News on Ardrossan Connections

The project team were on site on Thursday 9th September and carried out engagement activities and put up boards in the town.

The Ardrossan Connections team have put up project information boards around the town. You can find out a bit more about: the project; the timeline; who is involved and what is coming next, by visiting the boards on Glasgow Street Princes Street ; Whitlees Community Centre and on South Beach.

For further information on the project, please get in touch or visit the project website: https://ardrossanconnections.commonplace.is/

Members of the project team carried out a walking & wheeling audit with members from the North Ayrshire Access Panel. The purpose of the audit was for the team to gather feedback about moving around the local area, when walking or wheeling, and how this could be made safer and more accessible. The team received valuable feedback and enjoyed being out and about Ardrossan, engaging with the community face to face.

If you are an individual, or a member of a community group, who has accessibility needs when moving about the area, you can still leave feedback with the project team. Please get in touch to request a copy of the walking & wheeling audit survey, or to leave general comments: cat.wright@sustrans.org.uk

You can also watch a virtual walking audit which the team produced earlier in the year.

To help brighten up the South Beach Milepost and join in Sustrans work to preserve the Mileposts in the UK , the team are running an art competition for primary and secondary school pupils in Ardrossan.

To enter:

1. Pick up a blank Milepost template to colour in from one of the following locations:

• The ballot box on the lamp post by the Milepost - location can be found here.

• Whitlees Community Centre

• Ardrossan Library

• Or click here to print your own

2. Get creative and design new colours for the milepost

3. Take a photo of the creation and have and adult email the photo, along with name, class and school of pupil, to: cat.wright@sustrans.org.uk

4. Alternatively, the artwork can be posted to: Ardrossan Connections, Sustrans, Rosebery House, 9 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5EZ

The closing date is Thursday 30th September, after this the team will short list the entries and have the community vote for their favourite design.

Please note that once the team have received an email entry, they will save the image and delete the email. The only personal details the team will securely keep, are: name, class and school of the pupil - this is so we can contact the chosen artist. For data protection reasons, please ensure that photos of the artwork only and do not capture the participant or other members of the public.

The team dropped into businesses on Princes Street and Glasgow Street, to chat to them about the project and understands their needs and aspirations for the area. Businesses were left with a leaflet highlighting the potential positive impacts that Ardrossan Connections could have on their business and a survey to help the project team understand deliveries and access needs. It was great to get to speak with local businesses and we will continue this engagement as we develop designs.