Stevenston High Kirk’s website has won the top online award of the ‘Best Small Church Website’ for 2009 by Premier Christian Media. The High Kirk is part of the national Church of Scotland (located in North Ayrshire on the south west coast of Scotland) which is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country.

The High Kirk’s history starts from 1170, when the lands of Stevenston were granted to Stephen Lockhart, whom the town is also named after. At the time, the ancient parish was a vicarage under the monks of Kilwinning Abbey.

In 1670, a new church was erected on the site of the previous one, and taken down again in 1832. Finally, in 1833, the present church came into being, under the ministry of the famous Reverend Dr. David Landsborough. Dr. Landsborough was a renowned biologist, and also founded the Free Church of Scotland in Salt coats.

Credit for the award goes to the Church’s webmaster, Ian Dorey, for having worked tirelessly for many years on end in developing the High Kirk’s website. The Original Christian Web and New Media Awards were the first ever exclusively Christian award ceremony for bloggers and web designers in the UK.