Our voluntary group aims to promote social inclusion, improved mental health and wellbeing, physical activity and community service. We promote these aims within the group and, through our activities, to improve accessibility to Eglinton Park's core pathways for all users.

Our work is in addition to, going above and beyond the routine maintenance and repairs of the park as provided by Streetscene and North Ayrshire Ranger Service.

Our project is ongoing, the aim is to continue to improve our offering around the core pathways of Eglinton Park and also to continue to grow the membership of our group. To be able to do this we need to replace and upgrade our existing toolset to improve our offering and to further assist the local community and all users of Eglinton Park.

Please have a look at our Facebook page to see the work that we do.

We are applying for funding of £1000 to help us to promote the aims of the group as outlined.

Items that will improve our offering, with approximate costings:-

Battery operated cordless power tools - £500

Manual hand tools - £250

Personal protective equipment - £250

Considering that a large proportion (at least 50%) of our learners are drawn from communities which are feature on the bottom 20%, 10%, or 5% of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, our Band is a lifeline in preserving the often-expensive art of Highland Bagpiping and Drumming the community.

We see our greatest achievements to date as being the achievements that our young members have attained through the years. Our young learners have gone on to a range of positive destinations in the piping community including study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and many have gone on to play in Grade 1 corps including Inveraray and District, Shotts and Dykehead, The Glasgow Skye Association, and Greater Glasgow Police Scotland Pipe Band.

Specific Project

Notwithstanding the success of our free tuition programme in producing high caliber pipers, drumming tuition in our community has significantly trailed behind. Drumming tuition in the wider area has been inconsistent both in terms of provision and quality. This has led to a shortage of young, innovative, high-quality players within the community which, over time, has become a key factor in restraining the local piping and drumming ‘scene’ from reaching its full potential.

To resolve this problem, we have recently launched a new drumming tuition initiative. We have acquired three Grade One drumming instructors (two side drummers and one tenor drummer) from outwith our community to revitalise drumming tuition in the area. These instructors are young (all under 30) and are delivering first rate tuition in a forward-thinking manner that cuts through to our young learners. We shall equip these learners with the skills they need to take their drumming to the next level and we intend to facilitate them acquiring qualifications through the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board.

Total Amount Requested: £1000

Total uniform cost £300

Transport - £250

Day to day running expenses: £450

Total Project Cost £1000

We have a reserve account that will be able to accomodate the other £4,000.00

For video's etc, please see https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ca2wKgeau/

The waste incineartor  currently being built at Oldhall West is due to begin operations  around the turn  of the year. It will only be allowed operate once Scottish Environment Protection  Agency (SEPA) have  issued a permit. Once the permit is issued the company operating the incinerator is responisible for controlling emmisions , monitoring them, and self reporting.

Waste incinerators are associated with a rise in  air pollution, including to Nitrous dioxide, which is considered to cause 'significant' harm to humans, even at levels lower than those permitted in the UK.( see photo for quote) As there will be no other independent monitoring of emmissions our group is seeking funds to by the equipment to monitor Nitorous Dioxide emmisions ourselves. Currently the only public air quality monitoring station is in the centre of Irvine, at the cross. We understand there will be two points for monitoring at the waste incinerator, one on the back-up diesel generator ( checked every 5 years) and the other on the stack. None of these existing monitoring arrangements wil give a real idea of air quality changes inthe wider area around the incerator once it begins operations.

If our results, are as , we hope ,that there is no rise in  air pollution in the Irvine area we can publicise this reassuring information. In the unfortunate event that we find  that emissions are dangerous to health we can alert SEPA and the appropriate action can be taken to protect locals.

One of the reasons why locals are so concerned about this  possible threat is that they were alarmed by the 2 battery fires in Kilwinning, which caused significant changes to our air quality. The plant in Kilwinning had all it SEPA permits. Many locals feel that the permits were not adequate to provide real proection and they wish further reassurance about potential threats from  this  larger plant, closer to Irvine. 

The cost of a hand held monitor suitable for the job is around £500. This is the only equipment we are seeking funding for. Our group has a bank account.

I attach a document which explains the dangers of emmissions from  waste incineratros, with partuiclar reference to the gas we wish to monitor.