BRILLIANT weather at the start of June 2003 saw South Ayrshire residents flock to galas, school fetes and barbecues.

Who can you spot in these pictures featured in the Advertiser pages on June 4, 2003?

Ayr Advertiser: Queen Eileen with flower girl Jennifer and page boy Joseph

KINCAIDSTON held their annual gala day in glorious sunshine  - and made young Eileen Allardyce, 11, Queen for a day.

The streets were lined with happy revellers in what was great day of fun and games for the locals as Eileen led the parade from the bottom of Kincaidston Drive up to the local community school before the party got into full swing.

A bouncy castle, dozens of stalls, bric a brac and a disco kept the youngsters.

Eileen is pictured with flower girl Jennifer Law and page boy Joseph Galloway, both aged five.

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Ayr Advertiser: David and Mary, front, show fellow pupils where they are heading

BIG-HEARTED pupils at Wellington School raised more than £11,000 for a nursery school – based 5,000 miles away in South Africa.

And the school’s head boy and girl were preparing for a trip of a lifetime to Port Elizabeth to hand over the cash in person.

The pupils wanted to back the Calabash Trust, which runs a nursery school for pre-school children in a sprawling township in Port Elizabeth.

The trust was set up three years ago by former Wellington parent Marion Gate, who now lives in South Africa, and whose daughter Jill was head girl in 1997.

The pupils decided to support the South African charity and send David Murray, 17, from Muirkirk, and Mary Howie, 17, from Dundonald, on the 10,000-mile round trip to see what their cash can do.

Mary said: “We were very moved by the plight of the children in the township and thought that what Mrs Gate was doing was brilliant.

“Given the Wellington connection, we were delighted to help such an important and worthwhile cause.”

David said: “We’d like to thank all our families, relatives, friends and everyone who gave so generously. Raising over £11,000 is fantastic – it really has exceeded our expectations.”

Wellington head teacher Kenneth Dunsmuir explained: “The money raised is an astonishing sum.

"I want to pay tribute to all our senior pupils who selflessly and with great ingenuity found ways to bring the money in and help the South African children.”

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Ayr Advertiser: Ayr Grammar's beauty stall was a big hit

AYR Grammar held a barbecue to raise funds for the school.

The evening was organised by the PTA while primary seven pupils arranged a whole host of games to keep them amused after the tasty grub had been eaten.

 A bouncy castle, Wheel of Fortune game, a beauty stall where the youngsters could share make-up tips, and a doggy pet show were among the highlights of the event which was held in glorious sunshine.

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Ayr Advertiser: Classroom assistant Carol in the stocks

PRESTWICK’S Glenburn Primary School held their annual summer fete at the school .

Classroom assistant Carol Taylor entered into the spirit of the occasion when she volunteered to take her place in the Wet Sponge Stocks.

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Finally, Auchincruive was thrown a vital lifeline when rural affairs minister Ross Finnie ordered Scottish Agricultural College management to think again over plans to close their Ayr and Aberdeen campuses.

Following an emergency debate in the Scottish Parliament, which saw MSPs on all sides of the house react with fury to the closure plans, the minister’s deputy, Allan Wilson, confirmed SAC would be asked to take back the proposals and look at them again.

The final recommendation – to centralise at Edinburgh – was criticised as flying in the face of Executive policy to retain vital services at a local level.

And, crucially ALL sell-off plans were ordered to be put on hold.