THIS week’s look into our archives takes us back 15 years – when Inverclyde was at the forefront of a bold national initiative to tackle knife crime.

St Stephen’s High in Port Glasgow had been piloting a hard-hitting education programme which experts would roll out across Inverclyde — then the rest of the country followed suit.

The Scottish Government hand-picked Inverclyde to start its ambitious bid to stop young people getting caught up in blade culture.

Its decision was a major landmark in the Telegraph’s campaign against knife crime.

In March, more than 500 people at our Inverclyde Knife Crime Conference called for an anti-blade education drive to go into schools here.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill visited the district to officially launch the major scheme — part of the Government’s £500,000 No Knives, Better Lives strategy.

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Meanwhile, Morton hoped to leave their rivals red-faced in the new football season with their snazzy new scarlet away strip.

The red kit was a major departure from Ton’s traditional blue, white and yellow hues.

But it proved to be an immediate big hit after captain Stewart Greacen and defender Alex Walker modelled the away strip.

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Elsewhere, workers had been sent home from the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Greenock mortgage centre following an outbreak of swine flu.

Several people contacted the Tele saying staff at the centre had been asked to leave their workplace as a precaution.

It was understood that as many as four employees had contracted the virus.

And it was believed that between 60 and 90 members of staff had been asked not to come in to work.

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In other news, budding entrepreneurs at St Columba’s High School had been designing bracelets that could inform parents when their children’s sunscreen had stopped working.

As part of an enterprise project, combined with the science department of the Gourock school, pupils conducted experiments on ultraviolet beads, which changed colour when the sun hit them.

They developed the beads into bracelets which children could wear to ensure they were protected against UV rays from the sun.

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In sport, Morton boss Davie Irons was angry at his side’s scheduled start to the season, which meant they played only three home games out of the first eight league fixtures.

He said: “I’ve looked at all the other clubs’ games and we are the only team to suffer in this way.

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“In August and September, the first two months of the season, we are at home only three times.

“That is not fair, and I would say that whether it is Morton or any other club.”