Published: Tuesday, 26th June, 2007 09:37
PUPILS' CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE MAID
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SCHOOL children are leading a cash campaign to restore an historic boat.
Classmates at St Mary’s Primary in Alexandria are urging First Minister Alex Salmond to get the Maid of the Loch sailing again.
The elegant paddlesteamer took its last journey in 1981, and is now berthed at Balloch because its owners, the charity Loch Lomond Steamship Company (LLSC), cannot find the money to repair its ageing engine.
They say it will take up to £2.5m to restore the pride of Loch Lomond to its former glory.
And the friends fear that without that vital restoration this elegant paddlesteamer may become just another maritime relic, like Dumbarton’s fire-ravaged Cutty Sark.
The inventive kids — aged just 10 and 11 — have written and directed a documentary about the much-loved vessel, which is the last of its kind to be built in Scotland.
Now they are pushing ahead at full steam, and have sent a copy to Mr Salmond with a letter outlining their demands.
They said: “We believe the Scottish Parliament should fund the complete repair of the ship before it suffers the same fate as Dumbarton’s famous ship, the Cutty Sark.”
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