The site of the much admired Robert Burns Mural at the corner of John Dickie Street and Strand Street in Kilmarnock will be undergoing a makeover in June, as work starts on a brand new public feature and events space, named Poets' Corner. The project is part of the overall “Kilmarnock Masterplan” – one of many projects being undertaken now and, in the future, to enhance Kilmarnock’s townscape, natural and built environment to boost wellbeing, prosperity and opportunities for

246 children and young people from seven primary schools and Doon Academy have taken part in the annual outdoor water safety day at Loch Doon. Across Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regularly respond to emergency calls from people who have witnessed someone getting into difficulty in open water and tragically, Water Safety Scotland have reported 39 accidental water-related deaths in Scotland in 2025, with the highest number of fatalities taking place in August. To

Ayrshire is in a strong position to sustain long-term digital growth, economic resilience and competitiveness thanks to their participation in the 5G Innovation Project. The region received £4.4million from the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) team in 2024 to become one of ten 5G Innovation Regions (5GIR) across the UK. And a report, commissioned to assess the impact of the 5G Innovation Region Project, says the funding and support has

Exciting STEM events have been taking place in schools across East Ayrshire with over 1500 P6 and P7 children benefitting from the extensive programme. The events, organised by Gary Neilson, ICT co-ordinator in partnership with the Council’s IT Service, involved educators including VEX robotics – a leader in educational robotics, and the National Robotarium, the UK’s centre for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence based at Heriot-Watt University. The children were encouraged

Emergency One, the UK’s leading manufacturer of specialist fire and rescue service appliances, has received a funding boost for 12 new trade apprentices. The £72k cheque from The The 9CC Group is the latest phase of a pioneering four-year £1.5 million investment in young Cumnock and Doon Valley residents, taking the current total to 20. The apprenticeships initiative has been seed funded by an advance payment of £120K community benefit following an agreement negotiated by The

Members of East Ayrshire Council’s Cabinet recently took an extensive tour of areas of Cumnock and Doon Valley following the conclusion of the Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership (CCLP) projects which, since the first investigations in 2016, have been instrumental in transforming landscapes and communities left devastated by the collapse of the opencast mining industry in the area. Since the inception of the first projects in 2020, nearly £6.5million in funding and in

At the recent meeting of Full Council elected members agreed that a letter will be sent to the Scottish Government requesting a review of existing environmental health and antisocial behaviour legislation to explicitly include pets and other animals. Image - Southern cross vet The agreed motion means that the Council will urge the Scottish Government to review and amend existing environmental health and antisocial behaviour legislation to: explicitly include pets and other an

Loudoun Academy was a hive of activity last week for Eco Week and Mental Health Awareness Week, with the young people taking direct action to tackle environmental issues around the school and focusing on their wellbeing. The school had a full programme of activities encouraging young people and staff to look after the planet and their minds. The events focused on ‘Small steps. Big Impact. Together’ and included a mental health walk at lunchtime, a bake sale in aid of ‘SAMH fo

Park School has come out top in the Big Walk and Wheel – the UK’s largest walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling challenge. The challenge, which took place between 16 and 27 March, encouraged children and young people to travel actively to school and learn more about air quality improvements as a result. In 2025, 4,550kg of nitrogen oxide was avoided as a result of the ten-day challenge and 2,880 tonnes of CO² were avoided. Each day of the challenge, schools recorded how man

Police are appealing for information after the front door of a property was deliberately set alight in the Keir Hardie Hill area of Cumnock. The incident happened around 5am on Sunday, 19 April. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended and no one was injured. Detective Constable Fraser Murray said: “The fire is being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances. “We are asking anyone who saw anything suspicious at the time to get in tou

The Music Service has showcased the talent and dedication of children and young people across East Ayrshire during March - a month of incredible energy, achievement, and musical celebration. Throughout the month, over 900 pupils took part in Benedetti Foundation classroom workshops, bringing world-class musical inspiration directly into schools. These engaging sessions ignited creativity, built confidence, and offered pupils the chance to experience music-making on a whole ne

One of Galston’s most prominent buildings has been brought back into public use, following a £3.45m restoration project undertaken by East Ayrshire Council. The new Galston Town Hall will officially open its doors to the public on Wednesday 8 April 2026, offering a new location for the public library, and a skills and learning hub to enhance further the Council’s commitment to giving local people the skills to learn and work. The refurbishment officially got underway in Janu

East Ayrshire Council has launched a new vocation training programme as part of the Ayrshire Growth Deal’s ambitions to upskill residents in Cumnock and Doon Valley, enabling them to access employment in the emerging electric vehicle and hydrogen automotive sector. The pilot project is a key component of the Community Renewable Energy project (CoRE) which will develop new skills pathways in creating a pipeline of skilled individuals aligned to the needs of local employers, wh

A new bin collection service will be rolled out in two phases starting in Cumnock and the surrounding area from May 2026, and Kilmarnock and the surrounding area from October. The new collection service will see the recycling trolley replaced with three separate wheeled bins for paper and cardboard, plastics and cans, and glass. Each of the new bins, along with the general waste bin, will be collected once every four weeks, while the food caddy will be collected weekly alongs

East Ayrshire Council’s Cabinet has agreed the Ayrshire Roads Alliance’s programme of investment works that will allow improvements to be carried out to carriageways, footways and street lighting, in addition to bridge strengthening and investment in transportation, traffic and road safety. For 2026/27 the overall roads capital budget will be £5.752 million, and a number of carriageway and footway schemes have been identified and prioritised for action. The investment will se

New redeployable CCTV cameras are being installed in priority areas across East Ayrshire to tackle environmental crime and improve community safety. In May last year, Council agreed as part of the Strategic Review of Community Safety and Enforcement, to fund six new deployable cameras bringing the total across the area to 14. The cameras are currently being installed in areas that have been identified in partnership with key stakeholders, taking account of feedback from resid

Nick Page, Chief Executive of Scotland's new national awarding body, Qualifications Scotland and Chief Examiner Donna Stewart visited SL33 in Kilmarnock recently to find out more about the service the team provide. Welcomed by Director of Education and Skills, Linda McAulay-Griffiths and Chief Executive Eddie Fraser - Nick and Donna met with Margorie Harvie, Skills and Learning Employability Manager, Ian Burgoyne, Assistant Director of Education and Skills, and the wider team

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop MSP visited Darvel Primary last week to meet the partnership team behind an impressive active travel initiative. The Cabinet Secretary was welcomed to the school by Ethan, Lewis, Brooklyn, Lillie and Ollie; Councillor Douglas Reid, Leader of the Council, Councillor Elaine Cowan, Spokesperson for Education, and Children and Young People, and Chief Executive Eddie Fraser; who were joined at the visit by Councillors Jim McMahon, Grah

A recent meeting at Full Council informed members that new firework laws have been introduced, and East Ayrshire Council will oversee the process for considering and designating Firework Control Zones. The Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 gives councils a new discretionary power to introduce Firework Control Zones. A Firework Control Zone is a designated area within a local authority area in which it is a criminal offence for a member of the public to

The trial of 20mph speed limits on all local roads in Mauchline and New Cumnock is set to begin soon. The local schemes, being implemented by Ayrshire Roads Alliance (ARA), complement work that has almost been completed by Transport Scotland in partnership with ARA across the trunk road network to reduce the speed limit to 20mph. The speed limit reduction is due to start on local roads in New Cumnock on 6 March and Mauchline on 13 March, the same dates that the A76 schemes go