South Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) are delighted to announce the appointment of Gary Hoey as the new Head of Children's Health, Care and Justice Services for South Ayrshire following an intensive assessment centre and panel interview process. Gary has worked in Social Work and Education for over 30 years, predominately within South Ayrshire. He will be taking up this role following three years as Chief Social Work Officer for South Ayrshire. In his role

Berelands House, located in the coastal town of Prestwick, has become Renaissance Care's 19 th home after it was sold by The Priory Group.   The chain, founded by Scottish entrepreneur Dr Robert Kilgour, operates care homes across Scotland, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ayr, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Blairgowrie, Inverness, and Moray.    Yvonne Richardson, Renaissance Care's Operations Director, said: “With over 20 years of experience, our vision is to deliver high-quality, p

Hayes Garden Land garden centre in Symington has been destroyed by a fire in the early hours of Monday 15 December. Photo: Hayes Garden Land Facebook Several Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews were called to the scene and remain in attendance as efforts continue. The business confirmed the extent of the damage in a statement posted on social media, saying: “We regret to inform you that we will be CLOSED for the foreseeable future - the Garden Centre & Cafe have burned dow

Heavy and persistent rain may lead to flooding and travel disruption Valid 18:00 Saturday until 09:00 Monday - Covers all areas of Ayrshire. Outbreaks of rain will spread in from the northwest during Saturday afternoon and last through Sunday before finally clearing away on Monday morning. The rain will be persistent and heavy at times with accumulations 40-60 mm developing quite widely. Across high ground totals during this event could exceed 100 mm. Strong southwesterly win

Great news breaking tonight. The “Spirit” aerospace jobs at Prestwick are secure. New name over the door of the main factory will be Prestwick Aerosystems. Doug Maclean Aviation Editor, 8th December 2025 Double good news for Prestwick and Scottish industry today as details released from Airbus in Amsterdam said that Airbus “has closed the transaction with Spirit AeroSystems for the acquisition of industrial assets dedicated to its commercial aircraft programmes.” Picture Airb

A killer who carried out a violent attack on a young Troon man has been jailed for life. Image: Police Scotland James Thomson, 35, was found guilty of murdering 22-year-old Callum Pollock after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, 30 October 2025. He was back in court on Friday, 5 December, when a judge at the High Court in Edinburgh ordered he serve at least 19 years behind bars before he can be considered for release. The horror unfolded late on Saturday, 6 Jul

96,000 carers in Scotland to receive payments from today SNP MSP Siobhian Brown has highlighted that carers in South Ayrshire are set to get a welcome boost to their finances ahead of Christmas.   More than 96,000 carers across Scotland will receive the Carer’s Allowance Supplement payment with money being paid into accounts from today (Thursday 4 th December). The Carer's Allowance Supplement is an extra payment of £293.50, currently made twice a year, for people in Scotlan

South Ayrshire Council has been awarded £481,000 through the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment Programme. Photo: Troon Concert & Walker Halls (South Ayrshire Council) Funding will support upgrades at Ayr Town Hall and Troon’s Concert and Walker Halls. New audio, visual and production equipment will bring the venues up to modern standards. The Council expects the improvements to help increase footfall in town centres and provide wider benefits to hospitality and loc

Recognition of the skill and dedication of decades of staff and companies on the Prestwick Aerodrome site since it was founded by Group Captain David McIntyre in 1935   Aviation Editor Doug Maclean 28 th November 2025.   I was very privileged to watch a piece of aviation history a few days ago when Spirit Senior Vice President Scott McLarty and General Manager John Gillbanks were presented with the rare Heritage Award by the President of the Prestwick Branch of the Royal Aer

Business as usual as airport wings its way to another profitable year.   Aviation Editor Doug Maclean - 27 th November 2025   Prestwick airport is shortly to report it’s annual accounts to the Scottish Parliament. Last year the airport reported a historic 5 th year in profit. It is very likely that the accounts for this year will report a 6 th year of profit and possibly exceed the £3.2 million operating profit recorded last year.   Image - Eddie Wallace It is against that

South Ayrshire Council has appointed Kier as the main contractor for the design and construction of a new Girvan Primary School and Early Years Campus - a landmark £33m investment in the region’s educational facilities. Located on the existing Wesley Road site, the new campus will be the first purpose-built facility in Girvan Primary School’s history. The two-storey building will feature modern classrooms, flexible breakout spaces, a dining area, and a sports hall equipped wi

Heathfield Primary School recently received a positive inspection report from Education Scotland.   Image - Miller Homes In June 2025, inspectors from Education Scotland visited the school where they talked to parents, carers and children and worked closely with the head teacher and staff.   The inspection praised the school for its positive relationships between staff and pupils and noted that children are proud of their school and engage well with their learning. The head t

Doug Maclean - Aviation Editor. 22nd November 2025. 4 additional flights each week start today with Air China. The new service comes from Chengdhu in central China with a stop over in Stockholm, Sweden. Image - Eddie Wallace When Ayrshire Daily News reported live from Prestwick airport in the middle of a cold February night I described the occasion as a very special night and the start of something really exciting. We saw the arrival of the first ever commercial freight fligh

The first viewings of Wicked for Good which hits cinemas this Friday is set to sellout at the Ayr Astoria Merlin cinema. The movie which will predominantly be shown on screen 4, the biggest screen currently in use is expected to attract large crowds, during the 1st instalment of wicked last year lines of people where seen outside the cinema with almost every sitting sold out. Anyone looking to attend the first viewings are advised to book online to avoid disappointment at the

A range of service changes will take place across the network including here in Ayrshire which includes the Ayr service 7 being replaced with a new 3B service. Ayrshire Service 97 Ayr – Craig Tara Holiday Park Our seasonal service 97 will no longer operate from Tuesday 2nd December, the last day of service will be Monday 1st December and will return in March 2026.   Service 12 Ardrossan – Stevenston Services on a Sunday will now depart every 70 minutes. See timetable here .

South Ayrshire Council has confirmed that around £230,000 was spent developing plans for the now-abandoned Care Village project at the Hourstons and Arran Mall site in Ayr. Photo: ADN The Council revealed the figure following an enquiry from Ayrshire Daily News, confirming that the money was used for initial design work and site surveys when the Care Village proposal was being explored. A Council spokesperson said: “Since 2019 a range of options all focussing on boosting foo

Stagecoach South Scotland has teamed up with Ayr United and The Night Before Christmas Campaign to help bring festive joy to children and families across Ayrshire this festive period. Now in its fourth year of support for the charity, Stagecoach is calling on fans and members of the local area to donate gifts at Somerset Park ahead of Ayr United’s home fixture against Arbroath on Saturday 15 November. The goal will be to fill an entire bus with presents that will be distribut

Pupils at Carrick Academy have buried a time capsule in the grounds of the new Maybole Community Campus for future generations to open. Image - South Ayrshire Council In 2024, during the demolition of the former Carrick Academy building in Maybole, a time capsule dating back to 1925 was discovered. The contents of the time capsule were carefully inspected and preserved by the Ayrshire Archives, details of which can be found in our blog: https://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/artic

Culzean Castle visitors get the chance to win tickets and vouchers for upcoming Christmas shopping fair   Marc Peters Glass at Culzean Castle (© JSH Pix) Deck the Halls, a brand new Christmas gift fair coming to the SEC from 28-30 November, is teaming up with partner, National Trust for Scotland to host a giant festive gift hunt at Culzean Castle this weekend.   Culzean Castle in Ayrshire will host the gift hunt from Friday 7 - Sunday 9 November, giving visitors the chance to

South Ayrshire Provost Iain Campbell and South Ayrshire Council's Director of Communities and Transformation, Jane Bradley, attended an awards ceremony at Edinburgh castle for the Lowland Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association Employer Recognition Scheme. South Ayrshire Council was awarded the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award. The ERS recognises employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate, or advocate support to Defence and the Armed Forces community,