Volunteers of a lifesaving Loch Lomond charity have thanked the public for backing plans to relocate their rescue boat to Balloch, with calls now being made on the Scottish Government to support the move.Loch Lomond Rescue Boat treasurer James Macrae said that tragic incidents on the loch over the past two years led to an increased understanding of how vital it was that the Luss-based vessel could be moved to Balloch.On July 23 last year, 16-year-old Connor Markward from Glasgow drowned after getting into difficulty in Loch Lomond whilst enjoying the good weather.The following day, Edina Olahova, 29, and her nine-year-old son Rana Haris Ali died alongside their friend Mohammad Asim Raza, 41, close to Pulpit Rock at Ardlui.And in August 2020 talented Alexandria dancer Ava Gray, 12, lost her life in the River Leven near Balloch.The incidents prompted an increased drive to relocate the rescue boat to Balloch, with a £300,000 fundraising campaign launched.James said: “Over the last 12 months our need to relocate has become much more well-known to the general public.“A lot of people off their own backs have decided to raise some money for the boat, which is absolutely terrific.

I know the crew are absolutely thrilled to bits with that. The donations and support mean an awful lot.“Getting the crew to the boatshed quickly is vital.“When we had the boat parked in Balloch from July to the end of September, there were various callouts.“In some cases, the first member of the crew got there within three minutes of the pager going off as opposed to, if the road was busy, 40 minutes or longer to get to Luss.He warned there will be more tragedies if the move is delayed, adding: “If we don’t get a move soon, there’s going to be more

Calls grow for Scottish Government to support Loch Lomond Rescue Boat relocation

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