THIS week, we recognise the hard work, loyalty and dedication of two of our district correspondents.

Eve Dailly has been compiling the West Kilbride Notes for over 25 years, while Donald L Reid – a weel kent face in the Garnock Valley – last week delivered his 650th Beith Notes without dropping the ball once. A remarkable record for both contributors, so this week we say a huge thank you to both of them.

Eve’s story My husband and I moved to West Kilbride in the mid 70s. My husband had joined the Johnstone Newspaper Group which at that time owned the Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald and Largs & Millport News and was taking over as Advertisement Manager for the papers.

At that time I worked in banking but stopped work in the early 80s when the first of our two sons was born. Our sons and their families including four grandchildren all live in the village.

I took over as the West Kilbride correspondent in 1988. In those days I used a manual typewriter and physically delivered copies to the paper by hand with contributors either telephoning me or handing in items to one of the local shops for collection. After a couple of years I graduated to an electric typewriter which I thought was wonderful!

In the late 90s my brother, who worked in IT, brought along one of his old computers, set it up for me and instructed me on the wonders of email and the internet! Although at the time I can remember thinking ‘this will never catch on’! So from then on no more using correction fluid for typing errors and no more hand delivering copy to the paper.

Back then most of the contributions for the West Kilbride Notes were still physically handed into me, but gradually over the next few years more and more appeared as emails as computers became part of everyday life.

During this technical revolution there were also very noticeable changes taking place in the village. A lot of new housing was being built, a new school had replaced the old one which had been demolished following a fire, and most noticeable of all was the birth of the Craft Town which along with our very hardworking local traders has helped to transform the Main Street back to its former glory.

However, one thing which has not changed is the friendliness and sense of community which those of us lucky enough to live in West Kilbride enjoy. The wealth of clubs and organisations which are available in West Kilbride are second to none and as your local correspondent it is truly a privilege to help promote these through the local press.

Donald’s story This week’s Beith local notes marks the 650th consecutive edition – compiled with the kind assistance of so many locals – by our correspondent, Donald L Reid, without missing a single edition over that lengthy period.

An ex-policeman and now a talented photographer, Donald is modest about his personal contribution to reflecting the life and times of the Garnock Valley, juggling his job as roving reporter with being a doting grandfather.

He said: “It would be remiss not to pass on sincere thanks to the many individuals in Beith and district who have contributed to the notes over the years.

“Interestingly, the name of one contributor remains constant from start to finish. Robert Jamieson, has submitted regular notes on 1st Beith BB, Parish Fellowship and Beith St Inan’s Angling Club. Thanks Robert!” Donald also thanks all those who have submitted notes for inclusion for their kind assistance.

He continued: “It is hoped that the many clubs, groups and organisations have benefited from having their proceedings recorded in annals of the Herald.

“When those who follow in our footsteps look back 100 years hence to find out what was happening in Beith, a key source of local information will be the Herald, so it really is a vitally important source of historical and social history of the local area.”