The Role of the Troon Community Council

BonfireWatch, a multi-agency initiative to help people have fun, stay safe, avoid injury by bonfires and stop antisocial behaviour has been set up in the lead up to Bonfire Night each year since 2008.  

The BonfireWatch campaign is coordinated by the South Ayrshire Community Safety Partnership Safer Places Joint Action Group. The group comprises of Police Scotland; the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service; Portland Janitorial; and Officers from South Ayrshire Council’s Community Safety, Trading Standards and Environmental Health, and Waste Management teams. By removing illegal bonfires, the aim is to help to decrease the chances of people being injured, property being damaged, and reducing the likelihood of people getting involved in antisocial behaviour.  

This year, the partnership is tackling the issues of fireworks and illegal bonfires by encouraging the pubic to attend public displays, in a bid to deter private displays in gardens and local areas. Our Trading Standards and Environmental Health officers are also visiting local premises to discuss fireworks sales and legislation to help reduce illegal purchases.  

Local residents who see any waste being gathered for a bonfire are encouraged to contact South Ayrshire Council’s Community Safety Team on 0300 123 0900, to allow for its removal. 

Councillor Martin Kilbride, South Ayrshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Buildings, Housing and Environment said: “I am pleased to see the BonfireWatch initiative continuing to play a vital role in ensuring that everyone can enjoy celebrations safely.  This time of year is a fantastic opportunity for communities to come together and enjoy spectacular professional displays, but it is also a challenging time for our emergency services. 

The efforts of those involved in this campaign are key in helping to reduce the number of illegal bonfires being constructed.  This, in turn, reduces the likelihood of people being injured or engaging in antisocial behaviour and frees up resources to ensure people are safe over this period.” 

ENDS

The above Temporary Notice, which comes into force on 30/10/2023, imposes restriction on the following roads:

• Queens Drive

Please find attached a copy of the Temporary Notice.

A copy of the plan relating to the Notice can be found online at https://www.tellmescotland.gov.uk/notices/south-ayrshire/traf

SAC10252_PlanSAC10252_TemporaryNotice

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Trading Standards teams across Ayrshire have issued warnings that residents should take additional steps if they receive phone calls from businesses offering free loft surveys. These calls may be from an Ayrshire 01292 number but the company may not be based locally.

Reports have been received that unacceptable sales tactics are potentially being used by some companies to encourage residents to enter into agreements.

If you receive a call of this nature, you should:

• Stop and think before signing any agreements, paying cash or transferring money for home improvements, such as loft insulation from companies you don’t know
• If you are shown pictures of mould in your roof space or are told about serious defects in your house, get a second opinion before starting any work
• If the visit is as a result of an unsolicited telephone call you will have a 14 day period to cancel. Do not sign away your rights to cancel the contract unless you are absolutely sure about the company you are dealing with
• If you have friends or family who might not see this information please let them know

Free impartial advice on energy matters can be obtained from Home Energy Scotland here https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/ or the Energy Agency here https://www.energyagency.org.uk/

Communities and Mental Health Fund for Adults (mailchi.mp) – click here to access information on Communities Mental Heath and Wellbeing Fund for Adults, deadline is 16^th November 2023.

Women’s Fund for Scotland is now open. This grant programme offers unrestricted grants up to £5k to sustain existing work with women and girls or to support new work. The closing date for applications is 16.11.23 and you can find out more here

These funds are currently open for applications. The Corra Foundation encourage you to read through the information for each fund and complete the eligibility checker to check you’re eligible before applying.

They are happy to chat with you before applying and you can get in touch via the contact details on each page. You can find out more here

Here’s the latest Homeless Network Scotland’s Network briefing with longer-reads and links to the latest policy, tools and evidence, including:

• Empty homes – an audit and a framework
• Hidden homelessness – share your views
• Women’s experiences of housing:

You can read it here