ARROCHAR, Tarbet and Ardlui Community Council will benefit from a share of £16,500 for community projects thanks to Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.

The National Park has awarded the community council £1,150 through its Community Grant Scheme which has awarded over £170,000 to community groups since it began in 2009.

The Scheme helps communities to develop projects that progress the priorities of local Community Action Plans as well as support the strategic aims of the National Park.

The community council will put the funding towards an otter survey and designs to support the early stage of installing a floating pontoon in Arrochar that aims to create marine access to Loch Long for local residents and visitors.

Mary Haggarty, secretary of the Arrochar Tarbet and Ardlui CC, told the Reporter: "The grant will help us move closer to the planning stage for the pontoon, helping us put some more plans together.

"We've been very lucky with the grant and who knows? Maybe this time next year we'll have it set up. It is needed as there's no access into the Loch from Arrochar at the moment."

Stuart Mearns, head of Planning and Rural Development at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, said: “One of the key aims of the National Park Authority is to promote the sustainable social and economic development of the area’s communities.

"We work closely with community-led organisations to do this and the Community Grant Scheme allows us to provide vital funding for these groups to progress priority projects and also help with their running costs.

“This links closely to the increasing opportunities from the new Community Empowerment legislation which aims to empower community bodies to strengthen their voices and play a leading role in the decisions that matter to them.”

The Moving Forward grant is part of the 2016/17 Community Grant Scheme aims to support constituted community groups to take forward larger-scale community aspirations.