LAST Wednesday saw a bit of history for the town of Ardrossan after its castle was lit up for the very first time.

As part of the ongoing Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society’s restoration project, chairman Pat Breen and his committee members were delighted to be able to offer this one-off – for now – experience to the people of the local area.

This was a test run and the lights were not officially for the castle but the opportunity came up and the society had to take their chance.

Pat said: “It was very short notice for a test run but we are delighted with the results.

"This was the first time that the castle had been lit and the feedback and suggestions received have been great.” The Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society is working tirelessly with various other organisations in order to try and restore the castle to its former glory.

The main aim of the society is to make the castle safe but lighting the castle is in the plans for the future.

Pat added: “It all depends on repairs, restoration and archaeological digs but hopefully in a couple of years, lights can become a permanent fixture.

"We’ve not had them for 500 years, another couple won’t make much difference.” The society would like to pass on their thanks to everyone who came along at such short notice and they will be reporting back on all the feedback they have received.

They would also like to thank North Ayrshire Council and the lighting company for their help in making this become a reality.

Pat said finally: “We also ran an Easter competition in the local schools and the winners of this have been picked by the committee and those lucky few will be receiving Easter eggs, kindly donated by Asda, in the near future.”