Our Programme worked in Ayr from 2022 until June 2024. Here you can find information about the Project Town, all the work we carried out and the documents we created.
The final document we produced is our Project Town Closing Summary which brings together all of this information.
About our Ayr Project Town
Ayr is located on the southwest coast of Scotland and is a popular tourist destination. However, parts of the town suffer from high levels of inequality, and much of North Ayr is in the 10% most deprived areas in Scotland. The town therefore met our programme criteria for support, and Ayr was the second Project Town to get underway.
Ayr’s Steering Group, made up mostly of members from NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Police Scotland and South Ayrshire Council, met monthly since February 2022. Susan Beattie, Project Lead for Ayr, and Eleanor Crawford, Community Link Lead for Ayr, both finished on the Programme in March 2024.
Susan Beattie, former Project Lead for Ayr, and Eleanor Crawford, former Community Link Lead for Ayr, both finished on the Programme in March 2024.
What was the impact of the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme in Ayr?
Read our two Impact Stories for Ayr below.
How did our Programme help to shape the Housing Strategy’s high-level outcomes into a long-term, council-wide strategy which will contribute to sustainable system change? Find out more in Ayr: An Impact Story
How did input from our Programme help to refresh the Sustainability and Climate Change strategy? Read more in Ayr: An Impact Story on Climate Change, Sustainability and the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes
Ayr's Data Journey
The support from the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme began with our quantitative data exercise to identify the population groups of Ayr experiencing the most inequality, carried out with support from the Public Health Scotland Local Intelligence System Team (LIST). This was captured in a Quantitative Data Profile of the findings that allowed us to identify four main areas of impact around:
- People experiencing poverty with a focus on children
- People who experience a substance use disorder
- Premature mortality in those aged 15-44 years living in North Ayr
- Geographic split of life expectancy if living in North or South Ayr
We shared our findings through:
- Quantitative data profile
- Quantitative data infographic, highlighting key areas of inequality
To understand residents’ experiences of the places they live, work and relax, our Community Link Leads aimed to bring this quantitative data to life by undertaking a qualitative data gathering exercise which was informal in its approach, and prioritised building relationships with third sector organisations and community groups, combined with desk-based searches. We shared our findings through:
Read more about our data journey here.
Place and Wellbeing Outcome Briefings: Impact on Ayr's Community
Each Project Town created Place and Wellbeing Outcome Briefings, which explored the impact of the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes on communities, organisations and practitioners within our Project Towns. Read Ayr’s Place and Wellbeing Outcome Briefings below.
Resources
Stewardship
Ayr's Place and Wellbeing Assessments
Ayr also undertook a number of Place and Wellbeing Assessments:
- Wallacetown Housing Regeneration
- Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy Review
- Local Housing Strategy
- Accessible Ayr
Following each Place and Wellbeing Assessment a report was produced recommending how a more place-based approach could be taken. If you’re interested in our approach, read Ayr’s Place and Wellbeing Assessment reports in full.
-
Planning for Place Programme
The Planning for Place Programme supports councils and their partners to collaborate around place, seeking to encourage place-based approaches to joint planning, resourcing and delivery of places that enable all communities to flourish.
-
National Planning Improvement Programme
The National Planning Improvement Champion is responsible for monitoring the performance of planning authorities and providing advice to them (and others) on what steps might be taken to improve their performance.
-
Planning Skills
The Planning Skills Programme co-ordinates training events for public sector planning officers, with the aim to develop the skills required to deliver better places.
-
Digital Planning
The Digital Planning team at the Improvement Service collaborates with local government to enhance and unify data related to planning and building standards. This work aims to develop a cohesive national data landscape, fostering insights and supporting informed decision-making.
-
Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme
The Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme is a joint delivery partnership between the Improvement Service and Public Health Scotland. This forum is for those interested in our work supporting the role of place to reduce inequality and improve the wellbeing of people and planet.
-
Place Network
For those interested in the importance of place as a working approach to delivering national outcomes around improved wellbeing and inclusive growth.