North Ayrshire Council Community Resources

02/11/2026

📣 It’s your LAST CHANCE to vote for the projects you would like to see funded via our £82,185 Participatory Budgeting fund 🎉 including funding from the UK Government’s Pride in Place programme.

Voting closes on Sunday 8 November at midnight – vote online at https://northayrshire.communitychoices.scot/ or visit your local library to vote in-person.

Don’t miss out! It’s your money, you decide! 👇

24/10/2026

Our Period Dignity Team remain at the forefront of championing the Council’s Wellbeing priority including providing support for North Ayrshire’s six localities to break the stigma and taboos surrounding menstruation 🩸🩲

The team help to provide free period products across various venues in North Ayrshire including schools, libraries, community and leisure centres...

Did you know our food larders also stock them? Find your nearest larder and opening times here: https://tinyurl.com/bdd2nyhp

To find nearest free period products check out the PickUpMyPeriod app: https://myperiodlive.azurewebsites.net/

If you have used our wider free period products provision and you would like to share your feedback about the service and products we provide, please take five minutes to complete the Period Dignity service user survey: https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/.../comm.../period-dignity

Your views matter to us and will ensure that we can continue to make improvements to ensure that no one is left behind.

For further Cost of Living support, visit the dedicated Council website: https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/cost-of-living

22/10/2026

📣 Did you know that this you can access free eco-options of sustainable period products across all North Ayrshire community larders?

This week is the perfect time to consider switching to more eco-friendly period products such as re-usable pads, pants or menstrual cups 👇

We’ve already shared the advantages of pants and pads (see our newsfeed from earlier this week), but what about menstrual cups?

Well menstrual cups are not only a money-saver, but they also significantly cut down on plastic and packaging too.

If you were purchasing your own period products, a menstrual cup is set to save you an incredible £130 per year! Other perks include:

🌍 Being made from medical-grade silicone
♻️ Can reduce your carbon impact by 90%
🩸 Just as leak-proof as tampons and pads
👇 Minimal maintenance (wash and sterilise in boiling water)
♻️ Have a lower annual carbon footprint than single-use products
⌛ You can get 8-12 hours use (depending on your flow)

So why not give them a try and do you part for a more sustainable North Ayrshire?

➡️ Find your nearest community larder using the locator map (below) or scan the QR code in this post for more info of other locations to access FREE period products near you.

➡️ North Ayrshire community larder locator map for opening times and locations with enhanced eco-options this week: https://tinyurl.com/bdd2nyhp

21/10/2026

📣 This week is and our Period Dignity team who spearhead North Ayrshire Council's free period products provision are providing an enhanced choice of eco-options for residents who want to make the switch to more sustainable products ♻️

Between now and Friday, across our 16 community larders, the team will stock a range of sustainable period products!

Larders will have ‘Hey Girls’ menstrual cups and reusable pads as well as reusable cloth pads and underwear from local business TCS Eco. Free traditional pads and tampons are still available too.

➡️ Find out more info including nearest larder and opening times here: https://tinyurl.com/bdd2nyhp

20/10/2026

Did you know that this you can access free eco-options of sustainable period products across all North Ayrshire community larders?

➡️ Find your nearest community larder using the locator map (below) or scan the QR code in this post for more info of other locations to access FREE period products near you.

➡️ View the North Ayrshire community larder locator map for opening times and locations with enhanced eco-options this week: https://tinyurl.com/bdd2nyhp

Re-usable period pants and pads are a great option if you want to use more eco-friendly products because they're:

🌍 Ultra-absorbent with moisture technology

🩸 Just as leak-proof as tampons and pads

🧺 You can rinse in cold water then machine wash at 30-40 degrees

👛 Cost-effective and can last many years

♻️ Have a lower annual carbon footprint than single-use products

⌛ Pants can last up to 10 hours and pads up to 4 hours depending on flow

So why not give them a try and do you part for a more sustainable North Ayrshire?

19/10/2026

📣 We are proud once again to join communities and our partners to pledge support to Environmenstrual Week 2026 (19 – 25 October) 👇

Part of the council’s vital climate change pledge to become a net zero local authority by 2030, our Community Resources team is calling on residents to switch to sustainable period products if they are ready to do so ♻️🩸🩲

Scotland is the first country in the world to protect in law the right to access free period products for anyone who needs them.

In 2017, North Ayrshire Council became the first local authority to provide period products across council buildings, completely free of charge.

Disposal of period products is also an environmental concern. Traditional one time-use sanitary pads with plastic wrappers, and tampons with plastic applicators, pose a threat with over 340,000 tampons and pantyliners estimated to be flushed down the toilet in Scotland every day 👎

This is what our dedicated Period Dignity Team are all about – providing free period products to those in need across North Ayrshire.

This week, across our 16 community larders, we will stock a range of sustainable ‘Hey Girls’ menstrual cups and reusable pads as well as reusable cloth pads and underwear from local business TCS Eco, alongside free pads and tampons too, to help people to take the next step in their menstruation journey using products that are kind to the pocket and the planet 🌎

Please note: The wider choice of sustainable options are available this week while stocks last.

➡️ Find your nearest community larder using the locator map or scan the QR code in this post for more info of other locations for free period products near you.

➡️ North Ayrshire community larder locator map for opening times and locations with enhanced eco-options this week: https://tinyurl.com/bdd2nyhp

16/10/2026

📣 North Ayrshire Council is raising awareness of the 117 wide network of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across our six localities 👇

This coincides with 2026 – an annual initiative led by Resuscitation Council UK which aims to increase the number of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by helping more people learn CPR ❤️‍🩹

During Restart a Heart Day, we are shining a spotlight on the nearby locations for Automated External Defibrillators across our six localities.

Also known as AEDs, defibrillators are portable medical devices that are designed to check a person's heart rhythm and deliver an electric shock to restart their heart in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest.

Find out your nearest AED location and read all about it in the news release: https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/news/council-supports-restart-a-heart-day

Councillor Alan Hill, Cabinet Member for Communities, Housing and Islands shares: "North Ayrshire Council is proud to support Restart a Heart Day and use the awareness day to raise the profile of our AED network across our six localities.

"Thank you to our Community Resources colleagues for leading this corporate work, which has placed the Council in a much stronger position.

"This has included developing clear guidance, ensuring AEDs are registered and kept up to date on the British Heart Foundation Circuit defibrillator finder, securing funding to strengthen and safeguard the AED network, establishing a procurement framework for replacement parts, and introducing a process for third sector organisations to host AEDs on Council buildings.

"It is encouraging to also learn that in North Ayrshire, the average retrieval time for a defibrillator is now 5 mins 24 secs compared to 8.4 minutes.

"The Community Resources team has been incremental in supporting the Council’s efforts to move 14 of its AEDs to external cabinets so that they provide 24/7 unrestricted access and are set to move an additional 21 to external cabinets by the end of this financial year.

"Work will also continue to support the training of colleagues and residents alike who want to become Resus Ready and confident in the use of AEDs and CPR to save a life.”

16/10/2026

This Day, North Ayrshire Council is raising awareness of the 117 wide network of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across our six localities.

➡️ In addition to North Ayrshire Council's AED Register: https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/documents/north-ayrshire-council-aed-register all defibrillators owned and registered by North Ayrshire Council, are visible on The Circuit.

➡️ The Circuit is a British Heart Foundation locator tool to support emergency services and members of the public to access their nearest UK AED. Access it here online: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/national-defibrillator-network-the-circuit

If you are present during an emergency, remember the DRSABCD approach, these are 7 key steps that you can take to help 👇

🔴 D - Danger: First, ensure the scene is safe for you, you can't help others if you become a casualty yourself so look out for fire, smoke, electricity, traffic, aggressive behaviour and water hazards.

🔴 R - Response: Check if the person is responsive by asking them questions to look and feel for signs of consciousness. Talk to them, squeeze their shoulders, ask simple questions like can you hear me? Are you able to open your eyes? What's Your name? Can you squeeze my hand?

🔴 S - Send for help: Call 999 immediately if the person is unconscious, they are not breathing normally or if there is a serious injury. Then, ask someone to find the nearest defibrillator (AED). Stay with the casualty until help arrives.

🔴 A - Airway: Check airways. Open the airways and ensure they are clear. If not clear, put the casualty in the recovery position.

🔴 B - Breathing: Look, listen and feel for breathing. Check if they are breathing normally. If they are not breathing, start CPR.

🔴 C - CPR is used when a person is unresponsive and not breathing normally. Perform 30 compressions and 2 rescue breaths. Aim for between 100 to 120 compressions per minute. Continue CPR until the person becomes responsive, they start breathing normally or medical professionals arrive and tell you to stop.

🔴 D - Defibrillator: Use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) as soon as it becomes available. Turn it on then follow the voice prompts. Attach the pads in the correct position (shown on the AED). Remember you can use one even if you are not trained to do so.

If you are looking for CPR and AED training near you, check out the Heartstart Ayrshire & Arran FB page for free opportunities in Ayrshire ❤️

16/10/2026

📢 Come and join our team!

We are looking for Casual Venue Assistants to join the Community Resources team at North Ayrshire Council.

If you’re interested in joining us, you can find out more about the role and how to apply below 👇

Job SummaryWe may conduct our interviews in person or using Microsoft Teams for video calling. All you need is a device with a camera and access to the internet. We will provide guidance and instructions on how to use this method if your interview is being held virtually. We are a disability confide...

16/10/2026

This Day, check out the helpful video from Resuscitation Council UK on how to use an Automated external defibrillator (AED).

Being can help you to save a life! ❤️

To locate the nearest AED near you in North Ayrshire, check out the North Ayrshire Council AED register: https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/documents/north-ayrshire-council-aed-register