PICTURE 1: Looking through the Telegraph archive, it easily becomes apparent that our community benefits greatly from the excellent work done by our nurseries and family centres. 

The centres provide a first class service for youngsters and parents of Inverclyde and are invaluable to those who attend them. 

This week I have selected some pictures of happy times at Gourock’s Gamble Children’s Centre. 

The centre was started up in March 1991 when mother Margaret Sutherland and a group of parents decided their kids needed somewhere to go where they could learn, play and interact with others in the safety of a properly organised environment. 

Here then are my five favourite pictures from Gamble Children’s Centre.  

As the legacy of Robert Burns has featured prominently in the press recently, there is possibly no better start to our look back in time than this Burns picture taken in 1996. 

The Gamble Children’s Centre staff welcomed us to many of their events and activities and on this occasion invited us along to see how the traditional Burns fare of haggis, neeps and tatties would go down with their children. 

An excellent picture opportunity came along when youngster Sam Clarke sampled his plate while friend Lisa Cummings looked on, awaiting his verdict. 

PICTURE 2: More funds came rolling in when Clyde Coastguard visited with this cheque, which was presented to centre head Margaret Sutherland by coastguard Bill Speirs. 

The fact that the Clyde Coastguard team took time to raise funds for the centre was a testament to the good work done there. 

PICTURE 3: The great work of the Gamble team was widely recognised by the public and Inverclyde Council and sometimes resulted in a funding boost which would go to learning resources for the children. 

This shot shows gleeful kids gathered round Councillor Graham Welch as he handed over a cheque for £6,250 in 1997. 

PICTURE 4: Moving on to Easter time and a picture showing kids sporting bonnets made for their Easter parade. 

It is always fun seeing the varying expressions on children’s faces in this kind of picture, and how they react to the camera. 

PICTURE 5: As we look forward to the summer after what has been a cold winter, this picture might be a hint of the weather to come. 

Children took part in a ‘beach party’ which was held in the centre in 1994. 

Deckchairs, a rubber boat, beach balls and even some sand added authenticity to the event which the children took to with great enthusiasm. 

These pictures will hopefully bring back some happy memories for those who worked at or attended Gamble Children’s Centre before its closure in 2012. 

The spirit of the Gamble lives on in the new state-of-the-art Binnie Street Children’s Centre which was formed when Gamble Children’s Centre joined with Gourock Pre5 Centre, Gourock Park Pre-School & Panda’s Playgroup. 

Things are very much on the go at Binnie Street, as a recent Telegraph picture of the children’s success at the Inverclyde Music Festival showed. 

It is always a great pleasure to visit Binnie Street and we look forward to seeing them in the future.