AS The Tall Ship Glenlee celebrates its 125 anniversary, the Clyde Maritime Trust has welcomed the support of Elaine C Smith as the charity's real-life figurehead after the ship's own Mary Doll.
The historic vessel's carved figurehead was named Mary Doll during its restoration, after the character played by Elaine in the hit comedy Rab C Nesbitt, after it was brought back to the Clyde in the 1990s.
The national treasure has added her support to the Trust that cares for and runs the Glenlee.
READ MORE: Elfingrove: Scotland's biggest ever ice rink opens in Glasgow
Elaine said: "It is just wonderful.
"This fantastic organisation that restored the Tall Ship, a charity, that worked tirelessly for over 20 years.
"I didn't really know it was happening but apparently the nicknamed as they were restoring the figure Mary Doll which seemed appropriate for a ship berthed here on the Clyde.
"It is quite an iconic landmark in Glasgow so I feel really honoured and privileged.
"Also that a character, written by the wonderful Ian Pattison, he created Mary Doll, it's really such a great legacy to have, especially here just across from Govan.
"The ship is a great learning tool next to the transport museum and a resource for everyone is fantastic.
"We need to learn from history and if we don't learn from them you don't know how to embrace the future."
READ MORE: Mural of Sir Alex Ferguson painted in Glasgow's Govan
Elaine welcomed a special cake designed by bakery students from the City of Glasgow College ahead of the celebrations.
Paul Little, principal and chief executive at the college, said: "I am delighted that our talented NQ bakery students have created such a magnificent cake to help celebrate the Tall Ship's 125 anniversary.
"Our college has a well-established and productive partnership with Clyde Maritime Trust which this valuable student work experience opportunity underlines.
"On behalf of us all at City of Glasgow College, I wish the Glenlee a very happy anniversary."
Chair of the Clyde Maritime Trust Colin Botfield added: "It's brilliant to have Elaine on board as the figurehead for the Trust today, although getting the cake onboard may be a bit harder, it's ginormous.
"We are very excited to be able to celebrate the 125 anniversary of the Glenlee and look forward to thanking all those who have helped in the ongoing restoration and maintenance of this historic ship.
"Between the trustees, volunteers and staff they have all worked tremendously hard over the years to ensure we have this iconic visitor attraction, maritime museum and unique venue space."
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here