Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose

On 16 September 2025, Ayr Rotary enjoyed a joint presentation from Frances Brown who runs Recycle AYR and Fiona MvAvoy, headteacher at Newton Primary School.

Frances explained the crucial role of Recycle Ayr, who work closely with Newton Primary and indeed use their hall to collect and store items. They have a collection once a month, for one hour on a Saturday, when they gather a wide range of items including household goods, toys, clothes, footballs and much more. Many of these go directly to local people in the Wallacetown area, who are in desperate need. Other items are collected e.g. ink cartridges, plastic containers, even old newspapers, which can be recycled and made into other products. Other things like old spectacles and bras go to specific charities who gather large quantities together. Recycle AYR receive fantastic support from local businesses and also won a substantial grant from the Lottery Fund to help their aim of Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose

 

 

Ayr Rotary has supported Newton Primary for several years and Fiona explained how the need for their foodbank started in Covid times. They must find money to pay for goods to stock the Foodbank, along with a range of other services they provide e.g. hot meals. They do collect out-of-date foodstuffs from some local supermarkets, but Ayr Rotary’s financial donations make a huge difference. There is not enough funds to provide all the items needed so the inventory is much smaller than at the start a few years ago. Only the most basic essentials are stocked and things like shampoo and kitchen roll are not.

There is no referral system, but currently there are around 120 families visiting each week, not only for the foodbank but for other services like household items from Recycle AYR. Wallacetown is an area of high deprivation, so most people come from here. However there is the opportunity for needy people from other areas to attend.

Some interesting questions were posed, with a suggestion that Ayr Rotary may be able to provide used items on a regular basis for Recycle AYR, which in turn could help Newton’s families, rather than direct financial aid.

John Ewing gave a warm vote of thanks to both ladies, pointing out in particular the tremendous work Fiona has done for the local community.