The St Andrew's Night Concert held in Maybole Town Hall was a joint venture by Carrick Academy, all three primary schools, and the local community and was an outstanding success. In 2009 a one-off concert was held as part of the Year of Homecoming celebrations and proved so successful that Carrick Academy and the community felt they would like to establish a new, annual celebratory event that also included the primary schools. Thanks to funding from Ayrshire LEADER, they now feel they have been able to make a start. more

With over 100 artistes involved, including pupils from Cairn, Carrick, Gardenrose and St Cuthbert’, they put together a “whole community” event which everyone who attended thoroughly enjoyed. The whole evening had the audience, which included South Ayrshire’s Provost Winifred Sloan, clapping their hands, stamping their feet and thoroughly enjoying the night as the singers, dancers, pipers, and fiddlers went through the whole range of Scottish music.

Top of the bill were The MacDonald Bros who had come back to the town where they were born and Craig and Brian really got the crowd going with their own style of music.

The hall was filled to capacity and also taking part were Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra, Maybole Pipe Band, South Ayrshire Schools Pipe Band, South Ayrshire Percussion Ensemble, and Hugh and Friends – a real mix of young and old with a event which provided a full range of singing, dancing and comedy with professionals and amateurs as well as established and new talent.

Compères were Hugh Paterson & Johnny Rusk with school captains Sarah Brown and Jemma McLintock introducing the first and second halves of the concert. Carrick’s head teacher Keith Webster comprehensively thanked everyone for all they had done to make the concert the outstanding success it was.

The concert was part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Ayrshire Leader 2007-2013 programme. Sarah Baird, Ayrshire LEADER Programme Co-ordinator, attended the event and emailed organisers afterwards to say what a great time she had. “From my perspective from LEADER, it demonstrated what a strong and vibrant community you are intrinsic parts of, and the very hard work that was put in by all involved to hold an exceptional event.

Thank you for inviting me to attend, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. Everyone should be very proud of what was achieved on Tuesday night.”

Fr Philip has only been in Maybole for a few months and he wrote in his church bulletin at the weekend, “By any reasonable standard last Tuesday night’s St. Andrew’s Night Concert in Maybole Town Hall was a professional show, but that is the least compliment we can pay it.

“It was a wonderful example of people realising their potential for good. I detected no focus on self at any point in the proceedings. There was no one out to steal the limelight. Everyone gave of their best in what was a community centred focus and effort. There was joy and humour and fellow feeling. What better way to celebrate the feast of our patron saint?

“Yet, there is more to it than that.

“We need to reflect on what may be the town’s great gift of building community. This is something we need to foster because we may have to export it to places less fortunate, where the tendency towards isolated and competitive individualism is in the ascendancy.”