CUMNOCK ladies are planning to relaunch a vital women’s hub after their centre was shut down just before Christmas.

Centre stage closed Cumnock’s Heart and Soul hub, set up for the benefit of women and girls in the community, on Friday, December 20 after three years of funding from The Robertson Trust coming to an end.

Now users of the former Heart and Soul Hub on Ayr road plan to launch Heart and Soul Reborn on Monday, January 13 at 10.30am in the Barrhill Centre on Bank Avenue with the group looking to find future funding.

Speaking after the closure, Robina Haining said: “It was the best wee group that we had, I really enjoyed the group. There was quite a lot at Heart and Soul, we had stuff for everybody.

“It was a friend that asked me to go because of my health problems. I didn’t go out much and when I went it helped me. If it can help me it can help anybody. Everybody was so friendly when I first went everyone was so nice.

“We would like everybody to come a long to the meeting on the 13th. Right now it is for women but we’re planning on getting men involved for helping people with mental health. We’re losing a lot of people to suic ide. Just recently we lost a couple of friends, and it seems to be largely men.”

Karen Ann Dunn from Heart and Soul added: “Our aims will continue to be mental health, social inclusion, suicide awareness and s uppor ting vulnerable women. We will, of course, be looking for further funding in order to carry out our aims.”

A statement from Centrestage and The Robertson Trust said: “The Robertson Trust’s Women’s Centre programme launched in 2016 with a view to generating learning around how a gender-specific, community-led, multi-agency approach could support women to achieve positive outcomes at a community, individual and agency level.

“The programme incorporated three centres – including Hear t and Soul in Cumnock.

“As the first physical centre to open as par t of the programme, Heart and Soul is also the first to complete the full three-year period and its journey has provided valuable learning around community development, coproduction and collaboration.

“The ongoing development of The Robertson Trust’s new strategy, which is due to launch in 2020, means the Trust is not in a position to invest further in any of its current programmes.

Although all previous commitments will be honoured, there will be no new investments until strategic priorities are established.”