A CHARITY worker from Dumbarton was given a unique recognition for playing her part in keeping the UK’s heritage alive during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jade West was one of eight people whose faces were projected on to monoliths at the world-famous Stonehenge site in Wiltshire.

Jade is a volunteer co-ordinator at the Skylark IX Recovery Trust, the charity formed to restore a ‘Little Ship’ from the Dunkirk evacuations during WW2 which later spent 33 years taking tourists on cruises on Loch Lomond.

The ship rescued more than 600 men from the shores of northern France as the German forces advanced in late May and early June of 1940.

In the form of a night-time installation, Stonehenge was lit up with the faces of eight individuals who, with the help of National Lottery funding, are supporting heritage projects across the UK.

The Trust was set up to restore the Skylark IX boat in tandem with its parent organisation, the Alternatives drugs recovery and rehabilitation service.

The vessel, which had taken WW2 veterans on annual remembrance cruises on the loch, sank in June 2010, and efforts to repair and restore the ship have been ongoing ever since.

Jade said: “The veteran community in the area celebrated Remembrance Day and numerous other ceremonies on the Skylark.

“When she sank, they were disappointed she had been left, so they sent out an SOS to get her lifted out of the water and restored.

“Alternatives were aware of this, and saw a great opportunity to work with us to recover the boat.”

A key aim for the conservation project is to build skills and job opportunities for the wider community, in particular for Alternatives’ own clients, and to restore the town’s boat crafting heritage.

Jade added: “They felt the story of Skylark and how she saved so many really resonated with what they were trying to do as a project and organisation.

“We’ve kept the spirit of the project going during lockdown and have done things we’re all proud of.

“At the moment, we’ve put Skylark plans on hold and looked at the wider needs of the community. For example, I undertook some food deliveries for Alternatives.

“My job allowed me to support those who are more vulnerable, making sure they had food and that their health conditions were looked after.”

During lockdown, Jade encouraged members to contribute to a textile square for a lockdown patchwork quilt as a means of remembering the difficult time, assisting with mental wellbeing and keeping morale high.