THE Puffer Preservation Trust, which looks after Clyde Puffer S.L. VIC 32, has been awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £245,537 to support the vessel’s restoration.
While money generated from carrying passengers over the past 20 years has allowed the charity to fund necessary maintenance, the Covid pandemic and then a dip in tourism on the west coast of Scotland made it challenging to complete the works programme.
The award will enable the completion of a replica wheelhouse and completion of replacement steel hull plating throughout the hold area of the vessel over the next 18 months. It will also support investment in a steam turbine powered by VIC 32’s biofueled boiler to generate on-board electricity. This will replace the diesel generator and further reduce the carbon footprint of the vessel, which was already ahead of its time in converting to biofuel in 2022. Workshops will be held for volunteers to take part and learn some of the traditional skills associated with maintaining a heritage vessel.
Trustee Phil Robinson said: “The Clyde Puffer is a Scottish icon, and this award will enable VIC 32 to operate into the foreseeable future.”
