September 2026 NACBS blog
The leaves are starting to change and, as ever, it is a time of change at NACBS, where nothing seems to sit still!
We are thrilled to announce that NACBS has been awarded funds from the Ayrshire Rural and Island Ambition Fund, provided by the Scottish Government. Over £40,000 has been awarded which NACBS will spend over the winter, improving and replacing fire doors, renovating guest bathrooms, improving the upholstery in the bar, and on other improvements. We are very grateful to South Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Government for this support and can't wait to get started!
You may have seen updates about an upcoming Special General Meeting, which was scheduled for Thursday 17th September. This meeting was called by the members and has now been cancelled by the members. However, we appreciate that members have many questions and there is a lot of information flying around, so we would like to take this opportunity to hold an Information Session – same time, same place. We would encourage as many members as possible to come to Lochranza and Catacol Village Hall at 1900 on Thursday 17th September. There won't be a vote but there will be information about the Inn and NACBS, an opportunity to ask questions and of course, tea and biscuits. We hope to see you there!
We are thrilled that Lochranza Country Inn was recognised as one of The Telegraph’s Best Pubs in the UK 2026 Guide. There were 650 pubs in the guide and only 75 in Scotland so it was a great honour to be picked, but we think richly deserved!
NACBS would like to say thank you and farewell to the departing staff and volunteers of the Inn. This includes Kirsty Pritchard as General Manager, and Gavin Pritchard, Fiona Henderson and Christine Greig as Directors. All dedicated a huge amount of time and effort to making the Inn a success which NACBS is very grateful for.
We would also like to say thanks to Neil Greig, departing Director of NACBS. Neil’s input will be missed.
We are very excited to announce the new management team at the Inn. Chair of LCI is Andrew Rigby. Andrew has been heavily involved with NACBS and the Inn for years and brings a lot of expertise. Jemma Sharman has been working with NACBS and the Inn for some time as well, and is now in charge of accommodation. You have probably already seen the handiwork of Clive Searle in the bar, who is head of the bar and dining. They are fizzing with ideas for the months to come and are already working like a well-oiled team.
We hope as many of you as possible will come to the Information Session on Thursday 17th September, and either way hope to see you at the Inn sometime soon!
The NACBS Team