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 deaths. This has to happen absolutely as soon as possible.
“I would hate to think people would die in the future because we have not got sufficient infrastructure to be in the right place.”
James made the comments as the Scottish Government launched their new water safety action plan in Balloch last week.
Community Safety Minister Ash Regan said that the £60,000 action plan was targeted at creating a safer environment for people to enjoy, however Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie said that the funding was “simply not enough.”
The plan will see new water safety promotions targeted at areas with a higher risk of drowning, lesson plans on water safety for pupils and the roll-out of a drowning incident review scheme to ensure lessons are learned from all fatal and non-fatal incidents.
Ms Regan said: “Scotland’s beaches, rivers, reservoirs and lochs are amongst our finest natural resources, but as beautiful as they are they can be a source of lethal danger and we continue to see the tragic consequences of that.
“The actions in the plan are targeted at creating a safer environment in Scotland. But whether it’s sailing, swimming, diving or fishing, anyone undertaking recreational activities in and around water must be fully aware of the risks and take every possible precaution.”
However Labour MSP Jackie Baillie called for the Scottish Government to contribute towards the relocation of the rescue boat.
She commented: “This is a welcome first step but is simply not enough money to ensure that people aren’t drowning on our waterways.
“It will barely stretch locally, never mind across the whole country.
“One of the best ways to help locally is to invest in Loch Lomond Rescue Boat which needs a cash injection to relocate permanently to Balloch.
“This will cut down on their response times dramatically and ultimately help to save
lives.”
