Board Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month at the Registered Office at 26 Argyle Street, Ullapool.

The first year we employed a seasonal warden was 2005 and we decided to repeat the experience for Spring/Summer 2006. Ashley Tuck from Sheffield had seen the advertisement in a copy of the Ullapool News taken home by a friend after a holiday in the area. Ashley applied and headed north to meet Chairman Kenneth MacLeod and other board members at Ardmair. Unfortunately the weather was not kind, so it was not possible to take him over to view his new home. However, we liked Ashley and Ashley seemed to like us, so the deal was done. He returned to Sheffield to collect his campervan and various other essential items, like his drum kit....! and started work on 22 May.

We were delighted with Ashley, he was a most willing worker and turned his hand to virtually everything we asked of him. He was very interested in the wildlife and the flora and fauna of the island as well as its history. On wet days he was mainly involved in work on the Boa House and also the Mill House; he kept an eye on the Croft House and made sure that it was in reasonable condition when one set of tenants had left, before the new ones arrived; he strimmed the paths to keep them clear and cleaned the beaches; he took a saw to the elder growing in the ruined houses on The Street which will help to keep further deterioration at bay; he inspected the graveyard wearing his archaeologist=s hat and cleared off turf and growth on some of the reclining grave stones. He compiled new lists of birds and flowers and grasses and compared them to lists previously put together many years ago when the island was the responsibility of the RSPB. In addition, Ashley welcomed visitors to the island and handled our ferry boat the Catriona Rose with great competence. The main difference in the operation of the ferry this year has been made by Ashley’s mobile phone. The number was printed in the Ullapool News and was on posters around the village, which meant that people could phone him and he would come across to pick them up if weather conditions permitted. We are delighted to have had him on the island this summer.

SURVEY OF ISLAND BUILDINGS:

Kenny MacLeod arranged for building surveyor Iain Martin to visit the island and make an assessment of the houses. A report was produced which showed that to bring the Croft House, the Mill House, the Boa House and the School House up to habitable standard would cost £183,260. Ouch!

We have recently been in touch with Frank Murray of Ayrshire whose father was the Manager of the Flour Mill on the island when it was set up by Commander Clare Vyner in 1937. The family lived on the island and Frank was able to let us have copies of some early photographs, one of the most interesting of which was taken of his father working the machinery inside the mill.

The picture on the next page shows the railway line leading into the 3 storey high mill building which was erected on the flat piece of ground in front of the Mill House. The mill ceased operations in 1942 due to the War and re-opened in 1945. It finally closed for good in 1947 as it had proved not to be economic. Another photograph shows the Penola, the 3 masted schooner which

brought the wheat from Liverpool, at anchor just off the island. She stayed for about 4 or five days and then returned with a cargo of flour back to Liverpool. Frank and his brother the late David Murray both attended Ullapool Senior Secondary School.

Frank and his wife have joined the Trust as life members and hope to come up in the spring to revisit old haunts.

There was a Humanist wedding on the island on 17 June. The Catriona Rose was decorated with balloons, the weather was kind and everyone had a lovely time.

On the Friday morning of Loopallu I received a telephone call which ultimately led to me agreeing to get together a team of people from Isle Martin Trust to pick up the litter at the festival and on the campsite. The team who had been going to do it had to withdraw so Robert Hicks, festival organiser and promoter, was left with a huge problem on his hands. So it was the Isle Martin cavalry to the rescue…!! Admittedly, some of the worlds uttered by Robert in our conversation i.e. "money for Isle Martin Trust" had a lot to do with me agreeing. Sheila and I then hit the phones and we soon got a group of members together who spent the next couple of days picking up rubbish. No doubt about it… it was VERY hard work..! But there was a great sense of achievement looking around the site at the end and seeing how well we had cleared it. Robert and Sander Ross (owner of the campsite) were also really pleased – so pleased in fact that they gave us more money than had been agreed.

So, thank you to all who came and did your bit for both the environment and the Trust. I must make special mention of member Tina Macdonald who was there for all four cleaning sessions – including the midnight one (and that was a real backbreaker of a session).

You will all be delighted to know that we have got the contract for Loopallu 2007 – so stand by your phones to respond to our calls next August..! And get in training now as there’s a lot of bending to be done…!

Joan Michael

Work continues on both of these properties and a volunteers day is being arranged when a contingent of willing people (weather permitting) will go armed with paint, brushes, rollers and cleaning materials to tackle both properties. The carpet has been removed in the lounge of the Mill House and we hope to get the floor stained and varnished. Derick Boa, board member and plumber, is installing a new toilet in the small bathroom of the Mill House and we have been donated a piece of lino that will cover the floors in both the bathrooms – so then we can have a Ladies and a Gents..!!

Also Joan and Sheila are working on leaflets for both properties which they hope to have available for distribution next season.

We are extremely grateful for all the donations of money and items for both properties – it is so good to have so much support.

Meryl Carr is heading this together with Elspeth Davidson and it is hoped to find funding for the renovation of the School House and the new school which is slowly disintegrating. The corrugated iron building needs a lot of work to be done on it – discussion continues..! Dundonnell Estate have kindly donated the school benches which were in the old school at Dundonnell. Meryl’s winter project is to scrub them down before they transfer to the island, as they have been stored in a sheep shed for many years…!

Laura (where would we be without her) Talbot is still working on all the paperwork involved in applying for funding for the installation of a pontoon on the island so larger vessels can land and our ferry will not then be tide-dependent. To date we have promises of £44,000 and hope the remaining £30,000 will be forthcoming shortly. We are extremely grateful to Laura for all her hard work.

The Croft House proved popular this summer with lots of people, both local and visitors, going over to stay. One family who have visited for the past two years decided this year to use the island as their base for their sailing holiday and rented the Croft House for a full two weeks.

When the Isle Martin time line booklet was produced in 2004 we said we would hope to have available a more comprehensive book on Isle Martin in two years’ time. Well, that time has now arrived and we haven’t…. so apologies to those who have waited with bated breath for its publication. In our defence we must say that we keep coming across more and more source material which would be impossible to leave out of any book on the island. But rest assured… the book will appear – though this time we will not be so rash as to give a date…! Meantime, the research continues.. and what gems we are uncovering…!

Joan and Sheila