The West Kilbride Community Council Initiative Limited (WKCIL) have a big reason to celebrate. Not only have their plans for converting the Barony Church into a cutting edge Craft Centre for local craftsmen to showcase their skill been met with approval from the Big Lottery committee, they have been awarded £870,560 in funds from the Growing Community Assets programme for the same.

The Lottery Committee noted with appreciation that the quality of the plans- prepared and drafted meticulously over a year by the Barony Project Team- and gave recognition to their outstanding application through the grant.

The application was prepared by Craft Development Manager, Maggie Broadley and the actual building designed by local resident and nationally renowned architect Angus Kerr. The team worked on the project tirelessly to ensure that they got a grant from the Lottery Committee, and now they’ve achieved just that.

Eddie Wood, Chairperson of WKCIL, stated: “There is still work to be done to secure the match funding but the Directors believe the development of this Centre will play a significant part in securing the long term future of the village. I would like to thank everyone who has supported us, with special mention to our local fundraisers.”

The Craft Centre is intended to be a state of the art studio for local craftsmen and their handiworks, in order to generate national and local interest in the town.