Caledonian MacBrayne is looking for local residents to form a new community board.

The ferry operator is inviting applications from residents of the rural communities covered by the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) to get involved.

It will have the primary purpose of being a voice of the communities on strategic issues and comes as part of CalMac's successful bid to operate west coast ferry services for the next eight years.

The board's 12 members will meet twice a year, with the first meeting due to take place in October.

Director of community and stakeholder engagement Brian Fulton said: "CalMac has always placed a high priority on stakeholder engagement activities and has traditionally managed this through a combination of formal and informal meetings and events, however, the scale of our network and the way people are spread across it means this can be a challenge.

"The community board is therefore being formed to bring the aspirations of local communities directly to the main CalMac Board with a view to driving economic growth.

"After widespread informal discussions with local representatives from across the network we have created its terms of reference and are ready to start recruiting members."

He added: "We are keen that the board focuses on the high level strategic issues facing their communities, and we also see it as a great opportunity to bring together a group of people who are knowledgeable and well-informed about the network as a whole and not just their own area or route."