THE Coronabears made their first public appearance at Douglas Park for their recent calendar launch.

All the proceeds from the calendar are going to help with all the improvements currently being carried out at the park by volunteers - with the initial batch of calendars quickly selling out.

Maggie Smith, who came up with the Coronabears concept, regularly sets up the giant bears at her household in Glenacre Drive.

The photos of their daily adventures have become an online hit with tens of thousands of views from all over the world.

Maggie said: "We hope to organise a full teddy bears picnic at Douglas Park when lockdown eases further and we will invite everyone to come.

"We have now sold 500 calendars and we have put in orders for more. We thought the Douglas Park project was a marvellous thing to support and we hope that it will provide some essential funds to help the volunteers."

Caroline Le Good Morgan, who was one of the founders of the Douglas Park renewal group with Wendy Low Thomson, said: "We have to thank Maggie for kindly offering the proceeds of the calendar.

"Our biggest project is to build a public vandal-proof toilet building with gents, ladies, disabled and a drinking fountain.

"There are ongoing projects include the pond which we would like to re-instate with some kind of new centrepiece.

"We would also love to have history notice information boards, and a QR code information board for mobile phones and find out what is happening in here and tell them about the neolithic tomb and everything else.

"We also hope to have signs in Largs Town Centre pointing the way to Douglas Park. We want to attract school groups, picnics, outings, Guides, Brownies, Rainbows etc.

""It would be good to have a bandstand on the flat area at the very back too.

"We could even have musical shows, theatre, and all sorts of events hosted there - there is really no limit to the amount of opportunity.

"It is very exciting and the calendar money will really help with all of this."

Maggie, pictured inset with Caroline, added: "A few weeks ago this space was a big, dark, green, overgrown mess.

"We hope the money we raise from this calendar is going to make a massive difference to the ongoing effort."