Welcome to the official website of the Kilmarnock Station Railway Heritage Trust, formed in 2014 to bring a number of redundant railway offices into community use.
The first phase of the £0.5 million project was completed in August 2015. The bright modern facilities offer office space and meeting rooms used by a range of local groups, as well as a gift shop, book shop and coffee shop. These all offer employment and training opportunities for people with addiction and mental health issues as well as providing rehabilitation opportunities for ex-offenders.
Other renovated rooms house the Glasgow & South Western Railway Association archives.
As a result of this inspiring project, Kilmarnock Station, aside from being a busy railway station, has also become something of a ‘community village' or 'hub’ and an important asset for a wide range of community groups.
The KSRHT facilities host art exhibitions, creative classes, music therapy, tai chi and yoga and even charity comedy nights. In 2015, the Trust won the SURF Awards for Regeneration and was shortlisted for the EPIC Awards for Creative Arts
The coffee shop provides welcome refreshments for travellers and the adjacent book shop stocks thousands of good quality second-hand titles - everything from Harper Lee (best known for writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller 'To Kill a Mockingbird') and James Patterson (best known for his Alex Cross thrillers), through to Mills and Boon romance. The gift shop stocks a range of attractive and unusual gifts for all occasions.
The Trust aims to support the local community by encouraging groups and individuals to utilise the renovated spaces at the station for the benefit of the whole community.
We also provide training and activity for individuals in the community affected by social isolation, mental or physical health issues and addiction, empowering them to recover, rediscover their own skills and interests, socialise and enjoy life again. Read more about our Moving On Project (funded by the Big Lottery and Robertson Trust) /projects/moving-on-programme