Testamonials by Kilmorack Gallery

Testimonials

From those who have suffered by Big Energy to those that may Gathered February 2025

by the people of the glens

Introduction

Putting together this booklet of testimonials has felt important. It is good to know that we are not alone, and that so many of us, all of us, stand together.

When large-scale industrialisation threatens nature and communities - our world – on an inconceivable scale - you suffer from palpitations, fainting and preand-post traumatic stresses. Your eye notices every bit of yellow and orange in a field, and your heart skips a beat when another large truck towing a fuel bowser rumbles past, when death trundles past.

This booklet contains testimonials from real people. It is an expression of democracy. Contributors are just like you and me. This is the scale that we should listen too. The future must grow from the ground up and not be dumped down from above.

Tony Davidson Kilmorack Gallery

IV4 7AL

“It is a lovely strath. The flat river lands widen and narrow, the path goes by and through hazel woods where nuts ripen in harvest weather, discloses sudden meadows where rabbits look and vanish, swerves round and on, but ever holds by the river. The slopes that shut out the strath from the moors are steep and wooded to their summits.

It is not a glen of the mountains, craggy, stupendous, physically impressive. There is nothing here to overwhelm the romantic mind. Its beauty is an inward grace in oneself akin to what is indefinable in the memory of a masterpiece. Beauty, intimate and secretive, has a lingering, lovely mirth; at the core of it, hope and fulfilment meet and tread a measure; while heads turn with glistening eyes to look for any or no excuse to laugh. In some such mood the Creator must have looked upon his handiwork and called it good.”

Neil M. Gunn, Highland River

Gate at Fanellan.

The Correen Hills wind farm is proposed on land overlooking my land. At present my land looks out over a dark sky and landscape, no lights, no human made sound, it is a precious thing. Shortly to have 10 x 200m turbines applied for. I know our local voices mean nothing to the ECU, our wildlife and soils mean nothing, our community means nothing. I know they know they pretend to consult but it's just information as to what's going to happen, not consultation. They know that, the Scottish Government knows that, but they keep up the pretence and scatter community benefit as though our landscape can be bought. It's terrible for our sense of democracy to have such a game knowing played out in front of us. The Scottish Government has allowed itself to be effortlessly manipulated by the corportate energy companies. Preparing to object is time consuming and stressful for all concerned, and we know its probably pointless.

Dr. Mary Walters AB33

I would like to add my voice to those who have been terribly depressed by the process of installing these pylons and wind farms.

I feel humiliated by the swagger of capitalists who know that politicians, who should be representing us, are powerless to prevent investors' pursuit of profit - largely because politicians lack the vision, intelligence or bravery to innovate a different future for us.

I feel both industry and politicians have been laughing up their sleeve at our attempts to have a voice in the process, which has left me feeling for the first time in my life, small and obviously unimportant; threatened by those in power and at risk from their lack of calibre.

Caroline Rham IV14

We moved from Edinburgh in 1991 to our current home in Cockburnspath - seeking a better quality of life and a more rural environment. We’ve seen our environment change over the thirty-four years we’ve been here with loss of local facilities and are now being faced with over 14 applications, ranging from extensions and upgrades to existing wind farms, multiple solar arrays with BESS, substations, eastern link upgrade, off shore developments and connections to name but a few.

In particular, the BESS applications concern me. A poorly tested technology which has virtually no SFRS input, no real planning input, re. fire safety and no input from HSE. Meantime, developers are jumping on the latest bandwagon and exploiting gaps or lack of guidance and legislation. The whole UK releases less the 1% of global emissions and even if it became net zero tomorrow, it would not influence global net zero by one iota. Our tourism, environment, wildlife and way of life are being undemocratically changed with very little ability to influence policy and make community voices heard.

Kate Tulloch TD13

It is so upsetting to see new planning applications coming through most weeks for the Net Zero infrastructure on our beautiful wild lands. Lairg is now encircled and they are coming for us in Ardgay. The environmental damage done by turbines at over 200m, BESS, substations and massive pylons is incalculable. We know we are being lied to when they say that birds, bats and insects are not harmed. We have seen the bodies, and read the reports. History will judge our Governments for allowing private enterprise to destroy so much that is precious for corporate profit.

Cherry Alexander Ardgay IV2

Ruttle Wood at Fanellan.

I have been fighting BIG energy projects for fifteen years. Nothing has changed in the way developers behave, and nothing has changed with the politicians’ unwillingness to listen to those they represent. I have suffered mentally, physically, and emotionally, on and off for this decade and a half. I have put my career and my degree on hold to fight battles with developers. I have sold my house and left the country for over a year in the hope of finding peace elsewhere. I returned because I love Scotland, and because the onshore wind subsidies had stopped. Respite at last. So I am prepared to make sacrifices in continuing to try to bring some sense to those enabling and promoting this natural massacre of rural Scotland.

Denise Davis Kiltarlity IV4

I'm distressed at the planned industrialisation of our rural environment, so valuable in its beauty, history and environmental assets like the peatlands. I feel we in Skye and the Highlands generally are already contributing our share of green energy. We are being taken advantage of because we are a large area with a tiny political representation so no threat electorally. Skye is the jewel in the crown of Scottish tourism and the Scottish Government risks destroying this for good.

Duncan McInnes Isle of Skye IV42

Our mental health and consequently our physical wellbeing has been affected by the possibility of the huge pylons (also a possibility of more turbines) being erected in our beautiful area and in our particular case all around our house, extremely close to it, front, side and back!

Peter and Elisabetta Simonelli IV14

My heart is heavy and my body tired. The thoughts and reality of these towers of steel and turbine blades. Looming down, imposing. The destruction on this beautiful land. No care no worrying on their part.

What are we doing to our sacred land.

The birds still sing, the cuckoo calls, the geese fly over and nature tries to keep going. Unaware of the changes that man will further impose on her lands and her friends.

How do we stop it?

The cause of such despair.

I try to listen to the cuckoos, the coal tits, swallows, thrushes and warblers,

But my heart is heavy ...

Eilidh Blackdyke

I lived 2.5 km from the nearest turbine of the Viking wind farm in Shetland but was forced to sell my home after being injured by the subaudible acoustic pollution of SSE’s 155m high and 4.3 MW Vesta turbines. My ears would pop while at rest inside my home, feel full and become intensely painful. This barotrauma caused tinnitus, hyperacusis with pain (when sound causes pain) and horrendous headaches. My vestibular system was impacted, meaning nausea and a loss of balance. Within a month of the turbines operating, I became sensitised to their emissions. I could tell when the blades were spinning without being able to see them. This was sensory torture. I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t work. I twice had to pay for respite accommodation. We did manage to sell our home but selling a house made toxic from turbine pollution is very difficult. The mental health impacts of being harmed and losing a home and then being gaslit by SSE and the Scottish Government have been severe.

Sally Huband Shetland

I have a deep and spiritual connection to nature. It is at the core of the work I do. I moved here 9 years ago and have built my business around the wonderful natural landscape that surrounds us (I am a therapist that works with nature connection as part of my practice.) I spend much time in reflection with the landscape. The impact that big energy could have on our eco systems, ancient woodland, sacred spaces, and the wild open landscapes here has so deeply impacted me that I found myself in a state of deep and dark depression and distress. I am a balanced person who is used to looking after their mental well-being, but the threat of destruction to all that I hold sacred cut to the bone.

Seeing communities distraught and hearing the stories of those impacted has been like an echo of the trauma caused by the Clearances, the echo of which is still presemt in the land. I have spent days in tears, felt completely hopeless and overwhelmed by the sheer bewildering number of windfarm applications we are bombarded with, and the constant lack of clarity from SSEN throughout their process. I have seen ancient sacred sites threatened, and my heart breaks when I think of the eco systems and habitats and lives (both human amd non human) that will be destroyed in the name of supposedly saving the planet. We are blessed with a rare place of pristine environment in the highlands, which is truly under threat, and it leaves me bewildered and angry.

Karen Bell IV28

When we first came to look at our house, it was late at night and we didn't like it very much. Something made us decide to go back the next day, this time in daylight and we immediately knew this was going to be The One we had been seeking throughout Scotland for nearly two years. Not because of the house itself, but because of its unimaginably beautiful location by the Kyle of Sutherland. Surrounded by incredible forests, ancient sites and with the stunning and richly populated waters of the Kyle at the bottom of our garden. I remember vividly standing there and saying "the house needs lots of work, but no matter how long it takes, no-one will ever be able to take away that view".

How wrong was I.

They propose surrounding us with pylons some over 200 ft high and visible from every one of the views our home has of this amazing landscape and the wildlife we see every single day, but we seemingly have no redress.

The closest pylon will be nearer to us than the end of our drive, but we seemingly have no redress.

Our home will lose value and will no longer be saleable, but seemingly we have no redress.

We ask for facts and data to support the proposals which we do not receive, but seemingly we have no redress.

We ask for evidence of need which we do not get, but seemingly there is no redress.

We are told we are consulted, which we do not agree with, but seemingly there is no redress.

We have had immeasurable mental health and wellbeing issues directly related to this invasion, but seemingly we have no redress.

We are told it is a done deal, but seemingly we have no redress.

Our elected representatives are astonishingly invisible and silent, but seemingly we have no redress.

We are the taxpayer, the voter, the customer and the bill payer who are saying NO to these plans, but seemingly we have no redress.

There are thousands of us across the country who are being ignored, dismissed, patronised and misled. Something has gone very wrong and it is now TIME TO REDRESS.

Trudy Williams IV24

View from Culburnie

It’s the anger you see, it gets you every time. The boiling, surging anger at being unseen, unheard and unvalued. It corrodes your soul. Anger, because soon we shall have a steel monster, a pylon, dwarfing our home. It is a magical little game keeper’s cottage in the woods, with Highland character and charm. The squirrels and deer who live nearby will run from the noise, and the birdsong will be stilled by radiation.

It is cosy and warm here, it is loved, it was built by farmers from hundreds of years ago when the world was calm, decent, and kind. We won’t be able to sell it now, or move away from the power blight, because the hiss and buzz of the pylon tower and transmission lines will put people off moving here. And even if we did find a buyer much of our lifesavings, once happily invested in our home, will have gone, because we won’t get the true value of the house.

We can’t turn off the noise of ruin.

We are trapped like rats in a scientist’s cage, awaiting slow slaughter at the hands of the Scottish Government and SSEN, whilst they laugh at our helplessness.

But nobody cares and nobody hears your pain. Betrayed by the ‘blow you I’m alright Jacks’ who aren’t directly affected and who will benefit from ‘Community Bribes’ generated from our painful loss.

The frustration at never being asked if this was ok, to having been lied to by politicians just to get our votes and then literally being hung out to dry on the metal and the wires. To scream, in silence.

The fear and worry affect’s our sleep, our well-being, and our every day. We are burdened and heavy. We feel helpless and hopeless, at sea on monstrous waves where we shall drown in silence, and nobody will care. We are just little people, tax ants, voting fodder...nobody cares, and nobody hears. Lives slaughtered; our blood poured away for profit. The fun and laughter that once danced in us has vanished . They have sucked the life and joy from our future. Nobody cares, and nobody hears.

Betrayed by those in power who should not have this power over us. Where is democracy? Where is noisy opposition? Where is our David to fight the Goliath, our sword and shield?

I tell you where, he has been bought, body and soul, for thirty pieces of renewable silver.

Anonymous contributor

The Beauly Denny Line, looking towards Fanellan

The cumulative scale of these proposed developments is terrifying and affects every aspect of my life, including my daily mental and physical health. Our local area is disproportionately affected by the deluge of pylons, substations, battery storage facilities and windfarms, and I feel a growing sense of dread as the planning applications just keep coming. They serve no other purpose than making money for multinational shareholders and absent landlords, with zero accountability on the ground. If they can’t be stopped, my home and workplace will be bordered by a vast network of industrialisation, and I fear everything I value most will be destroyed.

A lot of people of working age in rural areas do multiple jobs. We have not completely recovered from the pandemic and are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. On top of this, we now face the constant uncertainty and heightened stress of trying to keep up with a tsunami of salami sliced planning applications, writing to councillors, MSPs, MPs, attending “consultations”, lodging planning objections and then lodging again on appeal. Many of these applications are hundreds of pages long, with documents not logged in any logical order and many of the “consultations” I have attended are entirely lacking in transparency or basic information, maps are out of date or illegible and answers to basic safety questions unknown or withheld. Local communities are treated with contempt by colonising developers and by the government that subsidies them with constraint payments. Greed not need is dictating the fate of our precious landscape, renowned throughout the world for its natural beauty.

Nature and culture are the two greatest assets we have in the Highlands and are the mainstay of the local economy. Our woodlands, moor and peatlands, together with the flora and fauna they support are all at extreme risk, together with local businesses, farms and homes. I feel constantly fearful about the future in this “death by location” scenario. If this mass industrialisation of the Highlands continues, I struggle to see a future. Many local residents will face an impoverished retirement, trapped in a home they can’t afford to heat, are unable to insure or sell due to the industrial wasteland surrounding them.

Day and night, the noise, air and water pollution, potential fires caused by battery storage facilities, 230m high turbines and red flashing aviation lights will create an environment that no one wants to live in or visit. These developments are another Highland Clearance, and I feel an overwhelming sense of grief and loss living in the shadow of that wave.

The solidarity and strength of Communities B4 Power Companies is a lifeline in sharing information and bringing people together. On my worst days I am reminded that I am not alone and that there are many other people who care deeply about the land and all that it holds. Our history, culture and memory reside here and we will continue to fight, not just for ourselves, but for all living things we share this land with and for future generations.

Anonymous contributor

The situation regarding the net zero plans is having a big effect on our mental health. The feelings range from anger, frustration and, above all, overwhelming sadness. Anger because of the way Scotland is being used for the financial gain of a select few, and at how the people of Scotland (and other affected countries) will see no positive gain in any way, only the opposite. Anger because of the way that other places in the world are contributing far worse pollution, and will contribute more to sustain our “green policies”. Anger and frustration at the feeling of helplessness, and the inability to make the people in charge see sense.

Overwhelming sadness at the destruction of beautiful landscapes in our beloved Scotland and the disruption to the communities that live alongside these destructions. Overwhelming sadness at long lasting damage to our beloved Mother Earth. I fear she will have her revenge one day, but I also fear that the people responsible for all this will get away with it scot free.

It is a struggle to stay strong and positive. It is a struggle to carry on with daily life as normal.

Jane Nestor IV4

When Golticlay Wind Farm is up and running we will be totally surrounded by wind turbines. A lot of the forest has already been destroyed as the development is in conjunction with Forestry Scotland and the wildlife dead or dispersed including an osprey nest. The wildlife will never come back, the area will become an industrial desert along with all the other wind farms in the area. I moved here for the landscape and the wildlife and it's being destroyed in the race for net zero. Why, if wind power is so important weren't the turbines put where the power was needed? Then there would be no need for all these pylons and battery arrays littering our county and we could keep our beautiful landscape. Why does our Government think they have the right to overturn public opinion? Could it be that they have a vested interest in the wind farms and if so then they should be banned because of conflict of interest.

Jo Bowd, KW3

I am overwhelmed by the sheer stupidity of the current rhetoric around renewable energy development and pylon upgrade. The idea that this is going to make them money is flawed. They are destroying the landscape, habitat, flora and fauna with an arrogance that flouts the laws of nature! They are destroying my belief in democracy. It makes me want to cry. It is so frustrating to see the legislators change the rules to suit them. It horrifies me to think that the people that I voted in to make decisions on my behalf are complicit in this destruction of the place I live and work in. Overall I am sad. If this all goes through, the destruction cannot be undone and we will see no benefit. Definitely on my mind a good deal of the time.

Melanie Auchterlonie, KW9

Balblair Substation, Beauly

My husband and I retired to our dream home, in the beautiful Angus countryside, 16 years ago. We have since developed a top tourist attraction with our rare breed farm.

Along comes SSEN and their band wagon of prospectors and boom goes our dream. My husband spends his precious retirement years as chairman of STIG. He spends almost every waking hour, researching and attending meetings for the good of our village and ultimately our own sanity.

We have never campaigned against a single thing in our lives and definitely didn’t see a 73 year old needing to learn a whole new vocabulary to stand up for our innocent rights.

Every hour is precious when the office keys are handed over - SSEN can never repay a compensation for this loss of tax paid, honest earning, retirement years.

Myself, I have a dream business of breeding champion rare breed animals.

If the Green Energy s**t show rolls into town, my dream, income and accolades will be blown away over night.

Animals will not successfully breed and nurture with the thunder of construction alongside.

The tourism side will be a distant memory. No longer can our guests enjoy a tranquil alpaca walk in the beautiful countryside.

Dreams, passion and income will be replaced by despair, worry and financial distress.

Alison and John Wireman

DD4

We are going to be around 700 m from the pylons, 1 mile from the new SSEN substation and so much more. As a family our mental health has deteriorated greatly since all these projects started, we are terrified about our kids’ health re the pylons and terrified that fields around us are going to be next having substations and BESS.

Erica

Jane Hinde, AB53

I have lived in Kiltarlity for over 20 years. And during that time I have had my share of worries, grief and disappointmen plus great happiness, acheivement and joy. I am now sadly a widow in my early 80s, but enjoy good health and a part of that good health is being able to walk in the magnificent landscape of the Highlands and and live a simple rural life style. And then the SSEN crashed into my life. I now worry about the future of our beautiful Scotland. Our government seems to be far more interested in

global acknowledgement rather than being the proud custondians of this unique, ancient and historic country. A country that has inspired so many artists with its natural beauty and swathes of untampered landscapes from mountainous to rich arable land. We the rural population are told this is all for Net Zero, but when you start to do a little research you realise we are being lied to. The rural communities are of no interest or importance at all. It is all about profit for any company who can jump on the Net Zero band wagon.

All this is very stressful and stress is very energy draining. I fear for the short sightedness of this 'energy planning' - of course we need to improve but I have seen no improving plans just mass destruction which can never be replaced. The only energy here is mass profits for a few and breaking hearts for many. And now I learn that the goverment wants to take away my very weak powers to complain - but I shall go on complaining and backing all who take seriously their duty to care for the natural beauty of Scotland.

Jeannie Wallis, Kiltarlity

Mountainscape at Loch Ness.

I am an artist and I have been working from my studio at my home for the last 30 years. It has up to now been a peaceful and inspirational place to work, and I count myself very fortunate to have this special place in the Highlands.

We are now threatened with several renewable energy and infrastructure proposals, some just 2km from my home, and if this goes ahead it will completely change the whole area. The environmental consequences sadden me immensely, not to mention the noise pollution and the visual impact. If this development goes ahead I worry that it will have a damaging effect on my ability to work in a place that has been so violated. I also worry for my mental health and the stress it will cause.

Kirstie Cohen IV4

Beauly Denny Line, Fanellan

When l attended my first consultation, years ago now, l was a regular member of the public, I still am. However things did change in the months that followed. My local community council elections were coming up and l wondered if l could be more useful in this capacity. l knew l had research to do to get up to some sort of speed regarding what our area was facing. l had no idea at that time the task would snowball into the callouses it is now. At that first consultation the community dismay, confusion, upset, and anger was palpable. As consultations progressed so did the comprehension of the enormity of the proposed projects. l was most interested in the conversations l could hear and party to during these consultations. Locals squinting at maps, not fully recognising them, due to not just missing houses but housing developments (in Kiltarlity). In those early days the proposed potential overhead line route was very close to that housing development, already years old, not new at all.

I attended all consultations that followed and still do. I learn a lot from the questions of others, but what l noticed throughout is either the dismissive way they are spoken to or where an answer to their question cannot be addressed on the day. This has been distressing for the community. They make time to attend, assuming answers and at times leave feeling frustrated and defeated.

The communication at consultation is one of show and tell. The done deal messaging drip fed to communities wears people down. Not only can some not comprehend the vastness of the project, after all, images of pylon routes do not remotely convey structural enormity, nor anywhere are there images of the disrup-

tion, delays and damage to our roads. So much it omitted visually, perhaps a paragraph in a booklet may cover it. The time needed to examine these projects is exhausting. I found this out personally as I try to keep up with the ever changing parameters. Feelings of mistrust are well founded when questions cannot be answered, suspicion and anticipation of deception is not a healthy state for the mind or body. Locals know how SSEN behaved during the Beauly to Denny construction, the 7 year long battle and noise abatement notice at Balblair. Ultimately there has been a uniting of people with shared fears, psychological stress and despair over what the future holds for our area. People who in the past have felt they were the few are now the many, yet still despondent that their voices are muted. Communities feel sold out and burnt out, with limited resources to combat the oncoming wave of development. They feel cheated by the big picture which claims to be for the greater good. I’ve spoken to custodians who will not pass on land due to its proximity to the industrialisation, this highlights the destruction of heritage and culture, with a foul swoop these things are deemed obstacles for easy-disposal.The upset I have listened to at consultation includes plummeting house values, businesses who thrive on tourism, the sheer eradication of cherished landscapes. The distress started years ago. Our community like Sisyphus is psychologically living day to day with an impending sense of repetition and struggle. While decisions are increasingly made by those who are utterly removed from the tragedy. This is one of the pinnacles of insult and is felt very deeply.

What is underrepresented are the voices of those who "don’t make a fuss”, those for whom it is not in their nature to complain, to stand up, to question. These are many and not few, however it is interpreted as consent, when it is not. l have had conversations with such people, they support community councils who are happy to listen and put forth their views. The anguish l note in their voices and echoed by so many is why l continue in a role which can be an emotional burden. l have heard talk of an impending bereavement of sorts, never once have l thought of this as an overstatement (l imagine some do). Freeze, flight and fight mode are very much engaged in the minds of our community. l was not prepared for the poignant accounts l would encounter, nor the infectious nature of it. We are burdened long before the shovel impacts the earth.’

Donna Peacock

Kiltarlity Community Council IV4

Faced with the big energy onslaught in our area, and the oncoming march of monster pylons, my feelings are so strong that I often struggle to concentrate on daily life: worry, loss, and anger are the overriding emotions. It’s a dread constantly niggling in the back of my mind, which surfaces whenever I look at a view soon to be despoiled forever, speak with a concerned neighbour, or learn of yet another proposal to add more giant infrastructure to our region. There is no escape from these feelings, we can’t just think about something else, because we know it will consume our communities and the places we love. I often lose sleep over it.

I fear for the inheritance we are handing down to the next generation, a despoiled place whose wealth and resources are siphoned away – and the young people will go too, since there are virtually no jobs in wind farms and power lines. I cannot shake off my sense of despair and incredulity that the future of the Highlands is being decided in secret by people who do not even live here. It’s our lives they’re playing with.

I worry for the value of our house, sure to be seriously affected. Our key family asset, for which we’ve worked all our lives, on which we hope to pay off the mortgage so that our children might one day benefit or our old age might be funded – this will be devalued simply so that distant shareholders might make a bigger buck. There’s nothing we can do about it and no chance of redress, and the fact that nobody in power seems to care two hoots about our impending loss rubs salt into this wound daily. How could that not be a source of stress? The fact I know businesses and homeowners the length and breadth of the Highlands

are suffering this angst too, and that some unlucky households closest to the proposed pylon line and substations will be utterly dwarfed and effectively unsellable does not make our family plight any easier to bear.

I feel an aching sadness every time I step out of the door, a premonition of profound loss. Taking my daily walk through beautiful woods, and past nature-rich lochans, on trails beloved by walkers and bikers, I am reminded every time that soon these woods will be felled in a giant swathe, access roads will be bulldozed through the birch and scots pine, nature will be squashed, and enormous pylons will dominate forever more. The utter destruction of the place we hold dear is bearing down on us, a huge and terrible sense of threat. I cannot look at a beautiful scene without marking it down in my head as doomed. It’s already a dreadful imposition on my quality of life - and of course the feelings will only deepen should the pylon plan be allowed to come to pass. I will never be reconciled to the imposition and the destruction.

It feels as if we are a population at war, and that the aggressor has all the big guns: the resources, the legal experts, the backing of distant politicians who know nothing of our lives. They are the Orwellian boot smashing into our faces. It’s awful to feel you have no say. The power imbalance is startling, and it is hard not to feel disempowered and dominated. The way we are gaslit,

fobbed off and ignored makes me absolutely seethe with anger. My bitterness towards the policy makers and big business interests ruining our lives grows daily. It’s not a nice feeling, but anger is an energy - and if there is one thing above all else that I feel, it is this: I’ll be damned if I’m going to roll over and let these bullies win.

Dan Bailey IV14

Since this nightmare started two years ago I have gone from shock, horror, anger, then to disbelief. It seemed unbelievable that OUR government, OUR elected representatives, who are supposed to work for the good of the people, would agree a plan that would see such a dramatic irreversible effect for generations to come without letting us know about it!

There has been no discussion, explanation, rationale for this. Just silence. Such cowardice, to allow the organisations who are going to make millions from all this to be the ones to tell us.

My shock has gone, the horror rears its ugly head from time to time but I must calm it down as that way leads to feelings of despair, and deep sadness for all the wanton destruction.

Disbelief has gone because weekly I am shown more proof of this ever greater catastrophe in the making.

Sadness for that will no longer be.

I watched 'Britain's Most Beautiful Road' which is about the NC500 (I am not a fan) and showed the route with all its beautiful landscape. But not just the landscape, the wildlife, the people and how they have made lives for themselves, how proud they are for this beautiful place they call home. Sadness while watching where the OHLs will go and knowing their lives will be irreparably changed. Knowing the wildlife and habitat will be gone. It's a sadness that makes me feel sick.

Driving up the A9 from Perth and coming to that first pylon in the Highlands still hurts and continuing that drive up through Drumochter Pass, to Dalwhinnie and beyond now just reinforces that what is to come will be so much worse.

The only thing to do is write to our representatives who either ignore us or say it must be done to achieve net zero, although they cannot tell us what that means.

I think the David and Goliath comparison will be used a lot this year as all the energy firms have thousands to pay experts in any objection we put forward, or in any public inquiry, should any see the light of day. We have to find money we can all ill afford and so cannot fight them on their terms. There is no justice. There is no honesty in any of this. And back to anger, that all this is being imposed upon us with total lack of regard, respect, consideration or compassion. All for generating electricity, money, and power in both senses of the word to a small group of people.

Ellen Ritter IV6

I was involved with the fight against the Druim Ba wind farm development which was very stressful and even though that was refused. It still haunts me. My home directly looks onto the site and every day when I’m working outside I look across and feel relief that I am not blighted by having a wind farm towering over me. The development at Fanellan and across the wider area horrifies me, the destruction of our beautiful countryside, the affect on the people who are being pushed out of their homes and having their whole lifestyle ruined, the affect on our wildlife, the knowledge that living close to high energy power lines is detrimental to health, the worry of battery storage safety and why? Scotland does not need this and the government needs to support what we want and need. I believe that support should be given to sustainable local energy production, wave and hydro power are far more reliable and much less destructive on the environment. We should produce energy for ourselves, not to export and certainly not to line the pockets of foreign power companies. This is not green energy, the components are sourced overseas under questionable circumstances, the colossal amount of land wastage and non recyclable components is shocking. It is evident by the amount of communities who are fighting giant pylons, windfarms, battery storage systems that we, the majority of the population do not

want this. There is a feeling of helplessness in the face of unreasonable government backing.

It’s this feeling of helplessness that leads me and I’m sure many others to despair and be worried for the future.

Cath Freeman IV4

Excavations at Balblair, Beauly

We moved to the Scottish Highlands over 20 years ago, specifically the Beauly area because of its diversity in rural communities. Our reasons were, a better quality of life in the respect of childhood memories for our daughter. Where you knew your neighbours by their name, the schools were reminiscent of times past. Where nature and wildlife surrounded you, untouched my human hands. What more could a family ask for, than the above. Yet slowly as the creeping cancer of industry does, it arrives at our front door in the shape of a 60-acres of HVDC substation, not forgetting the 868 acres total acquired land at Fanellan.

When we found out over two years ago, I felt like someone had shot me straight through the heart. My wife collapsed to her knees inconsolable, the shock was so bad she actually fainted.

As I write this, work has started around us. We are told these are preliminary works, and of course, most are outside contractors. So even without full planning, our beautiful home is invaded on a daily basis. We have been informed by the SSEN and our landlord that eventually, we will have to move out. Our 15+ years of memories will either be turned into offices or just bulldozed away. Two beautiful stone cottages that have been rooted in this wonderful place for over a 100 years. Never the less, we are reassured that this is all for green energy and a sustainable future. I don't think I'll ever be sold on that reasoning, ever! Our future life and plans have been ruined, both our physical and emotional health is in chaos. We have been left in the dark for months on

end, only being able to be reactive to any decisions made. I just can't believe that this most beautiful place is literally going to be ripped apart.

What SSEN are doing to this community and its countryside is tantamount to forced displacement.

Matt George IV4

Throughout the past two years, as my Community fights SSEN’s ever-changing proposed development plans and onslaught from other related energy speculators and windfarm developers, I have become very disillusioned and depressed due to the complete lack of respect, care or concern for the health and well-being of impacted rural communities from all of the above plus the Scottish Government.

My worries about all these potential developments keep me awake at night thinking about what is going to happen next.

I have no peace of mind. For the first six months of waking up to the realisation of the challenge of SSEN’s proposed plans, I had to visit the doctor as I had a marked increase in the number and intensity of migraine headaches I suffer from. This migraine increase was directly caused by the stress induced by the worry and shock about the SSEN developments.

I worry incessantly about the immediate and long term future of my health and well being, way of life and financial position.

I no longer wish to walk in the countryside because I become so saddened at the possible loss of beautiful mountain vistas, the wildlife, the forests and the unpolluted rivers to a mass of industrialised blight on every horizon for miles.

Everywhere I go I see SSEN vans whether it be country lanes or in the local villages.

I see their preparation work commencing with no planning permission. These “investigations” impact on daily life as we are rarely told what is happening but we hear the noise and see the mess in the fields.

I have already witnessed the felling of many trees and therefore displacement of wildlife.

I no longer sleep at night for worry about how the land is being taken from neighbours and how they are being threatened with compulsory orders ejecting them from their much loved homes and livelihoods without any form of redress.

I worry about the chosen location of the next BESS project. In the field next to me? I am so concerned at the potential dangers if BESS installations are erected in the area near residential homes and schools. The toxic fumes and run-off are not acceptable and any plans to “mitigate” dangers from explosions or fires from a remote control centre cannot be a realistic safety measure. Images of battery storage facilities on fire frighten me.

I worry about property values. As an older person, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to sell my home (my only remaining asset) in order to downsize to more practical accommodation and pay for my future care from the proceeds of my property sale. (If indeed a

sale is possible. Who wants to live next to a substation?)

This could put financial pressure on local authorities who will be tasked with paying for my old age care from their scant budgets. I have no relatives to look after me when need arises.

I worry that I won’t, in the future, be able to afford to heat my home as despite Ed Miliband’s fork-tongued promises, electricity prices rise year after year especially in the Highlands.

The cost of constructing a full infrastructure grid is off the Richter Scale and still growing. No real financial projection is available. The Public is paying for this and the constraints payments to wind farm developers (mostly foreign).

I worry that most of the energy produced is owned by foreign companies who once the infrastructure is in place, can charge the public anything they want for electricity. I can’t understand the phrase “energy security for the UK” when it will be owned by these private foreign investment companies or private individuals in the UK. I feel I no longer wish to live in Scotland, a country I have loved and adored living in for over seventy years.

It seems there is nowhere to go, nowhere safe from the onslaught of the insidious, profit-seeking energy companies’ madness.

The iconic scenery, peaceful glens, pristine rivers and green fields will be destroyed and filled with concrete and steel structures.

I am saddened that, in what may be the last decade of my life, I spend my time fighting unscrupulous energy companies who

are being supported to the hilt by an increasingly non-democratic SNP Scottish Government and a dictatorial Labour Government in Westminster who have let me down so badly.

I am so upset at the erosion of the rights and power of community voices which are being squashed by our elected governments through changes they are making to the Planning Process. Democracy is dead.

I am dismayed at the complete lack of support from SNP councillors and MSPs in particular. Where is their support for their communities? An SNP MP stated on TV that it is Big Energy who are taking the decisions, not our governments.

This must be challenged.

I remain anxious and depressed at the thought of the immediate and long term future for all those living in the Highlands and other impacted areas of Scotland.

It is future generations of young people who will have to deal with the fallout of current government policies which are costing the Public a fortune and the natural environment its very survival.

If current policies are pursued, I imagine the future Scotland will be a desolate, deserted land covered in a profusion of wind turbines and pylons, a mere gold mine for investors. It will be one big energy park for private investors.

It upsets me that people will leave the Highlands in their droves. I will be one of them.

I am furious that the media, politicians and Big Energy feel that they can railroad into submission, the very people who keep them in their jobs. It upsets me that SSEN sponsor governments,

universities, the Media, individuals, companies and sports teams, even local schools. They feel they can buy their way into people’s lives and influence opinions of the company. SSEN believe we can be bought. It is insulting at best.

I can hardly think about anything else these days and I remain hugely disappointed that no one in any position to make a change in policy or direction is willing to be honest enough to admit the science and financial forecasts which, now worldwide, state the utter expense and scam that the ‘Green Revolution’ is and turn the tide.

Anonymous contributor Kirkhill

The proposed plans for Fanellan have turned our lives upside down.The future we thought we had living in this beautiful place has gone, and we are heavily grieving its loss. All the concrete and steel that will be used to scar the landscape will never add up to 'green energy' in my mind. Our voices, our neighbours voices, have all been dismissed as the words of 'Nimbys'. Yet who better to speak up for the fields, forests and wildlife that make this area so spectacular and special. Those who do not live here, who make decisions for us can not realise the physical, ecological and emotional damage they have caused.

Annette George IV4

My family have lived on the Heights near Strathpeffer for over 300 years. My great grandfather, Donald MacDonald born in 1839, gave evidence to the Napier Commission in 1883. We value the land where we live and the future of the Highlands. We are not against progress but it has to be sympathetic to the landscape and to the people. The hydroelectric schemes of the 19401950s brought electricity to the local people. It did not exploit the Highland landscape or the people. Many of the power stations were built of local stone. Such as Grudie Bridge Power Station in red sandstone and Mossford in yellow sandstone. Many years ago I was distressed when I saw the wind turbines built in Strathconon which I can see from my house.

I was shocked when I saw all the land being lost to electricity works near Beauly when the Beauly to Denny Line was constructed. Now all I see and read about is more and more wind turbines and pylons, ever taller, ever more dangerous to aircraft, birds and wildlife. Now it’s all about BESS storage. This will never be reliable to deal with all the demand for electricity. Worse, they have a nasty habit of catching fire. Fires which seem to be impossible to put out and cause dreadful pollution. I am saddened beyond belief and I feel my metal health is deteriorating. The more I read about Net Zero the more I realise that it is impossible to achieve. I feel that the Highlands and Islands are being exploited. We are promised community payback but I see that as bribes, beads for the natives, keep them quiet and perhaps they won’t notice that the mostly foreign backed companies are destroying our countryside, wildlife and way of life. As far as I can gather

very little thought has been given to what happens when these turbines self destruct or come to the end of their lives. How are they going to be recycled? What is worse is that the powers that be, from many local councillors to many of the MSPs seem to be quite happy, even delighted to accept all these schemes which many of their constituents are totally against. Why are they not protecting the constituents and the countryside of Scotland. I feel worn down and deeply distressed to see such major changes to my beloved Highlands and Islands. Please stop all this exploitation. It is the second Highland Clearances, only worse because there will have been so much damage done and so much infrastructure will be left behind.

Please stop this industrialisation of the Highlands and Islands.

Fiona J Newton IV14

My family croft is in the North Highlands, and we were happy and content until SSEN descended into our lives. They wanted to take over a piece of our tenancy to site their new substation ‘Connigal.’ The extreme stress caused from their bully boys behaviour caused my father to develop cancer and he died, leaving my vulnerable (early onset dementia ) mother in the middle of what can only be described as a shit storm. SSEN took full advantage of my father’s passing (as he had been using everything at his disposal to fight them) to bully my grieving mother into giving in to them, agreements were quickly made up and signed, which further down the process, once the substation was completed were renegaded upon by SSEN.

Since then I have taken up the baton, and have been at odds with them ever since. They are relentless, I’ve gone through three different land managers, two different liaison officers and a host of subcontractors, all of which have shown me a disgraceful lack of respect, which may I add has cost them tens of thousands of pounds, and I am not planning giving up my fight with their underhanded tactics anytime soon, despite it taking at times, a toll on my own health. I have written to OFGEM, and local MSPs documenting our plight with little to no response ( Jamie Stone was the only MSP to try and help, as he was beholden to my mother for her councillor efforts historically on his behalf.) I continue to be threatened by compulsory purchase orders followed by bribes, but I’m not going to let them get any more of my mother’s tenancy. I’ve told them I’ll see them in the land court!

Heather Jardine, KW13 6YT

I feel intimidated and stressed out about all these developments particularly in dearly loved places in the Kyle of Sutherland and Caithness. I don’t sleep well at night thinking of the disaster that is to befall the environment, our wildlife and our way of life. The hum and crackling of 400kV wires, the whirring of monstrous giant turbines, the risk of damage and debris, and flashing of lights will put us into a living hell as we are only 1km away and in the path of the prevailing wind. Our red squirrels, ospreys, white tailed eagles, ancient woodlands need defending before we damage the precious ecosystems.

Anonymous contributor

I have found this very challenging to my mental health. Your home is meant to be your safe space, carefully chosen and an area that you truly love. To feel as if you are been attacked from every angle is horrendous. I have had to take a step back as I was literally screaming inside my head. Thoughts of putting our very loved home on the market spin in my head. Looking for an area to move to and finding nothing that compares to the village I live in with friendships that have taken years to nurture. I now have to have regular therapy sessions to manage my mental health which is a financial burden I can least afford. My family are reluctant to move from the area but this looks like it will need to happen, which feels traumatic.

Anonymous contributor

DRIP. DRIP. DRIP. It’s a slow torture. Yet another planning application to get your head around. The jigsaw puzzle that is the UK’s unplanned NetZero programme is emerging from the mist. One thing that is clear though is that it will destroy many local people’s deliberately tranquil lives and destroy the last wilderness that is the Highlands. All for the benefit of big business. Scotland has enough renewable energy already. These applications are now all we can think about. We’re angry. We’re disenfranchised. We’re ignored. We’re stressed. We will now need to move, having settled nicely into our retirement. We don’t want to, but we are forced to. We despair!

Simon Bates, Jamestown.

The planned pylon lines make me feel awful and sad for the world. All this beautiful, vulnerable and defenseless nature being sacrificed just so we can keep on living our consumerist lives. It makes me ashamed to be human.

de Jong, IV24

Marieke

The march of Pylons. Who will buy the power?

My forebears have lived in the Highlands for countless generations. For many Highlanders like me, even those of us who have lost the Gaelic of our grandparents, the concept of 'Dùthchas' is strongly embedded in us. It’s a Gaelic word which sums up our sense of place, heritage and belonging to the Highland landscape, and it is also a feeling that we must take care of the land, our natural resources and our heritage for future generations.

It breaks my heart therefore to see the looming destruction of such large swathes of the Highlands. Dùthchas counts for nothing. Our hills and straths are no more than a landscape for exploitation and destruction – a route from A to B taking power to more populous, energy-hungry areas far away; so many hillsides to be scarred with giant wind turbine monstrosities, so many ecosystems to be obliterated, so many special places to be wrecked or degraded, so many communities who are inconveniences in the development process. For the developers, the landscapes, trees, plants and wildlife which make the Highlands such a special place are just things whose destruction can be ‘mitigated’; the archaeology which helps links us to the people who have lived here before us is of minimal value; our cultural heritage – our land’s stories and the sense of place they provide – is barely worth a thought.

We are told that all of this destruction is justified in the name of ‘saving the planet’ but the more research you do, the more you realise that there is no proper energy strategy in the Highlands, Scotland or the UK. Behind claims of ‘saving the planet’ lie the real objectives – economic growth and profit (apparently still ac-

ceptable goals despite these being the source of our current problems). Our precious Highland landscape, wildlife and heritage is being pillaged by people who know the price of everything but the value of nothing. Our governments in Holyrood and Westminster seem oblivious to the irreversible damage they are inflicting, and unwilling to listen to the people they are supposed to represent.

All my adult life I have done my best to be environmentally responsible, and I believe that we are running out of time to find solutions to the major problems which face us. But I simply cannot accept that the Highlands need to be sacrificed. Why are other options not being explored? Who decided that Scotland should be a net exporter of renewable energy rather than just being self-sufficient?

Meanwhile, politicians willing to trash our environment and quality of life call us nimbies, try to take away our democratic rights to influence what happens in our communities, and think we should be willing to be bought off with tiny percentages of the profits which will line other people’s pockets.They may think that thirty pieces of silver is a good deal, but we know that what we have up here is priceless.

As I look out of my window or travel around my home area, all I can think of is the destruction awaiting us. Landscapes raped, habitats devastated, wildlife killed, special places ruined for ever. Our homes, where we hoped to find peace and a bit of financial security for our old age and our children’s futures are in the firing line – and no word of compensation for what might be huge

losses, just the promise of miserly community ‘benefits’ which will not be directed at the people suffering the biggest financial losses. We are facing years of noise, disruption and destruction to be followed by the ongoing desecration of the places we love.

Tears are never far away; my chest is tight with stress and frustration caused by the people who are inflicting this on us and who do not think we should object; I cannot bear to think about what is about to happen. Like others, I do my best to argue against the senselessness of it, sacrificing precious family time and personal resource but constantly being reminded that we are up against the huge power of governments and large companies, and that being right does not make it likely that we will win. I have thought of moving away, but the Highlands are my home and there is no escape because nowhere in the Highlands is safe from this tsunami of greed and destruction. And knowing that my distress is shared by other people the length and breadth of the Highlands makes things even worse.

How dare they do this to us? How dare they do this to our precious land? How dare they destroy something they do not understand? It is not theirs to destroy.

Anonymous, Strathpeffer

I am worried about the destruction of habitats (vegetation, mammals & insects), the loss of landscapes, noise & light pollution, water pollution, toxic pollution in the event of fire etc.

I am concerned with the mental, physical and quality of life of the local and surrounding communities due to the seemingly lack of interest and consideration from developers and decision makers in this life and environmental crisis which if allowed is irreversible.

IV4

Breaking ground. Plans are for everything you see here to be steel and concrete, Fanellan, Beauly

Many folk in the Highlands and beyond feel a sense of invasion by the deluge of proposals, applications and approval for overhead lines and pylons, BESS, wind “farms” etc. If permitted these will surround our homes and communities, destroying landscapes and wildlife long appreciated for their beauty and solitude by residents and visitors alike.

It is out of control and many feel overwhelmed and helpless. Where are those who should be defending us against this gold rush? Where is the joined-up thinking and over-arching plan – if there is one – for so many proposed developments? It’s upsetting and disappointing that concerns and objections are met with silence, weasel words of ‘need’, ‘playing our part’, while the Scottish Government blithely overrides the distress of communities and even the recommendations of its own officials.

In the face of this tsunami of applications it's surely time for a moratorium on approvals until, if such a thing exists, there is genuine evidence of need.

Janie Thorburn IV4

Since February 2023, two years ago, my life has been overshadowed by the spectre of SSEN’s plans to ‘reinforce’ the OHL system from Spittal to Beauly and beyond.

I am fully aware that the public is being grossly misled regarding the purpose of this scheme, which spells destruction for much of the rural Highlands. I am fully aware also of the divisive and vague promises of ‘benefits’ for communities unfortunate enough to be in close proximity to these massive upheavals. Unfortunately too, there are many sufficiently suggestible who believe the nonsense they have been fed, along with biro pens, notebooks and stress busting toys. There is no doubt that disappointment awaits them ultimately, however, as ‘jobs’ will be created for a transient work force, moving from site to site until the work is completed, leaving a trail of devastated natural and historical environments, and abandoned portacabin shanty townships. If any of this was necessary for national power security, one could have no reasonable objection, but of course, none of it is.

I cite my circumstances, shared by thousands across not only the Scottish Highlands but throughout the length and breadth of rural Scotland. I - we- face irrevocable destruction of our beautiful environments, devaluation (in some cases, destruction) of our properties, a real threat to our vital tourist industry, as our visitors didn’t sign up for a holiday in an industrial landscape. Worse in many ways, we face an almost total lack of support from our elected representatives, and a patronising diet of ‘justifications’ from SSEN and all the troughing developers amassing to cash in on this massive con trick being perpetrated upon the public.

Time to rewrite some of the old songs - ‘all around the blooming pylons, will ye go, Lassie, go?’ ....’ How I wish that I could see my granny’s Hielan’ hame, but it’s under a turbine’...’ If it’s thinking in your inner heart braggart’s in my step, you’ve never heard the humming of the wires.’

Ruth Whittaker, KW8

From the first time I heard about this devastating project in 2023 I have been trying to understand why we are expected to accept that life as we know it will change for ever, especially as Scotland is already producing sufficient energy for its own needs.

I feel annoyed and distraught that people who don’t live here and have never even visited can make such wide ranging decisions. This area has already suffered monumental change through the Highland Clearances, all in the name of money. This was and is still being condemned worldwide yet it is happening again. So, I feel obliged to do all in my power to protect this place for future generations.

My particular involvement concentrates on the proposed devastation of our cultural heritage. My colleagues and myself have tirelessly pointed out that so much of our rich heritage is not recorded on the Historic Environment Scotland site (HES, the site that SSEN has consulted) mainly because of the enormity of the work. For example, the intended route for overhead pylons in a small valley by Helmsdale ploughs through 80 sites of archaeological importance (including the site of my 3 times great-grandparents’ longhouse). These sites have been identified and sent to Highland Historic Environment Records but apparently, due to lack of funding have not been entered on the HES site. Some of these sites are older than the Egyptian pyramids, yet SSEN is relentless in its insistence to continue through this area, shockingly stating that an archaeologist will walk in front of the digger!!

I feel frustrated after trying many times both face to face/letters and emails to SSEN, MSPs, MPs and government Ministers.

I attended a demonstration outside Holyrood and I don’t know what else I can do. I feel that no one is listening. It makes me feel sick and helpless because I feel I can’t protect our beautiful environment, rich culture and amazingly unique landscape from this relentless mission to destroy it in the name of net zero.

Jean

Sargent, KW8

As a resident who has their home in close vicinity (less than 500m from the site boundary) of the massive proposed SSEN Banniskirk 400kV substation which will be the starting point for the Spittal to Beauly overhead line, I can wholeheartedly say that this has consumed me since March 2024 when I first became fully aware of what was planned regarding this substation, Spittal-Beauly OHL and every other applications which are looking to link into it in the future. It has given me mental and emotional stress with the uncertainty of what the future holds. I love my home, which I believed would be my forever home and had dreams of alterations I would make in the future to enhance my home further. But now that I don’t know what that future will truly be, I see no point in putting any more of my hard earned

savings into my home if these applications come to fruition and devalue it, which is heartbreaking to say the least.

I’ve had individuals say to me ‘why don’t you sell and move’ but why should I be forced out of my home I’ve worked hard to build in this beautiful rural landscape... and where do you go to maintain that lifestyle that would be guaranteed not to be decimated by the next money grabbing developer somewhere else.... nowhere is safe anymore! This is decimating our rural landscape all over the Highlands impacting many residents in its wake, along with the impact it’s going to have on wildlife and nature! I’ve lived in the county of Caithness all of my life, initially in the village of Halkirk, then moved to this rural location for the even quieter lifestyle and environment, where I’ve been for the last 12 years in my happy little bubble living quietly bothering nobody.... that was until SSEN fully burst it!

Edith Budge KW12

I've lived in the Highlands- the Kyle of Sutherland- for over 20 years and known this area for over 50 years most of my life and cannot believe what is happening, I feel helpless, powerless to change anything, disheartened, no faith in humanity of what is right or wrong, steamrollered by Big Energy, grief for loss of wild land and its wildlife, the loss of the beautiful scenery around the Kyle of Sutherland and other Highland areas.

The loss of the peace and quiet, the dark skies, facing years of noise and destruction in construction then noise from proposed windfarms in planning which are all jumping on the bandwagon. I regularly walk along a forest road -300meters from our homewhere the planned SSEN pylon line is due to cross and around Carbisdale Woods where the line will cut across, there will be mass removal of trees where the protected Red Squirrels inhabit and have recently built up their numbers plus a heronry, I see Osprey and Eagles above, Curlew in the fields below, huge skeins of geese migrate yearly guided by the Kyle of Sutherland and it breaks my heart as to what will happen to these beautiful creatures.

These walks used to be a joy but all I can think of is how it will change, it depresses me, I don't walk as much now, I don't sleep well, I am exhausted by writing objections, attending 'so called' consultations. There is always - another letter or objection, I've lost count of which ones I've done and the list goes on, I feel like giving up but that is what the 'big energy' companies want, I have to keep going but I am drained.

I am an artist - it has really affected my creativity and I strug-

gle to work, my work is based on the landscape and wildlife of this area, any spare time seems to be taken up with looking at the next planning application, be it windfarm or BESS, it is totally emotionally exhausting and often brings me to tears as once it is ruined there is no going back.

Louise Worthy, IV24

As a parent, I have seen firsthand the invaluable experiences my daughter has gained from visiting Aigas Field centre. The centre is not just a place of learning—it is a space where young people connect with nature, develop a sense of responsibility for the environment, and gain hands-on experience in conservation and wildlife protection. For my daughter who is neurodivergent time in nature reduces stress and supports emotional regulation. The sessions at the centre cater to different learning styles, helping young people feel included, valued, and capable. The opportunity to work with wildlife, observe ecosystems, and take part in conservation efforts fosters a sense of achievement and belonging that many struggle to find elsewhere.

The rumours circulating regarding a compulsory purchase of land near the Aigas Field centre by SSEN threatens to disrupt this vital resource. My children, along with many others, have benefited immensely from the sessions offered here.These experiences are not easily replicated elsewhere. The centre provides a unique opportunity for young people to witness biodiversity up close,

understand the importance of sustainable practices, and develop a lifelong appreciation for the natural world.

Losing access to this land would be a significant blow—not only to the centre’s ability to operate but also to the children and families who depend on it for education, inspiration, and a connection to nature.

I’d urge the decision-makers to consider the real cost of this compulsory purchase—not just in terms of land, but in the lives and learning experiences of young people who rely on this incredible resource.

Chantelle, IV4

I am worried about the proposed development in our local area, for wind farms, battery storage etc. I feel that the welfare and wishes of the local residents are being ignored. The people proposing these developments are from companies who are not local, sometimes not even in the UK! They want to impose their plans on us and they seem to have the power and money to overrule what we want.

Unfortunately this seems to be the way things are happening in the world. This is what happens when outside parties take over land and population for the sake of power and profit! We must ensure that the people who matter (the local residents) and the effect it will have on them are considered.

Anonymous contributor

My wife and I mainly based in Fife, have a croft in East Sutherland. Two years ago I hiked up to the western end of Helmsdale Rock, and took a few photos of Marrel and Caen hamlets nestled in the Strath of Kildonan. I was enthralled by the view of the river and distant hills, so I transferred one image to watercolour - please see attached.

With regards to SSEN roll out, I could readily harp on about the industrialisation of our landscape, destruction of wildlife habitats, and vandalism of our native woodlands. I could also relay thoughts on self-serving impotent politicians gifting vast infrastructure projects to foreign investment groups, as well as the naivety or malaise of some community residents, who relish the prospect of a few baubles, in lieu of rising energy bills and loss of their surrounding nature.

My main concern however relates to the impact that monstrous steel structures and lithium BESS will have on the people who walk, work and view the land. I enjoy high places - having climbed 200 Munros, and paraglided throughout Scotland over many years. I relish open vistas and unfettered skies. Our spirit and soul are impacted by what we hear and see. We are all connected to our landscape consciously or sub consciously.

What is about to befall East Sutherland, Aberdeenshire, Angus and throughout the UK, will negatively impact our individual and collective psyche. Our government leaders keen to pursue net zero quest will realize that ill perceived actions and decision making will directly contribute towards the diminished mental well being of their Scottish electorate, with subsequent increase

in health and care costs.There is already evidence of distress within certain communities before any real build has commenced.

Studies have shown that people living in close proximity of industrial zones, eg mineral extraction of refining plants, have increased mental health issues. Within Eastern Sutherland and other impacted areas, this will be further compounded by the fact that our elected government is wholly implicated. The little trust we had will be lost.

I briefly refer back to the watercolour.When painted, I applied the title 'The Strath'. As the Spittal to Beauly line will directly straddle the Strath at Caen with 70M pylons, I have changed the title to 'The Strath before the Triffids.'

Despite above comments, I have to believe that this roll out will stall or be cancelled. I sense a mood change at Cooperate Company level regarding turbine install, plus positive swell and influence by Action Groups.

High places and open spaces may yet prevail.

Dinnes McArthur, KY11

I’m now completely unable to 'switch off' from all this - it's messing with my thoughts every day. On more than one occasion I have left SSEN’s consultations in tears and feeling at a complete loss about what can be done to protect those of us who would have to live with this for the rest of our lives. I fear for the health of my children, and grandchildren - youngest just 2 years oldwho would be living in rediculously close proximity to the 400kv overhead power lines. We are being fobbed off with lies about health statistics - saying the stats re childhood leukaemia from high voltage overhead lines aren't as bad as a microwave in your kitchen. Just writing this is really upsetting. How many more lives are in turmoil?

Yi MacLennan IV3

My husband grew up in the Highlands, I’ve been visiting with him for 40 years and five years ago we achieved our dream and moved here.

We are both horrified and saddened by the Net Zero charade and by what it will do to this treasured landscape.

The continual planning applications, the riding roughshod over residents’ opinions, the potential damage to wildlife plus the horrific thought of battery fires weighs down on us each day. I have absolutely no faith in the current Scottish Government nor the incumbents south of the border - they are solely in this for money. The Scottish Government have absolutely no regard for the Highlands. The Scots (quite rightly) were angered when the Poll Tax was introduced in Scotland before the rest of the UK - nothing’s changed except it’s now our own government who thinks it can experiment with the Highlands - not enough voters up here for them to bother with.

We are angry and depressed.

Each day I debate with myself if I should come away from social media but ignorance in this matter is not the answer so I’m still here!

Clare Fyfe IV25

I will be directly impacted by the construction of the 60m Powerline and potential Wind Farm on Farley Estate. I am deeply distraught over the construction through our local forest, particularly the Caledonian Pine wood. This area is precious, home to ancient trees and diverse wildlife. This will be permanently damaged. The impact on the surrounding environment is devastating and the situation is made even more distressing by the construction over a historical burial site (also close to the proposed wind farm) - known as 'The Greens'. These places hold both natural and cultural significance, and the loss of these irreplaceable sites is heartbreaking. I do not believe this infrastructure is the correct approach to the UK's energy demands. The Land is being too easily exploited by big companies who are benefiting financially.

Liam Mclaughlin IV4

Having been raised a few miles up the glen from Beauly where I have chosen to live most of my life and build a home, the prospect of the 866 acre (!) Fanellan substation being just across the river from us and the planned amassment of renewable infrastructure projects in the immediate area, it is hard to imagine how this will affect my community and the rich ecology surrounding us. It leaves us deeply dismayed and depressed.

If these projects go ahead as planned, this place we love will be changed forever and we will be left to pick up the pieces with little or no benefit. It seems our voices are not being listened to by those we elected locally nor by the politicians in Holyrood or Westminster. Absentee landowners and multinational energy companies are set to reap massive financial rewards for destroying the environment. Just like the electricity, the tax revenues raised will be sent southwards where it will be spent. As citizens of the Highlands and Islands: world renowned for its beauty, wildlife, landscape and warm hospitality, we must ensure that the inherent value of this land and its wild spirit be protected. The unsightly desolate shorelines of the hydro lochs, where once connected communities thrived and intricate ecosystems balanced, lost forever, heralds a stark warning for us.

It is difficult to grasp the vast scale of what is coming. There are so many mega-projects planned across the Highlands and Islands. Many people are either unaware of this stark reality or too overwhelmed to speak up. There must be a moratorium on all these planned projects at least until the community can have their voices heard and be properly informed of the immensity. The

consultation process is a tragic joke and has not done a proper job of informing people of what’s planned. Unpaid community councillors are overburdened with thousands of pages of project proposal jargon. They cannot enable their constituents to make informed decisions in this state. There is no public funding available for them to hire professionals to help them digest the onslaught of planning applications. Why do our communities need to bear the brunt for the lack of action taken in the fight against climate change. Where is our justice in this green transition?

Owen Grainger IV4

This publication has been created by Communities B4 Power Companies to document the lives of people impacted by Big Energy. communities.b4.power.companies@gmail.com