FRIENDS of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs has helped to expand the provision of public access defibrillators in the park by part-funding the purchase of a unit for the small village of Ardlui at the north end of Loch Lomond.

The defibrillator is due to be situated in the village as part of a project led by Arrochar, Tarbet & Ardlui Community Council.

The Friends have been able to contribute £800 towards the cost as a result of funds raised by local businesses such as Cruise Loch Lomond and Fascadail Guest House participating in the Friends of OUR park visitor giving scheme.

As well as this, a £200 donation has also been made towards covering the cost of improving the plinth access area next to the war memorial in Arrochar.

This project is also being led by the Community Council.

Cheques towards both of these projects were recently presented at an awards ceremony in the Three Villages Hall which was attended by local businesses participating in the Friends of OUR park scheme.

James Fraser, Chairman of Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, said: "Ensuring the safety of the 4 million annual visitors to the National Park and local residents is important and the availability of defibrillators in remoter parts of the park, which are some distance away from the nearest hospital, has been a high priority for the Friends working with local groups and businesses.

"Last month the Trossachs Search and Rescue Group, who have been at the forefront of this initiative, installed the 100th defibrillator at Inchmurrin Hotel on Inchmurrin Island.

"While this was an important milestone, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels where safety is concerned and the more defibrillators we have, the better.

"We are also pleased to be able to make a contribution towards the war memorial access project and are very grateful to all businesses and their patrons who helped to make this funding possible.

"We would encourage other businesses to join the OUR park visitor giving scheme so that we can increase the number of projects supported to make the National Park a better place for visitors and local residents."

Mary Haggarty, Secretary of Arrochar, Tarbet & Ardlui Community Council, said: "These are welcome investments in important projects in our lochside communities.

"Due to the remoteness of the area, response times to emergency calls may be longer than in other parts of the National Park and there is evidence from elsewhere that the availability of defibrillators locally helps save lives.

"The Friends contributions to helping secure a defibrillator for Ardlui and supporting our war memorial project are very much appreciated and we are extremely grateful to all contributors to the Friends of OUR park visitor giving scheme and local businesses who have helped raise the much needed funds.

Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs is the independent conservation and heritage charity for the National Park area.

For more information on the Friends of OUR park project, call 01389 727761, email info@lochlomondtrossachs.org.uk or visit www.lochlomondtrossachs.org.uk