They may still be at school, but three young local entrepreneurs are already working on their first commission – which will be very much in the public eye.

St Joseph’s Academy sixth year pupils Steven Bracki, Liam Gallagher and Siobhan Connelly have been commissioned by the Klin Group to create window designs for the restored frontage of the old Opera House – now known as the Encore development – in Kilmarnock’s John Finnie Street.

The three youngsters, along with technical teacher David Ritson, attended their first site meeting and inspected the interior of the B-listed building, which is undergoing massive restoration.

Marie Macklin, CEO of the Klin Group, appointed the pupils in August 2011 to research and develop window decals for the ground floor windows. A financial donation will be made to the school from Klin Group for their services.


Designs planned for the windows depict scenes from the glorious past of the Opera House – which has seen service as a church, a saleroom and a nightclub in its time – and even include some vintage Kilmarnock Standard headlines.

The enterprising students explained their ideas, previously approved by the Klin Group, to officers from the Council’s Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) and planning department, whose full agreement was required for the project.

Marie Macklin said: "This is what regeneration is all about – involving the whole community, especially our young people.

"We could have appointed a company from the private sector for this service, but to involve the pupils through the Council’s school enterprise and business leaders programme was the right decision.

"Steven, Liam and Siobhan have worked hard, learning about Kilmarnock’s history, about finance, art, communication and making commercial decisions. I am also looking forward in the future to working with Kilmarnock Academy students, who have been commissioned to produce a mural for the Encore entrance."

(GK)