THE owners of one of Ardrossan’s most iconic buildings have launched a crowdfunder to try and boost the whole community.

Alan Bell from the Scottish Centre for Personal Safety, the charity who own the buildings, has launched the drive with a video showcasing the beauty of the town.

He said: “I am keen to save the former Barony St John church buildings in Ardrossan and do something with them that will benefit the whole of Ardrossan and the surrounding area.

“Last year, my charity (The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety) commissioned a Feasibility Study to see what the buildings could “feasibly” be used for.

“Over 450 surveys were completed, either with locals on the street or online, and the consensus was that the church building should be converted into an events centre.

“This made sense as other ideas looked at such as a children’s play centre and a maritime museum would have to be manned, heated and lit all the time whereas an events centre would only be open for events and could potentially have a higher visitor rate.

“The amount of events which could be showcased in the Barony St John Events Centre are varied including live bands, plays, musicals, conferences, art exhibitions, wedding fayres, sporting events and weddings.

“With all of this in mind, I received funding from Business Gateway to make a crowd fund video which has just been completed. The video highlights what Ardrossan has to offer and how the Barony St John can be an attraction for visitors and tourists alike.

“Part of the video features a dream sequence where we showed what a Barony St John wedding could look like once our Events Centre was operational – and it was spectacular.

“The bride arrived by yacht into Ardrossan Marina where she was met by her father and a piper. She was then whisked away in a vintage, white Beauford car to the front of the church. A red carpet marked the way into the church and the candlelit steps with photos on the beach to finish the event.

“The video also shows some of my other ideas including lighting up the organ, painting the church ceiling and having a William Wallace Visitor Centre. It can be seen on https://www.gofundme.com/barony-st-john-regeneration and we are encouraging people to view the video, share it with all their friends with the hashtag #SavetheBarony and donate a couple of quid to regenerating these historical buildings.”

Alan added: “I really have to thank everyone who came to my aid, providing their services free of charge to make this crowd fund video a reality – Lorraine Rankin-Smith from So Beautiful Bridal in Ardrossan for providing the gorgeous bride’s dress and her daughter, Tilly, for being the pretty bridesmaid; Iain Sutherland from Clyde Kilts in Saltcoats for providing the fantastic kilt outfits for the groom and bride’s father – and for playing the part of the bride’s father so well; Jennifer Reeves and Tyler Poole for playing the beautiful bride and handsome groom; Michael McCulloch for playing the pipes; Therapy at the Registry for doing the bride’s stunning hair and make-up; Brian Jay from Jay’s Wedding Car Services for providing the fantastic 1930’s bridal car; Ryan Sinclair for providing and captaining his cracking yacht “Caledonia”; and Maria Paterson-Kidd from The Three Town Growers for providing all the flowers.

“I also need to thank Alexander Riches from St Luke’s Events Venue and Lyn Cameron from Oran Mor in Glasgow for allowing us to film in their venues plus John Edgar from The Ayrshire Community Trust for doing all the filming.”

So now it’s up to YOU - if you really want the Barony St John buildings to be saved, donate to the Barony St John Regeneration Project and help the dream come true.

If you want to find out more, visit the Facebook page The Barony St John Regeneration Project and their crowdfund video.