TWO family owned hotels around Loch Lomond have been recognised for their tireless fundraising work after raising more than £27,000 between them.

Over the past six years, as part of the Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs charity’s innovative OUR park visitor giving scheme, the Lodge on Loch Lomond Hotel, in Luss, has raised £18,300 in contributions from visitors, while the nearby Inn on Loch Lomond at Inverbeg has collected £9,700.

The cash has been generated from opt-in donations by guests staying overnight and restaurant customers to go towards a range of heritage, conservation, access and public safety projects throughout the National Park.

Recent projects that have been supported with grants from the Friends of OUR park visitor giving scheme include improvements to paths around the loch, the production of paths leaflets, the roll out of public access defibrillators at popular sites, as well as hundreds of disadvantaged youngsters who have been sponsored on activity days out and short breaks in the National Park.

Friends chairman James Fraser recently presented commendation certificates for display at each hotel to Niall Colquhoun, owner of the Lodge and Inn on Loch Lomond. Smaller versions of these certificates will also be included in welcome packs in each room at the two hotels so that visitors are aware of how much has been raised and what projects have been supported.

He said: “The amounts that these hotels have raised as part of the Friends of OUR park visitor giving scheme has been nothing short of remarkable and it simply would not be possible to support so many worthwhile projects in the National Park without the commitment of these hoteliers and their staff.

"We rely heavily on this sort of support from around 100 businesses in and around the National Park and they all deserve our sincere thanks as do their many thousands of visitors who are helping us to make a real difference to make the National Park a better place for people and nature with the delivery on many practical projects on the ground working with local communities.’’

Niall added: “We are only too glad to try to help locally based projects in the National Park which are in need of financial support, and the Friends of OUR park scheme has been an excellent way for us to do this.

"We wish to thank all customers and guests who have made contributions to our fundraising while we have been part of this great initiative led by the Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs.’’