People can now enjoy fascinating historic vessels and shipbuilding engineering from a new seating spot gifted in memory of two of Irvine's maritime museum’s longest serving volunteers.

Robert, Andrew and Iain Stables of Irvine have donated the bench to celebrate their parents Bob and Jenny who volunteered at the Scottish Maritime Museum from the early 1980s.

Both Bob and Jenny were familiar faces at the museum over the decades.

Arriving by bicycle each Wednesday and Saturday, ‘Bicycle Bob’ used his shipbuilding and engineering expertise to help keep MV Kyles and Spartan on the Harbourside shipshape for over 40 years before passing away at the age of 93 in July 2017.

As tour guide, Jenny brought the Museum’s 1920s tenement to life for visitors with her personal experience of life in the tenements of Glasgow.

Beverley Donaldson, acting curator, said: “The Museum would not be the wonderful attraction and resource it is without the support of volunteers like Bob and Jenny.

“We are grateful to the Stables family for donating the bench which will be a lovely way for everyone, visitors and volunteers alike, to fondly remember two of our most long-serving volunteers.

”We hope Bob and Jenny spark an interest in others to volunteer at the Museum.”

Andrew added: “Our parents moved to Irvine back in 1955 from a ‘single end’ tenement flat in the East End of Glasgow, tempted by a job advert in the Evening Citizen inviting them to ‘follow the sun to Ayrshire’.

“They came to volunteering at the Scottish Maritime Museum as a way of constructively spending their retirement.

“As well as the satisfaction of volunteering, they made many good friends over the years. “Dad had a connection to engineering and shipbuilding having served his apprenticeship as a brass turner and finisher in the Glasgow shipyards.

“Like many young men of his generation, cars were not an option in his teens so he was a committed cyclist back then.

“He had to give up the bike in his 80s though as he was too unsteady in the wind and rain.

“Mum volunteered as a tour guide in the Museum’s 1920s tenement flat where she spoke from personal experience of life in Glasgow, in those conditions.

Those interested in volunteering, should contact Beverley Donaldson at the Scottish Maritime Museum on 01294 278283 or bdonaldson@scotmaritime.org. uk.