Getting respect for the Main Street

Pupils from Kilwinning Academy were involved in the early planning of Kilwinning's Main Street refurbishment.

The project ran from March to May 2008 with the pupils from Kilwinning Academy participating in a Space Unlimited project commissioned by Irvine Bay Regeneration Company.

Irvine Bay Regeneration Company wanted pupils from Kilwinning Academy to explore local peoples' perceptions of Kilwinning town centre and look at how the proposed streetscape improvements could improve the quality of the environment to make it a location that residents and businesses could be proud of and visitors could appreciate and enjoy. The pupils were asked:

"What would make Kilwinning town centre get respect?"

The project was led completely by the young people selected with support from Space Unlimited Coach, Liz Gardiner and teachers Neil Barlow and Jan Miller.

The project launch was held at the Claremont Hotel, Kilwinning on 7th March 2008 and was attended by representatives from Irvine Bay Regeneration Company and Austin Smith Lord. The project got off to a great start with the young people presenting their initial perceptions of the town centre.

As part of the project the group visited Buchanan Street, Glasgow and Linthouse, Govan to find out how improving streetscapes can have a positive effect on the area and its community.

The group then chose 4 separate areas to focus on:

• Website
• Visual street banners
• Press and publicity
• Surveys

All of these contributed to the final plans for the town centre. The work to refurbish Kilwinning Main Street has now been completed.

Watch a podcast produced by the young people of Kilwinning Academy of their experiences.