Stuart Ballantyne died this week after contracting Covid-19

Tributes have been paid to a longstanding mountain rescue team member who has lost his fight with the coronavirus.

Stuart Ballantyne died on Monday evening (9 Nov), having served Trossachs Search and Rescue Team for 22 years.

The charity paid tribute to their longstanding member, who was one of the founding members of the team. He previously worked for the Scottish Ambulance Service.

A statement said: "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 for your kind words/thoughts."

Charity Glasgow the Caring City were amongst those to pay tribute to Ballantyne.

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 led the team at Trossachs Search and Rescue, alongside which we responded to, so many incidents and operations over the past 22 years."