FOR a boat that hasn't sailed for more than three decades, the Maid of the Loch still has the power to pull in the crowds.

The recent spell of glorious summer weather attracted hundreds of visitors to the paddle steamer, which is berthed at Balloch, in the shadow of Ben Lomond.

The Maid, the last paddle steamer to have been built in Britain, is open every day until the end of this month, as a venue for events and functions, and where visitors can enjoy refreshments.

But an ambitious £3.3million appeal aims to get it back where it belongs, sailing on Loch Lomond.

The Maid, which is capable of carrying up to 1000 passengers, was built at the Glasgow yard of A&J Inglis and launched in 1953. It sailed only until 1981 and by the time the Loch Lomond Steamship Company (LLSC) took it over in the mid-90s, it was in a sorry state, having been extensively vandalised. One of its lower rooms was swimming in five feet of water.

Since 1996, many thousands of volunteer hours and £1.6m have gone into restoring the Maid and its infrastructure. The new funds are needed to get her sailing again.

John Beveridge, the director of LLSC, said yesterday: "The appeal was launched last March 5, the 60th anniversary of the Maid's launch, and it now stands at £62,000. It has been a fairly limited appeal in that we only approached certain of our usual customers and supporters but we have now launched a new phase.

"We've published publicity leaflets and are approaching various companies and individuals. We have been very well received - although so far no-one has written us a cheque for the entire amount.

"We want to try to raise the money within nine months, but there isn't a specific date, so we will keep on doing this for as long as we need to.

"The main thrust of our ­funding is likely to be the Heritage Lottery Fund and we are in the process of making an application. We're also going to apply to various UK trusts and other agencies, and expats abroad to see if they can give us support."

The new leaflet includes a photograph, from 1971, of the Queen and her husband, and Princess Anne, disembarking from the Maid. Few knew it at the time, but the vessel had only another decade of service in her.

The Maid was owned and ­operated by Caledonian MacBrayne which, says Mr Beveridge, was interested in running ferry services, car ferries and short sea crossings, not an old paddle steamer on Loch Lomond.

"It was alleged that the ship was making too big a loss to be sustained," he said. "In previous years local authorities had contributed to its running costs but in 1981 matters came to a point where CalMac said it needed £200,000 [in funding], which was a huge increase on what was already being given, and the authorities said they couldn't afford that, so the ship was withdrawn from service.

"She only sailed for about four months of the year over 30 years, which means she really only sailed, all told, for about 12 or 13 years."

He added: "The Maid is a piece of our heritage and once it's gone, it's gone forever. We have been fighting to ensure that it is preserved and hopefully, at some stage, there will be sufficient numbers of people to get her sailing again.

"We've had her engines stripped down and re-assembled; the main focus is on getting a new boiler."

Should it sail again, the Maid will not carry 1000 passengers as she once did, but she will be a key attraction on the loch. Some 30 jobs will also be created.

The Maid's supporters see the functioning vessel as being key to helping link various communities around the lochside.

"We're interested in getting the Maid sailing as an investment to the area and to raise the profile of Loch Lomond, and Scotland too," Mr Beveridge said.

"It's not just something for Balloch, it's not just because it's a paddle steamer. We see it as a great tourist asset that could attract inward investment to the area."

l Donations can be made through www.maidoftheloch.com, via Facebook or by sending cheques, made payable to The Maid of the Loch Appeal, to Loch Lomond Steamship Company, PO Box 9401, Gourock PA19 1NB.