The book is the project for the Carrick Community Council's forum and the group are delighted to have someone in place to get started with it.

Speaking on behalf of the Forum, Betty McQuiston, of Girvan Community Council, said: "We are delighted to have someone with such a depth of local knowledge.

"It's good to see the project getting underway. We have so much to be proud of in Carrick and I am looking forward to seeing the results of James' work."

Mr Brown owns the Baltersan Castle by Maybole and is a highly thought of local historian in the area and is looking forward to getting to work on the project.

He said: "This is an exciting opportunity for me as it ties in with and builds on what I have been doing through other local initiatives.

"Local experts in various fields have already done lots of work and I hope to be able to tap into those sources of information.

"The project will be about finding out what aspects of the heritage local people believe to be important, gathering information and those topics, and then presenting that information in an attractive and readable way."

Topics for the book will include the history, culture, geology, flora and fauna of the area. It will be distributed free to schools and libraries in the area.

A starting point for the project is to consult with the local people to find out what they would like to see covered in the booklet.

The organisers have indicated they would like the pupils from both Secondary Schools in the area to be involved in the process as well.

Public meeting will be arranged throughout Carrick, with two already arranged in Colmonell on November 4 and in Ballantrae on November 10.

Stuart Lindsay, of Horizons, added: "Recently we started work with Colmonell/Lendalfoot and Ballantrae Community Councils on a joint effort to produce Action Plans for the development of their areas.

"A key element in the process is to make sure that local people in the two areas are fully involved and consulted. Another key element will be to analyse the strengths of these areas and one of those strengths certainly is their heritage.

"So, the meetings planned for early November will start the ball rolling both for the Action Planning process and for information gathering for the Crucial Carrick project."

Anyone wishing further information about the Crucial Carrick project or has information that might be included in the booklet can James Brown on 01292 610790 or Stuart Lindsay on 01465 716 135.