RESIDENTS on the Ardnamurchan peninsula have met CalMac's chief executive to have their say on the future of the car ferry service to Tobermory.

Robbie Drummond from CalMac Ferries Ltd met residents of the peninsula last week at an event held in Kilchoan Community Centre and organised by Argyll and Bute MP Brendan O’Hara.

This gave people the opportunity to air their concerns about the reliability of the service, which had been running on a passenger only basis for much of the past winter, and to quiz the CalMac boss and local operations manager Donna Lockhart about their plans for the future of the service.

Helensburgh Advertiser:

Mr. O’Hara said: “I visited Kilchoan just before Christmas to meet the local community and a recurring theme was the future of the car ferry linking Ardnamurchan and Mull.

“I was asked if I could facilitate a meeting between the residents and Robbie Drummond of CalMac in Kilchoan, and I am delighted that we managed to make that happen before Easter.

“It is vital that there is a reliable car ferry back on this route as quickly as possible, both for the people of Mull and the people of Ardnamurchan who are, I believe, in the unique position of being on the mainland but relying so heavily on an island for so much of what they need.

Helensburgh Advertiser:

“I am extremely grateful to Robbie Drummond for agreeing to come to Kilchoan and listening to the most important voices, those people who use and depend on there being a reliable service running every day.

“More than that however, I am most grateful to all those local people who attended in such numbers and who made their case in such a considered, knowledgeable, and respectful manner.”