Clydebank's most iconic landmark was lit purple at the weekend in memory of pensioner Janet McKay.

The Clydebank Post reports that Janet, who had dementia, was found dead in the shadow of the mighty Titan Crane on September 24, eight days after she went missing from her Knightswood home.

The crane turned its purple light on as darkness set in on Friday evening after a special request to honour Mrs McKay was made by a Bankie.

Glasgow Times:

Ewan Cumming, from Parkhall, was so struck by Janet’s death that he asked West Dunbartonshire Council to honour her memory and the work of Alzheimer Scotland – a charity that supports people with the disease and their families.

The chosen colour of Alzheimer Scotland, purple was a fitting light to remember Janet and the lifeline charity.

“I feel overwhelmed that they took my request on board,” Ewan told the Post.

“Because of the proximity of the crane to where Janet was found, I went to the council to see whether it was possible to light it up as a tribute to her and also to make the charity known as well.”

Ewan, 28, added: “I work in Glasgow Airport and deal with people passing through who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s. It may only be for 20 minutes getting them to their flights but they can get distressed and they panic if they don’t know their way about.

“By lighting the crane purple we can make people aware of Alzheimer Scotland, because a lot of people aren’t aware of the challenges that go along with caring for people who suffer from it.”

News of the council’s decision to light the crane was welcomed on social media, with the update reaching 170,000 people and being shared more than 1,500 times by residents.

Bronwyn O’Riordan, community fundraiser at Alzheimer Scotland’s Clydebank office said: “It’s lovely to see the level of community support for West Dunbartonshire Council’s gesture.

“It is an incredibly sad situation and our thoughts are with Mrs McKay’s family. The strength of community support and the positive messages have been particularly encouraging.”

West Dunbartonshire’s Provost, Douglas McAllister, said: “We were incredibly saddened to hear of Mrs McKay’s passing. The whole community has been shocked and saddened by this news.

“I agreed that the lighting of the Titan Crane in Mrs McKay’s memory was a fitting tribute, and was delighted to agree to the suggestion from one of our residents. Nothing can alleviate what Mrs McKay’s family must be going through, but we hope this gesture shows we are thinking of them.”

The purple light at the Titan Crane was lit at 6.45pm on Friday, October 2 until dawn on Monday morning.