IRVINE’S MP Philippa Whitford donned old clothes and took her brush in hand, as she helped put the final touches to the Pilot House restoration, writes Lewis McKenzie.

The SNP politician joined members of the local Coastwatch team and staff from GSK in Irvine last Thursday to help paint the fence surrounding the area, after work had previously been interrupted due to bad weather.

The project has been a hugely successful collaboration between a number of organisations, with Dr Whitford having initiated the initial partnership following a visit to GSK earlier this year.

Having learned about the company’s ‘Orange Days’, where staff are given a day to volunteer some of their working hours on community initiatives, Dr Whitford put them in touch with Coastwatch who were looking for assistance to restore the Pilot House.

Since then, the number of contributors has multiplied.

They include Damm power washing the exterior of the building, TTag Ltd erecting the scaffolding, the Wood Group painting the more exposed West and South facing walls (using paint donated by Crown), McEvoy Engineering repairing and re-building the fencing around the building, and Kelburne Construction removing the excess material on the site and preparing the land for Sodexo Horticultural Services to improve the landscape of the area.

After spending the morning with the team, Dr Whitford expressed her delight at the end results and her thanks to all those involved.

She said: “I am delighted to see the transformation that has taken place over the past few weeks.

“The project has come on in leaps and bounds since GSK agreed to come board, through the manpower they provided and their willingness to get others involved who could provide the necessary materials and expertise.

“I would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who has contributed. It has been a real collaborative effort and the results are here for everyone to see.

“Without the input from GSK, their staff, and all the other contributors they were able to call upon, the restoration would still be a work in progress. Now, however, the work is complete and whole of the harbourside is looking better as a result.”

Echoing Dr Whitford’s comments, Coastwatch chair Billy Lamb said: “Large companies such as GSK putting time and effort into the community is fantastic and very much appreciated by our Coastwatch Scotland Volunteers.  

“The Orange teams of GSK employees and GSK Contract Partners who gave their time and effort away from their normal tasks and braved the elements with considerable humour and covered in white and blue paint.

“A great bunch of people from different disciplines all working as a team. They have made a huge difference to the Pilot House and saved CWS many hours work to reach this stage.  We can’t thank the Orange Team enough!”