This year has been packed full of news with stories in Ardrossan from Covid-19 to crime.    

With 2022 just around the corner, we thought we would take a look back at some of our biggest stories of the year.

Whilst we share some of our top stories, we would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a happy new year.  

Here are our most popular stories from 2021. 

Top 8 most read stories in Ardrossan in 2021

8. Arran Ferry involved in 'May Day' rescue call to assist coastguard

A CalMac ferry has helped assist in a rescue near the coast of Ardrossan this afternoon [Thursday, August 12].

The Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team were called out just before 4 pm this afternoon to reports of a yacht having suffered engine failure north of Ardrossan Harbour.

The team responded immediately with CalMac Ferries Arran Ferry 'Caledonian Isles' being diverted and RNLI Troon Lifeboat being launched to assist.

Read more here >>

7. Coronavirus Ayrshire : Gran contracts COVID-19 after supermarket trip

An Ayrshire gran with asthma caught COVID-19 after going to the shops for the first time in three months, it has been revealed.

The 62-year-old went to the supermarket once early in the morning when there was no click and collect appointment available.

Despite handwashing, sanitising the trolley and staying away from other shoppers ‘Jane’ contracted the virus.

Read more here >>

6. Ayrshire Property of the Week: Mansion worth over £2.2m for sale

An Ayrshire mansion has gone on the market for over £2.2million.

Bargany House located a short drive from Girvan is one of the finest category A listed mansions in the country.

It is the first unfortified mansion house in Scotland and was built in the late 17th century.

Read more here >>

5. Ardrossan: Susan Abbott convicted of abusing two children

A Three Towns woman has been convicted of a 14-year long reign of sexual and physical assaults on a young boy and girl.

Susan Abbott, 47, has been placed on the sex offender's register after regularly abusing the youngsters after downing Buckfast and vodka when she was looking after them.

The abuse began when they were so young and happened so often that the girl - who now suffers flashbacks and nightmares - thought it was normal.

Read more here >>

4. Ayrshire's favourite words and expressions as voted by our readers

Being fae Ayrshire, you find yourself casually saying words and phrases that can often leave people confused and baffled by their meaning.

Our rich tapestry of Scots language across Scotland means that we often share expressions from across the country, but we also can vary our tongue depending on the region, village, or even hoose that we grew up - and Ayrshire is no different.

Dr. Michael Dempster, director of the Scots Language Centre, explained: "Across Scotland, we share common grammar and idioms, words and expressions that we share as a country, but each region will have its own dialect.

Read more here >>

3. Arran ferry to move to Troon during Ardrossan Harbour work

The Arran ferry will operate from Troon Harbour for almost two years while construction work is carried out at Ardrossan.

The recommendation, which will see services resume from Ardrossan once works are completed, was confirmed at a meeting of the project’s Ministerial Taskforce.

The Taskforce’s decision was guided by the Arran community's requests to maximise the reliability of the alternative service for ferry users with the Herald understanding that to run the ferry from Ardrossan whilst construction works are ongoing could lead to a 50 per cent increase in cancellations.

Read more here >>

2. Crosshouse Hospital: Police dealing with three 'linked' incidents

CROSSHOUSE Hospital was in lockdown this evening after a major incident.

Reports suggest that one person at the Ayrshire hospital has been injured in a reported stabbing.

It is not yet known how serious the injuries are or whether police have detained anyone.

Read more here >>

1. Arran Ferry: Police called on CalMac stranded passengers

Police were called to deal with passengers who refused to leave the Brodick ferry terminal after they were left stranded on Arran when the last ferry back to the mainland was cancelled last night.

This came after the Arran ferry, MV Caledonian Isles, due to sail at 16.40 was diverted to assist a mayday distress call from a yacht that had lost its power around 4 pm.

Although the Caledonian Isles was stood down and returned to service, the 19.00 sailing was cancelled due to bad weather.

Read more here >>