THE first Big Barrhead Easter Egg Hunt proved to be a sweet success as hundreds of children scoured the town’s streets for chocolate rewards.

Youngsters were assisted by enthusiastic grown-ups as they tracked down golden tickets to collect more than 150 Easter eggs during the event, organised by the Barrhead Business Improvement District (BID) team.

Treasure hunters armed with smartphones were asked to keep their eyes on the All About Barrhead steering group’s social media accounts for clues.

Barrhead was quickly filled with eager kids who ran from one end of the town to the other to find golden tickets which they then exchanged for prizes.

Residents got their hands on all kinds of goodies, ranging from gift bags and lunch vouchers to blow-dry tokens and cash rewards.

Youngster Caitlin McIntosh was the lucky recipient of the £50 top prize, donated by the Brig Inn.

BID manager Andy Dunlop hailed the town’s residents for their ‘egg-cellent’ support.

He said: “As this was the first year of running an event like this, we weren’t sure what to expect but we were blown away by the response.

“People were so enthusiastic for the event that they were finding tickets without the need for the clues we were posting to Facebook.

“My highlight was watching around 30 kids run into the Foundry at once to search for a ticket I had hidden in a book in the library there.

“Seeing so many smiling faces on the day made it all worthwhile. The community spirit was great to see and we hope we can continue to grow on that.”

BID chairman Paul Santi, of the New Yorker fish and chip shop, added: “It was great to see the town so busy.

“This is just the start of things for the BID. We hope to host more events and projects that bring the community together and make Barrhead a positive place to work, live and shop.”

The Big Barrhead Easter Egg Hunt was funded by the BID’s 149 member businesses.

A number of shops went out of their way to ensure no child left empty-handed.

Bickets Butchers, F&M Hairdressers and Catherine Rose Cake Design all dished out chocolate treats to those who missed out on finding one of the golden tickets.