Recently in the press (Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 4 June) it was reported that North Ayrshire Council is looking into ways and means of promoting the Scots language, which is spoken by 45,771 people in the region (2011 census). Audrey Sutton, who is Head of Service for Community and Culture, recently delivered a paper to the Councils cabinet, outlining a commitment to the native language of Ayrshire residents. Along with the usual Burns Nicht celebrations, support for the annual McLellan Arts Festival (in honour of writer Robert McLellan) on Arran was cited. The Council also seeks to promote the Scots language in the schools. Councillor John Bruce commented that people should be encouraged to sprinkle cabinet papers with Scots words and that speakers should never be ashamed of them. His sentiments were echoed by Ayrshire-born broadcaster and writer Billy Kay, a well known supporter of Scots, who supports the re-introduction of the language into areas of the public domain from which it had been excluded in more recent eras. The support voiced by North Ayrshire Council comes at a time when official interest in the Scots-speaking community has become more apparent. Just this month the first ever Scots Toun Award was won by the town of Keith, which has done much to promote its local form of Scots among the community. Prizes were also won by organisations in Aberdeen and Muirkirk working to promote the language. In addition to this new award, several Scots Language Co-ordinators have now been appointed to offer advice and assistance to schools throughout Scotland.