Ewords april 2014

Keeping you informed

Welcome Welcome to the April edition of ewords.

This edition contains information about the Ayrshire Roads Alliance and new Head of Roads, Stewart Turner plus the Health and Social Care Partnership.

It also contains important Health and Safety information and details of events coming up over the next few weeks.

Ewords wishes all employees a very Happy Easter. ewords is your magazine – get in touch if you or your colleagues have any good news to share!

Please do not print this magazine.

Disclaimer…

East Ayrshire Council makes no claims about the suitability of the information contained via links or connectivity to third party websites contained within this publication. We do not accept responsibility for any loss which may arise from reliance on such information nor do we guarantee that these links will always be available.

April 2014

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Contents Trading Standards launch Facebook page Training Centre appointed in East Ayrshire Allison Steele is a real diamond EA Disability Badminton Club Fond farewells Solid gold Foster Care Fortnight Grange HMIE Award Music Award Future of Health and Social Care Vibrant Community Champions Community Plan Review Healthy Working Lives Health and Safety Queen’s Baton relay Ayrshire Roads Alliance Leisure Trust - What’s on…

Your new Community Hubs

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Breaking the Mould Some of our Criminal Justice Social Work staff and former offenders got together with Centrestage Music Theatre recently to discover their own creativity and to work out how they could maximise their personal and professional contributions when working with people in the justice system.

Centrestage facilitated the learning event entitled ‘Breaking the Mould’ which allowed participants to focus on how they can better listen to service users, learn from them and build more positive relationships with them.

Working in groups, participants looked into three different areas: ‘the best of what is’ currently happening; ‘what might be’ and ‘what should be’. The discussions generated a whole range of useful ideas about how the service could be improved such as early intervention; working more imaginatively and in a more person centred way and developing more understanding of the service in the community.

Everyone at the event gave very positive feedback, such as: “I enjoyed the training and for the first time in ages I felt as if I was at an event that focused on why we had chosen Social Work as a career. It gave me a chance to reevaluate my professional values and also focused on the areas that I believe are often forgotten during the constant pressure of case

management, such as empowering individuals and attempting to improve their lives.”

Some follow up time with staff is planned on 1 May to reflect on the event, and to take forward the ideas which staff generated on the day.

Keeping you informed

Workers’ Memorial Day East Ayrshire Council and Unison will join together on Saturday 26 April to support International Workers’ Memorial Day. A special memorial will be held at Dean Castle Country Park to remember workers who have been killed or injured in the course of their work within East Ayrshire.

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Prestigious training centre appointed in East Ayrshire REHIS trainer Susie Dunlop is celebrating after the prestigious Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) appointed her as an accredited trainer and announced that the Council had succeeded in becoming an approved training centre.

Trading Standards launch Facebook page The Trading Standards Service has recently launched a Facebook page which is proving very popular with 76 likes since its launch.

The Service is keen to connect with the Facebook generation and is hoping the page proves to be a valuable resource for consumer information with frequent updates on news on scams, product recalls and tips on how to buy goods and services with confidence.

Visit and like the page at www.facebook.com/eactradingstandards

Allison Steele is a real diamond School crossing patroller Allison Steele, who works on Kilmaurs Road at Hillhead Primary, is the proud recipient of the Diamond Patroller Award.

For the past 60 years school crossing patrollers, or lollipop men and ladies as they used to be known, have been ensuring that young people get to school safely.

Junior Road Safety Officers were asked by the Road Safety Team to nominate their favourite patroller for a Diamond Award to mark the 60th anniversary of the service.

Allison was selected for being a wonderful patroller but also for her work within the school on sports day and with the annual panto.

Susie’s hard work and dedication to improving hygiene standards across the Council have led her to pursue the advanced food hygiene certificates provided by REHIS. Both the training and assessments for these certificates are extremely rigorous, but Susie passed with flying colours, highly praised by assessors for her training style.

Graham Short, Executive Director of Educational and Social Services said: “I am absolutely delighted that the Council now has its very own REHIS Training Officer and has been announced as an approved training centre. Susie works closely with schools however, she also works across the Council delivering food hygiene training to many different departments including personal carers and early years’ providers.

“Susie is very highly thought of as a trainer and delivers training in a way that makes it easy to understand. She tailor made training sessions for adult day care centres to ensure that local enterprise companies like BUNS R US, had the appropriate hygiene training and certificates. All the service users really enjoyed the training and were extremely proud of their achievements.

“Having an approved training centre within the Council gives Susie scope to provide REHIS training to private companies and individuals.”

The training centre is based within Greenholm Street, Kilmarnock.

For further information on the REHIS training available please contact Susie Dunlop, REHIS Training Officer on 01563 576328 or email susan.dunlop@east-ayrshire.gov.uk

Keeping you informed

April 2014

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Fixed Penalty Notices On 1 April, new penalties for littering and flytipping came into force.

Set nationally by the Scottish Government as part of a new National Litter Strategy, the Fixed Penalty Notice increased from £50 to £80 for litter and £200 for flytipping.

EA Disability Badminton Club Scotland’s first disability badminton club has been set up in East Ayrshire, thanks to a partnership established between young people, Sport & Diversion and Active Schools from Vibrant Communities and Park School and BadmintonScotland.

The East Ayrshire Disability Badminton Club started as an afterschool club and will progress through to a community club based at the Grange Leisure Centre.

If you are interested in attending the club or wish to help with volunteering or committee work, please contact Vibrant Communities on 01563 576354.

Follow us @EACSport on Twitter or like us on facebook.com/eavibrantcommunities

Clean up your area Be one in a million and take part in Keep Scotland Beautiful’s April and May Spring Clean Up by: • Registering a clean-up in your local area at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/register • Participating in a local clean up. Find your closest one at www.cleanupscotland.com

Fond farewell 80 years of service was marked when Roads and Transportation joined together to mark the retirement of two very valuable and long serving members of their team – Tom Allan, Technical Officer and Stuart Norval, Team Leader Traffic and Development.

A testimonial football match was held for Tom with colleagues from across the Council, colleagues from neighbouring authorities and senior officers, who all joined together to take one last kick at Tom. Tom was presented with a trophy to mark his effort on and off the pitch.

A more formal presentation was held for both Tom and Stuart where everyone had the opportunity to thank them for their commitment to local government and wish them both a long and very happy retirement.

Didn’t she do well!

In a section nearby, Martha Speirs was also celebrating her retirement with colleagues past and present within Planning and Economic Development.

Martha will be greatly missed by colleagues throughout the Council however all her retirement gifts are sure to keep her busy. It was like the generation game – a TV, a watch, a rain mate, a cuddly toy....

Have a very happy retirement Martha!

Keeping you informed

April 2014

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Keeping you informed

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Solid gold!

Congratulations to Terry Strain, Support Worker from Hurlford Resource Centre, who has been named Special Olympic Coach of the Year.

Terry, who was recognised for the incredible work she carries out with a local ten pin bowling team, travelled to Bath for the Special Olympics last year with her team which includes service users Archie Ballantine, Susan Alexander and Douglas Paton.

They returned home with an impressive haul of gold, silver and bronze medals.

To mark their achievements, Terry and her team were given the honour of raising the Commonwealth Flag at a large event last month at London Road to mark Commonwealth Day.

Foster Care Fortnight

Roll with it!

With Foster Care Fortnight coming up in May, the need for foster carers in East Ayrshire is greater than ever.

East Ayrshire Corporate Parenting Team (Fostering & Adoption) is looking for people who can care for single children or sibling groups from birth to 16 years.

Although there is a minimum age requirement of 21 to become a foster carer, there is no maximum age limit.

You don’t have to be married either - single people and same sex couples can apply. Fostering can even be a full-time occupation and lots of people earn a living fostering children full time.

If you’ve ever thought there could be room in your life to foster a child, call 0800 434 6633 or visit www.fosteringandadoption.org.uk.

Julie Garven and Pauline Paton from Galston local office have single-handedly revived an old Kilmarnock tradition, the sugar roll.

Julie and Pauline spoke to John Gall from Brownings the Bakers and asked if the sweet treat could make a comeback.

Brownings rose to the challenge and the sample rolls proved to be very popular. The rolls are now officially back on the menu and are selling like hot cakes every weekend.

Have a field day - Kay Park Play day is the best!

Congratulations to Allison Young, Play and Recreation Officer, and the whole team from Vibrant Communities, for winning the prestigious ‘Best Have a Field Day’ award.

The award recognised the achievements of Allison and the team, who organise the annual Playday event in the Kay Park.

Our Playday is the biggest and best in the UK attracting over 10,000 people each year.

This year Playday will have a Commonwealth theme and will be held on Wednesday 6 August.

Keeping you informed

April 2014

Grange HMIE success Congratulations to Head Teacher Fred Wildridge and all the staff from Grange Academy on their excellent HMIE report.

The school received ‘very good’ in all five categories and the inspectors were so impressed with the school’s methods that they will now be used as an example of innovative practice across Scotland.

Fred’s leadership of the school was particularly highlighted in the report. He was described as strong and very purposeful.

Fred has taken the decision to retire this summer and will be sorely missed by colleagues within the Grange Campus and across the whole Council.

Graham Short, Executive Director of Educational and Social Services said: “As head teacher first of Doon Academy then of Grange Academy and as a seconded officer, Fred has made a massive contribution to the life of East Ayrshire Council. His watchword has always been to put the children first, and by so doing countless young people, and therefore also the Council owe him a great debt of gratitude. The Education Scotland report is a fitting tribute to his educational leadership.”

Har en lång och lycklig pension, Fred!

East Ayrshire music team scoops top award The Council’s music service has won the top trophy in the UK for the quality of service it provides in local schools.

The National Music Council (NMC) awarded its Major Trophy jointly to East Ayrshire and SoundStorm (Bournemouth and Poole).

This is the record-breaking ninth year in a row that East Ayrshire has received a prestigious NMC award, beating off competitors from all over the UK.

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Keeping you informed

April 2014

The future of health and social care Eddie Fraser has been appointed as the Director of Health and Social Care for East Ayrshire.

This is a joint appointment between the Council and NHS Ayrshire and Arran and is an important step in the implementation of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Bill and the development of the new East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership.

Eddie will support the new Integration Board to lead this major initiative in the integration of public sector services. It is an inclusive new type of partnership; Councillors and NHS Board Members will be joined on the Integration Board by people who use services, family carers, the voluntary sector and employee representatives.

On Tuesday 1 April, management responsibility of health and social care services transferred to the partnership. There will be a shadow year with the opportunity to review current arrangements and develop proposals for improvement leading to full integration on 1 April 2015.

The new Scottish Government legislation means that all community health and social care services for adult and older people’s services must be included in the partnership. In East Ayrshire we recognise that many of the challenges faced by our communities cut across all age groups and therefore have taken the opportunity for the partnership to include all social work services so it will incorporate Children and Families and Criminal Justice alongside similar health services.

Eddie said: “This is our opportunity to build on what is already recognised nationally as strong partnership working and to shape and influence health and social care services at a community level.

By integrating all social work services we can ensure that this is a unified service and that there is a clear voice for children’s issues.

“We, along with many other areas, face challenges including health inequalities; the need to ensure our young people have the best possible start in life; the fact we are all living longer and need a different type of public service and the impact of alcohol and drugs on individuals, families and communities. These issues cannot be addressed by health and social care services alone and during the implementation year, and beyond, I will be ensuring that existing joint working practices with colleagues in Council services such as Housing, Vibrant Communities and Education as well as East Ayrshire Leisure are maintained and developed.

“The partnership is all about transforming care and improving the outcomes of the most vulnerable people in our communities. I know that together we can tackle the health inequalities that many of you will see on a daily basis and make this partnership the very best it can be.”

The new partnership has 1400 Council employees and 2000 employees in total. It has an annual budget of £150m.

Vibrant Community Champions Vibrant Community Champions are local people who make a difference in their community.

Champions so far include: Eleanor Kerr (pictured above) who started a volunteer litter picking group in Onthank Stewarton Flower Power Project which is a joint venture between the two local primary schools formed to make Stewarton look more ‘vibrant’ Kilmarnock Skate Group KSG who are actively pursuing their dream of having an indoor skate park for Kilmarnock Netherthird Community Garden which developed a gardening project which is now well used by the local community The TreMENDous Graduates for their hard work and passion in relation to supporting other young people to become more confident, resilient individuals If you know someone, or a group, you think should be recognised for their achievements then please consider nominating them. The process consists of a short informal interview and a photocall.

For further information on Vibrant Community Champions or to nominate someone for the award please contact Margaret Macbain on 01563 578121 or email: vibrantcommunities@eastayrshire.gov.uk

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Keeping you informed

April 2014

Comprehensive Community Plan Review 2014/15 Community Planning is about a range of partners in the public and voluntary sectors working together to better plan, resource and deliver quality services that meet the needs of people who live and work in East Ayrshire and make a real difference to their lives.

As our sovereign planning document, the Community Plan has set out the vision and priorities for East Ayrshire since 2003.

In that time, Community Planning Partners have worked together to take forward a range of actions under the themes of lifelong learning, regenerating communities, improving community safety, and improving health and wellbeing.

As our current Community Plan nears the end of its lifespan in 2015, we need your help to review and renew it.

As our workforce, you are the eyes and ears of East Ayrshire and it is vital that you use your knowledge and understanding of the communities you serve to tell us what continues to be important to you and the people you work with. This information will be used to inform the new Community Plan and build a better East Ayrshire.

The consultation period for the Review will run until 30 April 2014. Please let us know your views by completing the employee survey at www.eac.eu/communityplansurvey Hard copies will be made available to those employees who do not have internet access.

Healthy Working Lives Organisational Development and Vibrant Communities have delivered three Healthy Working Lives Learning Lunches designed to support health and wellbeing in the workplace.

The lunches have focused upon Physical Activity, Alcohol and Drug Awareness and Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing Participants have found the events informative and motivating and are already reporting that the small changes that they have made are leading to improved physical and mental wellbeing.

The next learning lunch will take place on Wednesday 30 April from 12pm until 1.30pm at the Learning Academy, Greenholm Street, Kilmarnock. The focus of this session will be healthy eating. Lunch will be cooked on the premises to demonstrate how quick and easy it is to prepare a healthy and nutritious meal.

Visit the Healthy Working Lives pages to find out just how easy it is to be active, be well and stay well.

For those of you who work with the public, it would also be appreciated if you could encourage as many people as you can to complete the public survey which can be accessed at www.eac.eu/communityplan14 Both surveys should take no more than a few minutes to complete and feedback will be vital in letting us know how, together, we can build a better East Ayrshire.

build a Helping to Ayrshire better East 2014/15 – Plan Review ber Survey Community Elected Mem Employee and

Helping to bu ild better East Ay a rshire

Community Plan Review 2014/15 Community, Volu – ntary and Busi ness Sector Surv ey

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Keeping you informed

Drivers Driivers s and and cyclists: cy y ts: yclists:

Arre you Are A y sharing sha harin ing g th the h road d safely? f l ?

Drivers: Actively look out for cyclists - especially when turning.

Cyclists: Look out for HGVs turning left beside or behind you Always remember the driver may not see you.

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Safety Flash A logistics company and a roofing contractor have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) after an employee was killed when he fell through a warehouse roof. It was found that safety procedures and risk assessment had not been carried out for the works.

All Safety Flashes are available at: http://eacintranet/ChiefExecutiveOffi ce/HealthandSafety/SafetyFLASH/Sa fety-Flash-2014.aspx

Health and Safety Standards Updated Health and Safety Standards, Noise at Work and Health and Safety Monitoring and Reporting have been released. All Standards are available at: http://eacintranet/ChiefExecutiveO ffice/HealthandSafety/MasterSafety FileReview.aspx

For mor For moree information information see the latest Safety Flash at www.eac.eu/safetyflash www w.eac.eu/safetyflash .eac.eu/safety

Teamwork is the key to a safer workplace

The Helpdesk Remember, the Helpdesk is available to answer health and safety queries and provide advice and information across the Council.

Health and Safety Law Poster All Health and Safety Law posters displayed on notice boards must be updated with the new version by April 2014. New posters can be ordered through PECOS; Kelvin Books ISBN 9780717663392.

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Keeping you informed

Ayrshire Shines!

Queen’s Baton Relay reaches East Ayrshire on 21 June On Saturday 21 June, the Queen’s Baton Relay will reach East Ayrshire visiting towns and villages from Dalmellington to Kilmarnock.

The baton’s global epic journey reaches home soil on Saturday 14 June where it will visit 400 communities across Scotland offering thousands of people the opportunity to be part of the excitement, celebrations and countdown to Scotland’s biggest ever sporting and cultural festival, the XX Commonwealth Games.

To reflect the important role of sport and legacy the baton will be visiting community events, leisure centres and key places of interest within East Ayrshire.

On the day there will be exciting events for members of the community to attend including a Big Breakfast in Dalmellington and a Commonwealth Carnival in Kilmarnock which will be led by the Council in partnership with East Ayrshire Leisure and local communities.

This builds on East Ayrshire Council’s Legacy Plan, started in 2008, which has seen the creation of the multi-million Ayrshire Athletics Arena, 90 local talented sports people being supported through the Talented Athlete Support Programme and more people encouraged to volunteer, get involved and help create a lasting legacy.

Exact details of the route and timings will not be revealed until 6 weeks before the event; however we can confirm that the baton will visit the following locations: Dalmellington; New Cumnock; Cumnock; Auchinleck; Mauchline; Galston; Stewarton; Kilmaurs; Crosshouse – including Crosshouse Hospital; Kilmarnock All the successful batonbearers were notified by Glasgow 2014 by email on Monday 31 March, and we are pleased to report that Kevan Aitken’s boy Gregor has been given the honour of carrying the baton. Congratulations!

The Council wants to make sure that front line employees are ready for an influx of tourists to Ayrshire before and during the Commonwealth Games.

To help our employees prepare, a special training event was developed and delivered by Organisational Development, Vibrant Communities and East Ayrshire Leisure, called Ayrshire Shines.

The session was full of interesting updates about the Games and other events taking place in 2014; information regarding what’s on offer for tourists visiting Ayrshire and the implications for customer care across East Ayrshire.

Tourism is hugely beneficial to our economy and a strong economy benefits us all, communities and employees alike.

To make sure that you are fully equipped to provide a warm, enthusiastic and informed welcome to all visitors, a second Ayrshire Shines event will be held on Tuesday 6 May at the Burns Monument Centre, Kilmarnock from 10am to 11.30am.

Before you book your place, ask for permission from your Line Manager then drop an email to organisationaldevelopment@eastayrshire.gov.uk

It wasn’t possible for everyone who was nominated to be given the honour of becoming a batonbearer and many people have been left disappointed; none more so than James Duncan from Administrative Services.

The Provost took time out of his very busy schedule to let James know that even though he wasn’t selected he was still very important to everyone at the Council.

Barbara McNaughton, Sustainability Officer (2014 Legacy/ Events) was also on hand to present James with a goodie bag.

Are you a Clyde-sider?

We want to hear from employees who are set to be Clydesiders at the Commonwealth Games. What role have you been given? How excited are you to be involved in Scotland’s biggest ever event?

If you are interested in sharing your story please contact Barbara.mcnaughton@east-ayrshire.gov.uk

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Keeping you informed

Ayrshire Roads Alliance launches Scotland’s most innovative public sector partnership was launched in Ayrshire on Tuesday 1 April, by Transport and Veterans Minister, Keith Brown.

The Ayrshire Roads Alliance has been established to deliver excellent shared roads and transportation services to communities across East and South Ayrshire.

The new shared service will ensure a consistent standard of service delivery while improving service efficiency and resilience. Savings of more than £8m are expected over the next ten years, through reduced management and administrative costs plus better deals for larger orders.

Detailed information about the Alliance is available from http://www.ayrshireroadsalliance.org/Home.aspx Remember that email addresses have now changed to: firstname.secondname@ayrshireroadsalliance.org Before the launch of the Ayrshire Roads Alliance, Ewords caught up with Stewart Turner, Head of Roads – Ayrshire Roads Alliance to find out more about his new role and a little about himself...

A day in the life of…

Stewart Turner Could you please provide a short description of your job?

I am responsible for the service delivery of the Ayrshire Roads Alliance.

The Alliance provides the entire roads and transportation service delivery for East Ayrshire Council and South Ayrshire Council. These Councils have agreed to an innovative and sectorleading partnership to deliver a shared roads service from 1 April 2014. This is the first roads service in Scotland where the entire roads service is provided in this way.

The Alliance will be governed by a Joint Committee of Elected Members, with four Councillors from East Ayrshire Council, and four Councillors from South Ayrshire Council. From a management perspective the 250 people in the Alliance work for East Ayrshire Council. Accordingly on 1 April, 90 roads staff from South

Ayrshire will transfer under TUPE. Road services will be delivered throughout the East and South Ayrshire areas - from Galston to Girvan; Maidens to Muirkirk; and Ballantrae to Bellfield. The work we will carry out includes roads maintenance; winter maintenance; street lighting; car parking; roads design; bridge design; traffic and transportation and road safety.

So what does an average day look like?

I start the day with reviewing emails and preparing for the day ahead. We are approaching the formal launch of the Ayrshire Roads Alliance on Tuesday 1 April, and there are many meetings at the moment to make sure we have a seamless transition. The most important people in the transition are the general public, and it is imperative that they do not notice any difference in roads service delivery at this time.

We have extensive project plans, which have led to much work which has been carried by staff in many sections of East Ayrshire Council.

So are we prepared for 1 April?

Hopefully the weather is spring like; and there is no need to implement any winter maintenance or even flood patrols.

In the background we have to make sure that all the new Ayrshire Roads Alliance staff are aware of the process.

Bulletins are issued – Bulletin 11 was issued last week, and I have also visited all the offices and depots to

make sure staff are informed and any of their anxiety issues are removed.

What did you accomplish yesterday?

I attended the Little Steps Road Safety Challenge at Riccarton Early Childhood Centre which was formally launched by Councillor Cook. This is a very important initiative which ensures that the message of road safety can be provided to our youngest residents.

We also had our first Joint Committee Business Meeting. This was an opportunity for the Joint Committee comprising four East Ayrshire Councillors; and four South Ayrshire Councillors to discuss general business with staff from the Ayrshire Roads Alliance and other support staff.

The main outcome of this meeting is that we will have arranged the first Formal Joint Committee meeting.

What did you listen to on the way to work?

Kodaline’s current CD – “In a Perfect World” Coffee or tea?

Strong milky tea.

Brown or red?

Always brown sauce on my square sausage.

Any interests?

I have a keen interest in many sports including football, despite supporting Hamilton Accies.

April 2014 13

Keeping you informed

What’s on…

Dean Castle Country Park There is a busy season of events planned at Dean Castle and Country Park – here are some highlights.

Nature camp The week long day camp offers children aged 8 and older the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a Countryside Ranger. Costs £50 per week and runs from 11am to 3pm. The next camp will run from Monday 7 April to Friday 11 April and there are three weeks available during the school summer holidays.

Donna Fallon, International Psychic Medium & Psychic to the Stars Friday 18 April, 7:30pm, £17.50 The Singing Kettle presents: Fantastic Funfair Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 April, 12 noon & 3pm. £12 (Family saver £44/Groups of 10+, £9 /Adult and Babe, £14) The Adventures of Robin Hood Saturday 3 May, 2pm, £4/£12 Family ticket for 4. For tickets contact the Box Office on 01563 554900.

New Leisure Facility

Classic car rally

at Loudoun Academy

On Sunday 11 May the Ayrshire Classic Car Club annual show will roll into town. The show attracts over 100 vehicles from across Scotland and is a great day out for families.

The brand new Loudoun Leisure Centre opens on Monday 7 April with a fantastic Easter holiday activity programme for kids run by East Ayrshire Leisure. The new Centre offers a wide range of activities and facilities including: a new fitness suite with a wide range of equipment for a total body workout; Fifa *1 synthetic grass pitch for ½ pitch training, 7 a side matches, hockey and light rugby training; a public swimming pool.

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Full details are available from – www.eastayrshireleisure.com or contact loudounleisurecentre@eastayrshire.gov.uk. Tel 07818 511500.

Library events Bookbug’s Big Sports Day Monday 19 May 10am -11.30am Free but ticketed, suitable for 0-4 yrs

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Palace Theatre Hot Flush Thursday 10 April, 7:30pm. £22.50 (£20 for groups of 10+) Counselled Out Friday 11 April, 7:30pm. £10

Commonwealth Games - Songs, Rhymes and Instruments Thursday 12 June 0-3 yrs and parents/carers

Burns Monument Centre Outdoor Recreations, Races & Runners: Sport in East Ayrshire’s Past will be on display at the BMC from May to August and will feature photographs, local history and archive material illustrating East Ayrshire’s sporting history.

Kilmarnock in the 1960s Were you there?

Wednesday 14 May, Wednesday 11 June, Wednesday 16 July and Wednesday 20 August. 2pm – 4pm We have an outstanding archive of previously unseen Kilmarnock photographs from the 1960s at the Burns Monument Centre. The photographs show Kilmarnock on the cusp of huge changes and these sessions are sure to jog many memories.

Exhibition Highlight Generation - South by South West 2014 Saturday 3 May - Saturday 16 August Dick Institute Main Gallery Generation - SXSW 2014 platforms three of Scotland’s major contributors to the development of contemporary art in the last 25 years. In partnership with Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries and the Maclaurin Galleries in Ayr, we have brought together selected works of Christine Borland, Graham Fagen and artist partnership Matthew Dalziel and Louise Scullion.

Generation is part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme, which is a partnership between the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee, Glasgow Life and Creative Scotland, and has an important role to play in Legacy locally.

Saturday 21 June 3-7 yrs and parents/carers Free but ticketed. For more information call 01563 554300.

Visit www.eastayrshireleisure.com for the full details of any of the events above

Keeping you informed

April 2014 14

East Ayrshire Council

Improved service.

More choices.

Better access.

Our customer contact arrangements are changing Our customers are important to us and we understand that you want to contact us in a number of different ways and for a number of different reasons. We’ve been reviewing our customer contact arrangements across all of East Ayrshire and from 4 April 2014 onwards you will see many changes taking place which will provide you with an improved service, with more choices and better access.

New area hub arrangements We are introducing 5 local community hubs where you will be able to make council payments and access many council services in the same location, providing a new and improved standard of service for all our customers.

Your local hub offices are: Stewarton Area Centre, Avenue Street, Stewarton Civic Centre, John Dickie Street, Kilmarnock Galston, 11 Cross Street, Galston Rothesay House, 1 Greenholm Road, Cumnock Dalmellington Area Centre, 33 Main Street, Dalmellington

New payment arrangements New arrangements will be in place with the Post Office and Pay Point which means you can make payments in person at many more local outlets. Payments can be made at any local Post Office or in premises displaying a Pay Point sign. In many cases these outlets have extended opening times, allowing you to make payments at a time most convenient to you.

We have increased the choice of payment options available to you. Payments can be made in person at any local community hub; by telephone - 01563 554400 or by using our automated payment line - 0845 3725334.

To view all payment locations, visit: www.eac.eu/paymentlocations If you wish to make payments at these outlets, you will need a payment card or bar-coded bill. If you currently pay by card you will automatically be sent a payment card. To discuss your payment options, please call 01563 554400.

You can make payments online at www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk using a debit /credit card. You can also send a cheque to East Ayrshire Council, The Collecting Hall, Civic Centre North, John Dickie Street, Kilmarnock, KA1 1BY.

Keeping you informed

April 2014 15

Direct Debit One of the easiest ways to make regular Council payments is by Direct Debit. These are easy to set up and once in place, all your payments will be made automatically, on time - and in line with your instalment plan.

We can help you complete the appropriate mandate form and we will arrange payments with your bank/building society. Direct debit mandate forms are available from any local community hub; from www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk or by calling 01563 554400.

Alternatively, for Council Tax payments, you can use our paperless Direct Debit facility by calling 01563 554400 with your bank details. We will send you a letter confirming your request and the Direct Debit Guarantee will still apply.

Customer account A customer account gives you access to your rent, insurance and council tax accounts online. You can view your balance and payment history online and make a payment at your own convenience.

To sign up for an account go to www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/signin

Telephone enquiries You can contact us on 01563 554400 and we will direct you to the most appropriate advisor, depending on the nature of your enquiry. We have increased the number of call handlers available and we will endeavour to respond to your enquiry as quickly as possible.

Additional contact information Local hub office opening hours Monday - Thursday

9.00am – 5.00pm

Friday

9.00am – 4.00pm

Telephone enquiries

01563 554400

email: customerservices@east-ayrshire.gov.uk Out of hours emergencies

0845 7240000

Automated Payment Line

0845 3725334

Housing Repairs

01563 555555

Registration Services

01563 576695

email: registrar@east-ayrshire.gov.uk

Local office closure programme From 4 April onwards, several local offices will be closing on a phased basis and Council services will transfer to the new area hubs. Closure dates are as follows: 4 April:

Crosshouse, Kilmaurs, Patna

15 April:

Newmilns

17 April:

Mauchline, Darvel

2 May:

Catrine, Drongan, Muirkirk

16 May:

Auchinleck, Bellfield, Hurlford

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