CUMNOCK residents enjoyed two special local film events thanks to a major funding boost from Scottish Book Trust.

The events will be held at the Dick Institute as part of the nationwide Digital Storytellers in Residence programme.

It comes after East Ayrshire Leisure Trust was one of five local authority areas across Scotland who successfully secured cash to host a nine-month residency.

Local filmmaker Taylor McInroy was appointed to facilitate the Story Threads project across the region via partnerships with Kilmarnock Station Railway Heritage Trust and East Ayrshire Council’s Vibrant Communities services.

Taylor was appointed to the project because of his extensive film based experience and his evidenced commitment to local communities.

He worked with groups identified by Story Threads partners to create their own digital stories about personal experiences important to them.

Each story was narrated and edited by its creator, making each story uniquely personal and diverse.

Chair of EALT Board Cllr Elena Whitham and Vice-Chair of EALT Board Robin Hume attended the Digital Storytelling celebration events and thanked East Ayrshire’s newly-fledged filmmakers for sharing their fascinating stories on the big screen in the Dick Institute’s new state of the art cinema space.

Taylor McInroy, East Ayrshire’s Digital Storyteller, said: “I have really enjoyed my role as Digital Storyteller, it’s been fantastic hearing everyone’s stories and sharing experiences within the groups. We’ve had people gaining skills, confidence and new friends from the project, it’s great to come together and celebrate what an amazing project it has been. We’ve been very fortunate in East Ayrshire to have many enthusiastic partners who have taken up the Digital Storytelling process.”

Following a successful pilot of the project in 2017, in Ayrshire and Fife, Scottish Book Trust was funded by the Scottish Government to support Digital Storytelling residencies in five library locations: Leisure and Culture Dundee, East Ayrshire Leisure, Falkirk Community Trust, Inverclyde Libraries, and Orkney Library and Archive.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Congratulations to all of those who participated in the Digital Storytellers in Residence programme.

“It’s wonderful to see so many local stories from East Ayrshire documented digitally and shared with the wider community.

“Taylor has helped to showcase these important voices and experiences, and has also provided necessary training that is sure to have a long-lasting impact on the library and the community as a whole.”