THIS week’s look through the Telegraph archives takes us back seven years – when people living next to a new Kilmacolm housing development complained that noise from the site was driving them from their homes.
Residents of Leperstone Avenue said they were forced to endure the sound of rock breaking machines from early morning until tea-time.
The project was part of a £1million Inverclyde Council scheme to tackle depopulation by providing plots of land on which those moving into the area could build.
Rock breaking work had been ongoing since the previous November and was weeks behind schedule.
Margaret Clark told the Tele: “It’s absolute torture. We just want to live a quiet, peaceful life but this is worse than hell.”
Meanwhile, history-making Port Glasgow High School pupils were on song at the annual Inverclyde Music Festival, with almost 50 students taking part.
The school won four trophies, as well as 18 firsts and 14 seconds across the music and drama contests.
It was believed to be the school’s most successful year in terms of winning entries and participation.
Head teacher Stuart Clark said: “The percentage of pupils taking part was high but the success they have had, the way they have represented the school and also the support given to other schools and winners says a lot about the young people.”
In other news, a dedicated Greenock police officer was handed a top award for going above and beyond the call of duty.
Sergeant Danny Godfrey, who sadly passed away last year, received the ‘Making a Difference’ prize at the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Divisional Police Awards.
He told the Tele: “I am quite taken aback. I always prefer that the work of other people is praised.
“I like to work behind the scenes. I prefer to see myself as a mentor and try to turn the people who work with me into people who care about the community and understand what’s going on.”
A highly respected Inverclyde officer, Danny passed away in December following a short illness – just months after retiring from his role.
Elsewhere, a Greenock schoolgirl received praise from an X Factor judge after she finished in the top three of a major fashion design competition.
Kira McCarthy, 18, beat more than 400 entrants to take third place in a ‘trash fashion’ contest with her jacket made out of tree bark and phormium leaves.
Judge Louis Walsh was full of praise for Kira’s entry when he bumped into her mum, Vicki, after the competition.
Vicki told the Tele: “He was lovely and said he was impressed with Kira’s design because it was so natural.
“Because Kira wasn’t with me I asked him if he would record a message for her, so he did.
“He said in the video how much he loved Kira’s design. He was really nice.”
In sport, Morton midfielder Michael Tidser insisted the Cappielow side use the disappointment of crashing out of the Scottish Cup at Ibrox to spur them on in the hunt for a league play-off place.
Ton went down fighting at Ibrox in a closely contested 2-1 defeat in the competition’s fifth round.
Tidser said: “We came to try and frustrate Rangers, which we did do at times.
“We wanted to get a goal and see how they would react and while it’s a shame that we couldn’t get through into the next round, that’s football.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here