A SCHOOLGIRL from Gullane is fronting a national campaign highlighting iconic heritage sites.

Freya Monk is one of two youngsters who are involved in the Historic Environment Scotland (HES) promotion.

As part of the celebrations for Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, thousands of free tickets – valid for the St Andrew’s Day weekend of November 25 and 26 – will be released online.

More than 30 top visitor attractions across the length and breadth of the country will be opening their doors to offer people of all ages and interests the opportunity to explore the buildings that have helped shape Scotland’s story over the centuries.

Ten-year-old Freya, who attends Gullane Primary School, was chosen along with Lennon Read, of Cumbernauld, to appear in promotional images for the campaign taken at Edinburgh Castle.

Her dad Iain was very proud of his young daughter and said: “It is a great thing for her and she was quite excited about going to the castle. We are hoping towards the end of the year we are going to go to the castle and visit a few other monuments.She thoroughly enjoyed it.”

It is not the first time the youngster has come to the attention of the public.

She played Kitty Collins in the BBC One murder-mystery drama Shetland, which aired on TV in 2014.

Since then, she has done other modelling work, including fronting last year’s festive campaign for the Braehead Arena, near Glasgow.

Her dad added: “These things just come up and if we can get her out of school she can go to casting but that is not always possible.

It is something she enjoys doing and it is a lot of fun.”

Members of the public have until 5pm on November 24 to register online at www.ticket giveaway.co.uk for free tickets to some of Scotland’s best-loved historic sites, including Dirleton Castle.

Stephen Duncan, director of commercial and tourism at HES, said: “After another spectacular summer where we welcomed record-breaking numbers of visitors to our attractions, I’m delighted to announce that 35 of our sites will be offering free admission as part of this year’s Ticket Giveaway.

“Our Ticket Giveaway offers visitors a fantastic opportunity to explore the country’s rich and vibrant history.

“We want to encourage communities to learn more about Scotland’s past, and exploring our sites is a great way to do this.”