Loch Lomond Rescue Boat

Queen's Award for Voluntary Service 2015 - The Loch Lomond Rescue Boat

The Loch Lomond Rescue Boat service was set up 37 years ago to address the need for an emergency waterborne rescue and assistance service to those who found themselves in distress on the Loch or in its surrounding wilderness areas. The Group is volunteer led and is entirely independent from any other maritime emergency service.   It operates in co-operation with the local Police, Fire and Ambulance services and with Coastguard and Mountain Rescue all of which rely upon the essential and trusted waterborne emergency service that it provides.   The crew of volunteers selflessly provide their service 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, and conscientiously turn out in all weathers to assist those in need.   In addition to its rescue service the Group also provides a search and recovery service for those who have lost their life by accident or otherwise.  Despite the beauty of the area Loch Lomond can be extremely hazardous to those who do not know or understand its many underwater obstacles and treacherous undercurrents and consequently the Group's services can be much in demand.  It has in the past been named as the busiest in-shore rescue boat in the United Kingdom and today still remains one of the busiest.

Photos by Courtesy of Robert Bell, West Highland Photography.

Further photos HERE & copies available from:

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service 2015 - Bankie Talk Talking Newspaper

The Bankie Talk Talking Newspaper was established 25 years ago to provide taped recordings of the local newspaper for the visually impaired. Today, over 100 visually impaired adults receive the talking newspaper every week, the talking magazine each month, and have access to a vast library of books all produced on CD and delivered to their home. Over 8000 young people who are either visually impaired, or have difficulty accessing the written word, have access to a magazine tailored especially for them each month. Volunteers come from all age groups to provide this exceptional service.

Photos by Courtesy of Robert Bell, West Highland Photography.

Further photos HERE and copies available from:

Clydebank Asbestos Group receive the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

A group of volunteers who have campaigned for 20 years for victims of Asbestos were presented with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service at a Civic Reception on Friday 30th November 2012. Clydebank Asbestos Group, were presented with their award by Lord-Lieutenant, Mike Gregory at a special Civic Reception in Clydebank Town Hall. The group, which is staffed by volunteers and has assisted more than 1,700 people, campaigns on behalf of sufferers and their families who have developed illnesses as a result of workplace exposure to Asbestos.

Asbestos, which was produced by the Turner Newall factory in Dalmuir and was commonly used in John Brown's Shipbuilding Yard in the heart of Clydebank, is the cause of a deadly disease which has affected more than 2,000 people in Scotland.  Clydebank Asbestos Group was set up in 1992 to help provide support and advice for victims of asbestos and their families.   People exposed to the substance are known to have a wide range of health problems, including scarring of the lungs, thickening of membranes surrounding the rib cage and cancer of the lining of the lungs.

Bob Dickie, Chairman of Clydebank Asbestos Group said: "We are delighted and honoured to receive this award, especially this year on our 20th Anniversary.   The group would like to thank West Dunbartonshire Council, Councillors past and present, for their continued support and also West Dunbartonshire Council's Welfare Rights staff for their help and assistance over the years.   This award will be accepted on behalf of everyone we have helped and with the reassurance that we will continue to campaign for justice for all victims of asbestos."

The prestigious Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is an annual award given for outstanding achievement by groups of volunteers who regularly devote their time to helping others in the community.

Lord-Lieutenant Mike Gregory, the Queen's representative in West Dunbartonshire, said:  "I am delighted to present the award in recognition of the outstanding commitment and dedication shown by the group in helping and supporting people with asbestos.   It is remarkable that the group has been assisting people for over 20 years and their continued pledge to helping people through very difficult periods is to be commended."

He added,  "This award, presented on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, is to thank the group and also to acknowledge that the time they spend volunteering away from their own families does not go unnoticed."

West Dunbartonshire Provost, Douglas McAllister said: "The Council is delighted to host this Civic Reception in recognition of the outstanding work carried out by the group.   This award is testament to the impact the group has had on the lives of the hundreds of people that the group has assisted over the years."

 He added:  "The group has tirelessly campaigned for two decades to help residents and they thoroughly deserve this prestigious award."

The group's efforts have been acknowledged in the past with Chairman, Bob Dickie, being named as Clydebank Citizen of the Year 2012 by the Council, and the group were named Voluntary Organisation of the Year at last year's Scotland's National Health Awards.