A WHEELY good celebration took place to mark the arrival of local bus firm McGill's in Greenock 20 years ago.

To mark the milestone, the company held an open day at their Larkfield depot which was attended by hundreds of visitors from Inverclyde and beyond.

As well as offering behind the scenes tours and open top and vintage bus trips, organisers ensured there was no shortage of fun for youngsters and their families during the event.

Kids enjoyed face painting, ice cream and 'beat the goalie' sessions as well as trampolines and fairground rides.

After starting as a small operation during the Greenock Fair in 2001, the firm - owned by brothers Sandy and James Easdale - has grown and become the UK's largest independent bus company.

James, chairman of McGill's, said: "McGill’s has expanded rapidly over the past 20 years and we’re excited about the future of the business.

"A key foundation of our success has been to continually invest in new buses, infrastructure and in our people.

"This has led to Inverclyde being home to the UK’s largest independent bus company and as seen with our recent purchase of Xplore Dundee, we see no reason why McGill’s can’t keep growing for decades to come."

On the day there was also a chance to sample the future of bus transport aboard an electric-powered McGill’s bus ahead of the new fleet entering service in the autumn.

Sandy added: "The recent investment of £32.5million in 68 electric vehicles, all of which are due to arrive before COP26 in Glasgow in November, is testament to the bright future we see for McGill’s.

"Together, McGill’s leadership and staff have helped James and I build a company over the past two decades which we’re very proud of."

Also attending the open day were Ralph Roberts, chief executive of McGill’s, and one of the company’s longest serving employees, driver Donald McDonald.

Ralph said: “It was brilliant to see so many people attend the open day and enjoy a behind the scenes look at how McGill’s has been built up in Inverclyde over the past 20 years.

"The last 18 months has been testing for all of us but we are celebrating this milestone as normality is starting to return."