2nd Renfrew’s Memories Cafe
We extend our huge thanks to everyone who came along to our 7th Cafe on Sunday, 6 September 2026, which was to recognise Doors Open Day. To add to this, back by popular demand was our Strawberry Tea, where visitors enjoyed a warm, freshly baked scone served with jam and cream, accompanied by lots of tea/coffee. Our kitchen team was certainly busy – the bakers made 117 scones, all of which were eaten, with not a crumb left on any plate. The tea/coffee makers reminded us they weren’t allowed to sit back either!
To celebrate Renfrewshire Doors Open Day, the items we had on display were for Scouting’s connection with the Church, and our connection with Trinity Church. In addition to the explanation of our history with Trinity, we had, among other items, original versions of 2nd Renfrew’s Updates from Trinity Church Annual Reports dating from 1923 to 1939, and some very old Scout Association booklets.
We’re very grateful to all who support our monthly Cafés, which are now becoming an integral part of the community, offering a warm, safe place to meet, chat, reminisce about Scouting and local history and have a relaxed afternoon.
Thank you to one and all – we hope to see you at the next Café on Sunday, 4 October 2026.
Also, for added information, our Cafe Schedule to the end of 2026 is:
- Sunday, 4 October: Displays and reminiscences on our former Pipe Band, Country Dance Teams and Gang Shows.
- Sunday, 1 November:
- Remembrance – Displays (with interactive tasks for young people) on the enormous support Scouting provided in the war effort.
- This Cafe will also include a War Time History talk by the Paisley Branch of the British Legion. We’re working on the specifics of timing and theme, so please visit again for more details.
- Sunday, 6 December:
- A Renfrew history talk by Renfrewshire’s Urban Historian – details of timing for that will be advised.
- December will be one of our quarterly fresh bake Cafes. This month we’ll you’ll be served a freshly baked Danish pastry.
You don’t need to have a connection to the Scouts to come along as we’re part of the community and local history, so please do drop in for a cuppa and a natter, along with the chance to see items from our archive, which link to Scouting and local history. There’s no cost for our Cafe, it’s a donation. We’re a community event, which is also dementia friendly, so there’s no reason not to drop in. We look forward to seeing you.
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Here’s a little bit of background as to why we think the Cafe is important and will become an integral part of our Scout Group:
When we realised how large and varied our archive is, we thought we should use it for community support. To progress this we spoke to Alzheimer Scotland with a view to us setting up a monthly coffee afternoon for everyone in our community, including Scouts/former Scouts, and anyone who has a Scout connection, especially those who have dementia and their carers (equally the carer could have been a Scout), using the archive as a talking point to bring back memories. If you have no Scout connection, you’ll also be welcome to visit us to see our archive, have a cuppa and a chat, as our history is closely linked to Renfrew’s history.
We’re delighted that Alzheimer Scotland are happy to support us and assisted by providing Dementia Awareness Sessions. The Sessions were very interesting and informative in helping us prepare for our Memories Cafe, so our sincere thanks to Carolyn Irvine, the Renfrewshire Dementia Adviser for giving up her evenings to lead the Sessions.
