Burns lovers from Inverclyde and beyond gathered in Greenock Town Hall to celebrate the life of one of Greenock's most remarkable Burnsians.

The Greenock Burns Club held a dinner on 13 November to mark 200 years since the birth of Colin Rae Brown, who was a driving force behind the growth of the Burns movement both locally and across the globe.

Over 200 attended the event, including Provost Martin Brennan, Lord Lieutenant Colonel Peter McCarthy, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland and a number of officials from the Robert Burns World Federation.

Among the principal speakers was Professor Gerard Carruthers from the University of Glasgow who gave a speech on Colin Rae Brown's life and legacy.

Doctor Clark McGinn also toasted the Greenock Burns Club while Provost Martin Brennan spoke about the relationship between the Burns Club and Inverclyde.

Born in Greenock in 1821, Colin Rae Brown played a vital role in the founding of The Burns Club in London in 1896 and the Robert Burns World Federation in 1885.

Brown was also the president of the Greenock Burns Club, which is the world's oldest burns club, between 1845 and 1847 and was instrumental in organising the worldwide Burns Centenary Celebrations of 1859.

Greenock Burns Club President Iain White told the Tele that the attendees had a wonderful evening reflecting on the legacy of such a pivotal figure in the Burns movement.

He said: "Burnsians came from near and far to join with The Mother Club in commemorating Colin Rae Brown and the huge contribution he made to the development of the Burns World as we know it today.

"Old friendships were cemented and new ones made in the splendour of Greenock Town Hall - Colin Rae Brown would have approved."