East Renfrewshire Provost Mary Montague
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.
My thoughts are with those who find this time of year challenging. There are lots of organisations in East Renfrewshire offering support, so please reach out if you need their help.
There are also many local clubs and activities for you to join and make new friends. You can phone The Community Hub on 0141 876 9555 to be put in touch with various groups and services.
Meanwhile, East Renfrewshire Council’s Money Advice and Rights Team offers free, confidential advice about debt and benefits. Call 0141 577 8420 for details.
The Scottish Welfare Fund can assist with crisis grants if you’re in a crisis situation, such as if you’ve had a flood or fire in your home. More details can be found online at eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/crisis-grants.
East Renfrewshire Women’s Aid run a 24-hour helpline on 0800 027 1234, while Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis can be reached by freephone on 0808 800 0014.
The council’s out-of-hours social work number is 0300 343 1505 and East Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau can be reached on 0141 881 2032 for free, confidential advice. They’re based in Barrhead but have also opened a new drop-in facility at The Avenue Shopping Centre to expand their support for local residents when it’s needed most.
My very best wishes for 2026.
East Renfrewshire MP Blair McDougall
As we approach the end of 2025, I want to take this opportunity to give my warmest wishes to everyone across East Renfrewshire this festive season.
While this may be one of the busiest times of year, it is also my favourite time of year to be your MP.
Meeting with so many community groups, schools and people across the constituency as they celebrate the holidays and spread seasonal cheer makes me incredibly proud to represent this area.
I would also like to thank those who work tirelessly during this period – the NHS staff, carers, emergency services and everyone who ensures others are supported and safe across the festive period.
All of us in East Renfrewshire are incredibly thankful for the important work that you do.
It is important to highlight as well that, for many, this time of year can be challenging.
If you know someone who may be alone or finding things difficult this festive period, please do check in on them.
A small gesture such as a phone call or a short visit can make a profound difference.
I wish you and yours a peaceful and joyful festive season and a happy year ahead.
Renfrewshire South MSP Tom Arthur
As Christmas approaches, I would like to take the opportunity to send my warmest festive wishes to everyone across our community.
For many of us, Christmas is a time of reflection, gratitude and togetherness – a chance to slow down, spend time with family and friends and appreciate the people and places that matter most.
It is also a time to think of those who may be feeling isolated or struggling and to reach out where we can. A call, a message or a small act of kindness can make a real difference.
Christmas is also a time to recognise those who work throughout the holidays to keep our communities running.
From health and social care staff to emergency services, retail workers, volunteers and others across the public, private and third sectors, their dedication is deeply appreciated.
Throughout the year, I have been inspired by the generosity and resilience shown by local groups, organisations and residents and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent such a strong and caring community.
Christmas reminds us of the importance of kindness and inclusion and of the value of community. It is a time to reflect on how we support one another and to remember that everyone deserves to feel valued, respected and part of the place they call home.
I wish everyone a safe, restful Christmas and a very happy new year.
Paisley Bishop John Keenan
Our children will unwrap their gifts this Christmas. It might be an iPad, an iPhone, a Switch. We smile because they love being connected but Christmas reminds us of the most stable connection of all. And, remember, it all started in a stable.
This year, we experienced a moment of grace when the relic of Saint Carlo Acutis visited St Mirin’s Cathedral.
Carlo, canonised in September as the first millennial saint, spoke powerfully to our times. A teenager who loved computers and gaming, he used his tech skills to share faith online, creating a website cataloguing Eucharistic miracles.
His message was simple yet profound: “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.”
So, as we plug in our devices this Christmas, let’s make sure we’re connected to the source of life and love, the stable connection that never fails.
As Christmas lights sparkle, we pause to reflect on what this season truly means. In a world marked by conflict, climate challenges and hardship, Christmas reminds us that light still shines in the darkness. In an age where young people are captivated by screens and social media, Carlo shows that technology can be a tool for good, a way to connect hearts, not just devices.
As we gather together around family tables or at midnight services, let’s choose words that heal, actions that unite and attitudes that build community. Let’s be the light that shines in the darkness.
Merry Christmas to all in East Renfrewshire and may 2026 bring peace, hope and goodwill to our world.
Reverend Mhairi Breingan, Moderator of the Presbytery of Clyde
Friends, as we deal with all of the tinsel and trimmings, as well as the frantic and last minute preparations we encounter at this time of the year, it can be so easy to forget why we celebrate Christmas.
We rejoice because of the birth of a baby, Jesus Christ, God’s son.
He was born to bring light and love into the world.
I invite you to take just a moment out of your busy lives to remember this Good News.
Christmas can be a difficult time for people – those perhaps facing their first Christmas with an empty space at the table, or people who are spending Christmas on their own.
Jesus Christ taught us to love our neighbour, so this year, think about your neighbour who is for whatever reason finding life tough.
Reach out with a kind word or a shared cup of tea.
At the end of the Christmas season we will pack away the festive decorations for another year. We must not pack away Christ too.
Hold the love of Christ in your heart today, tomorrow and always.
May God bless you and your loved ones this Christmas and throughout the years to come.
May the joy of the angels, the humility of the shepherds and the peace of the Christ-Child be God’s gift to you and your loved ones.
East Renfrewshire Council leader Owen O’Donnell
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone in East Renfrewshire for your support and resilience this year.
Public services don’t stop over Christmas and New Year and my thanks go to all those who continue to work over the holidays, whether it’s our care staff, bin crews and gritter drivers who keep everything running or our partners in the police, fire service and NHS who keep us safe and healthy.
Reflecting on the year, we’ve had so much to celebrate in 2025. Once again we had tremendous exam results, confirming that we remain the leading council in Scotland for education.
But it is not just in education that East Renfrewshire Council excels – the Best Value report from Audit Scotland confirmed that we have “consistently strong performance across a broad range of corporate and service areas”.
My thanks to all the dedicated council staff for delivering such valued services.
Looking ahead to 2026, there’s plenty to look forward to. I visited the construction site of the new Balgray railway station a few weeks ago and it is due to open on schedule in autumn 2026.
Prior to that, in spring 2026, we will see the completion of the Aurs Road improvements which will also enhance transport links.
I wish everyone in East Renfrewshire a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with health, happiness and hope.
Eastwood MSP Jackson Carlaw
The most magical time of the year has arrived.
Like so many people across East Renfrewshire, I am very much looking forward to Christmas and celebrating the day with family.
Over the past few weeks, I have certainly enjoyed getting into the Christmas spirit – and no more so than on a visit to the north of Scotland, where I was invited to don Santa’s red jacket and try out his sleigh with Rudolph at the front.
Most people who passed by were mildly entertained at the sight but one or two individuals glanced over with a look of bemusement at my attempt to rediscover my inner Santa.
We may sometimes encounter the odd Grinch when we are displaying our festive spirit but that should never diminish our Christmas cheer. It should only embolden it.
Despite my best efforts during that trip to the north of Scotland, it is also fair to say that neither Fred Gwynne, Richard Attenborough nor Tim Allen have fallen down the rankings list of greatest Santa performances.
However local residents in East Renfrewshire and readers of the Barrhead News choose to spend Christmas, I hope that it is a truly memorable day.
May I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Gill Wilkins, Barrhead Salvation Army
The arrival of Jesus was announced by those who knew him well.
The angelic host made an appearance to a group of shepherds who had thought that their night would be an ordinary series of watches where the most exciting thing would be to fend off a pack of wolves.
Instead, all of their senses were awakened to what was a heavenly army praising God – because the most wondrous thing had happened.
As culturally-despised shepherds, they were being given first dibs to see this wonder.
The sign that they were to look out for was a newborn baby in an animal feeding trough – a king too poor in human terms to afford his own cradle.
So, the shepherds went and rejoiced to find exactly who they had been told to look for – a newborn baby with, possibly, slightly bewildered human parents who gladly accepted his arrival to dwell with them.
The shepherds looked upon the lamb of God who would one day take away the sin of the world, because of love.
This is why Christmas is a wonderful festival and I pray that you will discover Jesus’ amazing love for yourself.
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