Collection tins boost as pier bid gathers momentum
Plans to purchase Inveraray Pier for the community are on track as donations to a public fund continue to rise.
The Inveraray Pier Fund was launched by Inveraray Community Council convener Linda Divers in the autumn of 2020, with a £100,000 target.
Current pier owner Geaspar Byrne, whose family business owns the Inveraray Inn, purchased the neglected structure in 2019, later offering the community an opportunity to take control of the pier, either by lease or purchase.
The pier campaign is a joint effort between the community council and [community development company] Inspire Inveraray.
Linda Divers explained: ‘Geaspar has been good enough to offer us the pier for the same price he paid for it, and our £100,000 target covers the purchase price and gives us a fighting fund to repair the stone pier.’
There are plans to apply for grant funding, but to get the ball rolling and show that community support is there, public donations are welcome.
The hope is that reopening the stone pier would enable it to be fully utilised once more, after many years of closure as it fell into disrepair.
Access to Loch Fyne would be restored, allowing boats to tie up, dinghies, paddle boards or kayaks to be launched, and opening up the possibility of landing crew and passengers from larger boats.
This week Linda Divers revealed that the fund stands at around £13,000 after collection tins around town yielded more than £850. Linda said: ‘Thanks to all the businesses in town that have a pier fund collection can and to everyone who has donated.
‘We emptied them today and an amazing £854.95 was inside them.
‘It hasn’t been an easy year for fundraising so we are more than happy with what we have achieved so far.
I can’t thank you all enough.’ Anyone can support the community’s bid to purchase Inveraray Pier by donating online – just visit the Go Fund Me page set up by Linda Divers entitled Inveraray Pier Fund.
To donate by cheque, payable to Inveraray CC, write ‘pier fund’ on the back of the cheque and post it to Mrs Aly Stewart, 23 Newton, Inveraray.
Email inveraray@btinternet.com for more information.