Family and friends of a missing Black Isle fisherman have raised much needed funds for the RNLI in his memory.
Craig Reid was lost overboard from the Avoch-registered Apollo on April 18 while it was fishing 20 miles off the Orkney coast.
Stromness lifeboat was launched to join a search operation but the crew was forced to turn back after encountering rough seas and high winds.
A donation of £2,500 has now been made to the Kessock lifeboat crew after a fundraising effort at the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday.
The effort was organised by Blair Smith of Highland Premier Valet, for whom Mr Reid worked when he was ashore.
Mr Smith said “Craig was hugely liked, a hard worker and a genuinely nice guy. There isn’t anyone I know who didn’t like him.
“Craig came to me to offer his help washing cars, so giving something back to the family was the least I could do.”
Mr Reid’s fiance Laura Johnson and brother Stevie were present to help present the cheque to the lifeboat crew.
Ms Johnson said: “The RNLI is always there when you need them. It’s not often that the RNLI have to turn back from a shout, but as a charity they need all the help they can get and so anything we can do to help them is our way of saying thank you.”
Kessock lifeboat volunteer Helmsman Stan MacRae said “As a charity, the RNLI relies entirely on fundraising and public donations to stay afloat.
“This significant amount of money is enough to train a volunteer crew member at Kessock for a year and provide them with a significant amount of their vital safety kit.
“I want to thank Blair and the Reid family for this very generous donation.”
