A poignant family event to scatter a loved one’s ashes on the hills above Largs turned into a dramatic emergency rescue on Monday morning.

Lynda Crowther, 49, was stretchered on to a rescue helicopter after she suffered a bad fall at Quad Rocks and was flown to Crosshouse Hospital.

Lynda, sister Jackie Webber, and niece Leanne - all members of the Craddock family of Largs - had been climbing in the Quad Rocks area to scatter Lynda’s mother’s ashes when the accident occurred.

Photos on social media showed that a rescue helicopter had landed on top of the rocks at around midday, as two rescuers provided a stretcher at the scene.

It was believed that Lynda had broken her ankle after she had taken a tumble in a pothole. However, it turned out to be a hairline fracture.

She was released from hospital on Monday evening.