As revealed in last week’s Advertiser, The Maid of the Loch will be brought back to life, after the Heritage Lottery Fund gave £3.8 million towards the project.

John Beveridge, director of the Loch Lomond Steamship Company, will now lead a campaign to raise another £1.7 million – and finally get the ship sailing again after a 20 year effort.

Mr Beveridge has been on board with the project since the beginning, persuading the council to get involved when they took ownership of the Maid in the early 1990s, after it was withdrawn from sailing in 1981.

He said: “I managed to get the council interested – they bought the land and ship in 1992.

“Maid of the Loch was the last paddle steamer on Loch Lomond, the last in a long line with the first one starting in 1818.

“I was passing every day, and it was looking very forlorn.

“There were people there on board one day that I thought shouldn’t have been, so when I got into the office I made some calls and managed to get the police involved and the council.” The ship was in danger of sinking, and had been vandalised and looted.

Loch Lomond Steamship Company was established as a charity in 1995 and the ship was given to them for free.

One of the initial driving forces was the development of Loch Lomond Shores.

Mr Beveridge said: “We thought we should do the ship up well enough to allow the public on board. We don’t have staff, everyone does what they do on a voluntary basis.

“We are all wanting to save the ship, but our concept is to create jobs, it’s more than just about the ship, it’s about the bigger picture – jobs and investment.” He said the number of businesses on Loch Lomond now compared to 20 years ago when they started was ‘bound to help’.

He said: “There was nothing here – no lighting, electricity. It was just stuck on the side of the pier. The opening of Loch Lomond Shores was a big help. However, the goal has always been to get it sailing again.” He said when the Maid gets sailing again, it will ‘affect’ other businesses in the area, but hoped it would be a positive.

Mr Beveridge said: “We’ve met with them, we are not trying to do anything underhand and yes it will affect them, but hopefully in a good way.

“The more things people have to do the better.” The second application to the Heritage Lottery Fund was successful, and now work needs to be done to firm up costs and consultation with experts such as the coastguard and architects is needed.

Until a contract is agreed with HLF, the work will be temporarily stalled.

LLSC applied for funding to get the Maid sailing again in November 2013 from HLF, but were turned down. Since then they have concentrated on ‘resolving’ some of the issues, such as giving history of the ship – in the form of newpaper cuttings from sister paper the Dumbarton and Vale of Leve Reporter which backed the campaign to get the Maid sailing again – in one of the rooms.

Mr Beveridge said: “We really have to explain why it is unique, the difference it makes to the area.” He added: “It’s just a shame it has taken 20 years. A magic wand all those years ago would have been better – but a lot has happened in that time which could help us. This ship could sail on for another 60 years. The engine will go on forever, one or two things will wear out and need replaced, but it has been 60 years already and the ship doesn’t need replaced. That’s why people are still interested. Even in 60 years it will still be sailing and bringing joy to people.”