Two tourism schemes in North Ayrshire have been awarded £270,000 to attract more visitors to the area.

The money, which has been allocated by the UK Government's Coastal Communities Fund, will see both Arran and Cumbrae benefit.

North Ayrshire Council has been awarded £100,000 to provide moorings at various points on the coastline, while Arran Access Trust has been awarded £170,000 to work with the Council in bringing a classic walking trail up to standard.

The first project will be carried out in partnership with Visit Arran and Cumbrae Community Development Company and will involve the establishment of visitor boat moorings on the two islands. It is understood up to 28 purpose-made moorings will be positioned at key points for the use of tourists travelling round the coastline on small leisure craft.

Currently, locations at Pirnmill, Blackwaterfoot and Whiting Bay on Arran and Millport on Cumbrae have been identified, while surveys are also due to be carried out to determine the suitability of potential anchorage sites to create a necklace of sailing stop-off points around the coast.

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The second project, being led by Arran Access Trust and part funded by North Ayrshire Council and the Arran Trust, will involve a significant upgrade to the Isle of Arran Coastal Way, which is a 65-mile walking trail round the island. A project co-ordinator and build team, including trainee path workers, will deliver the improvements over the two-year period. This will extend to new path construction, upgrade of existing sections and the publicity and promotion of the trail.

The national funding allocation will pay the employment set-up costs for both projects, with additional support coming from North Ayrshire Council which has agreed to meet administration costs of £20,000 for the moorings and £10,000 towards the Coastal Way project.

North Ayrshire Councillor Marie Burns, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, said: "Tourism is vital to the economy of North Ayrshire and we must take every opportunity to capitalise on the natural beauty of our coastline.

"This award of funding enables us to achieve a lot in a short space of time.

"We benefit from the creation of jobs which, in this case, will be a wide range of full-time, part-time and seasonal opportunities."

Malcolm Whitmore, Chair of the Arran Access Trust, added: "We are delighted to have been awarded funding by the Coastal Communities Fund for the Arran Coastal Way project.

"It will enable the upgrade of the route, which is long overdue, and improve access to the stunning coastal scenery of Arran."

(JP)