The Great Tapestry of Scotland returns to Holyrood

The public are being asked to help design a new panel for the Great Tapestry of Scotland which is returning to the Scottish parliament

The Great Tapestry of Scotland returns to Holyrood later, with the public being urged to help complete it.

Presiding officer Tricia Marwick will formally receive the giant tapestry which has been touring the country.

She will call for people from across Scotland to help stitch a new People's Panel into the artwork.

It is hoped the new panel will be "a colourful commemoration of the parliament building and its link to the Tapestry".

Tapestry artist Andrew Crummy will be present at the ceremony, as will author Alexander McCall-Smith and historian Alistair Moffat.

'Story of Scotland'

The Great Tapestry of Scotland is the world's longest embroidered tapestry.

The 143m-long design tells the "story of Scotland" across 160 intricate panels.

Each covers a different period of Scottish history, from the Battle of Bannockburn to the reconvening of the Scottish parliament in 1999.

It took 1,000 volunteers more than 50,000 hours to complete the work, which is 70m longer than the famous Bayeux Tapestry in Normandy.

The charitable trust which looks after the tapestry will display it at the parliament until 13 September.