Category: News

The Tommy Gemmell Community Project is currently spearheading an initiative to fund the construction of a befitting memorial statue in honour of the late Tommy Gemmell within his cherished hometown of Craigneuk. This ambitious community project aims to commemorate and pay homage to his exceptional legacy and significant contributions to the sport.

To ensure the statue accurately reflects Tommy Gemmell’s life, career, and remarkable achievements, the project team has been diligently gathering comprehensive information about his journey, accomplishments, and the impact he had on the sporting world.

As part of the fundraising efforts, a series of engaging events have been organised to finance the creation and installation of the memorial statue. The first of these events is a Race Night, offering an opportunity for individuals to actively contribute to this noble cause while having a great time. The tickets are in high demand and selling out rapidly, so those interested are encouraged to act quickly and secure their spots before it’s too late!

Race Night

By commemorating Tommy Gemmell through this statue, the community intends to create a lasting tribute that can be admired and celebrated by all, forging a strong connection between the legendary athlete and the people of Craigneuk. This memorial will serve as a symbol of pride, inspiration, and a reminder of the impact one individual can have on an entire community.

This week, there is going to be two clean up days in Craigneuk, including Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th June 2022.

You may have noticed an increase in waste in some gardens and streets within your area recently, which has resulted in an increase in vermin being spotted in the area.

The above dates have been arranged to assist you as a community to improve your area where North Lanarkshire Council will be providing 7 skips which will be located around the Craigneuk area. They ask that in those areas where a skip is going to be placed in a car park, residents refrain from parking in that area between 8am and 4pm. They will also have staff onsite litter picking and removing rubbish from open spaces. Skips will be available between 9am and 4pm.

As part of the clean up initiative, NLC have arranged for the Environmental Team to empty all contaminated bins within the area.

Please place all bins kerbside for 7am on THURSDAY 3oTH JUNE 2022 to allow these to be emptied.

Please note this is a one off service and all households should ensure they are using their bins appropriately following North Lanarkshire Councils recycling guidelines.

Your waste is your responsibility, please use this opportunity to assist in making your area an attractive place for you and your neighbours to live. You should take the time leading up to these dates to start the process of gathering all items and waste to be disposed of to ensure you maximise the use of this one off service.

The following must not be placed in skips:

• No large electrical items i.e. Fridges/freezers
• Washing machines
• Televisions or microwaves
• Tyres
• Hazardous waste i.e. asbestos type materials

If you require assistance on the day please contact the council on 01501 824747 and we they will be happy to assist.

Advice for residents

Rats are attracted by food, so you should remove any possible source of food from your garden and surrounding area.

Follow this advice:

• Keep your garden free of any rubbish. Rats will easily rip open bin bags to look for food. If you regularly have too much waste in your general waste bin, which means the lid is open, then rats will easily get access. If you use your recycling bins to sort your rubbish you should have enough space in your residual black bin.
  
• If you put out seeds or nuts for birds, clear any leftover food away at the end of the day. Rats tend to leave their nest at night to look for food and will eat any food that falls from bird feeders or tables. Find more helpful hints about bird feeding and avoiding rodents on NLC website.
  
• Place all rubbish in your bins and keep the lids closed, particularly the food and garden waste bin and residual waste bin.
  
• Keep bins away from a fence or wall where possible as rats can climb then jump onto a bin to reach food.
  
• Rats only need a gap of 15mm to get through to gain access, so to prevent any access to your house seal up any gaps in walls or around pipes with cement mortar.
  
• The usual cost for rat and mice removal (£49.15) has been temporarily waived due to the number of infestations we are currently seeing across our communities, meaning all residents in North Lanarkshire can temporarily access this service for free.

If you see rats or find evidence they might be present at your home, phone 0345 143 0015 or report a pest problem on the NLC website.

After years of speculation, Wishaw residents’ hopes appear to be coming true, with Burger King confirming plans to open a restaurant.

A representative for Burger King UK said: “We are regularly evaluating opportunities to bring our great-tasting products to more customers in new locations.

“And we can confirm there will be a new restaurant opening in Wishaw later this year.

“We will keep you informed when more information becomes available.”

They are going to occupy the site of the recently demolished Wishaw Wash on Glasgow Road in Craigneuk.

The group behind plans to build a statue in Craigneuk for Celtic and Scotland legend Tommy Gemmell have given further details on the proposals.

Earlier this month, we revealed that Gemmell, part of the Lisbon Lions European Cup winning side, would have the sculpture constructed in his honour alongside the “Welcome to Craigneuk” sign on Glasgow Road.

The campaign committee was established by local man Martin McCrum who wanted to see the former Lisbon Lion, who passed away in March 2017, honoured for his achievements.

However, this week the group gave more details in a bid to “dispel some of the misinformation on social media regarding the proposed statue.”

A statement published on the Craigneuk Community Council’s Facebook page states: “This is a community project with longevity and is not about one football team and its support.

“It’s an all-inclusive project and about the spirit of achievement of a working class man who came from the streets of Craigneuk, worked in the steelworks but was known on a global stage for his achievement.

“It’s only by circumstances that he was made famous by his Celtic achievement, he was more than that.

“Tommy played for more than Celtic, he played for Coltness United, Nottingham Forest, Miami Toros, Dundee and Scotland, he also managed Dundee and Albion Rovers.

“Initially he was also a Motherwell supporter, there will be testimonials from all of those named including former Rangers players who admired him and are supporting the significance of his achievement in regards the statue.

“They are all behind this for the community, much like the Davie Cooper statue in Hamilton.”

The post also reinforced that the money raised for the statue would not be coming out of the public purse and will be privately raised.

The statement concludes: “It’s not about the statue, it’s about a continued legacy called the ‘Tommy Gemmell Community Project/Award’ that will benefit Craigneuk and its children for many years to come.

“Some of the plans include money left over from the statue to be given to Craigneuk Community Council and funds given every year.

“The plan is to engage the whole community and the secondary schools with various creative projects.

“With the planned fund-raising initiatives, this community project aims to give money EVERY year to the community council and has no boundaries on creed, opinions, colour or religion, It’s for one and all regardless of status and background.”

Craigneuk councillor Kenneth Duffy added: “The statue is to celebrate Tommy’s achievements as an individual rather than a member of any specific team.

“The response from the community since the announcement has been remarkable and we should all focus on the legacy this will create for Craigneuk and avoid the sadly all too common old division when people believe football is the motivating factor.”