Helensburgh Amateur Swimming Club (HASC) has received a donation of £200 from a local home builder.

The funds given by Bellway Homes, who are building more than 100 new homes at the east end of the town, will go towards a Go-Pro underwater camera for the club, which is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year.

Based at Helensburgh Swimming Pool and run by parent volunteers, it currently has over 50 members ranging in age from 7 to 19 years old, who are enjoying the return to the pool following the easing of restrictions in April.

READ MORE: Swimmers' delight as Helensburgh youngsters get back in the pool after lockdown

Sue Macartney, kit convenor of Helensburgh Amateur Swimming Club, said: “A lot of our anniversary fund-raising plans have been thwarted by the pandemic and we are so grateful to businesses like Bellway for lending their support.

“We are quite a small club and donations help us to keep fees at affordable levels for our swimmers so that we can be as inclusive as possible.

“The camera will be used to look at how swimmers are performing while in the water and will be a really important tool for coaches to analyse any mistakes and encourage our members to make the necessary improvements.”

Bellway Homes Ltd (Scotland West) secured planning permission in September 2020 for the development of 123 new houses and 20 flats at Sawmill Field opposite the town’s Morrisons supermarket.

READ MORE: Bellway Homes secures planning permission for major housing development in Helensburgh

Pauline Coates, sales director Bellway Homes Ltd (Scotland West), said: “Helensburgh Swimming Club has been making a huge difference to the lives and fitness levels of the young people of Helensburgh for 130 years and we were delighted to make a donation to their funds.”

The Sawmill Field site, earmarked for around 140 new homes since 2014, was originally going to be developed by CALA Homes, but the company pulled out of the project in April 2019, after outline planning permission had been granted but before detailed plans were lodged with the council.

Bellway stepped in five months later and secured planning permission a year further down the line after only one member of the public objected.

READ MORE: Check out all the latest Helensburgh and Lomond news headlines here