Cheese and wine evening ends with death of pensioner in burn

Victim thought to have fallen as he made his way to friends’ home

A NIGHT out ended in tragedy for a pensioner who died after being swept away in a fast-flowing burn.

The man was walking to a friend’s house in Kilchrenan, south of Oban, from a cheese and wine fundraising event in the local village hall on Saturday night, when he is believed to have fallen into the water.

His body was found in Kilchrenan Burn in the early hours of yesterday morning after a search was launched by police, assisted by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “About 5.25am on Sunday, the body of a 66-year-old man was discovered in a burn in the Kilchrenan area of Argyll, near Taynuilt.

“Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding his death which, at this time, police are not treating as suspicious. A report will be submitted to the fscal.”

Prayers were said for the man’s family at Kilchrenan Church of Scotland yesterday morning.

Church elder Marilyn Henderson said: “The whole community is shocked by this tragedy and our thoughts are with the man’s family at this sad time.

“I was at church and we were praying for his wife.”

Mrs Henderson added that the couple had travelled from their home in another part of Scotland to attend the cheese and wine evening and were planning to stay overnight with friends who live locally.

She said: “I understand that they were walking to the house when the man fell in. The burn is in full spate.”

The road was closed to traffic for several hours yesterday.

Avich and Kilchrenan Community Councillor Chris Cowley said a forestry road had been opened up as a diversion route until the main road reopened in the afternoon.

Mr Cowley said: “I was at the cheese and wine evening, there were about 40 people there.

“We left early, about 11pm, and about half the people were still there. It was a very nice, friendly, evening in support of the village hall.”

He did not know the name of the man who died, or the circumstances of what had happened, but confirmed the burn was flowing quite fast.

He added: “You wouldn’t be able to stand in it.”

Another local man, who declined to be named, said he had became aware of emergency service search lights outside his house in the early hours of the morning.

He added: “They came down the road searching.

“There were police there and the fire brigade were searching the verges with torches.

“They found the person quite quickly.

“I saw them getting the body out.”

Another water tragedy hit the area last April when the teenage driver of a Peugeot car, travelling from Kilchrenan to the neighbouring village of Dalavich, died when the vehicle plunged into the River Avich.

Amy Simpson, 18, from Cowdenbeath, in Fife, died in that accident while her four female friends, who were passengers, escaped with minor cuts and bruises.

She had been travelling back to a holiday cabin with her friends when the accident happened.

The car landed upside down in 6ft of water.

‘‘ They came down the road searching. They found the person quite quickly. I saw them getting the body out