Local archive
Culture
Ayr metal band Hopes Avenue are building momentum after their latest songs attracted new attention, with the four musicians now working towards a debut album and hoping to play more gigs.
Community
Michelle McLeish will ride 18km on horseback on October 15 to remember Ayr teenager Cara McKee and raise £500 for Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue, where Cara volunteered.
Culture Fort
TripAdvisor ratings and reviews have highlighted five lesser-known Ayrshire attractions, including a volunteer-run steam railway, a medieval castle, a historic mill, a coastal lighthouse and a hidden heritage site in Largs.
Business & Openings Fort
Planning permission has been approved to convert the vacant retail unit at 19A Carrick Street, Ayr, into a studio flat for one or two people.
Traffic & Construction Alloway
A semi-detached villa at 1 Alloway Park, Ayr, offers almost 3,800 square feet of accommodation, original period features, flexible family living space, walled gardens and a share in the field opposite.
Culture
Ayr Pavilion will host an Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, October 10, with live oompah music, Bavarian food, German beers and tickets costing £20, including a drink and giant pretzel.
Culture
The Keep It Country Show will come to The Gaiety Theatre in Ayr on Tuesday, September 1, featuring Philomena Begley, Robert Mizzell, Kathy Durkin and Shaun Loughrey with the Keltic Storm Band.
Education
Ayr and Girvan Jobcentres are working with employers to fill vacancies through Sector-based Work Academy Placements, giving jobseekers workplace experience while businesses assess potential recruits.
Crime & Public Safety Fort
Recent cases heard at Ayr Sheriff Court include a two-year sentence for a serious assault, a breach by a registered sex offender and a forthcoming trial over a fatal crash on the A737.
Community
Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown is encouraging parents, carers and young people to complete two anonymous Scottish Government surveys about screen use, social media and online safety.
Community
Three members of The Crafty Coo will crochet flowers in the window of 72 Sandgate from 9am to 9pm on Sunday, August 30, inviting the public to join them or show their support for Ayrshire Hospice.
Community Alloway
Prestwick mother Kate McMillan and her teenage son Finlay Turner are preparing for their third 2026 Kiltwalk after raising more than £2,000 for Alloway-based Whiteleys Retreat, a charity supporting children with cancer and their families.
Sport
Ayr Advertiser photographs from late August 2006 revisit youth clubs, cadets, sport, school athletics and music across South Ayrshire and nearby communities.
Crime & Public Safety Fort
Kyle Fellowes, 23, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison after admitting possession of an improvised offensive weapon inside HMP Kilmarnock. The makeshift item, described in court as three blades attached together, was discovered in a locked safe during a cell search on April 18. Fellowes said he had obtained it because he feared for his safety after previous assaults and claimed he had enemies in the prison.
Sport Craigie
Ayr Racecourse has paid tribute to Glasses Up, the 11-year-old gelding who won 12 times at the venue to establish a post-war record and became a favourite with racegoers.
Community
Ayrshire woman Ainsley Sweeney has been selected to run the 2027 London Marathon for Parkinson’s UK in memory of her mum, who died in 2020. Andrew Dodds Autocare owners Andy and CaroleAnne Dodds are supporting the campaign with a donation, raffle prizes and ticket sales.
Crime & Public Safety Fort
Steven Telfer, who was jailed after more than 500 indecent images were found on a phone at his Maybole flat, has been admonished at Ayr Sheriff Court after admitting he failed to tell police about a new username.
Business & Openings
The Boathouse, a new restaurant at 4 South Harbour Street in Ayr, received approval for an occasional licence before announcing an opening from 9am on Friday, August 21.
Traffic & Construction
Ayr recorded 13,400 journeys through ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid scheme, ranking second among the railway operator’s top 15 family hotspots. Largs and Troon also featured, with the year-round offer allowing up to four children aged five to 15 to travel for £1 return each when accompanied by a fare-paying adult.
Business & Openings Fort
Mulligan’s in Ayr town centre is set to join the family behind Drouthy Neebors, with plans for free-to-use entertainment, Tennent’s on tap and a dog-friendly welcome. An opening date has not yet been confirmed.
Traffic & Construction Alloway
Homestead Smokehouse has been named Burger Bar of the Year 2026 at The Food Awards Scotland, rewarding the Ayr restaurant’s return after a three-year closure and move to Miller Road.
Traffic & Construction Doonfoot
A feasibility study is under way for a possible new pedestrian crossing near the Co-op on Dunure Road in Doonfoot, with a public consultation expected soon.
Crime & Public Safety Fort
Jack Moodie appeared at Ayr Sheriff Court accused of abducting and assaulting his partner at a Wilson Street property on March 4. He denies the indictment and will remain in custody until a trial later this year.
Culture Fort
A United States Air National Guard C-130J Super Hercules will return to the skies above Ayr shorefront during the 2026 International Ayr Show – Festival of Flight.
Community Alloway
South Ayrshire Council says demolition of the former Arran Mall site in Ayr will now be completed by the end of September, after work took longer than originally anticipated.
Business & Openings Wallacetown
Wallacetown Early Years Centre on Queen Street has received the Care Inspectorate’s highest possible grade for care and support, with inspectors praising its nurturing relationships, inclusive practice and support for families.
Crime & Public Safety Fort
Connor Hendren, 31, has been given a three-year community payback order after admitting online sexual communications with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old boy and possessing 15 moving indecent images of male children.
Sport Craigie
Spycatcher has been given top weight for the 2026 Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup, the headline event of Ayr Racecourse’s three-day meeting from September 17 to 19.
Crime & Public Safety Fort
Ayr Sheriff Court heard that a woman was attacked in an Ayr street and had cigarettes stolen after a man discovered that drugs and a crack pipe were missing. Two people returned to court after pleading guilty to assault and robbery.
Sport Craigie
Binhareer has been made the early 10/1 favourite for next month’s Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup after the entry stage, but several horses remain close behind in what is expected to be a highly competitive race.
