BIRTHDAYS are special no matter what age we are, but some are considered to be milestone occasions.

Last Sunday [February 20] Kilbowie St. Andrew’s Church Guild celebrated a momentous anniversary when it turned 125 years old.

The event, which was attended by 77 people, was one of laughter and joy as the Guild members enjoyed celebrations.

Clydebank Post:

Margaret Gilchrist described the occasion as “fantastic” and that feedback from members of the congregation mirrored her enthusiasm.

The Duntocher resident said: “It was fantastic, it was a lovely, lovely day. We’ve had lots of lovely feedback about the day, how good it was, and how everything went just as we expected it would do.

“Everybody was so friendly, there was so much chat and so much laughter.”

The celebration came as a relief to members of the Guild who previously voiced concerns over the event potentially not going ahead due to lockdown.

Mrs Gilchrist added: “When we started talking about it last year we didn’t know if it would ever happen.

“We knew when it was to be but we didn’t know if it would be. Thankfully, we managed to get the all-clear so we were quite happy.”

The Guild was originally established in Kilbowie Church in 1897 and later united with St. Andrew’s Church, forming Kilbowie St. Andrew’s.

The group meets every second Tuesday, at 1.30pm, in the Tower Centre on Melford Avenue.

Members enjoy talks from various speakers with the most recent guests being Bill Hicks and Jill Scott, formerly of the Sunday Post.

Clydebank Post:

Among those attending the birthday celebrations included Reverend Christine Goldie of Westerton Church, as Kilbowie St. Andrew’s does not currently have a minister of its own.

The national convenor Margaret Muir and the new general secretary of the Guild Karen Gillan were also among the invited guests.

The event began at 11am with a service in the church followed by lunch in the church hall.

Mrs Gilchrist explained that numbers are “down a bit now” following lockdown.

She said: “We don’t have a big Guild. We lost a few members over the pandemic.

"Some went into nursing homes and two or three died. But the ladies that come along are very enthusiastic.”

Anyone interested in joining the Guild is more than welcome to head along, with Mrs Gilchrist adding that the Guild is open to both men and women.