A BEAUTIFUL plaque has been presented to the volunteers of Douglas Park to celebrate the transformation in the much-loved Largs green space.

Jim Bassett, 78, handed it over as a special thank you to the volunteers for their amazing efforts restoring the park to its former glory.

The green-fingered team, led by Caroline Le Good Morgan and Wendy Low Thomson, took on the park earlier this year as part of a lockdown project after council cuts saw it slide into a state of disrepair.

The plaque carries the date '25 May 2020' when the local ladies started digging.

The Largs grandfather said: "The transformation has been terrific - and everyone appreciates the effort which is going into it. It is heartening to see.

"I was asked by my grandchildren to do something as I only live across the road.

"I have donated a number of plants to the volunteers, so I thought creating the plaque would be a nice thank you.

"It is traditional Staffordshire slipware - which was made in the 17th century. There is a collection in Stoke on Trent and Cambridge to commemorate special anniversaries so I thought it would be a nice idea."

Staffordshire slipware is an earthenware, which means it usually has fine sand or other course materials within the body of the ceramic.

Jim added: "The plague is from terracotta clay, which is used in plant pots. There are different coloured clays for the design, including the bird and trees, and a traditional font which would have been used back in the 17th century."

Jim's family all live in the town, including son John who was a regular volunteer with the local lifeboat for several years.

He said: "My grandchildren love playing in Douglas Park. The volunteers have done a wonderful job.

"The main thing now is to keep the momentum up, support them and keep it going."

Wendy said: "We would like to thank Jim for his beautiful gift. It is absolutely amazing and a very eye-catching feature which we hope to put in a prominent place so everyone can see and admire it."

The volunteers are currently in negotiations with North Ayrshire Council about taking over the running of the whole facility.

Caroline said: "We have got lots of exciting ideas for Douglas Park - watch this space."

To join the volunteering team, go to The Douglas Park project on Facebook or pop along any day of the week.