VOLUNTEERS across Ayrshire are preparing to welcome visitors for this year's Doors Open Days festival in the area.

Doors Open Days first took place in Glasgow and Ayr in 1990 as part of the European City of Culture celebrations, and now offers free access to more than a thousand venues across the country each September.

Coordinated in Ayrshire by the Kyle and Carrick Civic Society, there are 46 venues to visit, from the Skelmorlie Secret Bunker in the north to Girvan's Stumpy Tower in the south and Auchinleck House in the east.

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Echoing two themes in Scotland's Year of Stories, every venue has a story to tell, and under the Council of Europe theme of reuse of buildings, there are examples like The Portland, Galston and The Local, Ayr, where a new use has been found for redundant properties.

All venues will be open and free over the weekend of September 10 and 11. 

For more information visit doorsopendays.org.uk and choose the council area you're interested in for a list of local venues.