Sandbank Community gain funding to save ‘landmark’ hotel

The Oakbank Inn has been on the main street in Sandbank for 150 years.

The small town was once famous for its boatyard which made racing yachts at the start of the 20th Century.

In the 1960s the area became a base for the US Navy whose ships docked at the Ardnadam Pier on Holy Loch.

For many years there was an average of 3,500-4,000 Americans staying at Holy Loch but that had come to an end by the 1990s.

Ms Mckillop said: “You wouldn’t know they had been here now. There were submarines and boats on the loch, that all went away.

“And the only thing that’s really left is the original Ardnadam Pier and the Oakbank pub.”

She said the Sandbank community was looking forward to getting its pub back.

“We just want people to have somewhere that they can feel at home, have a bit of fun and hopefully get fed too,” she said.

Sue says: “The Oakbank Inn is more than a pub, it’s a community hub.”

They hope to be able to carry out a full renovation to be able to open in 2025 as Oakbank Community Inn Sandbank.