A KILWINNING man has been named one of the new Deputy Lieutenants for Ayrshire and Arran.

Matt Smith OBE will serve the region on behalf of the Crown alongside Carolyn Blyth and Nigel Martin after being appointed by The Queen.

Born in Kilwinning in 1952, Mr Smith attended Stevenston Primary School before moving on to Ardrossan Academy.

He thereafter became the head of National and Local Government Officers (NALGO) after a brief spell with Irvine Development Corporation.

In 1993, he was appointed Scottish Secretary of UNISON, a post he held until 2010.

Mr Smith served as President of the STUC (1999/2000) and held a range of appointments with the BBC, the Church of Scotland, the Equal Opportunities Commission (Scotland) and the SCDI where he was appointed an Honorary Fellow.

The 64-year-old served on the Mcintosh Commission on local government and the Scottish Parliament; and with the Calman Commission on Scottish Devolution.

Since leaving UNISON, Mr Smith has taken on a range of roles including: Scottish Human Rights Commissioner; Member, the Scottish Standards Commission; Non Executive Director roles with Scottish Water, Irvine Bay Regeneration Company and Unity Enterprise.

Since 1986, Mr Smith has served as a Justice of the Peace and in 2004 he was honoured with an OBE.