Equal service officially opens base at Lochshore Park

A North Ayrshire Council employability team has officially opened its new base in the Garnock Valley.

The Equal team guides people with long-term health conditions and disabilities into work and training under the banner of the Employability service’s Your Next Move, Working North Ayrshire programme.

Now called EQUAL Specialist Employability Support (SES), the programme offers a wide range of tailored support to get people back into work, start work for the first time or take a step up the career ladder.

The service, formerly based in the Trinity Church annexe building in Irvine, has started a new chapter at Lochshore Park in Beith with more space, providing better outdoor opportunities and enhanced facilities in modern surroundings.

The council’s employability experts will soon deliver training for opportunities in horticulture and cycle maintenance, which will bring wider recreational opportunities for all to enjoy while visiting Lochshore Park.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville visited the Lochshore base on Wednesday (3 September) after spending time at the We Work For Families Parent Hub in Ardrossan, where she learned about the Council’s Skills for Life project, which supports parents into paid work experience, and other programmes that help tackle child poverty.

While in North Ayrshire, Ms Somerville was launching the Scottish Government’s National Standards, which set out the SES offer across the country.

This will see additional funding from a £5million fund being allocated to local employability partnerships through local authorities. Partnerships that already provide specialist employability support will use the new funding to expand their services.

Among those who shared their employability journey stories at Lochshore was Hev Clift, 26, from Irvine. They received support from the EQUAL SES team and now work as a Net Zero and Social Impact Coordinator at engineering firm Booth Welsh.

Hev started getting support from the Equal team in 2022 and was supported into a period of work experience at the Irvine company, which then offered them the permanent, newly-created role.

“Equal have been amazing and I can’t praise them enough for how they champion people with additional support needs. I have only ever felt encouraged and supported – and I am eternally grateful.

“It is a wonderful service, and I am honoured to have worked with the team. They uplift you and see your strengths – not barriers,” said Hev.

Lewis MacKenzie joined Equal’s Heads Up Training Academy with the goal of building confidence and getting back into work. Just seven weeks into his placement as a café assistant at Doon The Beach community café, in Stevenston, he became an important part of the team.

Lewis, 25, from Irvine, went on to be offered a paid part-time role, and said: “I enjoyed taking on customer service, food prep and deliveries and requested longer shifts. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have without Equal – their support has been life-changing.”

Council Leader Marie Burns was delighted to welcome the Social Justice Secretary to North Ayrshire to see first-hand some of the work that is being done by the Council and its partners to reduce poverty and improve life for residents.

Published: 04 September 2025