People Power Prestwick

Carolyn O’Hara

It is just over thirty years since we moved to Prestwick with our young family, and four years since I wrote a piece for AM on the subject of why Prestwick makes me happy. Has my opinion changed? Definitely not, and I can offer many more reasons than before, to convince people of the benefits of living in this lovely seaside town, with its excellent transport links.

Sometimes, it’s a significant lifestyle change which makes you realise just what you most value about a place and with a move to the Highlands on the cards, I found myself composing a list of ‘must haves’ for whereever we end up in the north. And it is a long list.

Lots of what I loved four years ago, remain the same – the friendliness of the people, the floral displays brightening the town in summer, and the unrivalled sunsets.

Some initiatives I highlighted before, have made rapid progress, and new delights have been added. This is not to say that everything is on the up. Footfall is not what it was, and businesses have struggled and sometimes ultimately failed, but unlike so many town centres, there are relatively few vacant units on Main Street. Something which is inspiring to witness, is the way that current business owners make a real effort to welcome new ones, encouraging locals to support these fledgling enterprises.

So, what of the initiatives which have gone from strength to strength during the last four years? Recycling Saturday® Prestwick, set up five years ago, is a community for people living in and around Prestwick, who are interested in reducing landfill by passing on items which are useful to others. Four years ago, I noted about a dozen items being collected monthly; as of October 2026, seventy to eighty different sorts of items are collected during the half hour meeting, which is now held in our permanent location, the Community Centre carpark. As a ‘greeter’, I am one of the volunteers who welcome the public and direct them to those responsible for collecting items.

I never cease to be amazed at the huge amount that is gathered, and passed on to charities, used for fundraising, or transformed into something usable. Which brings me to the several offspring groups generated by the original initiative: there is a Morsbag pod producing thousands of tote bags, all made from donated fabric and thread. And then there is Re-make with Recycling Saturday®, where people can learn new skills, to create items for fundraising. The Recycling Saturday® Can you use this? page is like the other groups mentioned, a Facebook community, on which members can offer something they no longer need. This facility was of huge importance to me when, in 2024, we found ourselves with the task of emptying two homes within six months, as our mothers moved into residential care. How much help – and reassurance – it was to know that items were going to new homes, to continue to be needed and valued.

And how proud our group was to be visited, at our October collection, by Rise and Shine, the BBC Breakfast slot which celebrates good news stories from local communities. Perhaps you saw it? How fortunate Prestwick is to have such a friendly, active group in its midst, and that is also true of the next group, of which I am also proud to be part.

In 2022, I spoke of the exciting plans of the Friends of Prestwick Broadway. Little did I think that, in such a relatively short time, I would be able to report that the venue is once again showing films (both 35mm and digital), exhibiting a museum of Scottish cinema, as well as offering a gift shop. It is, however, not yet ready to open to the public, with only signed up members permitted access to events, but it is well on its way to becoming a major asset for Prestwick.

Another group well worth joining is the Prestwick Town Twinning Association, which has for fifty years, offered opportunities for meeting people from Lichtenfels in Germany, Vandalia in Ohio USA, and Ariccia in Italy, building special friendships.

And what’s new in the town? Lamppost banners extol the variety of activities Prestwick has to offer. Visitors – and locals – can now learn more about the town’s fascinating history from plaques celebrating the past, thanks to passionate locals, and the well-established History Group still provides regular talks at the newly relaunched Prestwick Community Café. Prestwick Library has this year launched a series of monthly Tea and Talks, covering a wide variety of subjects, free of charge to the community.

Popular events throughout the year include Prestwick Prom Day for all the family, the local music festival – Presfest, and to round off the year, Prestmas, complete with entertainment, Santa and his Grotto, and the switching on of the Christmas lights.

The common denominator in all of this is the people – their drive, positivity, friendliness, and willingness to go the extra mile, addressing issues such as weeding of communal spaces, and litter picking. It’s all about people power.
People power Prestwick.