CAMPAIGNERS HAVE launched a drive to raise funds for a new pontoon at Otter Ferry on Loch Fyne.
The move, if successful, will help to continue the community connection with its maritime history reaching back hundreds of years.
The current pontoon, installed 25 years ago, has reached the end of its working life. The recently registered Otter Ferry Maritime Community (OFMC) charity has an immediate priority to fundraise for its replacement.
The organisation has as its central objective to task to maintain and develop maritime and other leisure facilities for the community and visitors to Otter Ferry.
A member of the group told this newspaper: “When the current pontoon was installed, it was the first of its type in Argyll, with a combination of metal, wood and plastic.
“Pontoon technology has moved on. We are aiming to emulate the newer pontoon at Strachur.”
OFMC has taken ownership of the current pontoon from the Ballimore Estate and is starting to fundraise to replace it.
“We began negotiations to purchase a Gaelforce Fusion pontoon, similar to the Strachur pontoon, which we anticipate will have a 50 year lifespan. Capital costs are estimated at a maximum of £100k. Our estimate is we need to raise around £500 each year for revenue costs. This will be achieved through donations for use of the pontoon and local fundraising events.”
The group said it will be happy to receive donations of any size contributing towards securing the new pontoon.
One strand of fundraising is to encourage lifetime donations of £500 that can be name-checked at the pontoon. Businesses may also choose to show support in this way, with their company name displayed at the waterside.
If you want to use the pontoon for a year, the charity will accept a donation of £150.
The trustees have been named as Jock Barge Tristan Van Lynden, Stuart Lambie and Catriona Renfrew.
The group can be contacted using the email address [email protected]
There has been a pier at Otter Ferry on upper Loch Fyne for hundreds of years, providing a means of transport for people and livestock before there was a road network in West Cowal.
The stone pier is no longer in routine use, but it still a focal point for the community. The current nearby pontoon reconnected the community to the Loch and enabled the continuation of the history of maritime access to and from Otter Ferry, which is a central part of the area’s heritage.
