AN AYR shop owner is looking to challenge negativity around the town’s High Street by promoting small independent businesses.

Alan Moore, 33, has launched a new website with the aim of shining a positive light on Ayr’s main shopping centre.

His project titled Ayr High Street has been running since March and has already recruited 30 local businesses such as shops, bars and restaurants.

Originally from Glasgow, Alan moved to Ayr three years ago where he set up shop with his men’s clothing store Hunter Kingsley. He decided to set up his project to challenge the stigma that the High Street is dying.

Alan told the Ayr Advertiser: “When I arrived here, it felt like people were really down about the state of the town. It was always someone else’s fault, so I thought why not get all the businesses together try and promote everyone in the same way, get professional photographs taken of the businesses.”

The new website was launched recently and Alan is hoping that it will put Ayr on the map.

He explained: “We want local people using it as much as possible and we are trying to promote everything really if you are looking for a pub quiz, or wanting to know who’s doing a steak night.

“We want people from the local area and further afield, like Maybole and Girvan from smaller towns in Ayrshire to be looking at Ayr as the capital.

A lot of people talk about visiting Edinburgh and Glasgow, why not make Ayr one of the destinations to visit?

“That’s the whole point to show businesses in a consistent aesthetic, speak about them in a positive way and promote what’s good about Ayr and what’s happening.”

Alan is hoping that the website will bring more awareness to the small independent shops that exist around the town.

Despite growing frustration and a backlash from people who think the High Street is on its last legs, Alan is adamant that with the right approach things can change.

He added: “ I remember speaking to people when Mothercare closed, people were just commenting “The High Streets dead there’s nothing in the High Street left. It’s nothing to do with Ayr and how busy it was. That’s happening with shops all over the place.

“You get these massive institutions you think they are absolutely solid they’ll never close, they’ll never die, but they are.

“They are too big. Whereas smaller retailers who are run by independent owners have got that flexibility, they can change and adapt.”