The community group want to see improvements to their area in and around Havoc Road in the town, using events like Saturday to raise awareness and funds.

The weekend’s event was an effort to raise funds to improve the Havoc Changing Rooms and the adjacent shore back, returning it to the “fun place it used to be”.

The Raising Havoc day was held in association with the Health Issues in the Community (HiiC) Group at the Havoc Changing Rooms and was a fun day for adults and children alike.

That saw free music workshops and activities, free bicycle safety checks, and free small repairs from the Glasgow based Coming Home Project for bikes in need. Officers from Fire Rescue Scotland were also there and brought along a fire engine for the crowds to enjoy, with tours of the vehicle available. And there were tours available of Red Cross Emergency vehicles too, where punters could experience their state of the art computer systems. They were also able to sample a variety of street games, finishing off their day with tea, coffee, and cake which will be available from the event’s pop-up community café.

The project was the brain-child of local people who just a few months ago started a new course supported by West Dunbartonshire Community Health and Care Partnership (CHCP).

As part of the HiiC course a local group has been set up to discuss ways in which they could regenerate their local community with support from others.

John Russell, from the CHCP, said: “The HiiC course is effective because it helps people understand all the factors that make local communities healthier places to be. It encourages individuals to harness their own experience and ideas to take action.  It can help make the area a healthier place to live, work and play.” John Scott, a participant in the course, said there’s no shortage of talent and ideas in the local community with schemes like ‘grow your own food raised bed allotments’, kite making and flying, dog obedience classes, jogging groups, community theatre and art workshops, to name just a few.

You can find out more about by getting involved by contacting Maria Thrope on 07597392931.