Ship comes in for Scots villagers after TV filming brings windfall

CONTROVERSIAL ships parked in a Scottish loch because of the economic downturn have led to a charity windfall thanks to a children's TV show.

The payout for 17 Scots charities came almost a year after six AP Moller-Maersk ships were buoyed together in Loch Striven as the company posted its first losses in history, totalling 1 billion.

Locals were outraged at the lack of any consultation before the vessels were laid up in the west coast loch, and complained about noise, light and potential pollution of the waters.

But when the BBC needed a set for its futuristic children's programme Mission 2110, it chose the six vessels and paid out a 30,000 location fee.

Now the money has been awarded to local charities on the Isle of Bute and the Cowal Peninsula, ranging from piping and sailing clubs to three primary schools and respite care. One of the 17 charities to benefit was Calum's Cabin, named after Calum Speirs, who died two years ago at the age of 12 from a brain tumour.

The four-bed cabin on Bute has a waiting list, as it takes young sufferers of cancer or cancer-related illnesses and their families for a week's respite.

Caroline Speirs, 43, said they had been amazed by the support in the local community and counted on 50 volunteers to help run the respite home and a charity shop to keep funds flowing.

She said Rothesay and Bute were not too bothered about the ships but certainly welcomed the donation.

"Someone put our name forward for this money and it was quite a surprise when we found out," said Ms Speirs.

"(The cabin] costs us about 25,000-30,000 a year in running costs, but the feedback is phenomenal. Ten children are diagnosed each day in the UK with cancer and four in Scotland and the respite allows families time together to reflect and make irreplaceable memories."

About 10 per cent of the world's container fleet have been laid up since the global downturn, prompting Maersk to pay port authority Clydeport for using Loch Striven.

The loch was a lay-up location throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and is used by the MoD for submarine and other operations.

But local residents were up in arms when there was no warning of the lay-up, which has since prompted Maersk to change its policies.

In December, noise levels from the ships were reduced, as only one vessel now powers the other five.

The BBC filmed Mission 2110 between January and March this year. In the drama, youngsters compete against 9ft "robots" in a battle to save humanity.

About 80 people were on board for the filming, which also boosted the economy in Rothesay for transport, supplies and accommodation.

A corporation spokeswoman said: "The BBC uses a wide variety of unusual backdrops and locations in its filming. It is standard practice for the BBC to pay location fees and Maersk were paid for the use of the ships while the series was being filmed.

"A number of different external locations were investigated to provide a suitable backdrop for the series.

"The container ships proved the most suitable location to provide the variety of industrial backdrops needed and, on a practical level, they could comfortably house the imposing 9ft robots.

"It was entirely Maersk's decision to donate their fee to local charities."

Set in a post-apocalyptic landscape, each episode shows a team of four contestants travelling to a futuristic setting, long after mankind has disappeared, to try to restore peace and stability. The young recruits, guided by their mentor Caleb, have to battle, in a series of missions, against the Roboidz.

The sheer size and scale of the Roboidz was such that the production team needed to find an alternative location to the traditional studio format to create Future Gate, the Roboidz base.

Maersk said they hope the vessels will return to active service in January 2011, but this depended on the economic situation.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: "The people and the environment of Loch Striven are important to Maersk Line and we're delighted to be able to make donations to 17 different charities and organisations as nominated by the local community.

"Hopefully these donations will make a positive difference in the area and ultimately benefit a broad section of the local population."