A pioneering social enterprise reversing the blight of empty premises in Ayr town centre has earned national recognition for its innovative approach.

Narture CIC, which has brought six formerly vacant or underused buildings back into productive use, has been named winner of the Innovation in Place prize at this year's Scotland Loves Local Awards.

Its artist-led model — combining an award-winning artisan bakery and cafe with studios, galleries, workshops and community programmes — is being highlighted as a blueprint that other communities could adopt.

Awards judges heard how Narture's work "demonstrates that regeneration can start with people, creativity and imagination". They also agreed the organisation has "taken empty buildings that represented decline and transformed them into places of opportunity".

The achievement has been praised by awards organisers Scotland's Towns Partnership (STP), which congratulated the team on its impact in Ayr.

Siobhian Brown, MSP for Ayr who also joined in presenting the award, 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."

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Reacting to the accolade, Saskia Singer, who founded Narture with her father Robert in 2020, 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."

Operating as a single creative ecosystem, Narture's venues are designed to strengthen connections across Ayr and build local economic resilience.

Since 2020, the enterprise has created 16 permanent jobs and provided important opportunities for local freelance artists and makers.

Ms Singer added: "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."

Reactivating six properties has also helped channel significant external funding into Ayr's creative sector.

Looking ahead, Narture plans to expand its model into the town's historic Auld Toy Shop — a former toy store that traded for about 30 years before lying empty for 15 years — aiming to revive it as a new creative and community hub through its Culture Collective programme.

Speaking after visiting Narture CIC, 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."

Runners-up in the Innovation in Place category were Climate Action Strathaven (South Lanarkshire); Fife Council – Riverside Park Regeneration Project, Glenrothes (Fife); Inverness BID & partners – Street Scene (Highland); and Our Union Street – Our Aberdeen App (Aberdeen).

Scotland Loves Local is spearheaded by STP with support from the Scottish Government, encouraging people to back their local places and help build a better future for their communities.