ICONIC Scottish singer Eddi Reader has called for a museum honouring Inverclyde’s rich history – and offered to play a fundraising concert in aid of it.

The musician, speaking ahead of her sold-out concert at the Beacon on April 21, has spoken of her affection for Greenock.

Eddi, who shot to fame in 1988 as a member of Fairground Attraction with their number one hit ‘Perfect’, says she is fascinated about the town’s past and has a warm affection for the area –so much so that she feels there should be a dedicated centre for people all over the world to trace their Inverclyde roots.

After tickets for her show were quickly snapped up, the three-time BRIT Awardwinner told the Tele: “I was delighted at how quickly the tickets went – maybe I can come back and do more soon.

“When I think of Greenock I always think of the coast and the docks and getting ready to go somewhere.

“I don’t know what it is about the town, I always think it’s quite romantic actually – setting off from here to the rest of the world.

“I was actually wondering if there already is a museum  in Inverclyde for transport or immigration, because everybody has been there, Burns was going to go to Jamaica from there, he had the ticket and was all set.

“There must be records somewhere of all of that and it would be wonderful to have it on display.

“I’d definitely do a benefit for a museum of immigration to be built in Greenock.”

Despite being in the music business for more than 30 years, the singer has only just released her first compilation of 30 tracks charting her hugely-successful career.

The two-disc ‘Best Of’ album includes her acclaimed renditions of Robert Burns’ ‘Ae Fond Kiss’ and ‘My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose’ as well as an acoustic version of ‘Perfect’ right up to her remarkable 2015 version of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Love Is A Losing Game’.

But while the compilation traces her own extraordinary past, the singer is fascinated with the history of Greenock and how it could boost tourism.

Eddi said: “Irvine and Greenock I think were bigger ports than Glasgow back in the day. People still come from America looking for the documents of the actual day their relatives stepped on the boat and left.

“All that’s very fascinating, a lot of people love that research. There’s so much tourism potential there.”