Local archive
Sport Craigie
Gary Naysmith called Ayr United’s start to the Scottish Championship season “average” after his side drew 1-1 with Greenock Morton at Somerset Park, admitting the team must improve before its next match against Partick Thistle.
Business & Openings Fort
Narture CIC says more than 2,000 people visited its new Auld Toy Shop social enterprise space on Newmarket Street during its first major exhibition, marking a significant early response to plans for creativity, skills development and town-centre regeneration.
Traffic & Construction Alloway
Demolition of Ayr’s former Arran Mall and its neighbouring office block is nearing completion, with the work now expected to finish by the end of September.
Community Fort
Long summer evenings are fading quickly in Ayr, with the town set to lose around two hours and 15 minutes of daylight during September alone. Here are the key dates, times and seasonal changes residents can expect.
Community Fort
Pro-Palestine campaigners say they expect to target the International Ayr Show after South Ayrshire Council confirmed Thales as a key sponsor and claims emerged that BAE Systems and Leonardo are also backing the event. The council says sponsors are assessed on their community benefits and STEM support.
Culture
A TikTok urban explorer has filmed inside Ayr’s former Playhouse cinema and Mecca bingo hall, a Boswell Park building that was used as a cannabis farm in 2025 and is now vacant.
Community Alloway
Irvine runner Levi Charlton is preparing for the Snowdonia 100 Mile race after recovering from a DNF at the GB Ultra Brecon Beacons event, while fundraising for Whiteleys Retreat near Ayr approaches its £2,000 target.
Community
Vegan Earth in Ayr has been named Ayrshire’s highest-rated café in a TripAdvisor-based list, with four other popular stops highlighted in Dunure, Great Cumbrae, Irvine and Largs.
Community
Constance Care Ayrshire Housing Support Service, based in Ayr and supporting people across South and East Ayrshire, has been rated ‘very good’ after an unannounced Care Inspectorate inspection in August.
Business & Openings Alloway
A four-bedroom detached villa at 1 Alloway has entered the Ayr property market, with Stonefield seeking offers in excess of £425,000 for the extended home and its generous plot.
Traffic & Construction
Stuart Mitchell & Friends will return to The Gaiety Theatre in Ayr on Thursday, 8 July 2027, after two sold-out performances at the venue earlier this year.
Education
Children starting Primary One in Scotland are due to receive Welcome to School Bags from the 2027/28 school year, with Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown welcoming the scheme and highlighting wider financial support for families.
Traffic & Construction
Ayr Fryer on Smith Street has announced that it is under new management and is inviting returning and new customers to try changes including fresh touches, better quality and friendly service.
Crime & Public Safety Fort
Cases covered this week by Ayrshire Weekly Press titles included the jailing of a Cumnock man after an axe assault in Ayr, the return to custody of a sex offender and charges involving racist abuse at an Ayr barber shop.
Community
Staff from Jewson Credit Services in Glasgow have raised more than £1,700 for Ayr-based charity Whiteleys Retreat after completing a 313-kilometre fundraising challenge on an exercise bike.
Culture
Bay City Rollers member Stuart “Woody” Wood says he is looking forward to returning to Troon for a November 25 concert as part of the five-day WinterStorm festival.
Traffic & Construction Seafield
Plans to expand Creggan Bahn Court on Seafield Road, Ayr, by converting former garages into six en-suite bedrooms and adding staff and residents’ facilities have been approved by South Ayrshire Council.
Community
The HPX Hunner Percent Race begins at Ayr’s Riverside Sports Arena, bringing children, teenagers, fitness enthusiasts and elite hybrid racers together for three days of competition and fundraising.
Community Fort
An Ayr Advertiser nostalgia feature revisits photographs and stories from late August and early September 2011, including a successful Fort fun day, young cyclists in Carrick, Highland dancers at Coylton and a major Mossblown community event.
Community Ayr North
A new South Ayrshire Council Ranger Service leaflet highlights wildflower projects, including pollinator-friendly planting and food-growing beds at Riverside Sports Arena in Ayr North.
Crime & Public Safety Fort
Anthony Ramage was given a two-year community payback order and 160 hours of unpaid work after admitting a road-rage assault that caused severe injury and permanent disfigurement to a driver in George Street, Ayr.
Crime & Public Safety
The Iris, an Ayr cinema and arts company, has criticised a group described as “explorers” after they allegedly broke into its building through a smashed window and are now facing the cost of repairing a listed property.
Business & Openings Fort
Plans have been submitted to convert the vacant former Keepsakes shop at 161 High Street, Ayr, into a BoyleSports betting shop, with a proposed £350,000 refit and six permanent jobs.
Culture Fort
Ayr residents and visitors can explore historic, cultural and religious buildings during Doors Open Day Ayrshire on 12 and 13 September 2026, with free entry at participating venues and advance booking required for some tours.
Traffic & Construction
The Smoking Goat Bar & Grill on Academy Street, Ayr, has opened a recruitment drive for new front-of-house staff.
Business & Openings Heathfield
Furniture retailer Harry Corry has announced plans to open a new store at Ayr’s Heathfield Industrial Estate, although the official opening date has not yet been confirmed.
Sport
Property consultancy Galbraith has renewed its sponsorship of Ayr Rugby Football Club, with its branding set to appear on the senior men’s and women’s jerseys during the 2026/27 season.
Traffic & Construction Kincaidston
Eight-year-old Mack Caddis from Ayr was given a behind-the-scenes tour of Stagecoach’s Kilmarnock depot after developing a passion for buses at the age of four.
Education
Ayrshire band Biffy Clyro delivered a high-energy headline performance at Edinburgh’s Summer Sessions, with a flamethrower, an RAF flypast and fireworks among the night’s biggest moments.
Sport Craigie
Ayr United will try to recover from successive defeats when Greenock Morton visit Somerset Park on Saturday, August 29.
