Look back to six Helensburgh events that happened in 2009

However, that hasn't stopped the local community from putting on events for families and visitors alike from markets, football matches and tasty barbecues. 

But what was happening in and around the town 15 years ago this month?

In the July 23, 2009 edition of the paper, we reported on Helensburgh getting ready for a top DJ visiting the town for a special night, a local businessman representing the area at a prestigious event and the ongoing media coverage for the upcoming Helensburgh Heroes.

More than 200 people turned out to enjoy a picnic at the Gathering on the Green event on the Helensburgh seafront. The event, to celebrate the return of the grass at the East Bay after Scottish Water works were completed, attracted people from Helensburgh, Cardross and Rhu. Grace Mahoney, who decided to organise the lunch as part of The Big Lunch across the UK, was amazed at the turnout. She said: “We could have fed an army with the amount of food that was brought, including my favourite which was a huge strawberry pavlova." (Image: Newsquest)

The antics of Helensburgh Heroes were putting the Burgh on the global media map, as interest soared in the group’s debut release. There had been regular reports in the Advertiser on the progress of the Helensburgh community’s innovative musical project, but it now appeared that the rest of the world has caught up. The team behind the project spent a week fielding calls for interviews, articles and images from journalists and publications across the globe. Members of the recording team were filmed for STV’s Scotland Today news programme, gave interviews to Your Radio and BBC Scotland, and featured in publications as diverse as the Sun and Third Force News, Scotland’s only voluntary sector newspaper. And messages of support flooded in from all areas, ranging from Brian Eno’s fan club in New Zealand to local people wishing the single every success. (Image: Newsquest)

Rosneath St Modan’s Church funds were £2,758 healthier thanks to their latest fundraiser event. The annual church fete, which was blessed with beautiful weather and no showers, was very well attended. Local MP Alan Reid was among the people browsing around the stalls and also in attendance was the Rev Richard West, attending his first St Modan’s fete. (Image: Newsquest)

Holly MacMahon soaked up the sunshine with Tweety Pie at a continental market held in Colquhoun Square. The young girl was one of many people who lined the streets to enjoy a taste of Europe as market traders sold their goodies, including soaps, baking and meats. (Image: Newsquest)

Helensburgh was set to be represented at Homecoming Scotland’s most prestigious event in a truly record-breaking way. Town businessman and craftsman Martin Harper, from The Gathering in West Clyde Street, was one of only 29 Scottish craftspeople chosen to take art in The Gathering in Edinburgh, Homecoming’s biggest event of the year. And he planned to take with him 220 hand-made antler sgian dubhs, thought to the the biggest number of sgian dubhs ever displayed in one place - every one of them was made by Martin in his Helensburgh workshop. Martin, a joiner to trade, started working with antler after seeing someone else doing it at a craft fair. (Image: Newsquest)

One of Britain’s top turntable magicians was set to come home to Helensburgh to headline at the Clyde Bar’s 'Suck It ‘n’ C Saturday'. Michael Paterson grew up in Helensburgh and still has family and friends in the town where he began his DJ-ing career. In just a few years he rocketed up through the ranks of the UK’s most exciting turntable talents, going from bedroom player and occasional warm-up guest to lynchpin of one of the country’s leading clubs. He was to headline the Helensburgh with SiC resident DJs Scott Sinclair, D~JaY , DJ Madda and special guest Dougie B in an explosive night of the best DJ talent around. (Image: Newsquest)