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Coll couple's wedding plans saved after ferry woes

Graham Griffiths Jane and GrahamGraham Griffiths
Jane and Graham are due to get married on Saturday

A Hebridean couple have had their wedding plans saved after they looked to have been dashed by changes to CalMac ferry services.

Jane Ham and Graham Griffiths, who live and work on the island of Coll, are getting married in Glasgow on Saturday.

Weeks before their big day there were warnings of disruption to ferries to the mainland. It meant some guests would not have been able to attend.

CalMac has changed sailings again, which means the guests can now go.

The couple decided on a wedding in Graham's home city because it was the easier travel option for many of their guests.

They chose a date in the Easter holidays so guests with young families could come. It also avoided winter weather disruption to Coll's ferry service while benefitting from the greater frequency of CalMac's summer timetable.

Getty Images Isle of CollGetty Images
Coll in the Inner Hebrides was caught up in wider issues affecting CalMac sailings

But in the space of a few weeks, Friday ferry sailings from Oban to Coll and nearby Tiree were first cancelled before being restored - but only to Tiree.

Following concerns raised by islanders, sailings have been changed again so the ferry does call at Coll.

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Jane said the initial situation had left island guests facing greater expense to attend, or cancel altogether, as well as increasing pre-wedding pressures on her and Graham.

She told BBC radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "Wedding guests were scrambling around trying to rearrange their plans, asking their employers for additional time off work and finding additional accommodation."

Graham said CalMac had listened to islanders' concerns.

Graham Griffiths Graham and JaneGraham Griffiths
The couple have been planning their big day for more than two years

He said: "It means our guests who couldn't make it now can, although the majority of our guests have already rearranged their travel plans and will stick with those."

Recent weeks have seen CalMac forced into making alterations to its services due to delays in routine overhauls of some ferries and technical issues affecting others.

Coll and Tiree's service was among those affected.

CalMac has apologised for the disruption on its west coast network, and has also been working to resolve other issues affecting routes.