GREENOCK Burns Club has enjoyed a successful start to the year as it organised a number of popular events celebrating the bard.

Among the highlights was the return of the club’s annual celebration dinner, pictured, which took place in the Tontine Hotel and was attended by more than 100 people.

The Immortal Memory was delivered by Greenock-born Conservative peer, Lord Offord of Garvel, with a toast to the Mother Club proposed by Neil McNair and the reply from local former school head teacher Isabel Lind.

The Toast to the Lassies was proposed by Archie Gilbert with a reply from Grace McKelvie.

The club also held education events during February which saw local school pupils visit their exhibition and archive room at Custom House Quay to find out more about the life of Burns and Scottish culture.

These sessions were followed by the Schools’ Burns Supper at Port Glasgow High School and the district heats for the Burns Federation’s annual schools competition.