Love Newmilns
The Newmilns Regeneration Association
Linda Brown
Established in 2013, The Newmilns Regeneration Association (NRA) is an enthusiastic team of local volunteers committed to revitalising their town. Their vision – to regenerate Newmilns for the community’s benefit and elevate its profile as a place to visit – has materialised in a series of successful projects. These achievements include: transforming the town’s old Post Office into the Community Heritage and Tourism (CHaT) Hub, staging four hugely popular Newmilns Food Festivals and organising the annual festivities at the Christmas Fayre. Other NRA initiatives – such as co-ordinating community litter picks and planting eye-catching floral displays in the large scarlet Love Newmilns planters dotted around the town – improve daily life for residents. Additionally, the NRA runs the monthly Love Newmilns Lotto, supported by ticket subscribers, which offers not only cash prizes to lucky winners, but generates essential funds to aid local community groups and projects. No surprise then that the NRA was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2018 for its dedicated hard work.
Over a latte, I have the chance to chat with NRA Trustee, Sammy Trusdale, about the group’s recent exciting venture – the Love Newmilns Heritage App. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and developed by Aerial Digital, the free-to-download app (available on Apple Play Store or Google Play Store) was launched during May’s Irvine Valley Walking Festival. Curious about the inspiration behind the app, I ask him to explain its origins and aims.
“The idea was initially suggested to the NRA by Trustee, and former Chair, Marie Johnson,” Sammy tells me while I download the app onto my phone. “As Newmilns is the oldest established burgh in the Irvine Valley it has a lot of history, and the NRA felt a heritage app would be beneficial to the townsfolk and the schools, plus encourage visitors to the town. We also hope to promote an interest in Newmilns with young people who are, after all, always on their phones.”
With Love Newmilns successfully installed, Sammy talks me through the app’s menu. Designed to celebrate the history and heritage of Newmilns and keep users updated on local activities and businesses, the app offers:
Trails and Locations: Information on three self-guided walking trails and the locations and buildings of historical interest encountered along the way.
Locations Map: A handy tool to ensure walkers stay on track.
Timeline: An overview of events from Newmilns’ history spanning from the Bronze Age to present day.
Eye Spy and Challenges: Fun quests to engage, entertain and educate weans, big and small!
Other features include a business directory, links to local amenities and groups, plus a calendar of the town’s upcoming events.
I’m impressed – the Love Newmilns app promises to be an accessible and valuable resource for Newmilns folk, local history enthusiasts, and visitors to the town alike.
So, what’s next on the agenda for the NRA, I wonder?
“The Community Asset Transfer from East Ayrshire Council of Newmilns Townhouse and its renovation,” Sammy replies. “NRA hopes to take on responsibility for the building and its upkeep, and restore it to its former glory with the aim that it can be a benefit to the community.”
This is fantastic news – the historic Townhouse, dating from 1547, has been sadly neglected for some time. And there’s more. Two murals paying homage to the town’s famous lace industry have been commissioned, with suitable locations earmarked for the artwork, and negotiations are in progress for another Community Asset Transfer to acquire waste ground on Nelson Street which the NRA aims to redevelop into a vibrant community garden.
With the new app up and running and these future plans underway, the NRA continues to prove its strong commitment to enrich and improve the town.
Let’s give a big heartfelt thank you to the NRA from all of us who Love Newmilns!
Find out more at www.lovenewmilns.org
