Kirkconnel Activity and Resource Centre (ARC) proudly marked its 50th anniversary on Friday 28 February with a special celebration honouring its long-standing commitment to supporting adults with learning disabilities and complex needs. The ARC is one of six centres across Dumfries and Galloway which offer a programme of activities designed to help adults with additional needs to develop skills, be as independent as possible and interact with friends.
At the core of the celebration event were four long-term service users – Charles Waddell, Elizabeth Hiddlestone, Pauline Valance and William Campbell – who have been attending and contributing to the ARC since it first opened in 1975. As a tribute to their incredible support, they were presented with special awards and commemorative mugs recognising their dedication to the service over the decades.
Among those in attendance to celebrate the anniversary were former centre managers, who reflected on fond memories and the incredible evolution of the centre over the years, and Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Civic Head, Cllr. Malcolm Johnstone, who addressed attendees and spoke about the incredible milestone which has been achieved by the ARC.
Reflecting on the event, Cllr. Johnstone said:
“I was delighted to be asked to speak at the 50th anniversary celebrations of Kirkconnel ARC, and I was so pleased to meet long-standing service users who have been part of the story since day one. A great deal has happened in 50 years, and it’s incredibly heartening to think that the four service users who have been part of this journey since the centre opened in 1975 have had this invaluable support resource as a shared piece of their history for half a century.
“My thanks go to the hard-working staff, both past and present, who have supported our ARCs to make a real difference to communities across Dumfries and Galloway over the years.”Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Social Work Committee, Cllr. Pauline Drysdale, said:
“My congratulations go out to Kirkconnel ARC on reaching the milestone of 50 years dedicated service to the community in Upper-Nithsdale. Services like this one make a big difference to the lives of adults with disabilities and complex needs, and I want to thank the hard-working staff who have made this service possible, not just now but across the last 50 years.“I also want to thank the service users and their families for their incredible support over the years, in particular those four service users who have been presented with awards for their dedicated use of the service for the full 50 years since the centre first opened.”
As well as the presentation of awards, the celebration event also included reflections on some of the key memories over the years, live music from Ayr based musician Conor Johnston, and the presentation of a special 50th anniversary keyring to everyone who attended. The certificates and mugs presented to the long-standing service users were designed and donated by local graphic design business Carrot Top Design, who also designed the 50th anniversary keyring.
In addition to offering supported activities, Kirkconnel ARC also offers a picture-framing service for the local community, allowing service users to develop skills and contribute to an enterprise which supports local people while generating additional income to support their activity programme.
