THE people of North Ayrshire are joining forces in the fight to protect Ardrossan’s ferry crossings to Arran and Campbeltown.

Ordinary men, women and children have come forward in a stirring show of community spirit to give their backing to the campaign to ensure Ardrossan remains a vital hub for ferry travellers.

They are supporting the ‘Keep it A to B’ campaign spearheaded by North Ayrshire Council to retain the Ardrossan-Brodick route, following a speculative bid by Troon port owners ABP to move the Arran ferry to their port.

The campaign also supports the the retention of the crossing from Ardrossan to Campbeltown.

Among those lending their weight to the campaign is a group of taskforce volunteers who stepped forward to offer their help following a public event in Ardrossan last month.

They have committed to holding stalls to gather signatures in support of the campaign which will ultimately go to Transport Minister Humza Yousaf as he considers the future of the ferry routes.

Ardrossan & Arran Councillor Peter McNamara, chair of the Three Towns Locality Partnership, said the volunteers were indicative of the strong level of support to retain the crossings.

He said: “It’s been wonderful to see how the community has come together to show their support.

“It’s been evident from the public events in both Ardrossan and Arran that there is a clear support for retaining the current routes.

“There’s a real unity in the campaign – from the people on the street, from local businesses and community groups.

“They are making one thing absolutely clear – the overwhelming case shows that the only option is to keep the ferries sailing from Ardrossan.

“Just last week, we heard some of the exciting and ambitious proposals, worth £13million, being drawn up by Peel Ports and North Ayrshire Council.

“These will significantly improve passenger and berthing facilities at Ardrossan for the new generation of ferries being introduced by Calmac in 2018, as well the wide-ranging plans for the regeneration of the wider Ardrossan area.

“The people of Arran will gain too with an improved ferry service and all of the benefits that will bring, including a boost to tourism.”

Among the many community groups backing the A to B campaign is North Ayrshire Athletics Club (NAAC), a registered charity which provides affordable, qualified coaching to the people of North Ayrshire.

Blair Pettigrew, NAAC club chairman, said: “The island of Arran is very much part of our club, and everyone at the club is 100 per cent behind the ferry staying in Ardrossan.

“Our community coach regularly attends and provides coaching sessions in Arran and we are also a key partner in the Primary Schools’ Sports Hall Athletics Championships with KA Leisure.

“Our club senior runners always take part in the Goatfell Hill Race and club members enjoy the athletics events at the Brodick Games each year.

“Our own track and field championships held at our all-weather facility in Saltcoats always sees a strong team from Arran participating, as does the Winter Cross Country League.

“Our annual 10k in September also has plenty of the residents of Arran taking part.

“Our school holiday programmes and roadshows include Arran and the club works closely with the award-winning schools and Active Sports team on the island.

“The ferry moving to Troon would mean most of these important and valuable links between NAAC and Arran would be adversely affected at best and completely destroyed in some cases.

“All of the committee, volunteers, athletes and all those involved with our club oppose the Troon proposal and back in the strongest terms the sensible and best option of keeping it A to B - Ardrossan to Brodick.”

Anyone wishing to show their support for the campaign should visit www.saveourferry.co.uk where visitors can add their name to a letter in support. 

At the click of a button, this letter will go directly to the Transport Minister.

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