PEOPLE living in Luss are to benefit from improvements to the doctor's surgery in the village thanks to funding from the National Lottery.

An award of £8,760 from the Big Lottery Fund will be used by the Luss Village Hall Restoration and Maintenance Association to upgrade the GP consultation room, housed at the village hall, and to install a disabled toilet.

The money comes from the lottery's Awards for All Scotland fund, which, as previously reported in the Advertiser, has also given £6,000 from Creative Scotland to the Bicentenary Pipe Band Championships in Helensburgh.

The latter award will be used to meet the cost of bringing the West of Scotland Pipe Band Championships to Helensburgh later this year.

The two awards have been welcomed by the Helensburgh and Lomond area's MSP, Jackie Baillie, who said: “I am delighted that both groups have received funding from the National Lottery Awards for All Scotland’s funding scheme.

I know that the funding awarded to Luss Village Hall will help to restore and maintain the doctor’s surgery which will benefit the whole community.

“The Pipe Band Championships in Helensburgh are well loved by people in our local community as well as visitors and brings tourism to our area. I am delighted that funding has been awarded to host the event this year.

“I want to thank both organisations for their ongoing contribution to our community.”