Cllr McFarlane, Andy Gould of the SFA and Fergus Ewing MSP, Lesley Anderson, Linda Hill and Bryan Jamieson of the Community Safety Partnership.
South Ayrshire Community Safety Partnership has scooped a prestigious national prize at the 2010 Community Safety Awards earlier this week as its innovative 'Doo the Right Thing' project won first place in the Prevention and Intervention category.
The Community Safety Awards are run by the Scottish Government's Community Safety Unit, promoting the important role of community safety projects in improving local communities and reducing crime.
Submissions were invited in five separate categories and more than 70 entries were received from around the country.
Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Community Safety presented the Community Safety Partnership with their award, saying: "The inaugural Community Safety Awards 2010 were a great success and I congratulate 'Doo the Right Thing' on this submission.
Councillor Nan McFarlane, Chair of the Community Safety Partnership said: "I'm absolutely thrilled with this award.
"Doo the Right Thing began in 2009, when the Community Safety team joined up with the Maybole Pigeon Club to provide a diversionary activity for young people in the area. Some of the young people involved were referred by local agencies and were supported by members of the club to become involved.
"The young people were soon feeding, cleaning, assisting in training the birds, gaining valuable self confidence and social skills, and learning from others in the club, and were presented with diplomas at the end of the year."
Three of the boys went on to complete badges towards the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and Doo the Right Thing was expanded to Cairn Primary School with 23 birds being donated by members of Maybole Pigeon Club.
Since then, the, energy and enthusiasm of the young people, have helped to take the Club in a new direction and given older members a real interest in the younger people in their community and vice versa.
Club President Archie Jamieson said: "The Maybole Pigeon Club is happy to support the Doo the Right Thing Project and members of the club have benefited greatly from this partnership.
"It's good to see that the hard work and enthusiasm of all involved have been recognised by the Scottish Government through this award"
Councillor McFarlane continued: "Doo the Right Thing was recognised as a potential win-win situation for bringing older and younger people in the Maybole community together to break down barriers and to learn from each other.
The Community Safety Team has worked enormously hard in making this happen and, from such humble origins, I am delighted it has been such a resounding success.
"Recognition of this unusual but highly effective project is a mark of the drive, determination and hard work between the older members of Maybole Pigeon Club and the young people of the community and I am sure it will go from strength to strength."