When a teenager caught a shark on his first ever fishing trip

We have dived into the extensive archives here at the Gazette and had a look at Wednesday, June 18, to find and share some of the content that we covered then.

Do you recognise or remember these stories?

1. MP popped into a local charity store

MP Douglas Alexander had paid a special visit to a local charity shop in Paisley.

The former Shadow Foreign Minister had stopped off at the DEBRA shop to meet with staff and customers.

DEBRA is the national charity that supports individuals and families affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) – a painful genetic skin blistering condition which, in the worst cases, can be fatal.

2. Men told to b-eat it by victorious Julie

A belly-bursting food challenge saw staff at a Johnstone Care Home groaning in pain.

Five hungry workers had bit off more than they could chew when they took part in a charity eating challenge for Lancefield Care Home.

Each of the staff members tackled a whopping 25lbs worth of meat in just half an hour in a bid to raise £800 for residents.

The monster meal was Renfrewshire’s answer to the colossal US eating challenges from the controversial TV programme Man Vs Food.

But it was all for a worthy cause as the cash would be used to take out elderly residents for a slap-up meal of their own. 

3. Sports day play pack

Children from Bishopton Primary School received a special sports day play pack from CALA to help them cross the finish line first in getting active during the summer.

CALA Homes (West), a housebuilding developer, joined forces with the school to celebrate Scotland’s show-stopping summer of sport in 2014.

The pack gifted by the CALA team at Dargavel Village contained a host of sporting equipment including relay batons, skipping ropes, bean bags and markers.

The kit also includes certificates to be awarded to any budding sports champions at the Bishopton school.

Hundreds of Renfrewshire youngsters were expected to get running, swimming and playing sports in the coming months as the world’s most successful athletes touch down in Scotland to compete in one of the world’s most celebrated sporting competitions.

4. Provost’s event raised £12,000 for four good causes

A glitzy Hollywood-themed ball raised £12,000 for charity.

The red carpet had been rolled out for more than 200 guests who put on their finery for an evening of entertainment at the first Provost’s ball.

Arriving at the Normandy Hotel in Renfrew, party-goers were greeted by the paparazzi, snapping their photos and asked probing showbiz questions.

After a champagne reception, radio DJ Gina McKie, Radio DJ, set the night off with a fundraising ice-breaker game of Heads and Tails.

And, after an enjoyable three-course dinner, guests were swept up into a frenzy with the Elvis Cleaning Crew – a novelty act of impersonators cleaning up the tables.

5. Shark catch for teen

A teenager caught a mammoth shark on his first-ever open-water fishing trip.

Daniel McAlindon, 13, battled for over 20 minutes to haul the 35lb monster onto a boat.

At one point, the tope shark clamped its jaws onto the side of the vessel as it refused to give up without a fight.

But the determined Kilmacolm kid kept his cool to bag the beast in front of his proud dad.

It was a bumper day for Daniel and dad Andy, who landed EIGHT different species of fish in one day.

6. Superhero stories

Talented young writers from Capability Scotland’s Corseford School had their stories published in a special anthology.

Stories by Kilbarchan pupils Tiegan Lee, Jodie Milligan, Rhys Burton and Lisa Butler had been selected for inclusion in ‘Superhero Stories —Tales from Scotland.’

The pupils’ stories were chosen from thousands entered in the Let's Get Writing Superhero Stories competition organised by Young Writers.