CUMNOCK’S Heart & Soul received a parliamentary seal of approval recently.

South of Scotland MSP Brian Whittle popped-in for a visit to see the latest project from the team at Centrestage Communities.

Working with the Robertson Trust, the venue combines a centre for women and girls with a social enterprise café that is open to the public during the week.

Mr Whittle was given the traditional warm welcome by the staff who have helped created a friendly and welcoming space aimed at giving women and girls from Cumnock and the surrounding area a place to meet, share skills, make friends and get help and support with any issues they may have.

Fiona McKenzie from Centrestage Communities said: “Heart and Soul is such a special part of the Centrestage community and anyone is welcome to drop in at any time. We are always delighted to welcome Brian to Centrestage and we are very grateful to him for taking the time to visit and find out more.”

Mr Whittle said: “It’s always a pleasure to visit a Centrestage project and Heart & Soul is no different. It’s great to see community led projects like this grow from an idea into reality and start helping people.

“The project is still new to Cumnock, but it’s already making a real difference to the lives of people in the area. Having somewhere like this where women can meet and feel part of a community is a great way to tackle feelings of loneliness and isolation that are all too common in more rural areas.

“I look forward to visiting Heart & Soul again soon.”