Kirkmichael Community Action Plan 2014 - 2019

Welcome to Kirkmichael Community Action Plan

This Community Action Plan lays out the community’s priorities for the development of Kirkmichael over the next 5 years. These priorities have been established through a process of community engagement and consultation carried out during 2013. Kirkmichael Community Action Plan 2014 - 2019

This Community Action Plan is for people who live or work in Kirkmichael and who want to plan for its future. The contents provide detailed results, conclusions and recommendations from various surveys which took place during 2012 and 2013. The Action Plan is a statement about the type of place the community wants Kirkmichael to be, and what needs to be done.

The Action Plan provides:

 An outline of our community profile

 A summary of our community‘s views

 A vision for the future, where the issues that matter most are priorities for action to be taken.

The Action Plan will be our guide for what we as a community want to try to make happen over the next five years, laying the foundations for change over the longer term.

Equalities

During the course of the consultation and engagement with this community, the consultants and other partners have been mindful to consider all equality issues and carry out all of the activities inclu- sively to ensure that throughout the community, all ages, genders and themes have been considered and represented in a positive manner.

Kirkmichael Community & the Ayrshire 21 Project

Our Community has worked with the Ayrshire 21 team, to undertake community consultations which have gathered the views of local people about their community and highlighted their interests.

The consultation work has used a variety of methods; including the use of householder surveys to find out the opinions of local people about a range of topics. Various meetings have also taken place in Kirkmichael to ascertain the views within the community. This process has fed into the action plan to identify the needs the community has, its’ future aspirations and wants and also what its sees as being in need of change or improvement.

The result of this work is an Action Plan with a list of recommendations for the future of the area. This project has been part-financed by the Scottish Government and by the European Community Ayrshire LEADER 2007-2013 Programme, and supported by volunteer work within the community.

Representatives from our Community have guided the consultation process and the development of this final report and action plan. Without the help and support of members of the community in responding to the consultation process, this report and action plan would not have been possible.

Page 2 Local Information and Comment

Kirkmichael is a popular village, with a vibrant population and a strong development group which is responsible for bringing projects together. Kirkmichael Village Renaissance (KVR) group got started in 2009 following a BBC competition to get help to bring the McCosh Hall back into community ownership. Unfortu- nately, the project did not win at that stage. However, undeterred, the community continued to work together to develop ideas and activities that would benefit the village.

During the consultation and engagement period, we have collected questionnaires and comments from over 50 people in the community. In our questions, we asked residents to consider how they feel about facilities and services within the community.

The majority of respondents agree that Kirkmichael is a safe place to live, with good community spirit and a sense of place. The church features highly within the village and at the annual church fete, in August, many people at the fete commented that they enjoyed being part of a community such as Kirkmichael. The income generated from the fete is testament to the support the community is willing to provide.

The community run village shop thrives due to the support from the community and the questionnaire re- sponses reported that the shop is extremely important to the residents of Kirkmichael.

During the past 18 months the village has enjoyed the close proximity of the primary school children who have used the McCosh Hall whilst the new school complex has been constructed. Residents have enjoyed seeing more young people in the village and hope that the closer relationship will continue when the school is re-opened in early 2014.

Now the Hall is being released back to community use, the community are keen to continue to investigate how they can take on the management of the hall.

Other comments from respondents have included:

“we need more activities for village children” “we need to teach people to pick up after their dogs” “when the new school is opened what will happen to the community garden area?” “we enjoy the community activities such as the fete, the garden snoop and the bonfire” “we need to support the shop so that it can remain open for all of the village” “can’t wait to get our hall back although it has been nice to have the children right in the centre of the village and hear them at play outside”

Respondents also commented that the community relies on tourism and visitors. KVR is keen to progress projects that will encourage and promote tourism in Kirkmichael

Page 3 Kirkmichael Shop and Cafe

In 2011, the then owners of the local village shop wanted to retire. As the premises used by them were not for sale, the shop would close with no succession. The local community came together and following a lot of consultation, questionnaires, and help from some very generous benefactors and volunteers the community opened a shop in the old Jocks Restaurant. With a small range of projects the shop was staffed with paid managers but ably supported by a significant number of volunteers and since its opening has proved successful and sustainable. The café opened and after a slow start has continued to thrive.

The shop committee have continued to work with the community to encourage and nurture the volunteers who have in turn enabled the shop to develop and prosper.

The McCosh Hall Built in 1898, the hall was gifted to the community by James McCosh, philosopher and former president at Princeton University in 1868.

In 2011, the community agreed to let South Ayrshire Council use the hall whilst the new school was built. This allowed the community to think about the future of the hall and bringing the it back into community ownership. Now that the school has been built the community are willing to Kirkmichael Bowling Club talk to South Ayrshire Council to look at what The club operates from the hall, with the green would be involved in the community taking on the adjacent to the hall. The club was established in management of the hall. This will involve 1955 and has a wide membership of around 30 negotiating an agreement with the council, members and takes part in local tournaments and looking for revenue funding and developing a leagues. Juniors start at aged 10 and if you are management team and business plan. The new to the sport and the club, your first year’s community has ambitious plans for the future of membership is free. the hall and its important place within the community. These include offering new services and activities and making the hall accessible to all with a new lift to first floor level.

Page 4 Kirkmichael Businesses

Kirkmichael has a wide range of local businesses from the Kirkmichael Arms and Craft Shop to local cheese producer, soft furnishings expert, artist and wood carver, kennels, author and horse feed manufacturer. Other local businesses and activities centre round the farming community. Kirkmichael is a vibrant community with plenty of residents with the capacity to help turn community aspirations into reality.

Kirkmichael Music Festival

Following the success of the Kirkmichael Guitar Festival (from 1999 to 2005 and once the biggest guitar festival in the world), that has defined many peoples memories of Kirkmichael, there is a will to stage a new festival in 2014 and potentially an annual event after that. New music acts and different styles of music will bring in a new flavour to the festival which will attract a new audience. The sub group of KVR are currently sourcing funds and organising the event which will be held from 13th to 15th June 2014.

Kirkmichael Church

The long history of the church in the community can be traced (over 700 years) back to the 13th century. The present church was built in 1787 and is believed to be the second or third erected on the site. It has a magnificent pulpit which is centrally located and is bathed in light from the 4 stained glass windows on each side.

Kirkmichael Village Renaissance Group

In 2009 this group was set up to take part in a BBC TV competition where the winner would have received support and expertise towards the regeneration of some of the village amenities. Kirkmichael was not successful in its bid to win the competition but the group felt empowered to continue to look at ways to continue with its aspirations. The work that they have undertaken has been to get the shop up and running, organising fund raising events, community consultation and engagement and providing a platform for the community to come together. KVR wishes to continue this and make sure that the organisation supports sustainable and positive activities for the community.

Page 5 SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses

 Good local representation on Community Council  Community Council shares meeting time with shared with Straiton and Crosshill 2 other communities and therefore may not

 KVR - Strong group leading local projects spend as much time on Kirkmichael issues as is needed.  Good History of working as a community  Physical state of Roads and Pavements  Respected by South Ayrshire Council  Lack of volunteers for new community pro-  Wonderful landscape and heritage jects  Community Shop and Cafe  Village signs old and outdated  Strong local business community Opportunities Threats

 Improve on Tourism offer through Trails and  Economic downturn and local authority budg- Activities. Work with the Carrick Way and other lo- et constraints

cal communities to link paths  Hall not been used for a while as School use  Community Empowerment Bill during new build. Will groups come back in

 Training and capacity building of new volunteers to use?

 Community take on the McCosh Hall

 Community Shop and Café

 Set up Community Trust to develop community projects (3 villages)

Community Empowerment Bill - what it means to Communities The Scottish Government believes that its people are its greatest asset, and best placed to make decisions about their future. The proposed Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill aims to make the most of the talents that exist in our communities; deliver high quality and improving public services; and support strong local democracy and local decision-making. It will be community organisations and volunteers, working to deliver first class public services or innovating in the private sector, who will deliver a more successful future for Scotland.

It is likely that this bill will include:

 New opportunities for communities to become owners of land and buildings from the public sector, along with new legislation pertaining to the rural community right to buy

 New and greater opportunities for communities to be more involved in shaping and delivering better outcomes locally

 Strengthened Community planning, with public sector partners working better together for communities

 New powers and legislation on rate relief schemes, allotments, defective and dangerous buildings

Community empowerment is about communities taking their own decisions about their futures. It’s about communities choosing to grow and become stronger, and to improve things for their families, friends and neigh- Page 6 Where WE want to go to Build on the top assets identified in the Community Asset Mapping Study to create a vibrant and dynamic village:

 Our New Build Primary School and Nursery

 Location and Countryside

 Vibrant and active community

 Activities - Walking and Cycling in and around Kirkmichael

 Kirkmichael Music Festival - 2014 and beyond

 Our Community Shop

 Proximity to both small and large towns

 Our local Church and Congregation

 Kirkmichael Village Renaissance Group

 Shared resource of Volunteer Co-ordinator

 Lots of experience within the community to help guide and drive projects

Our hall is important to us and we wish to support our village hall and ensure that it is always fit for purpose and well used by our community.

In 2012 Kirkmichael Primary School pupils moved into the hall whilst their school was demolished and rebuilt. When the community agreed to let their village hall be taken over by the school, it lost any use to it. When the hall is handed back for community use. South Ayrshire Council has agreed to carry out various repair and refurbishment works so that when the hall is returned to the community it comes back in better condition than before. The main hall is on the first floor and accessed by concrete stairs but therefore not accessible to all. The com-munity through a series of meetings gained agreement from South Ayrshire Council that would mean a lift would be fitted at the time the hall was returned to the community and paid for by South Ayrshire Council. This is an important step to making our hall accessible to all

Address negatives identified in the study:

 Hall difficult to access - main hall on first floor

 Need for more activities for young people

 Roads and Pavements need attention

 Signage in to village old and outdated

Page 7 Main Themes and Priorities

Theme: Priority

Countryside and Location  Ensure our Countryside remains unspoilt  Engender Civic Pride in our countryside - maintain and look after our Ayrshire milestones and heritable signage

 Make sure our community and local attractions are well signed so that our visitors have the best information and access to our village and attractions

 Work with land managers and estates along with South Ayrshire Council to keep road damage from heavy duty traffic to a mini- mum

Litter Control and Dog  Initiate litter campaigns throughout Kirkmichael Fouling  Work with the primary school on civic pride activity  Improve litter bin locations and campaign for better uplifts

Local Heritage and History  Maintain local heritage interpretation panels and information boards  Work with Association of South Ayrshire Community Councils and Carrick Community Councils’ Forum to build on the work of the Bruce Trail and Eco-museum activity  Work with local estates to ensure that their history is maintained and celebrated locally for visitors to see and visit

Walking and Cycling  Work with newly formed Carrick Way to ensure Kirkmichael is Trails included as an access point to this trail  Also work with our local walk enthusiasts to maintain our local routes and continue to promote the local paths in Kirkmichael  Work with local estates and land owners, along with South Ayr- shire Council to develop local path networks  Work with Ayrshire Alps and Ayr Cycling Club to promote cycling activities and get Kirkmichael included on the Alps map and routes  Investigate walking groups from South of Scotland and North of England and along with local accommodation providers, show case walking or cycling and accommodation packages to niche groups and clubs  Investigate the potential to develop a walking festival

Page 8 Who will work on this? What Resources are Timescales needed?

 Kirkmichael Village Renaissance  Regular communication with de-  Ongoing Group velopers and land managers

 South Ayrshire Council - Roads  Communication and information Department gathering

 Forestry Commission for Scot-  Paint and maintenance equip- land ment to look after milestones

 Land Developers  Land Owners

 Community Councillors from  Signs / posters / pavement sten-  Ongoing Kirkmichael cils  Kirkmichael Primary School  Litter bins and Dog waste bins  Local individuals taking pride in  New bin location uplifts their community  Litter Picking Equipment - bags,  South Ayrshire Council grabs and Hi - Vis clothing

 Community Councillors from  Regular assessment of interpreta-  Ongoing Kirkmichael tion boards etc  Carrick Community Councils Fo-  Inclusion on local websites and rum creation of new links  Association of South Ayrshire  Archaeological excavation tools Community Councils

 Local Accommodation Providers  Maps and leaflets  Summer 2014  Local Activity Providers  Local website links  VisitScotland  Communication and planning  Ayrshire Alps Team tools  Kirkmichael Village Renaissance  Partnership meetings for events Group  Community Councillors from Kirkmichael  South Ayrshire Council Paths Officer  Dalmellington Community  Straiton Community

Page 9 Main Themes and Priorities Theme: Priority People and the economy

Tourism  Work with local tourism businesses to ensure visitors to Kirk- michael have a great experience  Continue to find new ways to market our tourism offer within Kirk- michael  Continue to work with CCCF and the Carrick Tourism Develop- ment Project  Develop local walking trail through Dalmellington and Kirkmichael  Support local tourism businesses to keep Kirkmichael vibrant, with a an active economy and a good range of local products

Community Facilities and  Take back control of McCosh Hall from South Ayrshire Council. Amenities following school decamp  Agree work plan for installation of new lift in McCosh Hall to make more accessible  Research local provenance of Hall and investigate Diaspora links  Investigate ways to make Hall more sustainable and provide more local facilities through the extended use of the Hall.  Maintain and manage Public Toilets in the community shop  Support the Community shop and café to continue to provide services to the community and to visitors  Support the new Primary School in Kirkmichael and maintain the closer relationship that has developed with the school in the heart of the community  Reinstate the Community Garden adjacent to the school. Discuss ideas with South Ayrshire Council

People and Community Spirit  Harness our local community spirit to expand on our volunteer activity

 Provide training and encouragement to new volunteers  Ensure our community remains vibrant and active. Ensure that our partners are working with us together to continue to maintain our community spirit and sense of place  Development of Community Trust Project between Kirkmichael, Crosshill and Straiton

Activities and People  Provide more activities for young people within the community  Continue to provide annual events such as dances and garden snoop  2014 Kirkmichael Music Festival - make an annual event  Publish list of Activities and Groups on websites and other local media to inform people and families about what’s on locally Page 10 Who will work on this? What Resources are need- Timescales ed?

 Local tourism businesses and indi-  Challenge Funding  Ongoing viduals  Local Funding  Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Team  Planning  Carrick Community Councils’ Fo-  Interpretation materials rum  VisitScotland  Craigengillan Estate and Kirk- michael Community Representa- tives

 Members of Community Council  Meeting time / venue By early 2014  Kirkmichael Community Groups  Capacity within individual  South Ayrshire Council groups to take these projects forward  Ailsa Horizons  Training and support to allow  VASA projects to happen  Kirkmichael Village Renaissance  Community Equipment  Community Shop Volunteers  Venues for events etc  Kirkmichael Primary School and Parent Council  3 Gardens Club

 Community Groups in Kirkmichael  Meeting time / venue  Ongoing  South Ayrshire Council -  Training programmes for Community Engagement Team volunteers  Volunteer Centre Ayr (VASA)  Volunteer Co-ordinator  Ailsa Horizons  Community Liaison Groups  CSK Community Council

 Members of Community Council  Equipment such as mobile  Ongoing

 South Ayrshire Council climbing wall, skate park ramps etc  KVR Music Festival Committee  Volunteer time to update websites and social media

Page 11 Tourism and Kirkmichael Carrick Community Councils’ Forum’s unique, community-led Tour- ism project worked with over 400 members of the local community as well as local tourism businesses, to create a new brand, website, and other marketing materials for Carrick, targeted towards reversing declining visitor numbers. Visitors are now encouraged to “Experience more of Scotland” through Carrick’s promotional strap line, a typographic logo and website (www.carrickayrshire.com).

This is the first time that Carrick has been given its own signature brand, as well as a place for all information on the area to be stored and easily accessed by visitors and tourists – the website includes details on the wide range of gift shops, B&Bs, restaurants, visitor attractions, outdoor activities and more available.

Marketing materials including a quarterly newsletter and “Welcome to Carrick” booklet, have been created and are now distributed throughout the area and beyond. A key product development aspect of the project has also been the establishment of the new Carrick Community Heritage Trail.

We also want to celebrate the links we have with Robert the Bruce and Robert Burns and will be working with Carrick Community Councils’ Forum on projects that help to promote the lives of these two most famous of Scots. Genealogy will also feature in encouraging more people to return to their roots and visit the area and their history.

Walking and Cycling are also a major reason for people to visit and stay in Carrick. We want to work with all our local accommodation businesses to ensure that they are geared up for these visitors. By promoting walking and cycling, we can encourage people to visit Kirkmichael on public transport, cutting down on our carbon foot print whilst still being accessible.

Visitors to Kirkmichael have a wide choice of accommodation and food and activity providers. There are also many activities to take part in, from walking or cycling in and around Kirkmichael to fishing and stalking, sheep dog demonstrations or cookery demonstrations.

The Carrick Way This long distance walking route has been a long time in the making. Although Kirkmichael is not on the actual route, its local path network could join on to the proposed route and help to attract visitors to the area through this. Although work has stalled on this project over the last two years, a new partnership has been formed to take this forward with Carrick Community Councils’ Forum, Adventure Centre for Education and Ailsa Horizons.

New funds are being sought to address issues on the northern loop in which Kirkmichael falls and also to complete the southern route that will then link to the Southern Upland Way.

Kirkmichael’s working origins were in agriculture but during the 18th century, the weaving trade started to dominate the income of some Kirkmichael families. By 1810, there were 6000 cotton muslin weavers in Ayrshire. Woven predominantly by men, the fashion for decoration was supported by the women who created white work embroidery to make this fashionable cloth. This is celebrated as part of Kirkmichael’s heritage and features part of the Carrick Community Heritage Trail.

Page 12 Kirkmichael

Kirkmichael is a great location and is in the process of celebrating this with a new community website and improved social media links. Kirkmichael is also well represented on www.carrickayrshire.com

“Welcome to Kirkmichael. The Guitar Village”, says a large sign entering the village. This was true some years ago with the very popular Guitar festival driven by the Taylor family and Martin Taylor. However, wanting to benefit from the buzz and influx of visitors to Kirkmichael that this popular festival created over the years, the village is looking to stage a new and different music festival that will appeal to many past attendees but also, with a varied new programme, a new audience that will make the new Kirkmichael Festival an annual event on their calendar.

The café in Kirkmichael and the shop are both important to visitors, from coffee and cake to home made soup and fresh sandwiches the café caters for all tastes. Staffed by volunteers who all work regularly in both the shop and the café, visitors are assured of a warm welcome and a tasty treat. Shoppers can take home the cake or a great selection of home grown produce such as strawberries, tomatoes, plums and apples. Local cheese producers sell in the shop along with local meat producers and jam and chutney purveyors giving visitors a great choice of produce for a picnic a snack or to take back to holiday accommodation or home.

After all that good food, Kirkmichael can offer great local trails to suit all abilities to walk off excess calories. There is a great team of local people working on local walks, to obtain landowner permissions and also to create innovative map interpretations including overlays. The village is also on a network of great cycle routes and would like to be included in the Ayrshire Alps family of cycling routes.

Walking and cycling aside, visitors enjoy other local pursuits such as

Bird watching Running

Fishing (permit) Shooting (pheasant)

Fishing (private) Stalking (roe deer)

Geo-caching Wildlife watching

Mountain Biking

Kirkmichael is also close to the Dark Sky Park and the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory at Craigengillan Estate in Dalmellington. A Dark Sky Park is a place with exceptionally dark night skies, a place where people have committed to keeping those skies dark, by controlling light pollution. In November 2009, the International Dark-sky Association designated Galloway Forest Park as only the fourth Dark Sky Park in the world and the first in the UK. Dalmellington, Kirkmichael and Strai- ton Village have come together, to explore linking local paths and trails that will develop tourism even further between the 3 communities.

http://www.scottishdarkskyobservatory.co.uk/

Page 1113 Annual Events in Kirkmichael

 The Kirkmichael Garden Snoop Bi –annual Summer Event

 Music Festival New for June 2014 and beyond

 School Sports Day Pre Summer Holidays

 Church Fete Early August

 Seasonal Dances Halloween, Christmas, New Year

 Bonfire & Firework Display 5th November

 Carol Singing December - organised by KVR.

 Christmas Carol Service Christmas

Kirkmichael Primary School, Ayrshire Built to resemble an agricultural setting and blend into the local architecture, the new school employs new technologies with traditional materials The new school will provide a great new learning environment for the children of Kirk- michael and a superb new community facility in which the many groups and activities that utilised the old school building can return to and benefit from.

A new nursery school will also open with the new school and being an integral part of the school will assist the younger children when they move up to their Primary 1 class.

www.kirkmichael.sayr.sch.uk

Page 14 Making it Happen This action plan is reliant on all partners working together to make these priorities happen. We have identified the following partners who have agreed to work with the community of Kirkmichael, to ensure this action plan moves forward: South Ayrshire’s Community Planning Partnership:

 South Ayrshire Council  NHS Ayrshire and Arran  Strathclyde Partnership for Transport  Skills Development Scotland  Scottish Natural Heritage  Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry  Police Scotland  Scottish Fire and Rescue Service  Scottish Enterprise  Ayrshire College  Jobcentre Plus  Voluntary Action South Ayrshire

The South Ayrshire Community Planning Board also has two community representatives – one for the Kyle area and one for the Carrick area – and a representative from the South Ayrshire Youth Forum.

Other partners also include:

 Community Council Members

 Kirkmichael Village Renaissance Group

 Kirkmichael Community Groups

 Kirkmichael Business Community

 Ailsa Horizons

This Community Action Plan for 2014-19 has been informed by many other engagement activities, consultations and strategic activities within the local area. It provides a robust context for the community to determine priority actions with realistic timeframes.

One of the first actions will be to establish a new Town Regeneration Forum to help to steer this action plan. Ailsa Horizons will be available to work with the community after the publication of this Action Plan to produce a more detailed Delivery Plan for the first year of implementation of this plan.

This Forum will seek regular progress reports from any of the groups responsible for an action. Progress will then be reported to the wider community through local newsletters and websites.

Some of themes and priorities are currently aspirational in nature without necessarily spelling out the fine de- tail of what could be achieved. This is inevitable given how reliant the community is on volunteers and the need to build up relationships with funding and other delivery partners. The new Town Regeneration Forum will help to build those relationships.

Page 15 Community Planning Partnership (CPP) The South Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership was set up in 2001. It tries to improve the quality of life in South Ayrshire by bringing together the Council and other providers of public services, such as the National Health Service, with private business and community organisations, such as the Association of Community Councils and Voluntary Action South Ayrshire. Our Vision: ‘to establish South Ayrshire as the most dynamic, inclusive and sustainable community in Scotland’.

Our Strategic Outcomes:

 Economic recovery and growth

 Supporting our Children and Families

 Health Inequalities and Physical Activity

 Caring for Older People

 Safer and Stronger Communities

 Protecting and Enhancing our Environment

What We Want To Achieve In 10 Years:

 South Ayrshire has an enterprising and sustainable economy

 People in South Ayrshire are skilled, confident and successful in accessing employment

 Our children and young people in South Ayrshire have the best possible life chances

 People in South Ayrshire enjoy the best possible health and inequalities are reduced

 Older people in South Ayrshire enjoy full and positive lives within their own communities

 Communities in South Ayrshire are stronger and safer

 South Ayrshire is clean, attractive and delivering a sustainable low carbon future

Key Contacts within South Ayrshire Council South Ayrshire Council—Housing email: [email protected] Community Engagement Team Gus Collins 01292 612128 email: [email protected] Community Safety Co-ordinator Linda Warwick 01292 559403 email: [email protected] Community Planning Partnership Valerie Stewart 01292 612134 email: [email protected]

Page 16 Page 17 Our Councillors Ward 7 - Kyle

Sandra Goldie Scottish Labour Party

Home Tel: 01292 570054 Office Tel: 01292 612293 Email: [email protected]

" The Ayrshire 21 project aims to help communities develop plans that highlight their wants and needs. These plans can then be used to evidence requests for action and to help to develop projects further. I think that this is a good idea as it has made communities come together and think about a longer term view of their community"

Ann Galbraith Scottish Conservative and Unionist Home Tel: 01655 740447 Office Tel: 01292 612687

Email: [email protected]

“I fully support the work done towards these action plans, in particular, by the work done by Julia Whitaker and the Ayrshire 21 team. There has been good feedback and re- sponse from the communities of Carrick which have been visited regularly to answer questions and give advice. Communities are aware of the benefits of these action plans which communities must now follow up to their advantage.”

Brian Connolly Independent Mobile Tel: 07970540591 Office Tel: 01292 612274 Email: [email protected]

"The Ayrshire 21 project has presented an opportunity for local villages to look at their long term aspirations and needs in a way that they will be able to develop over the com- ing years. With the forthcoming community empowerment bill,communities will need to be organised and strong to achieve the aspirations they have and take advantage of opportunities that will come as a result of this new bill"

William Grant Scottish National Party Mobile Tel: 07794037597 Office Tel: 01292 612479 Email: [email protected]

“Having carefully considered the brief produced in 2013, I fully endorse the local action plans which provide communities with evidence of need and a mandate from the community to address priorities and projects. The Ayrshire 21 project has clearly brought communities together, highlighted common issues, objectives. Working together to address these actions can only be positive for our local communities. I wholeheartedly lend my support and wish everyone involved every success.” Page 18 Other Local Groups in Kirkmichael

Tri-Village Group (with Crosshill and Straiton)  3 Village Gardening Group Lesley Wilson [email protected]

 Kirkmichael Village Shop Alison Duffin (Manager) 01655 750499

 Bowling Club Rab White [email protected]

 Youth Club Rab White [email protected]

 Carpet Bowls Rab White [email protected]

 Church Guild Gordon Pettigrew [email protected]

 Church Rev. Gerald Jones at 01655 750286

 SWRI Margaret Thomson 01655 750 294

 Womens Group Noreen Lyon [email protected]

 Curling Club Norman Wilson [email protected]

 Parent Council Lindsay Cunningham [email protected]

 Over 60’s Group Ena Gunning 01655 750315

 Kirkmichael History Society Brian Scobie [email protected]

 Yoga Club Samantha Briggs www.yogascotia.co.uk

Crosshill, Straiton and Kirkmichael Community Council

There are 3 places on the council for each village:

Kirkmichael is represented by Campbell Smith, Patrick Lorimer and John Haston. Straiton is represented by Henry Anderson, Bea Holden and Mary Arthur. Crosshill is represented by Bill Grieg, Don Macintyre (co-opted) and one vacancy.

Page 19 Funding Sources

When considering grant aid, the following table lists the potential sources of funding under which applications may have some probability of success. As with all aspects of grant aid there can be no guarantees that any applications will be successful, particularly given the current financial climate.

Funding Source Description Likely Possible

Big Lottery Funds: £500 - £10,000 Investing in Ideas Development of feasibility planning for new concepts, testing ideas Yes £500 - £10,000 Awards for All General support for all activities Yes Communities and £500 - £10,000

Families Giving Young children(0-8) the best start in life Yes 2014 Communi- Up to £2,000 ties Encouraging new participants in physical activity Yes £10,000 to £50,000

Helping young people (8-24) become more healthy, connected, confident, enterprising. Young Start Yes Could be used to support marketing, organising, assisting in civic events. Also potential to host specific aspects of sports development for young people.

£500 - £10,000 Celebrate Support for events/activities celebrating the Commonwealth Games. Could be linked to Yes the development of new activities £10,000 - £750,000)

The Scottish Land Fund is aimed at supporting rural communities to become more resilient and sustainable through the ownership and management of land and land assets. It will provide practical support and funding to enable local people to work together to develop their ideas and aspirations, put in place effective structures and plan The Scottish Land and complete viable land and land asset acquisition projects. Yes Fund All projects must meet outcome 1: Outcome 1. Rural communities achieve increased sustainable economic, social and environmental development through the experience of acquiring, owning and managing land and land assets; Funding is available to eligible projects for up to 95% of £750,000. Investing in

Communities

Supporting 21st £10,000 - £1,000,000 Yes Century Life Investing in

Communities Life Transitions £10,000 - £1,000,000 Yes Investing in Communities Growing £10,000 - £1,000,000 Yes Community Assets Improve local support for people experiencing hardship. Supports: · welfare advice Yes Support and · financial skills training and services

Connect · action to address food poverty · provision of clothing and household goods · action to address fuel poverty Page 20 Funding Source Description Likely Possible

Other Funds:

The National Agency for Sport has a number of capital and revenue funding streams Sportscotland available in relation to sports facility provision and redevelopment Yes Sportscotland £10,000 to £100,000 Legacy 2014 Improvement to physical infrastructure to support more people taking part in sport. Yes Active Places This could be used to support developments in the games hall and the gym, e.g. Fund construction of an indoor climbing wall Various grant strands up to £150,000 Creative Development of civic performances and events, involvement of young people and Scotland Yes development of sustainable arts programmes. Up to £10,000 per group or £30,000 per Cluster Voluntary Action Creating new volunteer projects, increasing diversity of volunteers. Men’s Shed Fund Yes development may be suitable project or marketing initiatives

Historic Scotland provides a number of grant and funding schemes to support bodies and individuals in the protection, education and promotion of the historic environment.

Historic Decisions on grants are made on information gained from extensive public Yes Scotland consultation, and are also influenced by the extent to which projects deliver benefits for communities, promote quality, develop knowledge and skills and build capacity for local heritage management. Grants are offered across 9 different categories. The Climate Challenge Fund is being supported by an alliance of partners from key Keep Scotland organisations and networks throughout Scotland, who bring expertise and experience Beautiful of community-level interventions. Applicants must own their facilities and local authorities cannot apply. Yes The Climate £150,000 per project till March 2016 Challenge Fund Development Grants £750 for disadvantaged communities

Up to 50% funding covering all rural Ayrshire. Examples of what can be funded Yes Ayrshire LEAD- feasibility studies, business plans, options appraisals, environmental improvements,

ER 2014 -2020 visitor/tourist facilities, promotion and marketing, materials and equipment, events,

training and professional fees.

South Ayrshire Funding for training, bid preparation or professional assistance, to help improve Community De- communities. Developing feasibility studies, action plans, engaging with local Yes velopment Fund communities, professional assistance to prepare funding bids.

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) offers grants to sustain and transform heritage sites and related projects. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural Heritage Lottery traditions HLF invest in every part of Britain’s diverse heritage. Yes Fund HLF offer a range of grant programmes, awarding grants upwards of £3,000. They want to support innovative as well as tried-and-tested approaches, and welcome proposals that are pioneering in concept and delivery.

Up to 10% of capital costs and up to 3 years funding of salaries and running costs Robertson Trust Revenue funding to allow activities to be developed in a more sustainable fashion. Yes

Various small grant bodies, e.g. Tesco Community Fund, Coop Community Fund, Lloyds TSB Foundation, etc.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the community of Kirkmichael, including members of Community Council for their help in putting together this action plan. All age ranges of the community have had the opportunity to feed into this process and have their views reflected within this plan.

Information from this plan has also been informed by other recent consultation activities such as:

 Kirkmichael Community Council

 Save Kirkmichael for Scotland

 Kirkmichael Primary School

Implementation and Feedback

The Community Action Plan represents the end of one process, (capturing the views of the community and compiling recommendations) and the start of another - the implementation phase.

The recommendations within this plan need to be acted upon to realise the improvements to the quality of life that have been identified. It is your community that will drive these actions forward, supported by partners and other agencies. Those that have fed into this action plan with ideas and actions will be able to draw on the expertise of community development specialists within South Ayrshire Council, VA- SA and Ailsa Horizons to further develop and carry out their plans.

The local residents and groups within Kirkmichael who have been directly involved in the Action Planning process now invite other residents to review these results and conclusions. Through this Action Plan, you are sure to gain a better understanding of the issues of concern to your community and we would welcome your comments on the analysis and any new insights.

If you wish any further information on this action plan or the contents, please feel free to contact any of the groups listed in the Action List or Kirkmichael members of your Community Council.