Council Leader Marie Burns and Chief Executive Craig Hatton have wrapped up their latest series of Locality Visits by visiting staff and partners in Kilwinning.
The aim of the visits is to give staff – and those involved in partnership projects – an opportunity to speak directly with Marie and Craig and discuss their project in detail, including any key learning and experiences.
They also give Marie and Craig time, in a relaxed setting, to meet people face-to-face and hear first hand about their work, and ambitions and impact in the local area.
The Kilwinning visit involved three stops at Shuttle Buses, The Dirrans Centre and Ecocel Services Ltd.
Shuttle Buses is an employee-owned transport company that employs around 70 staff. Compliance and Special projects manager Graham Kidd proudly gave Marie and Craig a tour of the depot with our Business Growth Manager Nicola McMurdie – before taking them a spin round the town in one of his new electric buses.
The firm has been making strong progress in its transition to a greener fleet, investing in electric and low-emission vehicles as part of their commitment to sustainability.
As part of this, they’re actively involved in the Council-backed Net Zero Accelerator programme, which Nicola and the Business team have been providing additional support for.
The Accelerator programme is helping Shuttle Buses to shape its decarbonisation plans and explore future funding routes.
Employee ownership has played a key role in strengthening the business model and retaining skills locally, and there has been heavy investment in solar panels and electric charging points – which Graham hopes to offer to local businesses to use in the near future.
There was a change of pace at The Dirrans Centre, where Team Manager Nicola Rowan, her staff and some service users welcomed Marie and Craig for a tour of the facilities.
The centre, run by North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), provides a rehabilitation service for adults who have a physical disability, a brain injury or neurological and long-term conditions.
It was originally a head injury unit – helping to rehabilitate hundreds of people since first opening in 1996 – but expanded its services to include reablement services for adults with physical disability, brain injury, neurological and long-term conditions.
“Shuttle Buses and Ecocel are two forward-thinking businesses creating jobs within the area and playing their part in working towards a greener future. Interesting to visit them both and hear about their different approaches to aspects of business, including cutting their carbon footprint and recycling valuable materials and becoming more efficient. At The Dirrans Centre, we heard some really emotional and uplifting stories from service users who have seen dramatic, positive changes happening in their lives thanks to the staff’s expertise – and to support from each other. I would like to thank the Council staff who have helped to facilitate all of the Locality Visits over the past year. These are really valuable in helping Marie and I connect with community partners, see progress that is being made at key projects we support and for catching up with colleagues we may not see on a regular basis..”Craig Hatton Chief Executive
It now features a training kitchen, gym, lounge/dining room, multi-purpose rooms for a wide range of activities, an IT room with Smart Board and computer access and a quiet room. There is also a garden area, with patio and BBQ area, a greenhouse and raised beds for wheelchair users.
On the day, service users shared some of their inspiring life stories with Marie and Craig, with one saying she now considers the staff and fellow patients to be her “soul family” and two others outlining how their mental and physical health has been transformed to the point that the support has either changed or saved their life.
They also spoke about how they are now working with other groups within North Ayrshire sharing their stories and helping others. At Ecocel Services Ltd, Managing Director Jamie Glover and CEO Neil Wilson provided an insight into what their successful wind energy industry services firm is currently working on. (They also shared their impressive biscuit and cake selection) Ecocel employs around 30 staff, and the team provides a range of services for on-shore wind turbines.
It recently strengthened its international trade activity through an exclusive UK-wide multi-million pound contract with the Spanish-headquartered Hine Group. A new series of Locality visits will be planned by the Communications team for 2026 – stay tuned for updates…