Paisley Daily Express
Girls on the ball at saints holiday football camp
St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation welcomed girls aged 10–14 to Renfrew for a week of football during the October school holidays. Delivered as part of the partnership between Scottish Gas and the Scottish FA, the free camp gave girls the opportunity...
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Conflict of interest in Ally bid
New government offical to oversee ex-Ger’s new housing proposal
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Bright idea from Miller
Miller Homes is helping children across Paisley stay safe and visible this autumn as it celebrates seven years of its Home Safe initiative in the West of Scotland. To mark International Walk to School Month and the shorter daylight hours that come...
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COUNCILSPENDS£10KONFREE TEACHERLUNCHESWHILE CHASINGUPPARENTSIN POVERTYFORMEALDEBT
The prison death of an ex-Celtic scout who was jailed for five years after sexually abusing young boys is to face a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI). Kenneth Divers, who scouted young players for Celtic in the 80s and 90s, targeted four children as young...
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Date set for review of McDonald’s plan
An appeal against Renfrewshire Council’s rejection of plans for a commercial development in Paisley – featuring a McDonald’s drivethrough restaurant – is now expected to be determined by late November. Chargemaster, trading as BP Pulse, was denied...
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Stage is set for growth of youth theatre group
A leading youth arts charity has secured a £300,000 loan from Social Investment Scotland (SIS) to help buy a new permanent home in Paisley. PACE Theatre Company, one of the UK’s largest youth theatre organisations, has relocated to The Kiln Creative...
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Green light for flats to plug ‘brownfield gap’
Plans to create eight “high quality” flats on a plot of land in Paisley town centre have been given the green light by Renfrewshire Council. Unicorn Architecture’s request for planning permission, on behalf of a Glasgow-based applicant, for the School...
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Airport owners have no plans to change name
The owners of Glasgow Airport have said there are “no plans” to change its name in the face of a proposal that was recently debated by elected members. Last week, Renfrewshire Council agreed to raise the prospect of renaming the Paisley travel hub...
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Neighbours hit out at nursery and play plan
Fresh plans to convert a former housing sales office in Renfrew into a nursery with a play area and community garden have sparked an influx of objections. Planning Services UK requested planning permission, on behalf of Eastvale Scotland, for the...
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Homes plan on site of crumbling social club
Four council-owned sites – including Arthurlie FC’s former social club – will be sold to allow “much-needed” housing to be developed. Almost 60 new homes could be developed across the sites once they are bought by Barrhead Housing Association. Deals...
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New appointments to be the voice of carers
The new carer representatives on Renfrewshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) have been announced after it was confirmed the role will be shared. Fiona Catterson and Martin McCambridge will take up the position on a job share basis, following the...
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Anger over faulty lockers and broken showers at ‘established’ leisure hubs
Concerns have been raised about faulty lockers and showers at some of Renfrewshire’s leisure venues as bosses confirm they are aware of the problem. Councillor Iain McMillan claimed issues, which also include broken doors, affect “more established”...
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Boar threat claim farmer cleared of abuse campaign
A farmer has been cleared of terrorising his ex wife with a boar after going on trial accused of a threeyear campaign of abuse. James Mackie, 54, a well-known Renfrewshire businessman, was accused of assaulting and abusing former partner Frances...
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PRIDE PAISLEY
Paisley’s ‘Tartan Trekker’ Craig Ferguson has become the youngest ever recipient of the Freedom of Renfrewshire. The 23-year-old said he is “incredibly humbled” at receiving his home area’s highest honour. Provost Lorraine Cameron presented Craig...
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TEACHERON TRIALACCUSED OFABUSING 13PUPILS
A teacher has gone on trial accused of the sexual abuse of 13 boys at Paisley Grammar School. Martin Gallacher is alleged to have targeted boys aged from 11 to 17 between 2015 and 2024 while working as a computing teacher at the school. A video...
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PRIMARY ONE PHOTO SPECIAL
CHECK OUT THE NEW STARTERS AT GALLOWHILL, MOSSVALE, ST JAMES’ AND ST PETER’S PRIMARIES
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ACTNOWORMORE LIKESTACY COULDDIE
More women could be killed by men unless the Scottish Government acts now, the family of a murdered Renfrewshire mother has said. Sean Hunter, the brother of Stacy Hunter, spoke following a summit with First Minister John Swinney to tackle violence...
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MANFOUND DEADIN PARK
A man has been found dead at a popular country park in Renfrewshire. The alarm was raised at around 6.30am when officers were alerted to the death of a man at Castle Semple Country Park on St Winnoc Road in Lochwinnoch on Tuesday. The man’s death is...
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TARTANSPECIAL
Paisley’s ‘Tartan Trekker’ and the charity he helped raise more than £1million for, have scooped a prestigious award for their remarkable achievements. Football superfan Craig Ferguson and Scottish Action for Mental Health have been named winners of...
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ISLANDS INTHE STEAM
Dolly Parton fans are set to celebrate the life of the Queen of country at an afternoon tea paid for by Renfrewshire Council. The event, at the Glynhill Hotel in Renfew on September 29, will be held days after the local authority’s inaugural Dolly...
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NOTHING’SA BRIDGETOO FARFOR DAREDEVIL MARTIN
A Barrhead dad who was left unable to move or speak after suffering a stroke is preparing to abseil down the iconic Forth Bridge. Martin McKelvie was pulling into his driveway when he became ill. But the 60-year-old survived the ordeal and is now...
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COUNCILVOTES TOWRITEOFF £340K OFDEBT
Renfrewshire Council will write off almost £340,000 of irrecoverable debt after the move was given the go ahead by elected members. The step will be taken because the recovery of debt from certain individuals and companies is no longer considered...
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IAINWASONE OFCYCLING’S GOODGUYS
Tributes have been paid to “one of cycling’s good guys” who died after a car crashed into three riders. Iain McTavish was pronounced dead at the scene on the A8 Glasgow Road between Port Glasgow and Langbank on Tuesday. The 46-year-old was a member...
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SERIALTHUG JAILEDFOR COPTHREAT
A Paisley thug has been jailed for a foul-mouthed rant at police officers which saw him threatening: “I’ll punch your c **** in”. Robert Fraser turned the air blue and clashed with cops in the town centre when he was drunk last week. Paisley Sheriff...
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RACETOTHEALTAR
A young father is in a race against time to wed his partner after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Robbie Pollock had endured weeks of agonising migraines, which ultimately led to a fall at his home in Paisley. The 30 year old dad-of-three...
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£2 BUSTICKET ISAFAREDEAL
The leading bus provider in Renfrewshire has confirmed it will be taking part in the £2 bus cap from today. McGill’s Buses said it was “pleased” to confirm it was participating in the scheme which will see all single bus journeys in Renfrewshire and...
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I’LLTOUGH OUT90KM FORMUM
A Paisley taxi driver is cycling 90km as part of Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour de 4 cycling challenge after cancer claimed the lives of both his mother and brother-in-law. Brian Nixon, 51, will take on the challenge tomorrow which starts and finishes at the...
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BOMBSCAREAT SHERIFFCOURT
Paisley Sheriff Court was swept for explosives after bomb threats were made against the building. Security staff were told to search the premises for possible explosive materials. Police officers made the request of security officers from security...
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NEWBILL WOULD NOTHAVE SAVEDMY SISTER’SLIFE
The family of Stacy Hunter have said the proposed Misogyny Bill does not go far enough to protect victims of domestic abuse. The bill, announced by First Minister John Swinney on Tuesday, seeks to address problematic attitudes towards women with a...
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Marion to feature on new BBC documentary
A Paisley woman has told of the moment her baby was ripped from her arms in a powerful new documentary. Marion McMillan has recounted her harrowing experience in the BBC’s Stolen Babies, which airs tonight. Marion – who has since become a tireless...
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COPSRECOVERED COCAINEWORTH £640K IN CROOK’SFLAT
A man caught in a £640,000-cocaine bust is behind bars. Steven Kirk, 29, was snared following a raid at his flat in Paisley, on October 8 last year. Police initially discovered five taped blocks of cocaine on the living room floor. Three were marked...
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HEAVEN AND WELL
SamuelshinesforSaintsbutSteelmen steal point at the death in Paisley thriller
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WOODLAND CAMPAIGNERS ‘DEVASTATED’
Paisley campaigners have been left “sickened” after a woodland they claimed was ancient was cut down. The wooded area known as Hollybush was felled on Wednesday as part of preparatory works for the Abercrombie Park housing development. It saw a...
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CHILDSENT TONURSERY WITHDRUGS INPOCKETS
A toddler was found with two packets of drugs in their pocket at a nursery. The tot was discovered with diazepam and cocaine by staff at the nursery in Glasgow’s southside on May 27, 2025. The child was dropped off by George Robertson, 37, of...
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VIOLENTSEX BEASTJAILED FORHORRIFIC ABUSEOFVICTIM
A violent sex offender who subjected a woman to a horrifying catalogue of abuse has been jailed for nine years. George Collins, 54, inflicted repeated assaults on the victim at addresses in Paisley, a village in the Highlands and on the Isle of...
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DEALERJAILED FOREXPLOITING SCHOOLBOYINTO SELLINGDRUGS
A dealer guilty of exploiting a schoolboy to sell drugs for him has been locked up for almost seven years. Matteullah Siddiqi was yesterday sentenced following one of the first convictions of its kind in Scotland. Siddiqi preyed on the 14-year-old...
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MAKESITESAFE ORFACECHARGES
The owners of the beleaguered Royal Alexandra Infirmary have until Friday to secure the Calside property. It is the second deadline to be issued by Renfrewshire Council after its initial demand the site be made “safe and secure” by July 31 was...
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GRAMMARFLATS PLANSTEPCLOSER
Plans to transform the former Paisley Grammar into flats with a further 92 built within the grounds have been recommended for approval. The planning department for Renfrewshire Council has recommended two planning applications associated with the...
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£3M RESCUEBID FORBUILDINGS
Plans to restore the much-loved Kelvin House and Forbes Place could take a massive leap forward as a £3 million grant application is submitted to the Scottish Government. The listed properties, which have fallen into a state of disrepair, have been...
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DRIVERACCUSED OFDEATHCRASH
A van driver is to stand trial charged with killing a woman in a head-on crash. James Graham allegedly struck a Mercedes A-Class in which Lesley Jane McTear, 59, was a passenger on the A737 road in Howwood, on September 23, 2024. It is claimed...
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SITEFORNEW SCHOOLWILL NOTTAKEOFF
Netherton Avenue is “fundamentally unsuitable” as the location for a new Trinity High School, Renfrewshire Council has said. Education chiefs were instructed to examine the viability of the site for a newbuild secondary school when they presented...
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FASHIONFIRM’S DEBTSOF £46M BEFORECOLLAPSE
The Paisley-founded fashion firm M&Co owed £46 million when it was plunged into administration last year, new documents have revealed. The business, headquartered at Inchinnan Business Park, axed over 1,800 jobs when it closed all 168 of its stores in...
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ALLYTAKESHIS HOUSINGBID TOEXTRATIME WITHAPPEAL
Ally McCoist has gone to the government in a bid to get the green light for a controversial luxury housing development. The football pundit, 63, hopes to build 33 houses and flats on a vacant site in Bridge of Weir. Proposals include details for four...
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EVERY DAY IFEEL LUCKY TO BE HERE
A Paisley mum whose life was saved by a stem cell transplant a decade ago is set to mark the occasion by walking 10km for charity. Kirsteen Martin was given a life-threatening diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia in May 2016 after initially visiting...
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DELIBERATE FIREPROBE
Detectives yesterday continued to investigate a “wilful” blaze at a flat in Paisley. Emergency services personnel raced to a block in the town’s Netherhill Road around 3pm on Thursday following reports of a fire. Members of the Scottish Fire and...
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Did you get a glimpse of the eclipse?
More than 90 per cent of the sun was obscured throughout Scotland at the peak of the eclipse on Wednesday evening. People across Renfrewshire came out in the hope of witnessing a once-in-a-generation solar eclipse. However, many folk were left...
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THUGSTABBED HIMSELF...AND BLAMEDKNIFE ATTACKVICTIM
A Barrhead thug who blamed the knife wound to his leg on the man who he had earlier subjected to a life-threatening assault was jailed yesterday. Thomas Irvine, 51, was given five years and four months for striking Allan Wheelan with a blade in...
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GETSETFOR COUNCIL’S RUBBISH SHAKE-UP
Bin collection days are changing for every Renfrewshire resident, it was revealed yesterday. Renfrewshire Council is embarking on an overhaul to modernise the key service. How often each bin is collected is not changing. However, householders will...
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DRIVE-THRU REJECTION APPEALCASE TOBEHEARD
An appeal against Renfrewshire Council’s rejection of plans for a commercial development in Paisley – featuring a McDonald’s drive-thru restaurant – is expected to be determined in the coming months. Chargemaster, trading as BP Pulse, was denied...
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ANEWERAFOR RENFREWSHIRE
The new Paisley Grammar School Community Campus will open its doors to pupils later this month – and the first images showing the completed inside can today be revealed. Renfrewshire Council has released the first architectural photography of the...
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PAEDOPHILE WAS‘CAUGHT RED-HANDED’ BYOFFICERS
A sex offender who told a‘12-yearold girl’ to miss school so she could meet up with him in Paisley and have sex has been spared jail. Robert Gallacher told the youngster they could go “somewhere quiet” in his Audi A3 and that the red vehicle had a...
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MOTORBIKECLUB MEMBERS CAUGHTUP IN‘ATTACK’
Members of a motorcycle group at the centre of incidents in Renfrewshire were embroiled in mayhem on the motorway. Mad Dogs Motorcycle Club president Mark ‘Bruni’ Brown said it was he and his fellow bikers who were assaulted with “swords and bats” on...
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MANONMURDER BIDCHARGEAFTER BIKERSHITBYCAR
A man has been charged with attempted murder after a group of motorcyclists were struck by a car in Bishopton. The incident took place in Greenock Road around 1.30pm on Saturday, July 11. Emergency services raced to the scene and there were no...
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RAHCLERICAL WORKERSSET TOWALKOUT
Staff from the Royal Alexandra Hospital will be on the picket line this morning in a dispute over pay and grading. Ward clerks from the Paisley hospital are joining their colleagues across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) in the two-day strike...
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I’LLFIGHT FORTRUTH UNTILMY LASTBREATH
The grieving mother of tragic Emma Caldwell has demanded the truth over the botched investigation into her death. Erskine woman Margaret has joined forces with former Sunday Mail editor Jim Wilson, lawyer Aamer Anwar and MSP Pauline McNeill to demand...
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VILEDEALER ‘BROUGHT FEARAND MISERYTO PAISLEY’
A Paisley man has been jailed for his part in directing serious organised crime after being extradited from Spain. Twenty-nine-year-old Callum Fox (pictured right) was sentenced to five years in prison during a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh...
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FUGITIVE CROOK’S ROLEIN £15M DRUGS RING
A fugitive member of a Scots crime supergang has been jailed for five years and 10 months for his role in a massive £15 million drugs and dirty money operation. John Gray, who is from Paisley, was at the top table of the mob alongside kingpin brothers...
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FIRMWINSAPPEAL FORDRIVE-THRU SITEDEVELOPMENT
Contentious plans for a petrol station, kiosk and drive-thru café in Paisley look set to go ahead after they landed the green light on appeal. The proposed development – which includes an electric vehicle charging facility – at West March Road, south...
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MURDER PROBE AFTER TRAGIC DISCOVERY
The husband of a woman who was murdered in Renfrewshire had been charged with assaulting her weeks before her death. Stacy Mair, 35, was found dead in a cottage in the village Scene Police at the cottage of Houston around 7.50am on Monday...
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DOUBLEDEATH INVESTIGATION
Police have launched an investigation after a man and a woman were found dead in Renfrewshire. The bodies of the man, aged 43, and the 36-year-old woman were discovered near Houston on Monday morning after officers responded to reports of concern for...
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EXPERIENCED CAREWORKER MADECREEPY COMMENTS TOCOLLEAGUE
A Johnstone care worker who made sexually inappropriate comments to a colleague in the presence of a vulnerable person has been struck off. Malcolm McCloy has been removed from the part of the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Register for...
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REPEATSEX OFFENDER ‘HASNO REMORSE’
An abuse survivor has welcomed the conviction of a repeat sex offender who exploited his position of trust to prey on children. Marc Sherland was sentenced to five years in jail at Paisley Sheriff Court yesterday after being convicted of abusing three...
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‘YOU’REPLAYING RUSSIANROULETTE’
Youths who have attempted to trespass onto the tracks at a train station in Johnstone have been warned they are risking their lives. Elected members have been contacted about the reckless conduct which has been witnessed at Milliken Park Station, off...
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BIDTOOVERTURN DRIVE-THROUGH PLANSREJECTION
A company has challenged Renfrewshire Council’s decision to reject plans for a McDonald’s drive-through restaurant and an electric vehicle charging hub in Paisley. Chargemaster, trading as BP Pulse, was denied planning permission for the commercial...
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PREDATOR PARAMEDIC STRUCKOFF FORSEXUAL OFFENCES
A seedy paramedic who avoided jail after exposing himself to a female colleague at an ambulance depot has been struck off. Gavin Boa, 33, exposed himself to a female colleague at an ambulance station, pressured a colleague to expose her breasts to him...
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SCHOOLBOY PREYEDON TOSELLFOR VILEDEALER
A dealer is behind bars for exploiting a schoolboy to sell drugs for him in one of the first convictions of its kind in Scotland. Matteullah Siqqidi preyed on the 14 yearold having initially met him at a games arcade in Glasgow last year. The child...
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