31st January saw an amazing and historic day for Maybole!

The first of the Bypass traffic being led through by the police. Great thanks from our community to those who worked so hard over the years to see this happen.

With the Bypass now open projects on the High Street will start and it is going to be an exciting time for Maybole.

Back in February of this year, the Maybole Regeneration Project started a partnership with the University of West Scotland’s media students to make a monthly podcast.

The Podcast is called Recap Reboot. Every month UWS students will talk to the people who are working hard to bring new life to the South Ayrshire town while looking back at its rich history and the community who live and work in the ancient capital of Carrick

The aim of the podcast is to:

• Take a co-production approach to involve the local community in the production process, not just through interviews but also hands on activities and opportunities to be exposed to new skills.
• Be aimed at and accessible to the local community, to keep them informed of the progress of the Maybole Regeneration Project.
• Promote the Maybole and North Carrick area to a wider audience.

In this first episode (link to listen is below) you get to meet the team and hear what we love about Maybole and there is a great snippet on Maybole’s long and fascinating history.

Going forward we really want to get the community involved if you have any ideas and want to be interviewed please email [email protected].

Without further ado is here the link to Episode 1 of Recap Reboot: https://anchor.fm/recap-reboot/episodes/Recap-Reboot—Episode-1-evt6ea?fbclid=IwAR27uyrH92lDSh6Ct8Ibc48ftW5Tdv2iKuPtWm2NzJt24RE-4t4RVaQtEGM

The Maybole Regeneration Project would like to thank the UWS students for all their hard work and Liam McCourt from Carrick Academy for making the music of the podcast!

You can also listen to the podcast on other platforms:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3x7sHiMKBoFTr5gtymxafO

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy81OTBkZTRmMC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

PocketCast: https://pca.st/t2rlmsh3

RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/recap-reboot-podcast-69LlK2

Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/recap-reboot-podcast

We hope you enjoyed it!

We are excited to announce that Cate Ross has been appointed as Artist in Residence for Maybole Regeneration Project.

Cate will be working in partnership with the MRP to engage with the local community and co-produce events, activities and artworks that interpret Maybole’s history, heritage and change.

Cate is a professional artist with extensive experience of delivering community arts projects of this nature. She has been engaged in socially applied creative practice with a focus on Community Development working in diverse communities since 1995. She also has extensive experience in providing creative workshops in many mediums including physical theatre and visual art forms throughout Europe and the USA.

Cate will deliver a wide variety of activities to all members of the local community including group work, public presentations, creative workshops and exploration, public events and performances, all leading to development of new artworks that we hope to present in regular showcase exhibitions and celebratory events.

Cate was delighted with the news of the appointment, she stated ‘The three-year timescale of the Artist in Residence project provides great scope and potential for providing a meaningful and enjoyable project that will greatly benefit all’.

She also commented, ‘All my creative work is focused on helping to unlock creative expression to benefit people directly, I strive to create cultural experiences which engender more fulfilment, equality and sustainability in our daily lives and our community calendars’ Cate and the Maybole Regeneration Project are excited to achieve this.

Cate has a passion for history and is thrilled at the opportunity to collaborate with the MRP and other community groups to research and bring Maybole’s fascinating story back to life.

Cate descends from East Highland fisher folk and lowland farmers, so she feels a strong connection to the Maybole locale, culturally and regarding the natural amenities. Cate has a particular interest in the town’s relationship with traditional crafts and so one of the projects that she hopes to deliver will look at the history of these crafts, their contemporary applications and their mentions in literature.

The Artist in Residence role sits within our extensive Activities and Training Programme which seeks for local people to develop traditional building skills and learn more about their heritage and the regeneration process through community engagement, education and training projects.

This aspect of the project is generously funded by Historic Environment Scotland and South Ayrshire Council.

To find out more about Cate visit her website http://www.aethaerialarts.com/

If you would like to get involved in the Artist in Residence project please email [email protected]

Watch this space for more updates on this exciting project!

Cate Ross photo credit to Kim Ayres Photography.

MRP are hosting a series of online evening talks starting the 9^th March 2021 to highlight the history and heritage of North Carrick.

“Abune a mire – the hidden history of Maybole” – 7pm Wednesday 9^th March 2021

Fergus Surtherland from Icosse Heritage and Media, will delve into Maybole’s surprisingly fascinating and important History and have a Q&A with you!

‘Exploring Your Scottish Family History’ – Thursday 7pm 25^th March 2021

Scottish professional genealogist Michelle Leonard will provide a guide to the key records that can help you explore the lives and times of your Scottish ancestors.  The presentation will include practical examples, family history stories and Michelle’s top hints and tips on how to trace your Scottish ancestors.

“A Guide to Conservation Area Building Maintenance” – 7pm Thursday 8^th April 2021.

Peter Drummond, our project Architect will deliver a talk about how to maintain your property and have a Q&A with you!

“North Carrick Virtual Tour” – 7pm Thursday 22^nd April 2021

Noreen Lyon from Lyon Tours Scotland will present a zoom presentation travelling through North Carrick looking at its History & Heritage. The tour goes along the coast through Dunure & back through Kirkoswald to Maybole.  This tour is suitable for locals & tourists from the comfort of your home.

“A guide to Historic Shopfronts in Maybole” – 6pm Thursday 6^th May 2021.

Dr Lindsay Lennie will look at the importance of historic shop fronts in Scottish town centres.

EMAIL [email protected] FOR THE ZOOM INVITE.

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!

The evening talks are part of our extensive Activities and Training Programme funded by Historic Environment Scotland, National Lottery Heritage Fund and South Ayrshire Council.

The Scottish Government has granted £729,659 from their Regeneration Capital Grant Fund to help transform Maybole Castle. The funding will be used to turn the castle into a key attraction bringing the building back into use.

The 16^th century castle will be completely refurbished so visitors and locals can enjoy the historic building and grounds.  Visitors will also be able to enjoy the gardens which will be restored too.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “I’m delighted that alongside COSLA we are delivering a further £25 million of investment to support community led projects right across Scotland.

“This project will see a 16^th century building brought back into use as a key asset for Maybole, creating new business and employment opportunities and contributing to the wider ambitions for regenerating the town.”

Councillor Siobhian Brown, Economy and Culture Portfolio Holder for South Ayrshire Council said: “This fantastic funding boost for Maybole supports our ambitions for thriving towns which generate employment opportunities, support new and existing business and add to our world beating tourist attractions.”

Mark Fletcher, Chair of Maybole Community Council stated: “This generous grant from Scottish Government secures a sustainable future for the castle. It’s an iconic building in the town and we can now look forward to a fully revitalised high street that will make Maybole an even better town to live, work and visit.”

The Maybole Regeneration Team are delighted at this news and the opportunities it brings! Watch this space for updates!

We are excited to announce that Peter Drummond Architects and TCS Construction Consultants have been appointed for the works on Maybole’s Town Hall. The Town Hall is one of the main priority buildings for the project, so this appointment is a major step forward in the redevelopment of Maybole High Street.

Ayrshire based Peter Drummond Architects have over 20 years’ experience specialising in heritage and conservation work. They have done great work locally on James Miller’s iconic Turnberry Hotel and have the redeveloped an important 18th century town house in Ayr.

Peter Drummond stated “I’m delighted to be appointed to the Town Hall Project, I have been involved in many works around North Carrick and wider Ayrshire, this project is a tremendous opportunity to restore an important historical building”

Peter Drummond Architects will be working closely with TCS, an Ayrshire based consultant that will be providing the quantity surveying services to the Town Hall project.

The Town Hall is an iconic building with a rich history and a community hub for Maybole residents. The aim of our work is to preserve it for the future generations of Maybole whilst making it a more attractive venue for a wide range of different uses

For more information on Peter Drummond Architects visit their website: www.pdarch.co.uk

For more information on TCS visit their website: www.tcsconstructionconsultants.co.uk

Watch this space for more updates on this exciting project!

A major milestone in the regeneration of Maybole’s historic town centre has been reached with the appointment of Collective Architecture, a very well respected Architecture practice as the lead consultants. Collective Architecture will be working with Cassillis Estate, supported by the Regeneration Project, to develop plans to bring the Castle and its grounds back into long term use.

The aim is to have the Castle and its grounds back in use by 2022.

Watch this space for more information and regular updates