LITTLE stars at a Greenock children’s centre shone brightly despite a downpour of rain at their glittering Hollywood-themed ‘graduation’ ceremony.

Twenty-six youngsters — who were dressed to impress in front of a packed gallery of proud parents — passed out of Glenbrae with special certificates before they move on to primary school after the summer break.

There was even a red carpet and a post-‘Oscars’ buffet party laid on for everyone, complete with an array of tasty treats.

The day proved to be a double celebration as the centre also unveiled its Commonwealth Garden project, with plants and flowers native to the countries and territories taking part in the Glasgow 2014 Games.

Hilary Cross of the centre told the Tele how the children spent months researching and learning about the Commonwealth after being awarded £2,000 worth of funding for the garden from the Big Lottery Fund.

She said: “We have been able to create a garden which will be a lasting legacy of the games.

“By working on the project, the children experienced many outdoor learning opportunities and increased their knowledge and awareness of the Commonwealth.

“It was a shame it was raining on the day after such a spell of good weather, but it didn’t do the flowers any harm. It has given the children something new to focus on and also feel involved in the whole Commonwealth Games experience.

“They did their own research on each country and produced little booklets about them and made flags.

“The thistle, rose, shamrock and leek were easy to come by but there are other exotic flowers and plants too from the other countries, some of which are too delicate to be outside but they have made a colourful addition indoors.

“Everyone got stuck in and really enjoyed it.” The garden — complete with items from the Cardwell Garden Centre and Homebase — was officially opened by Inverclyde’s early years education manager Linda Wilkie, ably assisted by youngsters Zach McGeown and Lucas Wagstaff.

The children who have graduated from Glenbrae are: Astyn McKechnie, Jasmine Patterson, Craig Newman, Scott Lang, Christopher Hyndman, Brendan Rodgers, Kyle Muir, Joseph McAllister, Kaylib Murray, Robbie Nilsen, Lawrie Clark, Sarah Louise Wilson, Jamie Gallacher, Llana Harkness, Kayla Muir, Liam McCluskey, Lucas Wagstaff, Nathan McDonald, Payton McIntyre, TJ Brown, Dylan Bryceland, Zach McGeown, Jasmin Murray, Kobi Gillespie, Charlie Power and Niall Maloney.