Festive figures have started appearing in towns and villages across Inverclyde to help spread some Christmas cheer.

Five-foot characters have been installed by Inverclyde Council for children and families to take photos and create their own personalised 3D Christmas cards to share with friends, family, and online.

It is part of the local authority’s support for the town and village centres to help raise their profile and boost footfall, especially during this crucial trading period and spread some festive cheer after a difficult couple of years for everyone.

Christmas characters are now in place in Greenock, Port Glasgow, Gourock, Kilmacolm, Inverkip, Wemyss Bay, and Quarrier’s Village.

People are being encouraged to share their snaps online using the #DiscoverInverclyde hashtag.

Provost Martin Brennan stopped off at the characters in Greenock to create his own 3D Christmas card.

Provost Brennan said: “This is a fun way to help promote our town and village centres and also a bit of fun for all the family while out getting some Christmas shopping.

“We want to encourage people to discover Inverclyde and to ‘shop local’ to support our local businesses across all our towns and villages because there really is a lot out there right on our doorsteps.”

The characters can be found at the following locations:

Greenock – Corner of West Blackhall Street and Grey Place (at the ‘Greenock’ sign)

Port Glasgow – Middle of Princes Street next to Princes Street House

Gourock – Kempock Gardens

Kilmacolm – Cargill Centre

Inverkip – Community Hub

Wemyss Bay – Community Centre

Quarrier’s Village – At the Christmas Tree

For more information about what Inverclyde has to offer, visit discoverinverclyde.com or @discoverinverclyde on social media.