A group of Perthshire swimmers who took on icy Loch Tay have raised enough funds to reinstate a post office.
Five avid swimmers conquered the loch’s length from Killin to Kenmore earlier this month.
Liz Stevens, Helen Cole, Theresa Elliot, Ishbel Hayes and Angela Steel braved the 10-hour challenge to fundraise for a post office in Killin.
The Highland Perthshire town has been without its counter since 2013 and locals have had to travel 15 miles to Crianlarich for their nearest office.
Pensioners have been most affected, with many unable to drive to collect their pensions.
Since 2015, locals have relied on MacGregor’s Market on Main Street, which has hosted a mobile unit.
In May, the local Bank of Scotland building was ruined by a fire and has since remained closed, with a mobile bank coming into the town for 30-minutes-per-week.
Locals have struggled with the mobile services, with huge queues meaning some miss out on the facilities.
The swimmers have raised more than £1,000 to secure enough funds to buy a building to run a new post office.
The fundraising has helped show local support to earn a £10,000 grant from Stirling Council and over £110,000 from the Scottish Land Fund.
News First on Main Street is expected to be purchased to begin work on the post office by the end of the year.
Liz said: “The money we have raised is far more than we ever expected and we know there is more to come.
“It just goes to show how important our cause is to the people of Killin.
“The money we raised is significant as it shows public support and if we can prove that we will have more of a change to gain grants.
“Without that we will not have a post office.
“We have enough money now to buy the building but we will need more to get fixtures and fittings in.
“We don’t have a date yet for when it will be completed but we hope we can move in by the end of the year, with the newsagents continuing.
“We have a year to spend the grants so time is of the essence.”
The big swim saw the five participants take 30-minute rotating stints of Loch Tay.
Starting at 6am, the group finished in Kenmore beach just after 4pm.
Despite the gruelling effort, Liz said their efforts were worth it.
She added: “We had an issue with gaining a boat, so we had to use an old safety one.
“It meant we had to row instead during the time we were meant to rest.
“Despite that, it was definitely worth it to raise the money for the post office.
“We will continue to fund-raise in many different ways for the building’s future.”
