A MEMORIAL dedicated to one of Scotland's favourite sons is growing in stature at its Port Glasgow home.

Since 2014, a team of local activists have been working to create a monument in honour of William Wallace in the town.

The completed tribute will take the form of a grey granite sculpture in the shape of a split tree trunk, which will sit in the grounds of the Holy Family Church.

Wallace is said to have been chained to an oak tree in that area in 1305 before he was taken by English troops to London where he was hung, drawn and quartered by order of King Edward 1 of England.

By 1768, the tree was hollowing out with age and the 13th Earl of Glencairn tried to preserve it by pouring resin into the trunk.

In the years that followed, a symbolic chain was wrapped around the tree to represent Wallace being held there and was replaced when it rusted.

The oak tree became part of the grounds of the Holy Family parish in 1946 but was blown down in a fierce storm in 1992.

The final two sections of it - one which is decaying and another which still has a chain embedded in its trunk - remain at separate locations in Inverclyde.

As permissions are now in place and donations have reached almost £16,000, the base of the monument has now been installed and groundwork is taking place.

The striking monument will be added next, along with an information lectern.

It's hoped that the memorial will be formally unveiled to the public on October 23.

The Wallace Oak Project was set up by local men Cha Halliday and the late Sean Donnelly and is also supported by Stuart Duncan and Neil Lochiel, both pictured.

Cha says the project is helping to mark an important part of Inverclyde's history.

He said: "This is a local legend and it could easily have been forgotten.

"We want to mark the spot where the tree was known to have been.

"We had a dendrologist examine parts of the tree that still remain and it's been confirmed that it's definitely from that timeframe.

"The 13th Earl of Glencairn tried to save the tree.

"Why would have have done that if it wasn't of some historical importance?"

All of the money collected for the project has been donated by supporters - not just from Inverclyde but from all over the world.

The Wallace Oak Project received £7,000 from the Society of William Wallace and made £5,000 through the sale of pieces of the original tree.

It also received a very generous donation of £4,500 from supporter Patrick Herrmann, who lives in Liechtenstein.

Support has also come from River Clyde Homes, folk star Alastair McDonald, Discover Inverclyde and Inverclyde Tourist Group.

A fundraiser has also helped raise £2,500.

Cha says the kind contributions have helped bring the project to life.

He added: "All of this has been possible through donations from members of the public and our supporters.

"We never managed to secure any grants from funding bodies as such, so this is all from people and organisations who are passionate about this project.

"It's really grown arms and legs and a lot of people are taking a great interest in it."