There has been an empty space in Cowan Park for more than a decade, where a lion statue once sat proudly among the leafy surroundings.

The stone big cat had to be removed in 1995 due to vandalism which resulted in the face of the proud creature being smashed in. It was left to languish in a council yard – but, thanks to the hard work of John Reilly and his colleague Kenny Campbell, the lion could now return to its former home.

John said: “A lot of people actually thought it had been destroyed.

“Two years ago I made enquires to fix it after spotting it in the yard. I had been told it had been looked at by stonemasons and there was nothing we could do, that it was beyond repair. But I said we would see what we could do with it and give it a go – and it’s been worth it.

“Myself and Kenny got a hold of it and basically worked on it through our lunch and tea breaks in the yard.

“As far as I’m aware, it was smashed up by vandals in 1995. I’ve no idea why anyone would do it but it was taken off of display as a result.

“It’s a wee bit of Barrhead history.” Having been brought up in Barrhead, John has fond memories of the lion from when he was a youngster and hopes the statue will return sooner rather than later.

He added: “I remember it from when I was a young boy. I would go down to the park with my siblings, my first memory of it was probably when I was a four-year-old.

“It used to sit outside the play park,there was a well there too but the lion was always a big attraction then it just disappeared.

“But, the repair work is now complete. We are just waiting for an area of the park to be excavated so the lion can be placed back after all these years.

“As soon as a space has been cleared then I’m sure the lion will be back – it’ll be great to see it back where it belongs.”