A well known local man maintains he is a 'dapper chapper' and now he has an award to prove it!

John Burleigh, hails from Greenock, but he is very familiar with locals, and organises the Saltire Swim every year between Largs and Cumbrae to raise money for charity.

And there is little doubting that John likes to make an impression, and has many local friends.

It so happens that John is the grandson of Bennet Burleigh, The Daily Telegraph's famous war correspondent from 1882-1913, and he won the 'Dapper Chapper' during the 2017 'Tweed Run' vintage cycle round the streets of London.

Bennet was a keen cyclist and used to ride his tricycle from his Clapham home to the paper's Fleet Street offices. When he died in 1914 he received the rare tribute of a full page obituary in the newspaper. John who makes Tam O' Shanter hats, has recently visited Holy Trinity Church on Clapham Clapham where three of Bennet's sons are commemorated on the Great War Memorial.

And John and his famous bunnets have made a series of tv appearances from the Davis Cup tennis in Glasgow to Open golf at St Andrews, and even Usain Bolt sported the headwear at the end of his Commonwealth Games relay sprint.

John told the 'News' he is actively pursuing his next famous bunnet publicity stunt, and hopes to surprise a few people as he approaches another famous person to wear one of the bunnets!