Auchenback star James McLauchlan and his Paisley-based partner Claire Adam were tipped to win the talent show Strictly Dance Fever.

Millions watched the pair go through their exhausting, high-speed routine on BBC1 on Saturday — with their version of the 70s disco favourite The Hustle wowing the live audience too.

James, 27, and 18-year-old Claire were crowned world champions at the United Country Western Dance Council World Championships in Nashville, Tenessee, the US home of country music.

The couple had to work round the clock to master a completely new style of dancing from their usual routines, and it was this determination which has caught the eye of the public and their fellow dancers.

Former cabinet minister David Blunket visited Barrhead to support Jim Murphy on his campaign trail in the run up to the 2005 general election. Jim went on to win his third team as East Renfrewshire MP, although only time will tell if he repeats that feat this time round.

THESE musical youngsters at Cross Arthurlie Primary released a charity CD in 2005 to raise vital funds for tsunami victims.

HERO politician Jim Murphy risked his life to stop a runaway car after the owner left the handbrake off.

The would-be MP for East Renfrewshire leapt into action when an empty Peugeot passed him in a Barrhead street.

The 37-year-old dashed through Brownside Avenue to catch up with the motor as it gathered pace rolling towards the junction with Rowanpark Drive.

He then threw himself behind the car as it ran down the hill and held on as it halted just feet from the front of a house.

MINDLESS thugs who tried to burn a young couple out of their home could have sparked a massive explosion and demolished a housing block.

Stunned fire fighters discovered a highly hazardous microwave oven had been deliberately placed among rubbish bags piled against a flat’s front door and set ablaze.

If torched, microwaves can spark a high-impact explosion due to their construction and the materials they contain.

Fire chiefs have constantly warned of the dangers of disposing of them irresponsibly, highlighting concerns about public safety due to fly-tipping and illegal waste disposal.

NEILSTON man Tom Lochrie was livid when he was told he would have to pay £38.50 to get the gutters cleaned in his Main Street home.

In the small estate he stays there are 15 blocks of four houses and Tom was concerned that the charge was uneconomical — so he took the bull by the horns, climbed up scaffolding and did them himself.

And he is upset by the Barrhead News report told how residents in Barrhead were only being charged £31 — a difference of over £7.

FEARS of Old Firm violence caused Renfrewshire’s largest annual Boys Brigade parade to be cancelled.

Hundreds of boys from Barrhead and Neilston were left disappointed by the last minute move.

Worried BB leaders called a halt to the Battalion Parade after football bosses switched the final Rangers versus Celtic match to Sunday lunchtime.

They feared that the sight of hundreds of boys dressed in blue uniforms following a flute and bugle band would provoke Celtic fans.

The route of the march through Barrhead would have taken it past FIVE pubs featuring the Old Firm match on satellite TV, leaving organisers with no alternative but to call it off.

BARRHEAD company Kelburn Brewery won the accolade of best pint at the Paisley Beer Festival and was rewarded with the John Drew Trophy.

Kelburn Brewery’s highly acclaimed Goldihops was voted the number one real ale by visitors to the festival from a total of 130 different beers.

And it continued their run of glory as it was the fourth year running they had lifted the award for the perfect pint.

COUNCIL bosses were been branded scrooges for scrapping a scheme which gave hundreds of pensioners a day out every summer.

The Outing Voucher Scheme was set up as a joint initiative by East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire councils more than a decade ago.

Over the years, thousands of OAPs have used their £20 voucher to fund an annual day trip or have put it towards their council tax.

And they reacted furiously to the council’s decision to end the morale-boosting giveaway — which was on offer to everyone over 70 living in Barrhead and Neilston.

A WOMAN found her home had been burgled, vandalised and set on fire when she returned from a continental holiday.

And the damage to the £200,000 seven-roomed upmarket house in Uplawmoor Road is believed to run into tens of thousands of pounds.

The 76-year-old woman from Neilston, who was too upset to talk, had been enjoying an early summer break in Madeira, unaware of the carnage awaiting her when she returned last week.

A TOWN school was aiming to become one of the country’s top learning places and land a bumper £100,000 cash boost every year.

Barrhead High has been chosen to be one of the first Schools of Ambition in the country under a new government initiative aimed at boosting educational facilities.

Only 43 of the country’s 1,200 secondaries have been put forward for the scheme, which will be part-funded by the Scottish Executive and generous businessmen like millionaire entrepreneur Tom Hunter, who sold his Sports Division empire for more than £200 million.

The extra cash will go towards funding performance of pupils at Barrhead High and setting new national standards for exam passes and other results.