A GROUP of young people have received national awards after helping to uncover parts of Ardrossan Castle which had remained hidden for over a century.

The six volunteers received the Heritage Hero, Saltire, and John Muir Awards after making significant improvements to Ardrossan Castle and Castle Hill.

In recent months, the youngsters have cleared overgrowth in the castle grounds to reveal stonework not exposed for over a century and built and installed a picnic table and bench on the hill. Among the discoveries made were a medieval toilet and two walls last seen over a hundred years ago.

The volunteers worked under the leadership of Stewart Beck, Susan Mack and Gillian Moore of North Ayrshire Council’s Connected Communities and with the support of Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society.

George McGrattan from Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society praised the young volunteers for “their outstanding effort” and said that they “engaged wholeheartedly with the project”.

At the turn of the century, there were neat paths that allowed visitors to explore and view the castle close-up. However, over the years, the vegetation became overgrown, hiding the paths as well as some of the castle’s stonework.

The challenge to the group was to expose the paths and stonework – a task which required new skills and awareness of health, safety and archaeology issues. For example, the young people had to learn the safe use of loppers to remove the bushes while ensuring that they did not touch any of the castle’s stonework.

Members of the group alternated between working at the castle and the construction of the picnic table under the guidance of volunteer joiner, Ian Shaw. Sometimes they used the workshop facilities of Breen Roofing where they learned new woodworking skills. The table was finished in time for the recent Ardrossan Castle Carnival.

The group was visited by several interested people including an archaeologist and a countryside ranger. Tom Rees of Rathmell Archaeology in Kilwinning explained various features of the stonework and gave a light-hearted talk on archaeology. Graeme Walla, a ranger based in Eglinton Park, gave the young workers information on the plants and insects they came across.

George McGrattan added: “Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society is very grateful to Stewart, Susan, Gillian, and Ian, North Ayrshire Council’s Streetscene and especially to Andrew, Dylan, Marc, Rhianna, Ronald, and Sandy who gave up their time and whose efforts have left a legacy for future generations. It is hoped that the skills they have learned will serve them well in later life.”