AN AYR social enterprise has won a national award for its creative approach to town centre regeneration.
Narture CIC received the Innovation in Place prize at the Scotland Loves Local Awards for its work transforming six empty and underused buildings in the town.
The enterprise, founded in 2020 by Saskia Singer and her father Robert, operates a model that combines an artisan bakery and café with artist studios, galleries, workshops, and community programmes.
Saskia said: "It’s not been an easy six years and there have been plenty of challenges, setbacks and expensive lessons along the way, so to have our work recognised in this way means a huge amount to us.
"We’re proud of what our team and community have achieved, and this award is a real boost to keep building on that work."
Narture’s approach has created 16 permanent jobs since 2020 and provided opportunities for freelance artists and makers.
Its work also attracted significant external funding for Ayr’s creative sector.
Saskia said: "Ayr was recently labelled the ‘empty shop capital of Scotland’, and there’s so much negative conversation online about the town, so it’s really rewarding to have some positive news.
"We hope Narture’s journey can inspire others to see the potential in Ayr, rather than just the challenges."
Awards organisers Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP) praised the enterprise for showing how regeneration can begin with people, creativity, and imagination.
Siobhian Brown, MSP for Ayr, said: "Narture do such incredible work in Ayr town centre, they have been able to regenerate lots of empty spaces into creative spaces.
"I think we have seen a decline in Ayr town centre, we need to start looking at different ways to attract people to town centres and Narture are doing a brilliant job at that."
Narture has expanded its model into Ayr’s former Auld Toy Shop, which has been vacant for 15 years.
The team is turning the site into a new centre for creativity and community through its Culture Collective programme.
Claire Kimmett, representing STP, said: "Narture is a fantastic example of innovation in place, demonstrating how creative thinking and a fresh approach can unlock the potential of vacant buildings and create new opportunities for a town centre.
"We’re delighted to recognise Narture through the Scotland Loves Local Awards and hope their achievement inspires other places across Scotland to think differently about the potential within their own communities."
Spearheaded by STP and supported by the Scottish Government, Scotland Loves Local is the campaign which encourages people to create a better future for their community by choosing local.
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