Thamma Thai Wellness: therapeutic treatment in Lochwinnoch

Brendan of Thamma Thai Wellness takes us inside their hugely beneficial enterprise Moonie started by running a home business in Kilbirnie in 2010, successfully growing it until in 2020, we found our premises in Lochwinnoch and decided to take the business to the next stage. Using the first Covid lockdown period... Read More

The Little Coffee Caravan Lochwinnoch lunch review

The Little Coffee Caravan may already be a firm favourite among the locals and passersby, but they’re only just getting started, as Robert and Paul find out… There’s something uniquely comforting about knowing that come rain or shine, there are places you go where the welcome will always be unmistakably friendly and your needs... Read More

Castle Semple in Lochwinnoch is a hive of activity

Although you may be familiar with the name and its glorious views, we’d bet that you might not know the full extent of what’s on offer at Castle Semple.  Whenever someone says Lochwinnoch, images of the stunning Castle Semple Loch likely materialise in your mind. Formerly known as Castletoun, this estate is so vast... Read More

Kirstin Innes talks writing, activism, Renfrewshire and more

Sometimes, a piece of art comes along that seems to unconsciously tap into the cultural temperature of the times and with her second book, Edinburgh-born, Lochwinnoch-based author Kirstin Innes has accomplished exactly that. But for all that her latest novel presented a layered, often deeply unjust world in which people have seen aspects of... Read More

Cara Rose ‘Let Go’ track review by Robert Blair

Just days away from her headline show at the fabled King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Cara Rose has released her enrapturing new single Let Go. Glasgow-based but with Lochwinnoch roots, Cara’s songwriting leads with an inviting candidness that feels as though it’s providing a window into the most turbulent – or sometimes serene and self-assured... Read More

The Sound of Renfrewshire: Bensider

From growing up Lewis to making a new home in Renfrewshire, Graham MacIver has a wealth of life experience to divulge. Now, as the frontman of Bensider, he’s channelling it through intimate folk and Americana. You came to songwriting in your 40s. What inspired you to take the leap? I’ve played music since I... Read More

Lochwinnoch history and legends brought to life

A collection of short stories inspired by the Lochwinnoch countryside have launched online this week, thanks to funding received from Renfrewshire Council. Tales from Ochwinnay, created by local authors Lyn McNicol and Laura Jackson, was designed to provide a free story-telling resource for children across Renfrewshire, helping to nurture reading skills during a time... Read More

Lochwinnoch – a Mill Magazine local guide by Diarmid MacArthur

Local author Diarmid MacArthur gives us a whistle-stop tour of his beloved village.  For many people, Lochwinnoch is just a scattering of houses and an indoor-football venue, teamed with a nice old, two-arch railway bridge spanning both the road and the River Calder. Between these attractions and the somewhat remote railway station lie two... Read More

Cara Rose interview – The Sound of Renfrewshire

Originally hailing from Lochwinnoch, soulful singer/songwriter Cara Rose discusses early beginnings, inspirations and her debut EP, Urges. How did music become a guiding force in your life? “Well, both my parents are in the arts. As soon as I could walk and talk, I was in that environment. They were really into music and... Read More

Interview: Carmen Pieraccini

Fresh from her return to the tumultuous world of River City, we met Paisley-born Carmen Pieraccini to discuss family, finding her feet in the acting world and much more.  On a brisk Tuesday morning, Carmen Pieraccini meandered around Barshaw Park for the first time in years. As her five-month-old son napped blissfully in his... Read More