More than 20 boards to support communication have been installed across South Ayrshire venues as part of a project led by South Ayrshire Communication Friendly Environments (SACFE), part of the South Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership.
The boards make the parks, beaches and woodland areas where they’ve been installed more communication friendly. They include pictures, symbols and words to represent ideas, actions, or needs, making it easier for people to communicate their wants, needs, and feelings. As well as providing help for children and young people to communicate, they can also be used as prompts for adults with dementia.
Jo Ford, a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant with NHS Ayrshire & Arran and lead for the SACFE project, explains: “Speech, language and communication difficulties can pose significant barriers to many people when out and about in the community. The boards act as visual tools to help individuals with communication challenges to express themselves and interact with others.
“We’ve received excellent feedback about the boards, with local people saying they make those with communication difficulties feel more supported and included. The pictures have also prompted some lovely stories and memories from people that they otherwise wouldn’t have shared. I’d like to say a huge thank you to the organisations and businesses that have and continue to support this project.”
The communication boards have been installed in the following areas by South Ayrshire Council, with more to come in the future:
| Ayr beach (various areas) | Northfield park – swing park and duck pond |
| Barassie beach | Prestwick beach – benches, Kidzplay and swing park |
| Bellisle – swing park and woods | Rozelle – duck pond and willow walk |
| Fullarton woods and swing park | Troon beach – kiosk and swing park |
| Girvan beach and park |
The boards were funded by NHS Ayrshire & Arran, Tempura, Nicoll Design, Hillhouse Quarry, MKM, Spotty Zebras and Asda.