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Uist Beò – promoting vibrant Uibhist life

 

We are excited to announce the launch of Uist Beò, a new digital platform celebrating the unique culture and the thriving life of our islands, from Berneray to Eriskay!

Uist Beò was created to connect Uist residents of all ages and to shine a light on the individuals, businesses and organisations that come together to make our islands the distinct and dynamic places they are to live, work and visit. 

Every one of our 5000 residents has a unique story to tell of their island life, whether that is one that continues generations of island living, a move to Uist from elsewhere or the call of home after time spent away. Check out our website to see the first eight of what will become a wide-ranging catalogue of written and photographic tales of vibrant Uibhist life, of what it means to live and work in Uist. 

 

For visitors Uist is more than a destination to be ticked off a list, it is an active, inspiring, living community with a wealth of experiences to offer the conscientious visitor. We invite guests to our islands to take a slow, sustainable journey through Uist, meeting the individuals and organisations that forge our rich culture, carefully managed natural environment and strong community spirit. 

Each of the eight islands that make up Uist has its own well-defined identity which we seek to celebrate alongside Uist’s unique and singular character within the Outer Hebrides. 

Our interactive map is in the very early stages with a handful of businesses and services listed across the islands. As Uist Beo grows so will our database of Uist’s assets and in time we aim to create a comprehensive listing of businesses, services and social enterprises that serve Uist’s residents, visitors and diaspora alike. 

Uist Beò is in its early stages will grow and evolve with time, responding to the needs of our island communities. Follow us on instagram or facebook to keep up to date with our progress and please drop us an email if you have a suggestion for someone with a story to tell! 

Uist Beo is a pilot initiative under CoDeL’s Smart Islands project, funded by Outer Hebrides LEADER. THE SMART ISLANDS PROJECT IS PART-FINANCED BY THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY OUTER HEBRIDES LEADER 2014-2020 PROGRAMME

 

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Promoting Island Life – Shetland

Here in Scotland the Shetland islands have developed a website www.shetland.org not just to attract tourists and visitors, but also to target specific professions and economically active groups to make a permanent move to Shetland. 

Under the headline, “Welcome to the Islands of Opportunity” they feature information on visiting Shetland, but equally prominent are sections such as “Invest in Shetland”, “Live, Work, Study in Shetland”, and (as a direct response to changed mindsets due to Covid) “2021: The year to make your move”. 

This dynamic website seeks to increase investment in long-term, non-tourism driven enterprise and showcase the many attractive reasons for economically active individuals and families to make a life in Shetland.

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NUDC Milestone in Community Hub Development

On March 26th 2021 North Uist Development Company reached an exciting milestone in their plans for a new Community Hub as they received the keys to the old Lochmaddy School building on behalf of the community. 

The school was closed in 2016 as all of North Uist’s primary school children were relocated to a new single school site at Sgoil Uibhist a’ Tuath. The Lochmaddy school building, which dates back to the 19th century and holds a significant place in the community’s memories, has lain empty since while NUDC have worked towards securing funding to convert it into a new community space.

The development plans for Phase 1 and 2 of the project include both a Community Hub and an Environment Centre, which will provide a new innovative facility showcasing the unique natural environment of Uist.

The Community Hub will provide a place for residents and visitors, featuring an ‘incubator’ for learning and enterprise and rentable spaces being made available to interested parties. Accommodation for visitors, students and temporary workers will be added in later phases of the project.

The development will be undertaken in phases and will involve the community every step of the way. Further funding is currently being sought for Phases 1 and 2: including for renewable energy for heating and electricity to support the environmental ethos of the development and Scotland’s green recovery.

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Promoting Island Life – Work From Nova Scotia

www.workfromnovascotia.com

In response to Covid-19, Tourism Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Business Inc. launched a marketing campaign to attract people working from home to move to Nova Scotia. 

The website Work From Novia Scotia features a range of information for potential residents, from things to do in the area to active real estate listings.

With their advertising campaign Work From Home Nova Scotia’s goal is to attract 15,000 to the province within one year.

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Promoting Island Life – Innovate North

The pandemic has changed the outlook for the future, and many entrepreneurs and local enterprises are seeking to become less dependent on the seasonality and distribution of tourism.

An example of the push to achieve this is north Iceland, where even before the impacts of Covid19 local councils set the goal that a new merged municipality would be known and sought after as a great place to live and run sustainable businesses. 

To push for this, an ambitious project was launched, Innovate North, which aims to put the new municipality at the forefront of the fight against climate change, strengthening the region’s long-term competitiveness and position as a vibrant place to live and work. 

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Isle20 Celebrates Its First Year

The groundbreaking island enterprise Isle20 turns one today and with its first birthday celebrates a host of inspiring successes. 

From providing a platform for offer 500 businesses suffering the effects of Covid19 and reduced visitors to the Scottish islands to hiring their first employee, the Tiree based shopping site has offered a remarkable insight into the power of island innovation. We look forward to seeing what the next year of Isle20 and parent enterprise IsleDevelop have up their sleeves.