AYR High Street is in the running to be crowned Scotland’s most beautiful high street as it will battle against seven other towns who are vying for the crown.

The public will have the chance to vote for Ayr in the national competition until Sunday, November 10 by casting their vote online and the winner will be announced on Monday, November 18.

Ayr will go up against, Innerleithen, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Linlithgow, Lanark, Milngavie and Rothesay.

The competition is run by two of Scotland’s most well known organisations for place and the environment - Scotland’s Towns Partnership, the national body for towns across the country and environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful that aims for a cleaner, greener and sustainable Scotland.

Entries were judged on factors including horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility,

and community participation.

The 2018 winner was the Aberdeenshire town of Turriff. Turriff’s entry, submitted by the Turriff Business Association, highlighted the town’s numerous heritage sites, horticultural beauty, and community initiatives, including the emblematic ‘Turra Coo’ sculpture.

Phil Prentice,Chief Officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, said:“This competition is about celebrating the incredible work of people up and down the country, who give up their time to improve their local places. We’ve been blown away by the strength of the entries this year which goes to show that town centre revival is on the up, and it’s driven by local people.

“Our high streets and town centres are the beating hearts of communities and local economies, and each has its own unique identity and experience to offer for both residents and visitors. I would urge people to get online and vote for their favourite entry and help us celebrate the success of our thriving town centres.”

Katie Murray,

Communities and Place Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful commented: “Congratulations to all eight shortlisted High Streets – it is always inspiring to see communities and businesses working together to help the places they care about thrive.

“I’d urge everyone to vote - working together we can all enjoy and celebrate cleaner, greener and more beautiful High Streets.” You can vote for Ayr high street now.