A service that will help disabled people and those with long-term health conditions find work is set to be established in the Garnock Valley.
At a meeting of Cabinet on Tuesday, councillors agreed to approve the plans for a central Disability Employment Hub at Lochshore Park in Kilbirnie.
The Equal Programme, which focuses on supporting individuals with disabilities and long-term health conditions operates across multiple sites, where trainees engage in hands-on work experience in areas such as horticulture and bike maintenance.
The decision earlier this week will see the Equal programme relocated to Lochshore to use the fantastic facility, with green open spaces to enhance the opportunities for those using the service.
The creation of the Disability Employment Hub at Lochshore Park will provide a range of training opportunities allowing trainees to gain the skills and experience to complete their horticulture qualifications, while improving the public area too. A programme of tree planting and environmental improvements will be developed with the stakeholders including Streetscene, Friends of Lochshore and conservation volunteers, providing added value for all involved.
The location at Lochshore Park will also enable the programme’s bike maintenance work to be broadened through the linkages to the active travel network and 5km loop within the park, while the café at the hub will provide hospitality opportunities.
“Lochshore Park is a hugely important strategic regeneration site that has become a symbol of how by working with partners and using public land we can benefit the community as a whole. The Disability Employment Hub just adds to this and it’s great that we are using Lochshore to help others back into work – which in turn helps our economy grow.
“We look forward to the Hub opening in the coming weeks in the new year.”
The hub will be operated by the Equal Programme team. The team are trained and equipped to support people with disabilities and in the last year job outcomes have increased significantly, contributing to the Scottish Government’s aim of halving the disability employment gap.
