Residents in Dumbarton and the Vale are invited to commemorate the town's 800th anniversary with a gun salute.

The town’s octocentenary was marked on July 8, 2022, 800 years since the foundation charter for the Royal Burgh of Dumbarton was sealed by Alexander II in Jedburgh.

The 21-gun salute at Dumbarton Castle will be the last set of events marking the year-long celebrations for the major milestone which is coming to a close this week.

The event will start at 2pm at the park area in front of Dumbarton Castle this Saturday (July 8).

Members of the public who wish to attend are being asked to arrive at the castle at 1.30pm.

Provost Douglas McAllister said: “This is a historic occasion for Dumbarton and I’d like to encourage everyone to come along to Dumbarton Castle on Saturday to witness this special event.

"Dumbarton was the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Strathclyde whose literal translation is “fort of the Britons”. It has played an important part in the history of Scotland and it’s an honour for me as Provost of West Dunbartonshire to host the final event that marks the end of our yearlong commemorations.”

We previously told how a year of celebration is being launched by West Dunbartonshire Council to celebrate the milestone.

Throughout the year, West Dunbartonshire Council’s Arts and Heritage team have been delivering activities which have included a series of successful ‘8 for 800’ talks at Dumbarton Heritage Centre, celebrating some of the most important objects from the council’s museum collections, including rare medieval manuscripts from the archive and the early Christian ‘Skellat bell’ – one of the oldest objects in the collection.

Depute Provost John Millar, said: “I’m really excited to be attending the event on Saturday and hope to see lots of local residents coming along to this is a unique and free opportunity to be part of this historic moment.”