A family have thanked an Arran resident for an 'act of kindness' which saved them from a ferry nightmare.

Ronnie and Pamela McKechan and Bill 'Nacho' Watson, from Paisley, were waiting at Ardrossan for the last ferry of the day to Brodick recently - when their vehicle's engine stopped working.

But thanks to a kind islander with a set of jump leads, they were able to make it to their destination safe and sound.

Ronnie revealed: "My wife and I visit Arran two or three times annually. We recently lost my wife's mother and thought a relaxing weekend trip to Arran would be good for our souls.

"We invited my 92-year-old father-in-law Bill, whose only previous experience of Arran was a rain-soaked weekend over 60 years ago. He reluctantly agreed to accompany us.

"With our small hired car loaded up with bedding, shopping, two dogs and three adults we arrived at the Ardrossan ferry terminal in plenty time for the last ferry - only to be told the ferry was running two hours late.

"The lanes were pretty full when the ferry eventually arrived. As we breathed a sigh of relief, the car cut out and would not restart.

"A number of warning lights appeared on the dash. The car had no power.

"We immediately thought 'the ferry is here, its the last ferry, we can't move, the car hire company is closed, we've no details of breakdown cover, we are stuck in a queue, there's frozen food defrosting, it's the end of a long day and our weekend may be over before it actually starts - what do we do?'"

The family thought the odds of a vehicle are close enough to them to be able to use the jump leads battery- to-battery were slim. But they were in luck.

Bill continued: "My wife chapped the car in front and explained our predicament. Lo and behold the driver, Stacy, did have jump leads.

"She was able to reverse her car enough to the side of our car so that we could attach the leads to our batteries. Our car started. We were back in business.

"She told us to hold onto the leads until we were heading home. We made our way to the ferry and thankfully enjoyed our weekend.

"Despite the weather, my 92-year-old father-in-law's opinion of Arran is now completely different than before."

He added: "The driver who showed such kindness and compassion was called Stacey, who runs a shop in Brodick called Red Door. We will always be thankful to Stacey.

"I hope this story acts as a reminder to your audience that to serve others with an act of kindness is truly a light shone to help heal the world."