THE hugely popular Ardrossan Highland Games has been given a major cash boost ahead ofthe 40th anniversary of the event.

Organisers for the summer extravaganza have been successful in their bid to receive a £10,000 grant from the North Ayrshire Ventures Trust.

This grant programme was developed to enable voluntary, community and social enterprises in North Ayrshire to explore new opportunities to help them grow and improve long-term sustainability. They will use the money to improve the equipment and facilities to enhance the exper ience for visit or s and competitors.

Ardrossan has hosted a Highland Games since 1979 and volunteers from the local area manage to create one of the major annual events in North Ayrshire. It attracts on average 4,000 attendees across the day.

This year’s event takes place on Sunday, June 9, and will again feature piping, dancing and, of course, the heavies who toss the caber and take part in other strength-based activities.

Audrey Sutton, Head of Service (Connected Communities) at North Ayrshire Council, said: “The Ardrossan Highland Games has been one of the highlights of our calendar for a number of years.

“It’s fantastic that North Ayrshire Ventures Trust is now able to support them on the 40th anniversary of the first event 

“These are the sort of events that we are delighted to support. “The volunteer s do a fantastic job in bringing everyone together and it really helps foster community spirit.

“We are all really looking forward to another great event. We hope that our contribution will go towards making this year’s one of the best yet.”

The Games Committee are looking to improve the facilities and equipment that they have for event day. These include tents, banners, marquees, dance and piping platforms, portaloos and PA systems.