Irvine's Christmas Lights Fiasco

I was absolutely appalled to learn this week that Irvine will have no festive lights this year! There will only be one solitary Christmas tree erected outside the Townshouse. This is the latest blunder by North Ayrshire Council that will surely lead to the demise of Irvine's shopping centre. Stores in the other side of town at Riverway Retail Park are already struggling due to the renewal of the Bailey Bridge and closure of part of the A71 and this latest fiasco is just unacceptable. Apparently they have the cash aside for the lights, however, there is no-one available to plan the display. This comes in the year that we have all felt the pinch of the recession, so surely you would think the council would be trying to attract people to our town centre instead of what's currently happening: they are bypassing us and going elsewhere!

What about the town's children? Christmas is a magical time for them, full of hope and excitement. I remember being taken into town as a child at Christmas and it was the display of lights that made the experience memorable. I am shocked and saddened that Irvine will basically be blacked out this festive season.

I was on my way home from a friend's house when last year's lights were switched on. I literally ran through the shopping mall to get to the High Street on time. I got there just in time to see the town centre lit up. It was great to see the town's kids all around enjoying the activities, whether it be on the fairground rides erected at The Cross or joining in the fun with West FM's DJ Colin McCardie and Your Radio DJ Andy Rutherford. So come on North Ayrshire Council...we want lights for Christmas!

Do we really want Irvine's town centre to look like the picture above at Christmas? Dark, dreary and abandoned?

What are your views on this subject, let me know by dropping me an email or leave me a comment below.

The Day, "The Five Dollars,'' Came to Irvine

What is the Five Dollar Vacation? Let me explain...

The Five Dollar Vacation is a worldwide charity project, with the aim to send five US dollar bills to as many destinations across the globe as possible, raising cash for a wide variety of charities as they go. These dollar bills have been all over Europe including Spain, Germany and France. More recently, they arrived home from China and very soon they will be on their way to Romania.

At the helm of this project is my good friend, Worldwide Food and Drink Channel Steward on Helium.com, Gordon Hamilton, who in March this year was asked by an American friend on Squidoo to become the first recipient of a journal and T-shirt that she was attempting to send round the world in aid of charity. He was to sign the t-shirt and put an entry into the journal then send it on to another Squidoo user elsewhere in the world.

However, inside the package sent to Gordon, were five, one dollar bills to help with the postage and packaging on the next leg of their journey. As he had agreed to do this in the name of charity, he didn't expect help with the cost of posting the items on and pondered for quite some time on what to do with the dollars. Then the idea came to create a sister project to the one in the US, and so the vacation began! If you would like to know more about the incredible journey of the five dollars or would like to donate a little something to a worthwhile charity, please click on the link below.

The Five Dollar Vacation

I managed to catch up with Gordon on Monday whilst he was in Irvine on business. This was his first visit to the town and I very quickly became his tour guide, pointing out places of interest and giving him an insight into what life is like here. To my delight he had the now famous five dollars on him and we decided to take them to the oldest pub in the town, The Ship Inn, where the staff were more than happy to assist Gordon and the five dollars on their charitable venture.

Asking Gordon what he thought about his time in Irvine, he said, "When I was first invited to Irvine on the West Coast of my native Scotland to explore several different business opportunities and offer my assistance in others in the course of a few short days, my first realisation was that it must be the only major town on the entire West Coast that I had never previously visited! As a one-time keen sea angler, I had fished almost every town on the West Coast between Oban and Stranraer but never so much as been to Irvine.

"It was my pleasure to take up the invitation at the earliest juncture and to offer the services which I provide and the advice which was required. I loved every minute of my visit to Irvine and although this visit was my first, it most certainly will not be my last.

"The timing of my visit was also fortuitous in that I had in my possession five US Dollar Bills, which are presently the principal participants in a Worldwide Charity Project which I am running in conjunction with a colleague in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. The Five Dollars were fortunate enough to visit The Ship Inn - the oldest pub in Irvine - and I am grateful to Beverley Campbell, Sarah Gilmore and Katie Walker for agreeing to participate in a photoshoot, introducing The Five Dollars to not only The Ship Inn but to the town of Irvine. I am also incredibly grateful to Tracy Mason for her superb hospitality and tour of Irvine during my stay.

"I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all whom I encountered in Irvine during my visit and hope to see all of them again soon."

Romania is the next destination for the Five Dollars and their vacation comes to an end on December 31st.

The Irvinite - Now and in the Future

I have been reviewing ways of bringing The Irvinite back to life again and carefully considering the best ways of doing this. My priorities still lie with local small businesses and I will endeavour to market them in the best way possible, therefore optimising their chances to generate business. I have made the decision to keep the publication online only as this eradicates overheads like printing and distribution costs and allows me to focus 100% on giving my advertisers the best possible service at the lowest possible prices.

In the past, the magazine was distributed to several thousand local houses and businesses. Choosing to publish it online now means that not only do you get a far greater number of locals seeing your advert, you have a worldwide audience.

I would greatly appreciate interaction from all you, "Irvinites," out there and it would also be fantastic to get comments and views from readers all over the planet. This is still for the people, by the people! I will be covering everything from the remarkable history of our town to the regeneration of the near future. Send me your tales of Irvine, your thoughts and views of what is happening currently in the town, recipes, tips and tricks, jokes, birthday messages...anything you want to see on this site and I will do my best to accomodate you! So come on Irvine, let's show the world what an exciting place our town really is!

The Irvinite - In The Beginning

I recall during the latter part of 2007 having a discussion with a few friends of mine who were self-employed with small businesses in the town of Irvine. They were complaining amongst themselves about the rising cost of advertising and began mulling over ideas as to how they could market their chosen line of work. This got me thinking about Irvine's small businesses and the steady decline of our High Street and also the ever growing retail parks with huge impersonal stores popping up on the outskirts of town. These facts made me feel quite sad. Thoughts started to flood my mind of tales my grandparents and parents had told me of local shop keepers knowing you by name and even knowing what you came in their shop for.

I couldn't stop thinking about all of this over the next few weeks and thought there must be a way of helping to keep the small businessman alive and also bring the community together. That is when, "The Irvinite," was born. It started life as a free, A5, glossy community magazine and local business directory. As you can see in the photo to the right, my dog Holly is enjoying the first issue very much! I embarked on this venture not intending to make a fortune, only to make a living and genuinely wanted to offer affordable advertising for local small businesses and encourage the local residents to interact with the publication by sending in everything from recipes to tales of old Irvine. This magazine was for the people, by the people!

Sadly, when the Credit Crunch hit last year, everyone panicked and I found that my advertisers pulled in their purse strings like so many more of us did. I made the difficult decision to put The Irvinite, "On hold". Recently, I have been contemplating ways of bringing The Irvinite back to reach a much wider audience and still keep my magazine's great advertising rates low. There is no better way to do that than via the Internet.

Welcome to Irvine

Firstly, I would like to welcome everyone to my home town of Irvine, which lies on the picturesque Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland, around 12 miles north of Ayr and approximately 25 miles south west of Glasgow. In 2007, it was estimated that our population was just under 40,000, which means Irvine is the largest town in North Ayrshire.

Here you will find, among other things, a charming harbour with stunning views over the Firth of Clyde to the Isle of Arran, ruined castles, beautiful parks and gardens, The Rivergate Shopping Centre that has over 60 retailers under one roof, The Magnum Leisure Centre located at Irvine Beach Park where you will find ice skating, swimming, bowling, a gymnasium and much, much more....

This is a fascinating town that is steeped in history. It's had innumerable notable visitors including Robert Burns, Mary Queen of Scots and Edgar Allan Poe. Irvine has been the birthplace to many famous people throughout the years. The author John Galt was born here in 1779 and more recently, Scotland's former First Minister, Jack McConnell, MSP, in 1960.

Getting here is simple, with trains and buses to and from Glasgow and Ayr on a regular basis. With Prestwick International Airport being only 5 or 6 miles away, it makes Irvine the ideal location for visitors from further afield to begin their Scottish adventures.