Celebrate the colours of spring at Dobbies’ Spring Shopping Evening, a free-to-attend evening event dedicated to outdoor living and seasonal inspiration, taking place on Thursday 2 April at the Ayr store. Bring friends and family together to join the local community to mark the start of the season, with entertainment from local groups, hands-on workshops, delicious samples from Dobbies’ new foodhall, and in-store garden inspiration.   Start the evening with a complimentary dr

At a Council meeting on Thursday 26 March, Councillors agreed to progress three major projects using funding from the Prestwick Capital Regeneration budget.   Following the commitment made in 2024 of £2million for regeneration investment within Prestwick, South Ayrshire Council engaged with Prestwick Civic Pride, stakeholders, and the public to identify key project strands for allocation of funding.   As a result of this consultation, £1million has been budgeted to fund impro

Gas network company SGN is investing £2m to upgrade the gas network in Ayr to ensure local homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply.   The project involves replacing old metal mains, reaching the end of their useful lives, with new plastic pipe which has a lifespan of around 80 years. This will help ensure local homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply long into the future.   Following close consultation with South

Ayr customers can support families facing financial difficulties during the Easter school holidays by picking up an extra bag to put through the checkout at Tesco stores.   The donation bags, which cost between £2 and £5, are pre-packed with healthy long life food items. They will be available in every large Tesco store in and around Ayr during the Easter break (30 March to 12 April) to make donating the most-needed items to the charitiesFareShare & The Felix Project and Trus

Yesterday Air China Cargo quietly expanded its freight flights to Prestwick yet again and now has daily services to Chengdu in Western China. This is in addition to both Air China and China Southern airlines operating a total of 8 scheduled freight flights from Guangzhou in South East China, near Hong Kong. By Aviation Editor Doug Maclean Image - Glasgow Prestwick Airport On May 16th 2025 the first scheduled freight flights from Scotland to China started from Prestwick when

Detectives are appealing for information following a housebreaking and theft in Ayrshire. Around 6pm on Tuesday, 25 February, 2026, a property near the B739, between Tarbolton and Monkton, was broken into. Jewellery and clothing worth approximately £300,000 were stolen. It is believed two males were involved in the break-in and they would have needed access to a vehicle. A team of detectives has reviewed CCTV and carried out extensive enquiries in the local area. Detective Se

The Leaders of South Ayrshire Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council are once again calling on the Scottish and UK Governments to invest in the A77 and the A75.   These two major trunk roads are critical for connecting passengers and freight between England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Despite this, the roads which run from Ayr to Stranraer and from Stranraer to Gretna, are mainly single carriageway.   The speed limit for heavy goods vehicles (HGV) is restricted and alt

South Ayrshire Council is calling on residents to make full use of their food recycling caddies, as part of a new campaign to reduce waste, boost recycling rates and protect the environment.    Every year, households across Scotland throw away thousands of tonnes of food that could be recycled. When food waste goes into the general waste bin it is sent to an ‘energy from waste’ facility for incineration. Transporting food waste for incineration is five times more expensive an

Marr College has been awarded Intermediate level of the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.   The International School Award celebrates the achievements of schools that do exceptional work in international education to support our young people in gaining a wider cultural understanding.   To achieve this award Marr College undertook various international projects including the exchange of le

South Ayrshire based Land Energy is thrilled to announce that it has been shortlisted for two prestigious industry awards in recognition of its continued commitment to innovation, sustainability and business excellence in Ayrshire and the wider region. The company has been confirmed as a finalist in the Resilience category by the Glasgow based Centre for Engineering, Education and Development (CeeD) at its Industry Awards. The awards celebrate innovation, excellence and colla

The Waverly has started her winter refit programme at the James Watt Dock in Greenock. This is part of a programme of restoration and repair that will see more than £500,000 spent on her this year. She will sail regularly from Largs in 2026 and is also expected make some sailings from Ayr and Troon during the this summer’s Clyde Sailing season from 26th June to 30th August. Details of the summer sailing programme will be released mid-March. Bookings will be possible at that t

Demolition of the Arran Mall in Ayr is set to begin on 23 February 2026. The buildings to be demolished include the three-storey concrete office block on Alloway Street and the single storey mall and retail units behind. The works, which will be carried out by Dem-Master Demolition Ltd, will take approximately six months to complete. Secure hoarding will be put in place around the demolition area. The hoarding will maintain existing access from Dalblair Road to neighbouring p

Detectives are appealing for information following a serious assault in South Ayrshire. Around 5.30am on Sunday, 8 February, 2026, a man was riding a bicycle when he was approached by four men and seriously assaulted on Drumley Drive in Mossblown. The 32-year-old man attended at hospital for treatment for serious injuries. The four men were all white, wore dark clothing and spoke with a local accent. Detective Constable Rebecca Scott said: “This was a terrifying incident for

Dobbies has unveiled a vibrant new cottage kitchen garden style foodhall at its Ayr store. Ayr is one of Dobbies’ first stores to transform its foodhall with a further 47 stores planned in the coming weeks, offering customers the opportunity to discover and celebrate great food. The new foodhall reflects Dobbies’ commitment to investing in the Ayr store and responding to what local customers want. By listening to feedback from the Ayr community, new ways were identified to im

At around 10.40pm on Saturday, 13 September, 2025, an accelerant was thrown at a property in Whiteford resulting in a fire. A member of the public forced entry to the building and assisted a 21-year-old woman within. There were no injuries. A male was seen running away from the scene, towards Assel Place, around the time of the incident. He is described as being in his late teens and was wearing dark-coloured clothing and a black baseball cap. Detective Constable Stewart Gord

A Stagecoach South Scotland–backed dementia programme has successfully achieved its goal of establishing a sustainable, ongoing community activity for people living with the syndrome and their carers after celebrating its one-year anniversary. Launched last year in partnership with club charity, Ayr United Football Academy, the Dementia Friendly Walking Football initiative has grown from a six-week pilot into a well-attended, permanent programme. Many of those taking part are

DO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE STUDIO AUDIENCE OF A BBC TV PROGRAMME?   Debate Night is   BBC Scotland’s political discussion show and we want the people from across  Scotland  to have their say.   The programme is travelling around the country on Wednesday evenings, and we would love to welcome local audiences at a location near you:   Upcoming Filming Dates:   Wed 04 Feb   LANARK                  Wed 11 Feb   FORT WILLIAM    Wed 18 Feb   EDINBURGH          Wed 25 Feb  AYR       

Aviation Editor Doug Maclean – 21st January 2021 On December 8th a press release from the Airbus SE announced they had completed the acquisition of many aircraft manufacturing sites owned by Spirit Aerosystems. The Spirit manufacturing site at Prestwick had been working for both Airbus and Boeing. Prestwick Aerosystems proudly takes its place at a historic site - Image Eddie Wallace Picture Eddie Wallace Prestwick Aerosystems is the new name for aircraft manufacturing at the

The Quay Zone (TQZ) leisure facility in Girvan is set to re-open its doors on Friday 23 January. Image - Quay Zone The facility, which was closed following major storm damage in 2024, has undergone a complete overhaul culminating in a phase 1 reopening of the swimming pool, fitness suite and gym. TQZ will be operating 7 days a week. Customers will be able use the gym's brand-new Pulse Fitness cardio, resistance and free weight equipment. The fitness studio has also been impro

The squad emerged victorious from a highly competitive tournament involving authority teams from East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Glasgow and Dundee. South Ayrshire faced Glasgow in the final, securing the title and confirming their status as the top primary school authority football team in Scotland. Image - South Ayrshire Council This latest success marks South Ayrshire's second consecutive Association Sevens Championship win. The team is run by the Ayr & Dist