Gordon Mccracken

Inverclyde Council’s Bikeability programme recorded a substantial increase in participation during the 2025/26 academic year. Level 1 playground training completions rose from 58 to 111 pupils, while Level 2 on-road training increased from 91 to 169. Level 2 playground training fell from 161 to 84 participants, leaving overall Level 2 participation broadly steady.

Inverclyde Council used artificial intelligence tools in Youth Employability Work Clubs to help 18- to 21-year-olds create CVs and cover letters, identify vacancies and prepare for interviews. The programme, delivered twice weekly with the Department for Work and Pensions, involved 11 participants. Five secured jobs, another five reached interview stage, all reported increased confidence, and 10 gained the Qualifications Scotland Level 4 Employability Award. A report on the programme is due to be considered by the council’s education and communities committee on August 25.

The Watt Institution in Greenock has installed a major exhibition marking its 150th anniversary, alongside displays celebrating the Royal Scottish Academy’s 200th anniversary and the Caird Art Collection. Accessibility upgrades, including a new lift, improved lighting, automatic doors and environmental controls, are nearing completion. Funding from Museums and Galleries Scotland is supporting new herbarium cabinets and wider collection-management work. The museum has also developed online content for the Bloomberg Connects app and completed a project with Inverkip Primary School that explored climate change, empire and colonialism through eight student-made animated films.

Historical photographs document changes to Gourock’s Cloch Lighthouse and its surroundings. Built on Cloch Point in the 1790s and designed by Thomas Smith with assistance from Robert Stevenson, the lighthouse guided shipping through the Firth of Clyde, including wartime convoys. The road has since been upgraded, the light automated, and the keeper’s house converted into an eco-conscious home by Captain Duncan Telfer and his wife Junn, while the landmark continues to serve as a navigational aid and an important part of Inverclyde’s heritage.