Volunteers are honoured for decades of dedication

Thirty National Trust for Scotland volunteers have been honoured for each providing three decades of service to the charity.

The volunteers, who devote their time and talents at heritage hot spots across the country, were presented with a certificate and a badge at a special event marking their contribution to the conservation charity.

They met with trust chairman Sir Kenneth Calman at the recent reception in Edinburgh.

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Among the volunteers were Sandy Alexander and Ishbel Andrew, who both live in the Capital.

Mrs Alexander has been a loyal and hard-working guide at the Georgian House, in Charlotte Square, since it first opened in 1975.

She also volunteered as a guide at the gallery in No 28 Charlotte Square for 11 years until its closure last year.

As runner-up in the Volunteer of the Year awards on two occasions, it was evident that her dedication impressed staff, fellow volunteers and visitors alike.

The grandmother-of-three from Colinton, who volunteers once a week for two to three hours, said it was interesting meeting new people.

She added: "I appreciate the award very much."

Meanwhile, Mrs Andrew, 86, has been a dedicated and loyal guide in the Georgian House since 1980.

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She started on the Friday afternoon shift before moving to a Friday lunchtime, and then to her current shift at Wednesday lunchtime. The change allowed her to continue playing the piano for local ballet classes.

The grandmother-of-three from Marchmont, who volunteers for two hours every fortnight, said: "I enjoy meeting the people - they come from all over the world. It's lovely."

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Volunteers from the age of 16 to more than 80 are involved in a range of roles in properties, gardens, the countryside and offices across Scotland.

Sir Kenneth said: "The world has changed a great deal in 30 years. One thing, however, has remained constant for these three decades - that is the dedication and devotion of these 30 volunteers who have stuck with the trust for all this time.

"Their contribution to the charity, and to Scotland's heritage, is quite extraordinary."

Among the other volunteers to have given 30 years' service to the National Trust for Scotland are William Agnew, Aurea Amos, Eric Brown and Jim Callen.

Head of volunteering, Violet Dalton, said: "Volunteers are vital to the trust, helping us deliver the best visitor experiences, the most expert conservation techniques and the efficient support services needed to run a diverse and dispersed organisation like ours."