The famous Victorian classic “A Christmas Carol” is always popular over the festive season.

This weekend (Saturday 17) Irvine’s Harbour Arts Centre presents local actor Ken O’Hara as Charles Dickens in his seasonal production of “A Christmas Carol” as a one-man show.

What is not generally known is that Dickens had links with the Royal Burgh of Irvine, originally through Maxwell Dick, the local bookseller and publisher.

He was a regular visitor to London, and later through The Irvine Burns Club, which Maxwell Dick helped to found in June 1826.

The literary works of Robert Burns were much admired by Dickens and when, in 1851, the Directors of Irvine Burns Club offered the much-loved Victorian author, Honorary Membership of the Club, he was delighted to accept.

He did so via a much-prized letter, now one of the literary treasures on display in the Irvine Burns Club’s Wellwood Burns Centre & Museum in the town’s Eglinton Street.

On learning of the existence of Dickens’s letter, Ken O’Hara, in the guise of Charles Dickens, took time out from performing this seasonal favourite to visit the Wellwood Burns Centre and Museum, now home of The Irvine Burns Club, to view the author’s letter of acceptance of Honorary Membership which, unsurprisingly for a letter from that era, is written in the famous author’s own hand.

Ken O’Hara visited Wellwood Burns Centre & Museum at 28 Eglinton Street, Irvine KA12 8AS on Wednesday, December 7 when Margaret Greenlees, President of the Irvine Burns Club welcomed him, along with Marie Blackwood, Arts and Cultural Officer at Harbour Arts Centre.

Said Margaret Greenlees: “We have strong links with The Harbour Arts Centre and are delighted to be able to help in promoting their production of “A Christmas Carol” during the current Festive Season

“As a seasonal tale with a social message, “A Christmas Carol” is particularly relevant this year when many families will have a difficult Christmas and we are delighted to help Ken O’Hara, already well known as a Burnsian reader and actor, and The Harbour Arts Centre in supporting this production.”