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Funding boost for green island projects

The team at Kelp Crofting - from left Martin Welch, Dr Kyle Orr and Alex Glasgow.
The team at Kelp Crofting - from left Martin Welch, Dr Kyle Orr and Alex Glasgow.

A community seaweed farm on Skye and environmentally friendly laundry for B&Bs on Lewis are some of the first projects to benefit from the £2million Islands Green Recovery Programme.

Electricity for houses on Colonsay and new power sources on Coll are also receiving money from the funding strand.

The £900,000 community pot managed by Inspiring Scotland sought applications from island community groups, charities and businesses.

It supports capital expenditure projects that contribute to the green recovery, reduce carbon emissions and improve resilience, health and wellbeing for island communities.

Islands Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “These fascinating projects, driven by the ideas of islanders themselves, will help our island communities to thrive, contribute to our work on population retention and repopulation. They will also help create new jobs while also supporting and enhancing health and wellbeing and the development of local supply chains and the associated economic output that comes with this, in line with the commitments set out in the National Islands Plan.

“The £2 million Islands Green Recovery Programme will support a recovery that drives investment that lowers greenhouse gas emissions while increasing the resilience of island communities through investment in: a range of active and low carbon transport projects, environmentally-safe tourism, as well as food sustainability and zero waste projects that support and impact upon the green circular economy and related employment and I really look forward to seeing the positive impacts of these projects.”

Kelp Crofting Ltd will use its £32,292 to establish community-scale seaweed farming off the coast of Skye creating employment opportunities for local people and developing products to support food and agriculture supply chains.

Kyla Orr, Director at Kelp Crofting, said: “We are delighted to receive funding from the Islands Green Recovery Programme, which will be used to help set up our first seaweed farm on the Isle of Skye, and to purchase a vessel for working on the farm. The funding will have a big impact on the success of our business, and will facilitate growth of this emerging blue-green economy on the island.”

Eschol Guest House on Lewis will use £60,791 to establish a shared eco laundry facility for themselves and several other tourism accommodation units on the island, reducing their carbon footprint.

Donald MacArthur of the business said: “Investing in new innovative green technology is critical to securing a sustainable recovery for tourism in the islands and this programme has allowed us to accelerate that process during the most challenging of times.”