Mallaig pupils bag Keep Scotland Beautiful Eco Award

Pupils and educators at Mallaig Primary School have been awarded an Eco School Green Flag with Commendation for litter and waste, in recognition of their exceptional work on their 'Mallaig Clean' initiative. Eco-Schools is the largest sustainable schools programme in the world, and the Green Flag Award is an internationally recognised accreditation for excellence in sustainability education.
"There are thousands of Eco Schools, but we're the only school in Scotland to have received this prestigious award this year," says teacher Lorna Unkles, who helped launch initiative at the school, along with Parent Council member Roger Penarroya Zaldivar.

The school's Eco Committee, which formed a little over a year ago, is made up of children from P1 to P7, in both Gaelic and English Mediums. "The children identified that there was a big problem with litter in the village-especially when the steam train comes in the summer," says Lorna. With that in mind, the pupils went out with clipboards to survey different spots in the village and record the litter they found. Next, Roger came in to help them brainstorm ideas for how to tackle the problem.
As well as organising monthly litter-picks, the group helped design a logo for their cause; made posters and put them up around the village; invited guest speakers from MOWI and the Harbour Authority to the school to share their expertise; emailed the Council to ask for new bins in Mallaig; created a Facebook page to share their progress with the community; and set up a donation page where individuals and local businesses could help cover the cost of equipment including hi-vis vests and gloves.
"It was great to see the children so passionate about Mallaig Clean-it meant they had a goal to motivate them and work towards," says Lorna, adding: "Creating the charity encompassed a range of skills that we teach in school, like tally charts, letter writing and budgeting, so it was also a fantastic opportunity to show [the children] that their skills learnt in classes are transferable to the wider world."
Asked about their experiences litter-picking, several pupils recalled being shocked by what they saw. "It's a small place and I didn't expect it," said Leonie (P6). Isla (P7) was less surprised, pointing out: "Lots of tourists come here and this can cause problems." Others focused on people's behaviour and the facilities available. Samson (P6) noted: "People could use a bin, but they don't," while Keir (P6) felt the issue was more to do with infrastructure: "There's simply not enough bins."
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful's Jonathan Angell visited in June to hear about Mallaig Clean's work first hand, run sustainability workshops with the children, and present the school with a certificate.
The pupils have a strong message for West Word readers considering dropping their litter. "You have pockets-use them," says Keir (P6), while Samson (P6) agrees that it takes little effort to do the right thing: "It's a small place-only a few more steps to find a bin." Caisey (P4) has a practical suggestion: "Just carry it home, even though it's a pain," and Eoin (P6) doesn't mince his words: "You're hurting the environment!"

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Hello!
School's out for summer! Which of course meant an immediate downpour, Day 1. Cassie of Soundbites, Arisaig, took to Facebook to declare that the start of any Scottish School Summer Holiday should henceforth be known as Umbrella Day-and to soothe the downhearted with offers of hot drinks and hot fudge cake. Bravo!
This month we have pages and pages of updates from our young people, letting us know what they have been up to during this last busy term. You'll also find the results of the North West Lochaber Handicraft Show, a report from the Arisaig Americana Music Festival and a cool infographic summarising all the action from Mallaig Harbour this past year.
Last but not least, a request: I'm on the hunt for someone who regularly attends Mallig FC's matches and can take a decent action shot!
Until next month...
Ceri Perkins
editor@westword.org.uk
Morar Station Building, Morar PH40 4PB

ISLE OF CANNA

By contrast to May, June has been a bit of a let down weather-wise. There has been some much needed rain but the temperature is struggling to rise. The grass in the fields has reached its distinctive Canna green and the lambs are looking superb on a diet of such lush grass.
The growth of the yellow irises and nettles has brought our corncrakes back in earnest. Their familiar call can be heard in several locations around the island and our Ranger Tom has been out at night monitoring them and identifying individuals; each corncrake has its own distinctive voice! Corncrake chicks have been spotted scurrying around too, which is great news for our population here.
Caroline and I had a great snorkel with a group from Isle of Eigg Guiding who visited Canna last week. The jellyfish put on a superb show; big blousy Blue Jellyfish and Lion's Manes right down to the tiny hydromedusae and plankton. Schools of small fish darted amongst the seaweed while urchins and starfish clung to the rock faces. Thanks to Jon and Steph for bringing the group over. We're always delighted to share our thriving Canna waters with visitors.
The beginning of the month saw a number of events for Canna House reopening to the public. These were very successful and the visitors were treated to a tour of Canna House, a tour of Canna House garden, a tasty lunch at Cafe Canna, a guided walk to A'Chill with Ranger Tom, and coffee and cake with members of the community to find out what we are doing in terms of projects and enterprise. It was great to meet so many people with links to Canna, including members of the Thom family whose ancestors owned Canna before John Lorne Campbell.
If you are coming to Canna and would like to take a tour of Canna House, tickets can be purchased on the Canna NTS Eventbrite page. The garden is free to look around and has various interpretation boards with bits of history about the island.

We welcomed a large group of students from Edinburgh University Climbing Club. The students made good use of our new Visitor Hub-the building's first real test with a large group using the facilities. Cafe Canna provided a meal in The Shearing Shed, which was followed by an impromptu ceilidh that had everyone dancing to the wee small hours.

Sessions and Sail called into Canna towards the end of the month. The musicians were excellent and entertained residents and visitors with an evening of music, songs and dancing. At the end of the night, a musical promenade danced along the shore! Thanks to Sessions and Sail for coming to see us and please come back soon!
Margaret Willington

ISLE OF EIGG

After 2 months of almost constant sunshine, the island is bursting with blooms: wild roses and elder flowers everywhere, but it is also worrying to see willowherb already flowering a good month earlier than usual-another sign of climate chaos. Predictably enough, by mid-month the weather changed right as we prepared to host our anniversary ceilidh! It did not deter revellers and well wishers, however, and this year saw an exceptional turn out for our great line up. It was quite a sight to have four pipers marching at the head of a large procession of festival-goers on Saturday 14th, and it set the tone for a great night of music.

This was of course the first Jamatha ceilidh band appearance without Eddie the spoons, and in his memory, many of the party goers sported a spoon in their attire! The Kieran Ryan band, Falasker and Mal were on top form and the hall was fair jumping with energetic dancers who then continued to party with DJ Dolphin Boy, followed by a trio of DJs straight from Glasgow's SubClub-all friends of Niamh Jobson-who performed blazing sets as a tribute to her.
The music continued the next day with a great session at Galmisdale café-bar, which brought everyone together again until the small hours. I am told that another DJ set occurred later on in the night and well into the following day at the Hall! A memorable night altogether which brought some old friends back to the island for the special occasion like former Feis Eige tutor Mandy Darling, who is now living in Spain and who brought her low whistle especially for the session-a great start altogether for her 60th birthday celebration, as Eigg provided her with a brilliant opportunity to reunite with family and friends! Many happy returns, Mandy!

June also saw the setting up of a new summer exhibition in St Columba's church, dedicated to the landscape of Eigg, with a special emphasis on the changing crofting landscape to go with the publication of the Eigg crofting report, which has been very well received indeed. Solas Eige also submitted its second application to the Scottish Land Fund earlier in the month, and if successful, the church will become a permanent venue for Eigg heritage, past and present, where people can come to discover more about community resilience. Thoughts have been given to also develop a new Scottish pilgrim route linking St Donnan to St Columba; a work in progress!
In the meantime, on Friday 27 June, Eigg was delighted to host a visit, organised by the Forest Alliance, by two representatives of the Autonomous Wampis government in the Peruvian Amazon: Pamuk (president) Teófilo Kukush Pati and Tsanim Asamat, Director of Justice. Our two guests were taken for a visit to our eco-school, the tree nursery and the brewery as well as the Eigg Electric shed and Croft 18, as they were particularly interested in basket making. Their territory is huge with a population of 16,000, and they have a hard job protecting it against illegal logging and mining as well as big oil and mining corporations. Hence their decision to set up their own governing body, since they receive absolutely no help from the Peruvian government for the protection of the Amazon rain forest, despite being in receipt of climate funds. A community meal was organised around the visit and their talk on the Friday evening was very well attended. The evening was rounded off with hilarious satirical extracts of a new play from Skye-based artists, Daniel Cullen and Rhona Coogan, about language, identity, housing and culture-as well as getting the Wampis leaders up dancing in a ceilidh with tunes from Gabe and Damian. All in all, a fantastic cultural exchange, and much food for thought as the next COP Climate Summit will take place in the Amazon. Looks like a support campaign for the Wampis nation might be in the offing!
Camille Dressler

We went to Rum for our Small Isles week and we did sports and a scavenger hunt. We recorded our song for the Mòd. Me, Marian and Ness got the top bunks and Belle, Fliss and Aila got the bottom bunks. Because Miss.B said the visitors get to choose their beds.
There was a ceilidh for the 12th of June, and 120 people came of the boat. There was bagpipes and they piped all the way from the boat, all the way up the causeway. You could get dressed up like spoons, birds or sparkles. Sparkles were for Naimh, spoons were for Eddie and birds were for Birdie.
Jess Kirk - age 5, and nearly 6

ISLE OF MUCK

Hello Muck Calling...
We've had a quiet month, the End. Only kidding-but that's how it begins each deadline... What has actually gone on this Wee rock in the past 30 days?
We had an interesting visit from Helen, a volunteer from a community based group from Camden, London called Hands on Hearts - a community crafts project which celebrates community spirit by working with different groups to create giant bunting chains of hands and hearts shapes, as a representation of the amazing things we can achieve when we support each other. Helen has been working with the children on Muck and Eigg to create their own bunting chains to add to the project.
So far, over twenty chains (made up of almost 400 individual flags) have been created, and Helen and other volunteers are now planning an exhibition of all of the work, to be held in London later in the year. They hope to be able to hold exhibitions in other places after that.
The beautiful chains created by the Muck and Eigg pupils will be added to the chains already created since the project first started back in 2020. Most chains have been made in Camden in north London, where Helen lives, but some have been made in further away places, including Japan and Peru! The Muck and Eigg chains are the first to be made in Scotland. There was a display of the children's work alongside two other chains Helen brought up from London. This was the first public exhibition of the work, marking an exciting new chapter for the project!

Talking of exciting chapters, this season's shearing has almost come to an end-thank goodness, as it has been held up with intermittent torrential downpours, which make taking the fleeces a challenging, not to mention pungent task. We're pretty sure that Zöe was out doing the Rain Dance to try and put it off for another day, although to be honest you hear a form of chanting emanating from Dun Bahn on a fairly regular basis... or it could be Gareth rocking back and forth in the corner.
We had a couple of unfortunate souls in their wee boats that thought it idyllic to drop anchor in the basin at Port....luckily Sandy advised they throw out a 2nd one aft or we would have had a very interesting tidal episode.
On a final note, Gallanach Lodge's second keeper and family have arrived on Muck. Rab, Laura and their two girls, Millie (10) and Maisie (7) have already integrated into the community and school - shearing will definitely do that for you. We welcome and wish them well.
Well that's it for this month! Kind regards, Bruce.
Bruce Boyd

News In Brief

• The sleepless of Scotland were treated to a rare sight on Thursday 3rd July, when a spectacular meteor tore across the night sky. The event, which happened at around 12:50am, caused a bright flash and a large bang that in some places shook the ground and was mistaken for an earthquake. "I was letting the dogs out before bed, and caught the streak out the corner of my eye before it exploded," says Ami-Jayne Hall of Mallaig. "The whole sky lit up orange and turned to daylight for a second or two before it disappeared. A few seconds later the sonic boom hit-and gave me and the dogs the fright of our lives!" A video on the Highland, Islands, Moray and Aberdeenshire Weather Facebook page shows the meteor burning up as it entered the Earth's atmosphere: www.facebook.com/watch/?v=24125112150418083.
• South Knoydart Community Council is disbanding. All eight councillors stepped down at June's AGM, citing reasons that included a lack of support from the community and the Highland Council, and "a general feeling of 'are we wasting our time?'". Issues taken up by the Council in the past two years include: lobbying the Highland Council for road, bridge and safety barrier repairs; pressing for disabled access to Inverie pier; successfully opposing the blanket roll-out of 4G masts across the Peninsula; obtaining funds for a new defibrillator; and attempting to establish a system whereby residents can access emergency out-of-hours medical supplies at the Community Hall. The Community Council needs a minimum of four councillors for it to exist, and as yet there have been no new nominations. For more details on the resignations, and on the work that the Community Council has achieved over the past two years, see the Minutes from the AGM Meetings held June 2024 and June 2025, on Page s 32-33.
• The deteriorating bridge at Alt-na-Loin, Morar, has been deemed structurally unsound, and is now scheduled to be replaced in early 2026. The dangerous condition of the bridge, which Highland Council originally planned to re-deck by spring this year, has been flagged urgently and repeatedly by Morar Community Council over the past four years. ¿ A three-day Internet outage impacted large swaths of Mallaig and Morar-extending from Mallaig Bheag through Glasnacardoch and along the side of Loch Morar to Bracara-from around 7pm on Friday 27th June until late afternoon on Monday 30th June. Contacted for comment, a representative for BT could give no detail, other than to confirm that it was a "major outage" caused by a fault in the Openreach infrastructure. A representative for Openreach, contacted on the number BT provided, said that outside of urgent public health and safety reports, Openreach will only communicate directly with the service provider (ie. BT).
• The A830 will be closed (both directions) overnight at three locations between Sunday 13th and Friday 25th July, for essential road resurfacing. The works will be carried out between the hours of 7pm and 6am each night, from Sunday to Thursday. The affected locations are:
  Kinlocheil - 7pm on 13th July until 6am on 18th July
  Loch Eilt - 7pm on 20th July until 6am on 23rd July
  East of Ranochan - 7pm on 23rd July until 6am on 25th July
  Amnesties will be offered at 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, midnight, 2am and 4am to escort vehicles through the work zones.
  Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times and public bus services will be accommodated. A 30mph speed limit will remain in place outside of the working hours, as traffic will be travelling over a temporary surface.
  Real-time journey planning information is available at: www.traffic.gov.scot or on X: @trafficscotland.
• Finally, in news that will surprise absolutely no-one who drives the A830 or the B8008 during the summer season, a nationwide survey has found that the Scottish Highlands tops Brits' list of dream family road trips. Route 66, USA; The Great Ocean Road, Australia; the Pacific Coast Highway, California, USA; and the Ring Road, Iceland came in second, third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

RNLI shop volunteer named Volunteer of the Year at Scottish Charity Awards

Volunteer RNLI Shop Manager Juliet Blackie was named Volunteer of the Year at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations awards ceremony in Glasgow on 19th June. Juliet was selected from an impressive shortlist that included volunteers from Epilepsy Scotland, EATS Rosyth community garden and Fife Nepalese Community, but was completely unprepared for her name to be announced-in fact, she didn't even know she had been nominated until the shortlist was published in May.
Not everyone realises that the RNLI is entirely public-funded, so the work that the shop does is a crucial part of raising the public profile of the RNLI and keeping the donations coming.
As she received her award, Juliet addressed the audience of more than 400: "I would like to thank everyone who voted and helped us to win this prestigious award for the RNLI. I have been overwhelmed by all the support we have received and would like to dedicate this award to all the volunteers at Mallaig RNLI Lifeboat Station who dedicate their time to help save lives at sea."
Juliet has been a volunteer at the shop since 2022, graduating from Shop Assistant to Shop Manager in 2023 when the previous manager retired after decades of service, and the shop's future looked uncertain. Since then, she has managed to grow the team of volunteers and get everyone connected in a WhatsApp group, which, crucially, means that someone is almost always available to cover if a volunteer has to skip their shift. In 2024, the team raised a cool £38,000 for the RNLI-an increase of £32,670 on 2022.
Juliet is quick to acknowledge the work of those who came before her: "I'm carrying forward the work of many dedicated shop volunteers who volunteered in previous years-in some cases, for decades.," she says.

Niamh Jobson Research Fund launch event

Saturday 28th June saw a very special launch event: the Niamh Jobson Research Fund in the swg3 warehouse club, Glasgow. Setting up a research fund for Osteocarcoma was Niamh's idea when she realised that the standard of care curative treatment in this aggressive disease had hardly progressed in more than 40 years, despite it being the most common primary malignant bone tumour in children and teenagers.
The disease eventually took her away last January, aged 22 (seven years after she received her diagnosis). The research fund was set up by her brother Finn as a way to keep her memory alive and pay tribute to her amazing talent and achievements. Niamh, who spent her teenage years on the Isle of Eigg and studied at Mallaig High, where she made enduring friendships, had embarked on a successful career as a DJ, making her mark on the Glasgow electronic music scene.
As Finn told BBC Scotland news on 26th June, "Niamh has made the world a better place and will continue to do so forevermore," through this fund. It was her wish to make a difference in the life of young people affected by bone cancer.
Finn was the driving force behind the launch event, organising it with Niamh's fellow DJs: Danny, Lazlo, VxYX, Timescape, Kairogen and Harry Mawby. Dave Clarke from Slam events provided his generous help and the venue waived their fee, whilst Panter Milk and sub126 provided drinks and sandwiches for the event. Selling over 350 tickets-many of which were purchased by Niamh's friends from Eigg-the event raised over £6000, adding to an earlier fundraising drive on 14th June, when seven of Niamh's friends completed the Skye Marathon in her name. Funds now stand at around 15K. Other events are planned for London and Belfast, as well as Mallaig later in the year. Please contribute what you can, tell your friends about the campaign - https://specialfunds-bcrt.blackbaud-sites.com/niamh-jobson/ -and together we will make a difference!
Camille Dressler

Success for Portnadoran Viscount at RHS

Arisaig's Audrey MacDonald and Ernie Yule had a day to remember at this year's Royal Highland Show in June, when their homebred bull, Portnadoran Viscount, snagged a trio of titles. First he won his yearling class and went on to win Best Junior Bull. Next, he went up against the Best Junior Female to win Overall Junior Shorthorn Champion (for which his owners were presented with an impressive silver cup). The icing on the cake? Audrey and Ernie were delighted to be presented with a solid bronze Trophy for Best Bull Bred by Exhibitor.
"It was a very proud day for us all and one we will always remember," says Audrey. "It makes the hard work over the dreary winter days worthwhile! Our thanks, as ever, go to Bob McWalter for all his help, advice and preparation of our cattle."

Shooglenifty fundraiser marks high note for Inn

What. A. Night. Glenuig was alive with music, laughter and community spirit on Saturday 29th June as legendary folk-fusion band Shooglenifty took to the stage for a sold-out fundraiser in support of the Glenuig Inn Community Buyout. They were joined by a brilliant line-up including Jim Michie, Jim Hunter, Arbor Green and Dolphin Boy, making it an unforgettable night in the village.
The event raised an impressive £7,481.52, excluding bar takings and donations, which are still being counted. Local businesses stepped up in style, donating an incredible array of raffle prizes. Thanks to every performer, volunteer, donor and attendee who helped make the night such a success.
The community share offer officially closed on 30th June, and final totals are being tallied and triple checked. The group now awaits news on their Scottish Land Fund application-watch this space! Although the share offer has ended, donations can still be made to support the buyout at: glenuigcommunityinn.org/support-us.

Arisaig Americana Music Festival 2025

The first weekend in June saw banners, flags and lights at the ready for the 6th annual Arisaig Americana Music Festival - a fantastic weekend of live music, featuring top acts in the Americana genre.
A last-minute change in our opening act did not stop the wheels from turning and luckily disaster was averted... our scheduled opening band Awkward Family Portraits were unable to attend due to illness, but musical superheroes Pepi Emmerichs and Theo Barnard AKA Rain of Animals stepped in at the 12th hour, opening the festival in Astley Hall to a very enthusiastic audience! Next on stage was the velvet-voiced Rhona Macfarlane from Montrose. The Royal Conservatoire graduate performed her self-penned debut album, proving she is most definitely "one to watch". Closing the Friday night show, we had Ags Connolly, who with his hat, stage presence and unmistakeable voice, reaffirmed his reputation as "one of the best singer-songwriters in the Country genre ever to emerge from the UK".
The Saturday workshops featured banjo and fiddle from Jeri Foreman and Ruth Eliza, fingerstyle guitar picking with Brooks Williams and a singing workshop with Zoe, Aly and Mairi, where Crosby, Stills & Nash got the festival treatment! We also held our first ever young performers stage on Saturday afternoon (see below).
Saturday night started with the formidable Old-Time duo Jeri Foreman and Ruth Eliza; their special guest Steph came especially from France to be in Arisaig and gave us a taste of 'flatfoot' dancing. Next, we had the cool mastery of American musician Brooks Williams with an engrossing performance of polished vocals and stunning guitar technique intertwined with stories. The last act of the festival was the New Valley String Band, three young Swedes who fused Old-Time, Bluegrass, originals and traditional Swedish songs with spine-tingling three-part harmonies. And as has become the festival tradition, all three acts got up on stage for a rousing fiddle-tastic finale!
On Sunday, we hosted the 'Legendary' Sunday themed session before the wind down sessions in Soundbites and the Crofters. Regrettably, for reasons beyond our control, we are no longer able to meet at Arisaig Train Station for our 'train songs' session which was so popular for three consecutive years-it truly was legendary! However, the Land, Sea & Islands Centre welcomed us into their space for the themed session, Songs About the Sea, where we had enthusiastic participation and a good turn-out.

"Your festival is fabulous. Thank you so much for having me to play. It was mind-blowing!" - Brooks Williams

"It's a really special festival you have there, great vibes! Hope to come again sometime!" - Ruth Eliza
Photos by John O'Neill

"Many thanks or all your hospitality and support! It was great fun, great place!" - Ags Connolly

There's a huge amount of volunteer effort and fundraising that goes into putting on the festival and keep it going into the next year. We're very grateful for community support, to the people who attend the shows and for funds received by The Gower Trust and donations from other local organisations and individuals. Huge thanks to our 2025 local business sponsors: Arisaig Hotel, Soundbites, Mallaig Bakery, West Highland Hotel, Mallaig Art Gallery, Mike Vanden Guitars, Resipole Studios and to Fr Stan for the use of the Chapel House and Kilmory B&Bs for our artists and sound crew.
For generous raffle donations, many thanks to Hope Blamire, Rupert Blamire, The Old Library, The West Highland Tea Company, Nooc Art, Glenfinnan Candles and John MacMillan, and also to our local Spar for donating refreshments. Finally, special thanks to the 'craic' team that make it work on the nights! Keir and Callum on sound, Chris, Pauline, Paula, Ceri, Ruth and James.
Next year's festival dates for your diary are 5th-7th June 2026-hope to see you there!
Mairi, Zoe, Mungo & Aly

"I am so grateful for being asked to play. It was such a lovely atmosphere…. a dream to play in such a beautiful part of the world!" - Rhona Macfarlane

Inaugural Young Performers Stage at AAMF

This year, we hosted our first ever young performers stage, kindly sponsored by the Arisaig Hotel.
This was a free-entry community event on the Saturday afternoon, and we welcomed two fantastic young performers, Elena Young and Sandy Fleming. To open and close the show we enjoyed music from Ruth Eliza (one half of the Old-Time duo Jeri Foreman and Ruth Eliza) and Adam Bülow (one third of Sweden's New Valley String Band). They played clawhammer banjo, guitar, fiddle and sang harmony vocals, and Ruth shared with the audience how she'd learned to play music and developed as a musician.
The first young performer was Elena Young from Mallaig High School. At just 12 years old, she gave confident and accomplished performance on keyboard, with two American classics: Suspicious Minds (made famous by Elvis Presley, or who among us remembers Fine Young Cannibals?!) and Billy Joel's Piano Man.

Photos by John O'Neill

Next up on stage was Sandy Fleming from Achnacarry, who has recently turned 18. He is a former pupil of Lochaber High School and is now studying music with UHI Lochaber. He took us back to the Carter Family era, singing and playing guitar with an accomplished 'Maybelle Carter' picking style, then finished with a tune on the autoharp-a first for the festival!
Our professional sound team Keir and Callum helped the young performers set up with their usual calm, skill and expertise. Among the audience, we were delighted to welcome around 20 pupils from Ardvreck High School in Crieff, who were in the area on a camping trip and made a special detour to attend! Their teachers' feedback included that the afternoon had inspired some of their own pupils!

Also in the audience was Brooks Williams, one of our Saturday night artists. As an American musician with a long-standing successful career, he watched the show and later congratulated both Elena and Sandy during his own performance on Saturday night. He posted on Instagram: "Great 1st (annual?) Young Performers Stage today at Arisaig Americana Music Festival. Sponsored by Arisaig Hotel. A most excellent idea and an exciting afternoon of music. I think a 2nd 'annual' next year would be so very cool."

The young performers stage is an idea that's been floating around with us for a while; to provide an opportunity within the festival for our local young musicians to play in front of a live audience. This event is something we hope to build on as a regular festival feature, working with the music teachers in our local High Schools. Both Elena and Sandy did exceptionally well, and we'd like to thank them for being the first performers on this new stage and to say a huge thanks to the Arisaig Hotel for sponsoring the afternoon show. A promising start with many more to come, we hope!

Mallaig RNLI Station News

The final total is in for the Mallaig RNLI Open Day, which took place on Saturday 24th May. The event raised a brilliant £4,712. The fundraising team would like to again extend a thank you to all the businesses who donated and the individuals who volunteered on the day. Keep your eyes peeled for another event to come later in 2025.
As part of Kyle RNLI 30th anniversary celebrations, the Mallaig crew joined the Portree crew in a lifeboat outing over to Kyle for a BBQ. It was a great excuse to get the lifeboats out together as well as commemorate the neighbouring station's big anniversary.
Finally, Mallaig RNLI volunteer shop assistant, Juliet Blackie took home the coveted Volunteer of the Year award for her time and dedication to running the RNLI shop in Mallaig. Read more on Page TKTK.
Jessica Logan

Mallaig Lifeboat Log

9th June 2025
The pagers sounded at 3.51pm, alerting the Mallaig crew to attend to a yacht without power off the Isle of Muck. Still under partial sail, with a fresh North Easterly breeze, unfortunately the yacht's windlass was also unable to operate, meaning they could not raise their anchor if dropped. The RNLI Mallaig crew decided to tow the stricken vessel into Arisaig where it could be safely stored on a mooring and help could be arranged for the following day. The lifeboat was then stood down and returned to Mallaig; ready for service again at 7.25pm.

18th June 2025
A worrying call came into the RNLI Mallaig station at 3.16pm when HM Coastguard alerted the crew to an elderly passenger trapped in their vehicle, in water, at the bottom of a gorge. The lifeboat was launched urgently, however the crew learned en route that the casualty's position was in fact not near the water. So the lifeboat was stood down and returned to Mallaig; ready for service at 3.40pm.

20th June 2025
Another call for help from a stricken yacht without engine power was raised at 4.50pm. The yacht was in danger of running aground at Sleat point. It was a flat calm day with a wind force rating of 1 but despite the lack of wind, the vessel managed to make part of the journey to Mallaig. The lifeboat crew aided the yacht by towing it for the remainder of its course into Mallaig Harbour. The lifeboat was refuelled and ready for service again by 7.30pm.

News from Mallaig Harbour

We're delighted to be able to report that the new solar powered light has arrived and been installed at the lighthouse, so it is back operational again. Thanks to our own Harbour staff and to Colin and Callum King for their support with this. The new system was designed by Hydrosphere, and comes with the ability for us to keep a check on how well it is performing in various weather states. We were hopeful that this would not be an issue throughout the summer months, but there hasn't been much sun lately! There are two separate batteries in the system, each providing back up for 30 days - so we have backup to keep the system running for 60 days.
Fishing landings have tailed off a bit in June, with fewer of the larger visiting boats, although some of our more regular visitors have once again been landing locally. The Aquaculture side has been busy though, with a lot of well boat traffic through June which has kept the Outer Harbour busy.
The Marina has also been busy, and we have welcomed back some of the charter yachts, with Eda Frandsen, Bessie Ellen, Lady of Avanel, Selkie and Silurian all using the Harbour and Marina at various points throughout the month. We also had a visit from the superyacht Moonstone's tenders, while she was moored up Loch Nevis on Friday 20th June. Moonstone is 79.2m in length, which is around 1.5 times the length of the Ronja Commander! She is owned by American billionaire brothers Rob and Richard Sands, and her tenders were around the same size as many of the visiting yachts at the Marina. We are not quite at the end of June as I am writing this, but looking at May's figures for the Marina, it is shaping up to be a good year, with 59 overnight stays in April and 246 in May, compared to 24 in April and 170 in May last year. Hopefully this will continue and we'll have earned a good contribution towards the cost of the new pontoon fingers by the end of the season!
John and I took a trip to Stornoway for the Scottish Ports Group meeting on the 11th and 12th June. While we were there, Stornoway Port Authority had a visit from their biggest cruise vessel of the year, the Brittania, which is 330m long. We were lucky enough to get right down onto the new deep water terminal, to see her up close. The new facility in Stornoway is very impressive - although it cost around £40 million they have been able to achieve a huge amount with the money, including a 360m long berth and 6.5 hectares of laydown space. John and I were quite envious! We did a wee tour of Ports on our way there and back, ticking off Armadale, Uig, Tarbert, Stornoway and Ullapool, and taking note of what worked at each of them! We have more limited space in Mallaig but did come away with a few ideas for things we would like to see around the Harbour.
It was straight back from Stornoway for our AGM on Friday 13th June. This year marked the retirement of Lorna Spencer as a Board Member. Lorna and Jim Wilson had both served their second terms, but Jim has agreed to stay on and support us with our aspirations to reduce the carbon footprint of the Harbour. We are very grateful to Lorna for all the support she has given us, not only in the last six years as a Board Member, but also previous to that in her former role with CMAL. Although Lorna has retired as a Board Member, she will still be working with us at Mallaig Harbour Authority, providing support with our obligations under the Port and Marine Facilities Safety Code. Lorna's retirement left a vacancy, and we have appointed Karen Johnston, who brings a wealth of experience in the Aquaculture industry with her; and who we are looking forward to having as a member of the Board going forward.

On and Off the Rails

Hello, it's me again!

News in brief

• On Wednesday, 14th May, UNITE, one of the final unions that represent employees of ScotRail voted in favour of a two year pay deal settlement offer. Fully 83% of UNITE's members supported the 3.6% wage offer by ScotRail, which will be backdated to take effect from April 2025. In the second year of the deal, starting April 2026, the pay increase will amount to 3% of the January retail prices index figure. There are also improvements to allowances in maternity pay
• The afternoon. Jacobite service was hauled by a diesel locomotive from Sunday 22nd June for one week, due to a "boiler washout" on the only available Black 5 steam locomotive.
• Colas Rail driver training continued apace again throughout June on our branch line and elsewhere, usually an evening, visit.

Friends of the West Highland Line magazine
The summer issue of Friends of the West Highland Lines (wonderful!) magazine is out now! I support them by making the magazine available for sale through me. It is the only magazine spotlighting the West Highland Lines and the ScotRail network past and present, plus shipping news. It is published three times a year, as an A4 glossy, heavy duty paper, 40-page page-turner, full of glorious colour photographs and interesting copy. The cost is £4, plus postage-or stop me and buy one! Contact me on 01687 462189, and I will guarantee to make you smile.

Stalled platform and passing loop improvements
Network Rail has still not announced any dates for the platform extension work on the West Highland branch line between Fort William and Mallaig, which will allow longer trains, with interlocking central door locking, to visit us. Nor has there been any news on extra passing loops brackets to allow more trains to pass each other and perhaps even allow the Explorer carriage to come to Mallaig. We are jiggered!
It is ridiculous, in this day of many more people wanting to travel on touring trains, that trains can only pass each other at Mallaig, Arisaig, Glenfinnan and Fort William. We are grateful to have what do, but to only have four-car ScotRail trains, six days a week, and even fewer on a Sunday… the Jacobite does operate seven days a week, morning and afternoon, until the end of summer, true-and we do get the Belmond royal Scotsman perhaps 10 Saturdays a year, but we, as a welcoming port of Mallaig, deserve much better. We are the Best in the West Highlands of Scotland, and to view us from a touring train would be wonderful for us and the guests. However, I digress, and dream on...
There are many trains to be seen that can get as far as Fort William Oban, even Kyle of Lochalsh-but not to us! If you want to know what we are missing out on, ring me on 01687 462189.
On the subject of the lack of passing loops; it only takes one incident to delay all of the trains on the entire line. For instance, if the swing bridge at Banavie gets stuck in the wrong position after letting boats through, as it did last month, every train gets stuck in its own section of track until the situation is resolved. At that point ScotRail trains take first priority to move on in whichever direction they are travelling in, and then the Jacobite must slot in between them and each other. Meantime, puzzled passengers cannot work out why their train cannot move. It really is like a game of chess, sadly.
On 24th of June, we had a situation that luckily did not escalate and was handled well by Network Rail. The 1010 ScotRail sprinter from Mallaig was held at Arisaig while an object hanging from Beasdale Bridge was removed. Thankfully, no-one was hurt. Network Rail's road and rail vehicle was dispatched from Glenfinnan to remove the object. All trains were waiting with bated breath to hear how long the hold up was going to be. There was talk of cancelled trains on the leaderboards. However, half an hour later, all was resolved. Everyone passed each other at their loops, and all was well.
Phew, thanks to the swift application of Network Rail.

Highland Rail Card + Kids for a Quid + weekly tickets
I know most savvy locals already know about it, but for those who don't: just £15 a year can save you 50% on every journey you make on the West Highland Line, the Far North Line (including Inverness Airport) and the Kyle Line (including Inverness airport) with a Highland Railcard. To qualify, you must be over 16 and a permanent resident in specific Highland area postcodes (including the entire West Word catchment area).
If you're buying one for the first time, you'll need to go to Mallaig or Fort William booking office and take a passport photo, to form the photo ID part of the railcard. If you're renewing an existing railcard, the photo ID part of it will suffice. In Mallaig, Ollie will guide you through, or you can sign up online: www.scotrail.co.uk.
If you're travelling with children, the Higland Railcard gives you the option to add "Kids for a Quid" to any journey. Up to four children aged five to 15 (they need not be related) can travel for one pound each.
Right now, Highland Railcard holders who regularly travel to Fort William and back for any reason can purchase a weekly season ticket from the booking office with a whopping 40% saving on five or even 20 return tickets. Mallaig booking office will fill in all the details for you. I know that it is regularly used by care home workers, hospital staff, and others. The current offer is runs until 27th September, but I suspect it may be extended once that date comes along. Daytrip inspiration!
Now here's a heart warming idea. Have you ever taken the ScotRail train to Rannoch station tea room from Mallaig, purely because you can? I know a few of us that have and do! Leaving Mallaig on the 10:10am, just settle down and enjoy the journey. The Tearoom is open from 10am til 4pm, Saturday to Wednesday each week. Lunch is served from 12 noon to 3:30pm, with cakes and scones to tempt you earlier in the day, as soon as they are ready. Seating is limited, so it's a good idea to email or call ahead to reserve a table (best to call if you're trying to get a same-day reservation: 07944 643154 / 01882 633247).
It's a wonderful tea room with atmosphere and laughter, gifts and maps. You can catch the afternoon train back through Fort William to Mallaig without leaving the train. It's an experience that will calm you right down and fill you with pleasure. If the weather is good, you can sit out and there is a smallish Visitor Centre there too. Bonus tip: For early risers out on the early train to Glasgow, you can order breakfast rolls by telephone in advance, and they will bring them out to the train door for you, if you cross their palm with silver!
Here's another idea for you: Dial-a-Bus Rannoch! Operated by Highland Travel, in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council, it's an on demand bus service for the Rannoch area, operating Monday to Saturday, 7am till 10pm (yes, really!) from Rannoch station to Kinloch Rannoch and Tulloch. Running since 2015, they now have nine drivers manning their on demand, responsive, no-two-days the-same bus service. Fares cost between £1 and £3.50 per single journey, and-wait for it-National Entitlement Card holders travel for free! Their website is: www.highland.travel.co.uk.
See you on the train,
Sonia Cameron

FOOTBALL REPORT

On Saturday 7th June, Mallaig FC travelled to Uig to take on NW Skye FC in an important league match. It proved a closely contested affair, ultimately won by NW Skye, who scored the only goal of the game, to win 1-0.
On Saturday 14th June, Mallaig FC defeated Sleat & Strath FC by 4 goals to 2 in a league match played at Mallaig Park. Mallaig goalscorers were Sam MacKenzie (2), Michael Doherty and Ronan Cameron.
The cancellation of the Skye ferry on the morning of Saturday 28th June forced the players of Mallaig FC to travel the long way round for their league match against Portree FC. Kick-off was delayed until 2:15pm but it proved to be a successful journey as the visitors ran out comfortable winners by 4 goals to 0. Mallaig goalscorers were Sam MacKenzie (2), Michael Doherty and Andrew Sneddon.
Fort William FC were the visitors to Mallaig Park on Tuesday 1st July, and they left town with three league points after defeating Mallaig FC by 4 goals to 3. It was a particularly tough night for Mallig striker Sam MacKenzie who, despite notching a hat-trick, ended up on the losing side.

Sam MacKenzie on target yet again. Photo Arthur Campbell.

Ewen MacRae Cup Midsummer Tournament
After some great work in getting through to the final, Mallaig FC were ultimately defeated by 2 goals to 1 by Sleat & Strath (Blue) in the final of the Ewen MacRae Cup, played at Portree on Saturday 5th July.
The day-long tournament attracted six teams, Mallaig being drawn in Section 2, along with Sleat & Strath (Red) and NW Skye. Sleat & Strath (Blue), Kyleakin and Portree made up Section 1.
Mallaig FC got off to a perfect start, defeating Sleat & Strath (Red) by 4 goals to 2 (Michael Doherty (2), Sam MacKenzie and Angus MacNaughton the goalscorers). After a 1-1 draw with NW Skye (Sam MacKenzie on target once again), Mallaig FC went through to the final by defeating NW Skye 4-2 on penalty kicks.
A Cup victory eluded Mallaig, however, as Sleat & Strath (Blue) defeated them in the final by 2 goals to 1. Andy Cunningham notched Mallaig's solitary counter.
So it's commiserations to Mallaig, but congratulations to Sleat & Strath, winners of the Ewen MacRae Cup, 2025!

Birdwatch June 2025 by Stephen MacDonald

A fairly unsettled month, with cool, wet and windy conditions on several occasions, interspersed with the odd one or two days of dry, sunny weather.
Apart from locally breeding waders, little to see until mid-month, when Curlew numbers built up at Loch nan Ceall and Back of Keppoch. Greenshank were seen at the head of Loch Ailort and on the Morar Estuary.
Good numbers of Manx Shearwaters seen on numerous occasions feeding close inshore around Mallaig and the mouth of Loch Nevis, along with Gannets, Razorbills, Guillemots and Kittiwakes.
The first reports of Storm Petrels came around mid-month, with birds seen in the Sound of Sleat.

A Red-Breasted Merganser and her brood take a nap, Loch Morar. Photo by Stephen MacDonald

Locally breeding seabirds have had mixed fortunes so far, Cormorants and Herring Gulls seem to have done well, with plenty large, healthy chicks by mid-month. Common Terns haven't fared so well, with the cool, wet weather occurring when many of the chicks were newly hatched, resulting in increased mortality.
There were well grown Eider ducklings reported from Traigh and Loch Ailort at the month end. There was at least one brood of Red-breasted Mergansers at the west end of Loch Morar during the second half of the month. A single male Tufted Duck on Loch nan Eala for several days.
Newly fledged Common Redstarts were seen in Arisaig on the 15th. Plenty juvenile birds reported from gardens throughout the area.
Jays were again reported using feeders in several gardens in Morar.
On the 3rd of June, at least four or five Cuckoos were seen interacting near Loch nan Eala, Arisaig.
On the 22nd, two Swifts were seen from the MV Loch Nevis, just off Mallaig.

Letters to the Editor

Hi Ceri,
Whilst on holiday in the area two weeks ago, I tried calling into the office to say "hello" and "thank you", but never caught you in! It would have been great to let you know, in person, how much I enjoy reading West Word, which allows me to keep in touch with an area I love, so I'll do it this way instead!
I was staying in Morar with my Son, Michael, his Girlfriend Charlie, and my Sister-in-law. We were blessed with beautiful weather (although we are always prepared for bad weather in the Highlands-and yet still love being there when that happens!)
I am not from the area, but I have been holidaying here since I was about seven. (I am now 70!) We would come up as a family in our dormobile. I remember one evening when my brother and I were playing in the playground at the top of the brae in Mallaig, (where the school now stands); we decided Mallaig was the most wonderful place in the World; and promised one other we would come to live in Mallaig when we grew up. That didn't happen, but I have carried on visiting the area throughout my life.
First the Family holidays in the dormobile. Next, as a teenager, then as a University Student, I stayed in youth hostels, (Morar, Armadale, Broadford, Kyle, what a pity these have all gone). I hugely enjoyed a number of daily and weekly trips from Mallaig on Brucie Watt's Boat, the Western Isles. When I began working and met my husband-to-be, we could afford to rent cottages. He was not a particular fan of Scotland when I first met him, but he soon got caught up by my enthusiasm, and by the time our Son, Michae,l came along, we were both avid fans... so of course, Michael is too!
So, although not from the area, when I add up all the weeks I have spent there, it almost feels like I'm a "sort of" resident!
Our recent holiday was made all the more perfectly wonderful when my Son proposed to his girlfriend, one evening, at sunset, on the beach below Traigh Golf Course. I would often amuse myself on that beach whilst Michael and his Dad enjoyed a picturesque round of golf. Michael lost his Dad eight years ago, so he chose this spot with loving memories in mind. I just thought I'd share that with you, so you know how special the area is to us! (Oh, and I'd better add that Charlie said "YES"!)
Thank you again, and with fond wishes,
Pat (Caunt)

To Ceri at West Word,
You asked about my sign-off in my last letter. "Allan Johnie Sandy" is an old form of the Gaelic recognition of who you are and from which family you came-which, for clarity, was always presented as three generations. My father's name was John(ie), his father was Sandy; so I was Allan Johnie Sandy "an Domhnallach" (MacDonald).
This would distinguish me from Sandy Allan Beag, another MacDonald family in Morar where Sandy was the son of Allan-"Beag" meaning Small. It also distinguished me from Dol-Hamish, Donald, son of James MacDonnell-who were MacDonalds but used the MacDonnell name of the mother, in Bracara-and from a brother of theirs in Mallaig Mhor, who stuck with the MacDonald name in which he was christened. In asking a descendent why the change of name, she replied: it sounded "more posh"! Confusing eh?!
Kind Regards,
Allan MacDonald, aka Allan Johnie Sandy