THREE beaches in South Ayrshire have been recognised for the high standard of facilities they provide to visitors. 

The Council received the prestigious Scotland’s Beach Award - a newly launched accreditation from environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful.

Celebrating some of the best managed beaches in the country, Scotland’s Beach Award has been introduced by Keep Scotland Beautiful as a quality benchmark for the provision of facilities to visitors along Scotland’s coastline - from toilet provision to maintaining beautiful promenades and secluded bays.

Focussing on local environmental quality, the award is designed to complement the work currently undertaken by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on bathing water quality.

The award aims to encourage the enhancement of all Scottish beaches and to improve the economic and aesthetic value of the coastline for local communities and visitors alike.

The beaches from South Ayrshire that have been recognised in this year’s awards are:
● Ayr
● Maidens Beach
● Troon

Mike Newall, South Ayrshire Council’s Head of Neighbourhood Services, welcomed the recognition, “We welcome tens of thousands of people to our beaches each year and our teams work hard to ensure people have the best possible experience when they arrive.

“It’s fantastic to have been recognised with these prestigious awards, which highlight the huge effort required to maintain large stretches of heavily used land.

“We’re proud of our reputation and I’d like to thank everyone involved for helping to maintain high standards over the course of the last year.”

Derek Robertson, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “This brand new award focuses on the local environmental quality of Scotland’s beaches - from litter free sand to the provision of information for visitors.

Beaches are an important asset to communities and their economies. As a year round facility, it is vital that our coastlines are maintained to the highest standards and continue to attract visitors from near and far.

“It’s greatly encouraging that so many beaches have received an award. Environmental quality needs priority attention and we will continue our work to support organisations efforts ensure that Scotland’s coastline offers a great day out.” 

A map showing the award-winning beaches with directions and facilities can be found at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/beach.