History
Cumnock has long been a market town, serving as a hub for the other towns in the district, and its success was furthered by its strong ties to the mining industry. When the industry was thriving, Cumnock prospered as many miners moved into the area and brought their families with them.
The impact and the pride in the legacy of the mining tradition can be seen in the monuments and structures that are left behind, such as the impressive A-Frame at Auchinleck or the bust of James Keir Hardie that takes pride of place outside Cumnock Town Hall.
Sadly, the decline of mining has had a significant impact on the area, with Cumnock suffering not only from the loss of direct benefits from the industry but also from the resulting decline in the number of people from surrounding areas using Cumnock as a market town.
The role of Cumnock Action Plan
The need to diversify Cumnock away from its traditional role has long been identified and, over time, many attempts have been made to plan for this. East Ayrshire Council have led on plans aimed at regenerating the town, and the Princes Trust completed a “Design Led Enquiry” on the needs of the area. All of these ideas and investments have been welcome, but few of them have resulted in a significant, positive shift in Cumnock long term prospects.
The Cumnock Action Plan aims to build upon these previous plans, and looks to take a co-productive approach to building the networks and relationships between our community and the services, and service deliverers, that can help us implement real and lasting change.
The development of the Action Plan began with Cumnock Community Council recognising the potential of the community working together to benefit the area. Two information sessions were arranged to gauge the interest of the wider community and a separate voluntary steering group was formed in July 2015 to take this forward.
Cumnock Action Plan has been led by the steering group, bringing together representatives from Create, Cumnock Area Musical Production Society, Cumnock Community Council, Cumnock History Group, Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise, yipworld, local residents and local businesses.
These representatives and other volunteers have been actively involved in gathering the full community views through the consultation process. Cumnock Action Plan Steering Group is working in partnership with EAC Vibrant Communities Team and Corra Foundation to implement the priorities identified within this plan with co-production and community truly at the heart.
Cumnock is Ours: Our Priorities, Our Community, One Vision
The main, overarching theme for the Cumnock Action Plan is that “Cumnock is Ours”, it belongs to all of us who live or work here and have a stake in its success. The action plan is designed to reflect our priorities and our community, and provide a single vision of where we hope to go.
Involving local people in the creation of this plan was the key point in this, and through our survey and outreach activities the Cumnock Action Plan was formed with six key themes;
Outdoor activities and open spaces
Local economy
Better town appearance
Community facilities, activities and events
Tourism, history and heritage
Services
Each theme has within it multiple priorities and actions, each of which will contribute to the success of the plan, and of Cumnock as a while. Equally importantly, each activity will also give us a great opportunity to widen the network of co-providers and strengthen our relationships in and around the community.
Early Outcomes
The Cumnock Action Plan has now begun to make progress on many of its targets, and recently had a very successful day planting bulbs for the spring that were donated by the local Tesco. Members of the team are also involved with plans to create a “winter festival” within the town square, and many other local groups have worked together, for the first time, to make this happen.
The success of the plan is intended to be incremental, with each activity being worthwhile in its own right, but also contributing the development of the network and enhancing the skills and circumstances of everyone involved.
More information
Additional information can be found at
Facebook: Cumnock Action Plan
