A Helensburgh community club was given a taste of the action when it visited the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat to present a cheque.

The Helensburgh Lions Club visited the Balloch based boat on Sunday, June 18 to donate £1,500 for the boat’s pager system upgrade.

However, the team was called to help distressed passengers on a boat just before the presentation – leaving treasurer James Macrae to accept the cheque on the crew’s behalf.

The Lions’ secretary Mel Newton said: “Members of Helensburgh Lions Club travelled to Balloch last Sunday in wet and windy conditions.

“They went to visit the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat and present a cheque for £1,500 to assist with the upgrading of their vital pager system.

“Before the presentation could take place, the team received a shout and immediately scrambled to the Rescue Boat and sped up the loch to assist a boat in distress.

“In the absence of the crew, James Macrae, treasurer of Loch Lomond Rescue Boat, accepted a cheque from Don MacDonald, Helensburgh Lions Club president.”

The Loch Lomond Rescue Boat is run solely by volunteers and was founded in 1977 thanks to a donation from an anonymous sailor.

Each year the boat deals with around 100 calls with some days seeing seven or eight emergencies per day.

So far in 2023 the crew has helped handle 31 call-outs.

Lions Clubs exists throughout the world and focus on helping people and improving lives at home and on a global scale.

The Helensburgh club is the oldest surviving Lions Club in Scotland, being present in the community for over 50 years.

The club meets every third Tuesday of the month at Helensburgh Golf Club and is always open to new members of all ages.

Members must pay a fee of £60 per year – which they can pay in two instalments – to help cover running costs.

To find out more about the Helensburgh Lions Club, visit: www.helensburghlionsclub.co.uk.

For more information on the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat and to make a donation, check out their website: www.lochlomondrescueboat.org.