With your help, the S.O.S., Save our Steamship public funding appeal has entered a crucial phase with a final push to raise the outstanding funds required to restore the historic Steamship Sir Walter Scott.
We are delighted to have secured £330,000 of the £500,000 required for the appeal, with donations large and small coming in almost every day.
This success has allowed us to refocus the appeal with a mission to raise the outstanding £170,000 in the next 100 days to get Sir Walter Scott Steamship sailing again later this summer.
The 100-day campaign started last Friday and concludes on Sunday 26th June, when if the remaining funds have been secured, the Trust should be able to reintroduce Steamship Sir Walter Scott sailings on Loch Katrine.
Please help us spread the word for the appeal. Donations can be made via the Save our Steamship appeal website. Click the button below for information.
APPEAL WEBSITE
Sir Walter Scott is Loch Katrine’s fourth steamer. Built during 1899 at William Denny & Bros. in Dumbarton, she was dismantled after trials and transported in sections by barge up the River Leven and Loch Lomond to Inversnaid. From there, teams of horses lugged the Steamship up the steep hills to Stronachlachar; there, she was reconstructed and launched into Loch Katrine in 1900.
The original steam plant remains intact, with a pump that draws feedwater from the loch for the boiler. However, in 2008 the Steamship moved from coal power to biodiesel. With a return to operation this year, introducing a new ground-breaking green hydrogen and vegetable oil fuel to replace biodiesel would reduce CO2 emissions by over 90% and contribute to the Steamship Trust’s net-zero ambition.
The historic Steamship is a popular symbol of Loch Katrine that glides quietly through its pure waters when operational. In 1859 the loch became a reservoir supply water to much of West and Central Scotland. Through ingenious Victorian engineering, 23.5 miles of aqueducts and tunnels carried clean water for the first time to the city of Glasgow, transforming the health of its vast population.
Still in operation today, up to 120 million gallons per day can be extracted from the loch through this system, with the famous Tennant’s Lager brewed with water from the loch.
The restoration appeal will not only save a National Maritime Heritage Treasure but bring benefits to a wide range of people as the Steamship can carry 220 passengers and is accessible for all mobility and sensory needs. She also plays a crucial role in supporting the wider Trossachs economy, providing and helping to directly and indirectly sustain many jobs.