Potato festivals and community ownership rejuvenating a seaside town

Standing inside Stumpy Tower, external – a former jail that is the last part still standing of the town’s historic heritage, Zanne stresses the area has character to it.

“Girvan has a bit of a dark side, whether stories of pirates and smugglers at the cove, or the Sawney Bean legend – about a cannibal family in the area. Whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter, it’s all about that myth that this area has.”

Yet talk of regeneration can only do so much. Shops still sit empty, with signs mentioning Covid-19 safety measures an indication of how long they have been closed, and the town’s beach is quiet.

Along the seafront sits a derelict bandstand building. A look inside reveals rolled up posters, broken chairs and a long abandoned carpet ball table.

However, it has recently been acquired by the Adventure Centre for Education charity, who hope to turn it into a café and events space.

“I think it’ll have a transformative effect on people’s psychology, seeing a derelict building come back to life,” says the charity’s Chris Saunders.

“If you look out to a derelict building it’s not a good thing for your thought process – this is a beautiful building and when it is brought back to life it is going to look beautiful again.”