Greenock Telegraph archive: Inverclyde A8 topped accident blacklist

Figures revealed at the Scottish Parliament showed more people had been injured in crashes on the A8 every year since 2002 than on any other Scottish road.

There had been more than 300 accidents resulting in injuries to drivers or passengers in four of the preceding five years.

Elsewhere, parents and former pupils were invited to look round Highholm Primary for one last time before it closed.

Pupils and staff held an open day to celebrate the Port school’s 30-year history before it merged with Slaemuir and Clune Park to become Newark Primary.

Old photographs documenting the school’s varied life were on display.

Head teacher Christine McNeill said at the time: “It’s obviously very sad but we are looking forward to going to our nice new building."

Meanwhile, nature fans were being encouraged to keep an eye out for some threatened feathered friends.

House sparrows had once been regular visitors to gardens all over Inverclyde — but their numbers had fallen significantly.

Inverclyde’s Local Biodiversity Action Plan Partnership was encouraging bird watchers to look out for sparrows and record their findings on a house sparrow sighting form.

Biodiversity officer, Petrina Brown, whose patch covered Inverclyde, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, hoped the survey would establish where the birds are hiding.

In other news, a Greenock grandmother was transforming the lives of abandoned babies and girls forced into prostitution in India.

Jennifer Gallagher spent three months visiting impoverished villages in the province of Andhra Pradesh with ministers in the Sylom Project.

She became a volunteer after being touched by the plight of girls in the area around Kakinada, who were cared for in orphanages because they were seen as a burden on their families.

Jennifer, who was a member of St John’s Church in Greenock, had been raising funds to help educate the girls and teach sewing to young women.

In sport, the first step in the journey to win the Scottish Area Team Championship had been taken at Greenock Golf Club, as the Renfrewshire Golf Union A team hosted, and defeated, Dunbartonshire.

The weather was kind and the course in good condition for so early in the season, and A team manager Ian Storie had been confident of a good opening when he sent Scottish internationalist Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) and Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) out in the first foursome.

They recorded the first points of the season with a solid three and one win.

However, things did not go to plan as a few missed putts and close encounters with gorse bushes saw Andrew Farmer (Kilmacolm) and Gregor Munro (Ranfurly Castle) lose a close contest on the last green.

Greenock pair Murdie Carmichael and David MacFarlane put the smile back on the team manager’s face with an outstanding outward half of 32 (including a penalty stroke) and stood four up with five to play.