A dance summer school held in Mauchline during the summer has been hailed as a success.

From 10am until 3pm each day the summer school, which was funded by Mauchline CARS, saw 40 young people take part in parkour, dance and music making. 

Mauchline CARS is a heritage-led regeneration scheme and allows property owners the opportunity to apply for grant funding for building repairs, re-instatement of architectural detail and shop front improvements.

Those involved in the dance school learned about their heritage and one of the most enjoyable parts was finding out about Ballochmyle sandstone, its journey to New York and becoming the foundation piece for the Statue of Liberty.

A separate Kilmarnock Dance summer school took place at the William McIlvanney Campus, where 90 young people took part in exciting and high energy classes in hip-hop, jazz and Indian dance styles.

Both summer schools finished their week with a show for family and friends, which was a wonderful opportunity to show the skills and confidence they had built throughout the week.

Councillor Elaine Cowan, Spokesperson for Education, and Children and Young People said: “The summer schools in Mauchline and Kilmarnock provided our children and young people with an outlet for their creative energy.

"They learned new skills, grew in confidence, learned about their heritage and made new friends. What could be better?

“The feedback from parents and carers has been exceptional and this is credit to Zara Smith and all the coaches involved in the programme.

They have created a warm and welcoming summer school, which everyone has thoroughly enjoyed. Well done to everyone involved.”