COMMUNITY BUYOUTS
NEW COMMUNITIES
Two of the best-known examples of community landownership in Scotland involve the west coast islands of Eigg and Gigha. Craig Angus spoke to some of those involved to discover what life is like a few years on from the heady days of headlines and deadlines Left, top: Gigha; bottom: Eigg, right: Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust 32 The Guide to Scotland’s Islands
M
aggie Fyffe has a wonderful laugh. A joyful rasp, heartily deployed whenever she drops a memorable anecdote, which happens frequently. The secretary for the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust (‘I am trying to retire’, she insists, ‘but it’s proving quite difficult’) has a lot of stories to tell about her 44 years on the island. It’s impossible not to politicise the notion of community ownership. For some, the idea of idyllic Scottish islands remaining the property and plaything of multi-millionaires is in itself anathema. The reality is more complicated, however; a straw poll of residents would suggest there have been good ‘owners’, well-meaning types who have, in time, struggled to invest. And then there’s the Isle of Eigg, with a cast of villains and eccentrics you couldn’t make up if you tried.
