A spectacular laser show has generated thousands of pounds to support the “invaluable” work of a local mountain rescue team.
The colourful display, held in the skies above Pitlochry earlier this month, replaced the cancelled Enchanted Forest woodland trail.
This year’s one-off show was designed to be watched by locals from the safety of their living rooms and gardens.
Organisers roped in Tayside Mountain Rescue volunteers to help set up equipment in the hills around the town.
And in return the rescue team, which is made up of 50 volunteers, received an award of £10,000 from the Enchanted Forest Community Trust.
It follows a difficult year for the team, which was forced to dramatically scale down its usual fundraising programme.
Kevin Linklater, President of Tayside Mountain Rescue said he was very grateful for the “timely” donation.
“Like so many charities, we have been forced to cancel several of our own fundraising events this year and this donation will go a long way to boost our team funds,” he said.
“It is very much appreciated, and our team really enjoyed providing support to the production of the community laser show earlier this month.”
Lesley Williamson, executive director of the Enchanted Forest, said: “We are delighted to be making this donation.
“The work they do in rural landscapes like ours is invaluable, helping people when they are in need, and often in the most challenging of circumstances.”
She said: “It is a very challenging time for them, with many fundraising events sadly cancelled this year, and we wanted to what we could to help them.
“We are confident the funds will assist in enabling them to continue delivering life-saving services to the Tayside region.”
The rescue specialists operate in all weathers, across all terrains and at all hours. The team boasts a plethora of outdoor skills including remote medical expertise, technical rigging, swift water rescue and search management.
The Enchanted Forest, which usually brings about 80,000 visitors into the area and pumps more than £7 million into the local economy, will return in 2021, organisers said.
