Citizen Tony honoured for his community work
A community stalwart has been crowned Cumnock Citizen of the Year 2021.
Tony Esquierdo, 69, scooped the title for his work throughout his village. Tony, who was born and raised in Logan, has been chairman of the Cronberry, Logan and Lugar Community Council since 2018 and also serves as a member of the nine ommunity councils’ group, which include Cumnock, Netherthird, Auchinleck, New Cumnock, Dalmellington, Netherthird, Cronberry, Lugar and Logan, Patna, Drongan, Rankinston and Stair and Ochiltree and Skares.
His busy schedule, which can sometimes see him working late into the evening, includes liaising with volunteers to carry out various jobs including grass cutting, litter picking, keeping pathways clean, and planting flowers, and advising community groups on grants they could be eligible for.
He has also organised a packing and delivering shopping service for those unable to do so.
Tony could not have been more shocked when Colin Chisholm, chairman of Keir McTurk Memorial Committee, told him he had received the honour.
“I checked the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1,” he said. “But I was delighted.
“I’ve got a fantastic team behind me, who work hard in the community. So to me it’s for them, not for me. They deserve a mention as much as I do. It’s people like that who we depend on.”
Cronberry, Logan and Lugar Community Council disbanded in 2017, prompting Tony to reconvene meetings in 2018 to take advantage of local wind farm funding.
He said: “I knew if the community council wasn’t up and running that Cronberry, Logan and Lugar would get absolutely nothing. I also serve on the nine community councils’ group We come together to make sure each community gets their fair share of benefits from the wind farms.
“It gives me good satisfaction to see what’s going on in the community, how people are trying to help one another, and just trying to get the community back together as a tight knit unit.”