Issue 063

Janie Cunningham is a Senior Financial Adviser for WD Wealth Management. She qualified as a Financial Adviser in 2007 and has worked with corporate clients across Scotland helping them and their families achieve their financial goals.

The spotlight is on Ayrshire’s finest as the finalists for one of the region’s most prestigious business events have officially been announced.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 37 years of business, it’s this: you don’t need a hundred clever strategies to grow. You just need one conversation that matters.

The holidays are winding down, the schools are back, and there’s a quiet shift in the air, a return to routine. For many business owners and professionals, it marks the start of “right, let’s get back to it.”

Continuing our journey into the historic golf courses of Ayrshire, the landscape morphs from the wind-swept coastal dunes to the rolling fields and wooded estates of the county’s interior.

When one is asked about the footballing culture in Ayrshire, the guaranteed answer consists of the Honest Men of Ayr United and the Blue and White of Kilmarnock competing in the top two tiers of the SPFL.

When Brandy Rook first started playing golf at the age of 11, very few girls shared her interest. Fast-forward 16 years and she’s on a mission to introduce more girls and women to the sport.

I’m wearing a hand-knitted jumper and khaki shorts which were once too big for me and are now too small. I’m six or seven years old and I have a pudding bowl haircut.

It is just after nine on a late summer Sunday, and I’ve arrived at Dumfries House, near Cumnock, ready to spend the morning exploring the estate’s attractions.

The crunch of dry leaves underfoot transports me back to a time when, as a wee girl, I would kick my way through the windswept leaves of autumn in my yellow wellies, delighted by the crackling noise and the wonder of green leaves which had magically turned red and gold.

Autumn is the time when harvests are ripe and flavours are abundant. Nourished through the hot, hazy days of summer, the earth offers up the fruits of its labour in a last blaze of glory before winter sets in.

Wild horses couldn’t keep me from that first cup of coffee in the morning. It’s an almost spiritual experience. From spooning ground coffee into my old battered moka pot, to savouring that first slow sip, it’s an unsurpassable moment in my day.

As the interest in yoga continues to soar, so too do the number of classes available. For those new to this ancient Eastern practice, the choice of classes can be confusing, particularly as innovative and blended styles emerge to meet the wellbeing needs of the modern Western world.

When we think of holidays to the United States, images of New York’s skyline, Florida’s beaches, or California’s Pacific coast often spring to mind.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the flight. My name is Captain Starsky.”

In Ayrshire, we’re fortunate to be able to offer young people a range of pathways from school into further education and towards the career of their choice. On their doorstep they have access to the University of the West of Scotland, Ayrshire College, and a significant number of employers keen to take on apprentices.

When I last spoke with Tracy Flynn, CEO of The Ayrshire Hospice, in January 2024, the charity was still £2.5million short of its target to fund the completion of its Capital Build Project which would see the Hospice return to its original home in Racecourse Road, Ayr.

Ayr Guildry, founded in 1325, the oldest voluntary organisation in Ayr, celebrated its 700th anniversary this year with a Civic Reception hosted by the Provost of South Ayrshire, Councillor Iain Campbell, at County Buildings.

In the vibrant community of East Ayrshire, John McBlain stands out as a beacon of creativity and education. An award-winning lecturer, podcaster and producer, John has woven his passion for digital storytelling and media production into the fabric of Lochnorris Primary School in Cumnock.

After a 46-year teaching career, it’s fair to say Glynis Findlay deserves to put her feet up. But something tells me retirement won’t come easy to this dedicated, community-driven lady.

Take yourself back to a time when coal mining was the main industry in this part of East Ayrshire with a visit to the Barony A Frame.

It was my second trip to St Andrews and expectations were high. My first encounter was a sun-kissed affair, the North Sea masquerading as the Mediterranean, the temperature supporting its duplicity.

Keith Salmon is an artist who is passionate about painting and about the Scottish landscape. After studying Fine Art in the 1980s he later moved to Ayrshire from Wales and set up his studio on Irvine’s beautiful harbourside in 2003.

When it comes to café bars, they don’t come much better than Pavilion – at the park – and that’s official!

In the very heart of Kilmarnock stands a pub that locals don’t just know, they’ve missed. The Brass and Granite, a true Ayrshire institution, has been closed for over two years, leaving a gap in the town’s social life.

From the moment you step inside HAUS of Dentistry, you’re met with a warm, five-star welcome. Instead of the sterile, impersonal reception area you might expect in a dental surgery, you find yourself being welcomed by a member of the client concierge team who invites you to sit in a warm, luxurious lobby, designed to make the experience as stress-free as possible.

In the world of horology, few brands are as coveted and revered as Patek Philippe. For almost two centuries, the brand has stood as a titan of industry where innovation, craftsmanship and family values converge.

Sandstone Renovation Company Limited, based in Ayrshire, has been caring for stone for more than thirty-five years. In that time it has become one of the most trusted names in restoration, cleaning and preservation.

Tucked into Wellington Square, the little basement bar with the giant Wellington boots out front has always had a charm of its own. For decades, Wellingtons – Wellies to the locals – was the spot where friends gathered for a pint, a laugh, or a late-night story or two.