South Ayrshire Provost Marks Memorial Tributes, Peace Plantings and Community Celebrations Across the Region

South Ayrshire’s Provost, Iain Campbell, and Depute Provost, Mary Kilpatrick, attended a variety of civic engagements over the last few months.

To mark International Workers Memorial Day 2026, South Ayrshire Provost Iain Campbell laid a floral tribute at a memorial bench in Rozelle Park in Ayr.

International Workers Memorial Day commemorates all workers who have lost their lives to workplace illness or injury. This global initiative is also an opportunity to promote health and safety and minimise workplace incidents, many of which are preventable.

Provost Campbell was recently joined by school captains from some of our Secondary schools to plant gingko tree saplings in each of our five county towns.

The gingko seeds were gifted by Mayors for Peace, an international organisation bringing together cities and places dedicated to the promotion of peace. They were handed over by the Consul-General of Japan, Daisuke Matsunaga during a special ceremony held in 2018.

The seeds originated from a tree in Hiroshima which survived the atomic bombing of the city in 1945 and have since been nurtured at Belleisle Conservatory until they were ready for planting.   There is a tree in each of these locations:  Orchard Garden, The Avenue, Girvan; Greenside, Maybole; Boydfield Gardens, Prestwick; Corsehill Park, Ayr and Templehill Gardens, Troon.   Picture:  Girvan

In other celebrations, Depute Provost Mary Kilpatrick visited two Ayrshire couples who celebrated their diamond wedding anniversaries.

John and Valerie Blackwood, both originally from East Renfrewshire, first met through the church choir. The couple now live happily in Dundonald and have 1 son and 2 granddaughters. They were visited by Depute Provost Mary Kilpatrick who presented them with an engraved paperweight to mark this momentous anniversary.

Francis Devlin, originally from Troon, met and married wife Sarah in her hometown of Ayr. The happy couple have four children and nine grandchildren. Depute Provst Mary Kilpatrick visited the couple at their home in Ayr and presented them with a bouquet of flowers to congratulate them on 60 years of marriage.

Provost Campbell was delighted to support and cheer on Troon Football Club as they played Auchinleck Talbot in the Strathclyde Demolition West of Scotland Football League Cup Final. The South Ayrshire team claimed victory winning 1-0 against the East Ayrshire club.