A WEEK-LONG effort to help raise awareness of poverty in North Ayrshire has been hailed a success.
North Ayrshire Council played a leading role during this year’s Challenge Poverty Week, with a series of events aimed at challenging the stereotypes about poverty and demonstrating what is being done across North Ayrshire to tackle it.
North Ayrshire Provost Ian Clarkson and Council Leader Joe Cullinane visited a host of local groups during the week which got underway on Monday morning at Fullarton Community Hub with ‘Aye We Can’ – a conference promoting the message that the Council, partners and a range of organisations are fighting hard to help and support our local communities.
Chief Executive Elma Murray spoke about the Council’s commitment to be ‘Fair For All’, while Peter Kelly of the Poverty Alliance spoke about finding solutions to tackle poverty. Other speakers included Zoe Ferguson from Carnegie UK Trust, Donna Fitzpatrick from the Fullarton Community Association, and Councillor Cullinane.
Tuesday saw the launch of Better Off North Ayrshire - a new initiative aimed at helping people on low incomes maximise their resources.
The initiative is funded jointly by the European Social Fund and Big Lottery Fund Scotland with £3million awarded for a three-year period to 2020. It is a collaboration between the Council and a range of third sector delivery partners with a focus on improving the financial circumstances of people out of work or on low incomes.
Later, Provost Clarkson and the Council Leader lent a helping hand at Café Solace – a project which helps people recovering from addiction give
something back to the community. Since launching in 2015, it has served thousands of meals and now has locations in Ardrossan, Irvine and Kilbirnie.
On Wednesday, Fullarton Employability Hub was officially opened. The hub is a one-stop shop for people looking to find employment, and offers a drop-in service, as well as dedicated workshops and training to develop skills. It is now the fourth employability hub in North Ayrshire, complementing the Stevenston, Ardrossan and Kilbirnie hubs.
On Thursday, the Leader and Provost visited Fairlie Growers, where they were given a tour of the facilities and found out about the health, social and financial benefits of growing your own vegetables.
And on Friday, they visited Hayocks Primary in Stevenston to see how youngsters have been enjoying activities throughout the October School Holidays.
These events were in addition to a number of roadshows held at various locations across North Ayrshire which offered advice on issues such as energy, housing and money management.
Councillor Cullinane said: “It’s been an amazing week of activities, right from the very start with the conference where we had a really meaningful discussion on what poverty is and how we can tackle it.
“I really enjoyed getting the chance to speak to a number of different groups and stakeholders about the steps we are taking now and will take in the future to address what is a major issue for us.
“Here in North Ayrshire, we have high levels of deprivation and unemployment so it’s important that we acknowledge that and make every effort to take the next steps towards eradicating poverty.”