Star Wars Argyll shoot leads to charity cash boost

The new Star Wars series stars Diego Luna

The owners of a Scottish hydro-electric scheme have made a series of charitable donations after Disney used the site for its new Star Wars show, Andor.

Cruachan Power Station is housed within a huge cavern dug out inside the mountain Ben Cruachan, which is nicknamed Hollow Mountain because of the project.

The underground power plant, near Oban, along with its hydro dam and the surrounding landscape have been used as locations for the 12-episode Andor series.

Renewable energy giant Drax said the use of its site had led it to make a total donation running to five figures to help local good causes.

It said funds had gone towards a new vehicle for Oban Mountain Rescue Team and creating a rural defibrillator network with community councils.

A donation has also been made to support the ongoing maintenance and restoration of St Conans Kirk, a historic visitor attraction in the Argyll village of Lochawe.

Cruachan Power Station's visitor centre manager Sarah Cameron said: “Everyone at Cruachan has been incredibly excited to see the power station take a starring role in such an iconic film franchise."

Cruachan Power Station is housed in a cavern dug out inside a mountain

Andor is a prequel to the 2016 spin-off film Rogue One and follows main character Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna.

In an interview with film magazine Empire, Luna told of some of the filming also taking place near Pitlochry in Perthshire.

Other UK locations have included Dorset's Jurassic Coast and Cleveleys in Lancashire.