A MEMORIAL in honour of one of Scotland's most famous sons is due to be unveiled in Port Glasgow later this year.

A grey granite sculpture in the shape of a tree trunk will form the centrepiece of a tribute to William Wallace, in the spot where the knight was chained to an oak tree in 1305.

Stuart Duncan and Neil Lochiel - who are both involved with the Society of William Wallace - say the monument will be installed in the grounds of the Holy Family Church in the autumn.

Over the last two years, the team behind the Wallace Oak Project have been fundraising and working on planning applications to make the monument dream a reality.

Permissions are now in place and funding is approaching the £16,000 needed to bring the design, which includes an information board and a pathway, to life.

Neil said: "We now have full planning permission from Inverclyde Council and from the church so it's a very exciting development.

"This is such an important part of the cultural heritage of Port Glasgow, Inverclyde and Scotland.

"People looked after the original tree for centuries and its legacy is ingrained in the area.

"We're so thankful to everyone who has helped us get to this point."

The Wallace Oak Project received £7,000 from the Society of William Wallace and made £5,000 through the sale of souvenirs - including pieces of the original oak tree.

It received a very generous donation of £4,500 from supporter Patrick Herrmann, who lives in Liechtenstein.

Support has also come from River Clyde Homes, folk star Alastair McDonald, Discover Inverclyde and Inverclyde Tourist Group while the team set up a GoFundMe page to raise £2,500.

William Wallace ended up in Port Glasgow after being captured by the Earl of Menteith at Robroyston in August 1305.

He was imprisoned overnight in Dumbarton Castle and the next day was taken across the Clyde to what became West Ferry, near to Langbank, then along a Roman road to what is now the grounds of the Holy Family Church.

Wallace was tied to an oak tree before being taken by English troops to London where he was hung, drawn and quartered by order of King Edward 1 of England.

By 1768, the tree was hollowing out with age and the 13th Earl of Glencairn tried to preserve it by pouring resin into the trunk.

In the years that followed, a symbolic chain was wrapped around the tree to represent Wallace being held there and was replaced when it rusted.

The oak tree became part of the grounds of the Holy Family parish in 1946 but was blown down in a fierce storm in 1992.

The final two sections of it - one which is decaying and another which still has a chain embedded in its trunk - remain at separate locations in Inverclyde.

Local men Cha Halliday and the late Sean Donnelly set up the Wallace Oak Project - a subsidiary of the Society of William Wallace - back in 2014.

It was hoped that the chain section of the tree could be preserved and transferred to Newark Castle - but after discussions with Historic Environment Scotland revealed costs of around £20,000, the team behind the project opted for a monument.

Stuart added: "We just thought 'what else can we do to mark this part of history?'

"People used to come here for weddings and school groups used to visit, so it's been a big part of things here in Port Glasgow for many years.

"The memorial is also part of the regeneration of the Parkhill area.

"We want to make people aware that this is happening and that we'll see the memorial this year."

Youngsters at primary schools in Port Glasgow are also being encouraged to get involved in the design by paying tribute to William Wallace.

Pupils have been invited to write poems about Wallace and the tree - and the winning entry will be inscribed on the plaque.

Neil added: "We want local youngsters to take ownership of this memorial, as it's part of their heritage.

"They're the next generation and they need to know about this incredibly important part of their history."

To donate to the Wallace Oak Project visit https://uk.gofundme.com/f/the-wallace-oak