An estimated 1,000 visitors were expected to come to Largs every day during the Commonwealth Fencing championships in 2014.

Restaurants, hotels and bars were being called upon to get behind the big crowd-puller at Inverclyde Sports Centre which was due to take place later that year in November.

The call came from Largs Matters manager John Hamilton, who was urging businesses to get firmly behind the six-day championships.

Mr Hamilton said: “The event will involve 350 athletes from 20 countries, plus 100 staff team members and officials.

"In addition, 1,000 visitors are expected on each of the six days of competitions.

“There is an opportunity to work with organisers to encourage participants and visitors to shop locally for souvenirs or gifts during their visit to Scotland."

CCTV images should be checked to see whose dogs are fouling Largs streets.

The suggestion, was made at Largs Community Council meeting, following continued concern that many pet owners were still not cleaning up after their dogs.

Councillor Ian Murdoch, who had also raised the matter at the December meeting, said: “Nearly every shop in Largs has its own CCTV and there are three owned by the council. There must be CCTV footage of offending owners.”

Labour MP Katy Clark says the new Marine Station under the Field Studies Council would bring economic benefits to the island and surrounding area - and possibly even more students.

There was vast disappointment when the University of London pulled out of the facility, which has been running since the 1890s, resulting in the loss of highly skilled teaching jobs on the island.

Ms Clark said: “The Field Studies Council will bring more people and different kinds of jobs. I understand that the Field

Studies Council will be able to offer a lot more courses, and as a UK-wide organisation, it has very good links with institutions up and down the country, and it will be able to build on what it already has on Millport."

Largs Rotary launched their Message in a Bottle campaign this month — and it could make all the difference to people’s health in an emergency.

It is a voluntary scheme for anyone living alone, primarily intended to provide a simple source of vital information to emergency services or carers.

The scheme involves the completion of an information sheet which is placed in a small plastic bottle in the door of the fridge.

Fairlie based artist/illustrator Scott MacGregor was a welcome guest at the weekly Largs Rotary meeting.

The award winning Fairlie artist had just teamed up with former ‘Doctor Who’, and ‘The Hobbit' star Sylvester McCoy and other top actors to help produce an exciting series of e-books ‘The Terrible Tales of Netherwold.

A power cut on Friday afternoon resulted in disruption in preparations at some hotels and restaurants in the build-up for Valentine’s.

While the power cut was only for 90 minutes at his premises, Mr Alan Bainbridge, owner of the Haylie House Hotel, said it resulted in a number of cancellations.

Mr Bainbridge said: “I was thinking about putting a claim form into Scottish Power - I lost around 14 dinners at £30 per head because of the power cut.

“The problem is that everything is connected through the electricity from the fan assisted ovens, to electricity, which ties into the gas.

“We were half an hour away from calling it a day as it takes time for the ovens to warm up.

“It is the second time in recent weeks we have had a power cut, and it is the worst that I have known it in 25 years here."

And children at Cumbrae Primary went totally tartan when they paid tribute to the life and work of Robert Burns with poetry, speeches, dancing and music.