When thousands of people flock to see Millie Barnes Marymass Queen on Saturday, August 24, she will be experiencing one of the biggest moments of her life.

But it will equally be a crowning glory for gift shop worker Morag Walker as the central symbol of the festival will have a shiny new look.

Morag has spent the past eight months crafting a new crown for the Marymass Queen and is excited at seeing just how it will look on the head of the Festival’s principal.

The Kaleidoscope Gifts sales associate contacted the Marymass Festival team last year, volunteering her time and skills to make a new crown.

She said: “I have lived in Irvine since the late sixties and as a child I have happy memories of family visiting from Glasgow when they lived there to celebrate Marymass.

“This year it has been an honour to have the opportunity to make a new Marymass crown.

“I hope it is used for many years to come and my children and grandchildren enjoy the same memories as I have over the years.”

The painstaking process has taken almost eight months, with care taken on every aspect both design and execution. It had to be fit for a queen.

The new crown contains an amazing amount of craftsmanship, including more than 10 hours a week,  over three metres of metal, 150m of waxed thread and over 3,000 individual stones.

Although it is a new crown, there is a real link to the past with the design researched to ensure it looks as much at home as the previous crown.

Morag added: "If I was unhappy with something while making the crown I re-did it as I wanted it to be perfect.

“It was an absolute pleasure to be able to do this for the Marymass Committee. The new crown should last and I have tried to make sure there are no dramas with it and I have extra jewels handy if any come off.

“If it’s a good day, then it will be perfect.”