Friends of Preston Tower was officially launched as its own group last Wednesday at a special meeting in Prestonpans.

Members of the group, which has been operating as a sub-group of Prestonpans Community Council, met at a public event in Prestonpans Town Hall to formally launch the group.

As the £1.5m Scottish Government-funded project to repair and improve access to Preston Tower, Doocot and Gardens nears its conclusion, the group of local residents intend to volunteer some time to work with site guardian East Lothian Council and owner the National Trust for Scotland to open the tower and doocot to the public.

Guests at the event were given the opportunity to hear from and put questions to architect company GRAS, East Lothian Council and the National Trust for Scotland about the four-year repair project, and find out how they could get involved with the volunteer group.

A spokesperson for Friends of Preston Tower said ahead of the meeting: “With the end of this project now in sight, we can’t wait to start getting the doors of the tower and doocot regularly open again, after a generation and more of them being closed and firmly locked.

“We hope to see the first local school groups and other local residents ascending those stairs before the end of the summer holidays. 

“If tower access proves as popular as we think it will be, we’re definitely on the lookout for more local volunteers to lend a hand to safely open the site now and again!”