South Ayrshire Council News

What do a life-saving sheltered housing warden, a school crossing patroller who lifts the spirits of all his customers; an active campaigner for cyclists and sustainable transport; a community support worker who helps turns around young people's lives; an inspirational and motivational teacher; a community development officer who always goes that extra mile; and a teacher who works tirelessly to improve pupils' education experiences all have in common?

These seven South Ayrshire Council employees are the first to be recognised for their achievements in The Outstanding People Awards. These awards have given us the opportunity to say thank you to the people who deliver outstanding service to the people in South Ayrshire. Selected from around 100 nominations from members of the public as well as Council employees, Liz Hughes, Allan McFarlane, Annabel Beattie, Paul Cuthbert, Claire Dewar, Lorraine Cord and Jane Happs have all been recognised for their outstanding efforts and achievements in carrying out their duties.

The Outstanding People Awards are designed to provide opportunities for employee reward and recognition across five categories: Service Excellence, Innovation, Equalities in Action, Sustainability and Inspirational Young Employee.

The finalists and their categories (along with a taster of their nominations) are:

Service Excellence
Liz Hughes, Sheltered Housing Warden, Millrock and Panrock Court, Troon:
"Liz is an outstanding warden. She always has a cheery word when she contacts us in the morning. Nothing is too much trouble. [Her] response when I suffered a serious blood loss probably saved my life."

Lorraine Cord, Community Development Officer
"Lorraine is an exceptional lady. She gives 100% and more to her work. We could never have found our feet or achieved what we have this past year without her."

Allan McFarlane, School Crossing Patroller, Ayr Grammar Primary School
"Allan is an excellent ambassador for South Ayrshire Council. He has a cheery, positive demeanour and provides excellent customer care. He can always be relied upon for a friendly greeting and lifts the spirits of all his customers, young and old.

Innovation
Paul Cuthbert, Community Support Officer
"He has made a difference in the area when I stayed there and he [taught] us how to fly fish and fly tie. We came from a difficult area but Paul never treated us like that."

Equalities in Action
Jane Happs, Principal Teacher of Supported Learning, Queen Margaret Academy
"She is very determined in the way in which she fights to get the best possible educational and life experiences for her pupils."

Sustainability
Annabel Beattie, Environment Performance Officer, County Buildings
"Annabel deserves this award because she has taken to her bike to actually see things from the perspective of all cyclists. She has seen for herself by taking to her bike the benefits she has helped to establish for all of us keen cyclists."

Inspirational Young Employee
Claire Dewar, Probationer Teacher, Symington (Supply Teacher at Doonfoot Primary after the summer break)
"She has a remarkable ability to teach a whole class but yet understand and improve the issues of each individual child. The children all adore and respect her."

These employees will be joined by other finalists with the winner in each category announced in October this year.

Councillor Bill McIntosh, Leader of South Ayrshire Council, said: "The Outstanding People Awards really seem to have captured the imagination and we are delighted with the number of nominations received, which reflects the quality of work going on across the Council.

"I am particularly pleased so many nominees – including many of our initial finalists – received multiple nominations thanking them for going the extra mile and delivering outstanding service to the public".

"I wish Liz, Lorraine, Allan, Paul, Jane, Annabel and Claire the best of luck, and congratulate all the nominees. You are all winners."

If you would like to nominate a South Ayrshire Council employee for The Outstanding People Awards you can submit a nomination online at www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/awards or pick up a nomination form from Council offices. For further information or advice, email awards@south-ayrshire.gov.uk or call 01292 612026.