVER£23kFAKE REFUNDSWINDLE
The former assistant manager of a Renfrewshire builders’ merchants has admitted to embezzling over £23,000 by making fake refunds to himself. Disgraced Erol Doganoz was snared when a customer of Paisley Jewsons’ attended the Greenhill Road store for a...
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RETIREDFIREMAN FOUNDWITHOVER 1,000 CHILD ABUSE PHOTOSANDVIDEOS
A retired fireman has been caught with over 1,000 horrific images and videos of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Twisted Roger Hoiles (below) was snared when cops received information that a device linked to his Neilston home contained the...
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TOWNING GLORY
Paisley has today been crowned as Scotland’s Town of the Year. The ongoing regeneration of the town’s cultural heritage, its independent businesses, new housing and local people all contributed to the win at the Scotland Loves Local Awards. Kimberley...
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BIGTOP...TO BIGGERMESS
Huge swathes of Barshaw Park have been left unusable after articulated lorries transporting the circus churned up almost an acre of grass. The area — adjacent to the car park — has been left a “mud bath” following the departure of the Big Kid...
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GRAB-AND-GO CRIMEWAVE
A major increase in shoplifting has been recorded in Renfrewshire in recent months — a trend branded a “real concern” by an elected member. Theft in this area, taking place from the start of April until the end of August, has risen by 49.2 per cent on...
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COPSFORCED TOTASER THUG TWICETO ENDKNIFE RAMPAGE
A Paisley thug who struck a front door with a knife and chased a woman into her flat had to be tasered twice by cops. Out-of-control Ryan O’Donnell brandished the blade in the common close of a block of flats in the town’s Well Street on April...
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TEACHERSTRUCKOFF FORHAVINGSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPWITH VULNERABLE TEENAGER
A Renfrewshire teacher who had a sexual relationship with a teenager she met at the Girl Guides has been struck off. Joanne Munro was working at St David’s Primary in Johnstone (below) when she formed an inappropriate relationship with the vulnerable...
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PARENTSFEEL AT‘BURNOUT’ WAITINGFOR AUTISM ANDADHD ASSESSMENTS
Desperate parents in Renfrewshire have spoken of burnout and paying thousands of pounds for ADHD and autism assessments amidst a “system-wide crisis”. Members of the Neu Narrative support group and their children are among hundreds of people across...
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WOMANFINDS FLATINTRUDER ASLEEPON HERTOILET
A police investigation has been launched after a woman found an intruder asleep on her toilet inside her Paisley home. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, woke up early on Tuesday morning to find the man fast asleep in the bathroom, with her...
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PUTAFOOTWRONG ANDYOU’LL BEGOING TOPRISON
A Barrhead man has been warned if he “puts a foot wrong” he will be going to jail after he admitted smashing a window at his mother’s house and stabbing a van. Out-of-control Sean Kerr turned up at his ex-partner’s house in October last year when he...
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DRUGSCOURIER CAUGHTWITH £600K OF COCAINEISLOCKED UPFORTHREE YEARS
A Renfrewshire drug courier who was caught transporting high-purity cocaine worth £600,000 on the streets was jailed for three years yesterday. Martin Hanlon was told that the prison term would run consecutively to a jail sentence he is currently...
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COPSHUNT DUOAFTER HOUSEROBBED
property in the direction of Park Road. Detective Sergeant Kenny Taggart, of Police Scotland, said: “Fortunately, no one was injured, but the occupants were left very distressed by what happened. “We are asking anyone who saw anything that could help...
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THUGKILLED VICTIMIN STABATTACK
A convicted Renfrewshire thug has been found guilty of killing a man in a brutal knife attack. Derek Docherty stabbed Sean Dock at a flat in Renfrew’s Tennant Street on May 13, 2023. The 36-year-old later tried to stop police getting into the...
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4,455 REPORTS ISADAMP DISGRACE
The number of people living in damp homes across Renfrewshire has soared after the area was named the thirdworst place to live in sociallyrented accommodation. Figures shared with the Paisley Daily Express show there were 4,455 reports of damp and...
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ENDOFANERA
Demolition works on a building with a deep history in Renfrewshire have got underway marking the “end of an era”. The razing of the St James’ Business Centre started has begun as demolition machinery and equipment moved into the Linwood site. The St...
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EX-SAINTS PLAYER’S ABUSE SHAME
Former St Mirren footballer Kevin van Veen yesterday admitted carrying out a two-year campaign of abuse against his former partner. The Dutch striker tormented the woman during incidents in Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Lanarkshire and Cancun,...
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PEOPLEFEARING WINTERMONTHS
Paisley families are “fearful” going into winter because of soaring food and energy prices, an anti-poverty campaigner has warned. Terry McTernan spoke out on the same day a new report revealed a fifth of all children in Renfrewshire are living in...
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FLATSTORMED BYRIOTPOLICE
Police in riot gear swarmed a Paisley flat following reports of a man “causing a disturbance”. Police, ambulance crews, the fire service and specialist units raced to the incident near Millarston Dairy on Ferguslie around 3pm on Friday, October...
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VOLUNTARY REDUNDANCIES TOPLUG £19M BUDGETHOLE
Staff at Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) are being canvassed for redundancy as it continues to grapple with a gaping hole in its budget. The partnership has confirmed that it had invited huge swathes of the workforce to consider...
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WEALLNEED TOSTANDUP TOHATRED...
A Paisley professor and Holocaust author has spoken of his horror following Thursday’s attack on a Manchester synagogue. Jewish man Henry Maitles (right) said such “foul, antiSemitic and violent” acts have no place in our society. The university...
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VILESEXUALPREDATOR ABUSEDTHREEFEMALES
A serial sex abuser who was brought to justice almost 60 years after he first struck in Paisley has been jailed for seven years and two months. David Corrigan, 71, preyed on three females, who cannot be named for legal reasons, between 1966 and...
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BUDDIES BRACEDFOR STORMAMY
Renfrewshire is set for a barrage of bad weather as Storm Amy heads for Scotland. Conditions are about to take a dramatic turn with the Met Office having officially ascribed a name to an incoming storm – Storm Amy. The first named storm of the...
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