Tributes have been paid to a long serving member of Trossachs Search and Rescue Team who has died from coronavirus.
Stuart Ballantyne, who was secretary of the mercy dash organisation, had been with TSAR for 22 years. The organisation, which he had been dedicated to, made the sad announcement on Tuesday. He passed away on Monday evening.
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A statement on Trossachs Search and Rescue Team's Facebook page read: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Stuart Ballantyne, Secretary, friend and much loved team member.
"Stuart sadly passed away from COVID-19 early yesterday evening.
"Stuart's family have asked for privacy at this time.
"Thank you everyone for your kind words and thoughts over this very difficult time."
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Tributes flooded in for Mr Ballantyne including one from Glasgow charity, Glasgow the Caring City.
They said: "We are devastated by the loss of our great friend Stuart Ballantyne. There are few words to describe how we feel at the moment about this sad news. In terms of community resilience, Stuart was the authority without compare. He lead the team at Trossachs Search & Rescue alongside which we responded to so many incidents and operations over the past 22 years."
Mr Ballantyne was one of the founding members of the Trossachs service from his retirement from the emergency services where he worked for the Scottish Ambulance Service. He was described as a good friend who always put other people first among the many tributes paid.
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