NOW a pile of rubble, Greenock's Arts Guild was once the cultural centre of Inverclyde and a place where kids and adults found expression in their chosen art. Thankfully, now we have the Beacon and it has more than made up for the loss of the Guild. Many still think back to the excitement of performers and producers as they scuttled about the dressing rooms and corridors of the old venue before the curtain rose to reveal an auditorium packed with an expectant audience ready to enjoy the show. Taken in 2012, this shot shows youngsters who attended Kayos Theatre Company director Mark Barclay's acting workshop. The two-week-long schools proved very popular with young people who wanted to develop their acting skills.

Gourock Rotary Club's Norman Pettigrew joined local school children to present the Arts Guild's Brian Gavin with a whopping £7,120 cheque. The handover was staged outside the Guild in 2007.

This pic features cast members of the 2005 production of the Christmas panto Dick Whitington. The Greenock Players pantomime was a highlight of the Arts Guild calendar of events and always played to a full house.

Representatives of local drama clubs posed up for this shot before they jetted off to Halifax, Canada, to stage their production of Cheviot, the Stag and the Black Black Oil for the World Theatre Congress and Festival of 2003.

Looking forward to the coming of the ultra-modern Beacon, Arts Guild company secretary Brian Gavin bade a fond farewell to a theatre now stripped bare of its 500 seats. The curtain finally came down on the former swimming pool's 65 year stint as Inverclyde's much-loved hub of culture in 2013.