THIS week's Councillor Column is written by Gemma Penfold (Conservative, Helensburgh and Lomond South).

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SO it’s time for COP26, which got under way in Glasgow at the weekend and will be a major presence in the whole of the west of Scotland until the middle of November.

By now we all know – at least roughly – what it’s about, and what it might involve, but if you’re wondering exactly what COP actually means, the C is nothing to do with ‘climate’ – in fact it stands for Conference Of the Parties.

It’s held every five years – though COP26 was originally due to take place 12 months ago, only to be postponed because of the Covid pandemic – and this year government representatives from around the world will discuss how climate change is being managed, not just here in the UK but internationally too.

Helensburgh has already hosted a week of community events on the theme of climate change looking ahead to COP26 – indeed you might have been involved in some of the activities which were held in and around the town last month – but that’s not the end of the story as far as Helensburgh is concerned.

Argyll and Bute will be hosting its very own ‘climate change challenge’ event on Saturday, November 6, from 12-4pm, in the Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre.

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The aim of the event is to engage local businesses and organisations with external suppliers to come along and share their climate friendly journey, knowledge and projects with others who might not be sure of the right path for their own company or group to take, or who simply want to find out more information about what others in the area are doing.

Please feel free to drop by the Civic Centre on the day to find out more information about the progress being made and how you can support the objectives.

On another front – literally, this time – Helensburgh’s new waterfront development is coming along very well.

I am pleased to see that there will be a newly created café area, run by the council, following its investment in catering, and it will be run in conjunction with the existing Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre Café.

It will offer customers the chance to relax and enjoy a cuppa and some food after their swim, gym or studio session or when children are participating in activities, like swimming lessons. The new development has an estimated completion date of July 2022.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any concerns or queries, on these or any other subjects, and I will do my best to answer them or to find an answer from others to your questions.

In the meantime, stay safe and be happy.