Rum Task Group Update - March 2008
As a result of several years hard work - The first meeting of the Isle of Rum community Trust took place on Thursday 20th March. Well attended by local members and directors from the highland council and SNH, the community company set out its aims and objectives for the coming year - this included the appointment of Ian Lever as the trust's development officer. Ian's tasks will be to take forward a number of community initiatives and assist with the issues created by the proposed land transfer from SNH to the community Trust.
Company directors are Fliss Hough (acting chair), David Frew, Sean Morris and Lesley Watt. HC director is local councillor Allan Henderson, who commented at the meeting on the motivation and commitment of the community. SNH's director is Sheila Nairn.
Maggie Fyffe, from Eigg, has also been appointed as a director for the help and support she will be able to give during our first year or so.
Rum Task Group - February 2008
Minister for Environment, Michael Russell, has appointed Lesley Riddoch as Chair of the Rum Task Group.
Ms Riddoch will lead this short-life advisory body in identifying and facilitating actions which support the aim of developing a dynamic community on the Isle of Rum.
Mr Russell said: "Rum is truly unique in its geology and nature conservation interest and has tremendous potential for sympathetic development.
"The Rum Task Group will focus on generating proposals for advancing community development opportunities on the island. In Lesley Riddoch, they have a chair who will be able to make things happen.
"I look forward to hearing more about their work over the coming months."
Ms Riddoch will be supported by Fliss Hough and Maggie Fyffe, community representatives from Rum and Eigg respectively, as members of the Task Group. Representatives from Scottish Natural Heritage, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Council, Communities Scotland, Crofters Commission and Lochaber Housing Association will be involved in the Group's work.
The Task Group has been asked to deliver its remit by December 31, 2008, and to provide progress reports to Mr Russell at the end of May and end of November this year. One of the Group's first tasks will be to agree a job description, management structure and funding package for a development worker to support the process over the next 12 months. An advertisement for this post is expected to be published shortly.
Lesley Riddoch is a Sony award winning broadcaster and Director of Feisty Ltd - a Dundee based radio, podcast & TV production company. She presents a weekly current affairs programme Riddoch Questions for BBC Scotland and has just published her first book, Riddoch; On the Outer Hebrides, and was a founding member of the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust. She is a topical newspaper commentator - regular columns in the Guardian and Scotsman won her a place on the 2006 shortlist of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing. She was appointed as a member of the Scottish Government's Prisons Commission in October 2007 by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill. The appointment is not remunerated. Ms Riddoch holds no other Ministerial appointments.
Ms Riddoch will receive remuneration on standard terms applicable to ministerial appointments to advisory bodies. This will be set at £200 per day and will be based on providing 48 days input over 12 months of the Task group's remit.
The Rum Summit, convened by the Minister for Environment, Michael Russell on Monday, December 3, 2007, brought the island's community and the key Government agencies together to discuss the economic, social and environmental potential of the island with the principal objective of developing a joint approach to realising the full benefit of the Isle's resources.
The meeting drew on the experience of community representatives from Rum and Eigg, senior staff from Scottish Natural Heritage, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Council, Historic Scotland, the Prince's Regeneration Trust and the Scottish Government. The event was facilitated by Lesley Riddoch. The summit considered the full range of issues impacting on the future of the isle and its community including the examination of a shift towards community control.
The summit agreed - and the Minister endorsed the proposal - that a Task Group should be formed to identify and facilitate actions in support of the development of a dynamic community on Rum which is not solely dependent on SNH.
The Task Group's first meeting was in Fort William (Tuesday February 5).
Related Information: HERE and HERE and HERE
Castle Hostel
The Castle Hostel and Bistro are now open year round (except between 20th December and 28th incl.)
From 5th January onwards we will operate a normal full service in the hostel and bistro.
Although the hostel is fully open, castle tours are by prior arrangement only until the "season" reopens in March 2008.
See 'places to stay' page for contact details.
Two cautionary words for those visiting over the Winter months: Wild Weather.
Remember that the village shop is very well stocked with supplies.
BBC Autumn Watch
The BBC Autumn watch team visited Rum again this year to film the Red deer rut. More info here. The BBC website is a bit of a mess (trying to be clever) so best of luck navigating around. The TV program starts on Nov 5 at 8pm on bbc two.
Orchestrion on YouTube
Guido Blokland from Stornoway visited the castle recently and recorded the Orchestrion. One minute and twelve seconds of pure sonic delight (honestly) can be found on the YouTube clip: Here
Isle of Rum 2007 Music Festival
Report by Fliss Hough
We got a 5* review in the Scotsman - Here
Everything went well, the sun even came out which wasn't forecast, the bands were all 
great, especially Daimh and Bombskare -who excelled even their lively selves this year.
The solar cinema was popular as were the workshops also revolving around a renewable energy theme. The BFG was back and Henry Fosbrooke's woodland orchestra simply didn't stop playing... you could hear them drums 24 hours a day...
Organisation was better this year, in that nobody was running around like a blue arsed fly, at least not all the time. We had Stuart Thomson from Eigg running the bar - strange to get someone from Eigg to stay sober enough to run a bar but Stuart was exemplary, did a great job.
We managed to get the site down and sorted by the end of Monday, despite a bit of rain. Calmac completely messed up the boat bookings on the Monday in that they 
completely overbooked the boat and then decided to let the first 190 odd on without checking tickets. Needless to say, the boat was full with a lot of angry festival goers, who had booked months in advance arguing with the crew on the slip. However, the boat crew proved themselves more professional than the calmac booking office and offered to come back to pick up the rest of the folk later, which they did. Full marks lads.
Pictures of the festival can now be found here on Louis deCarlo's website
images © Louis deCarlo 2007
For those wishing to enter the very low tech world of YouTube excerpts of the festival can be viewed here, a visual and audio assault - you have been warned.
Castle and Island Development Update
Plans are still ongoing with regards restoration of the castle and development of the new activities centre and hostel. Presumably there will be accommodation for castle staff and visiting SNH employees (castle staff are currently employed by SNH but this will almost certainly be transfered to any future trust looking after castle interests).
Historic Scotland have objected to the proposals for the hostel to go where the old greenhouses were and want the The Prince's Regeneration Trust (formally Phoenix Trust) to find a new site, they are now suggesting on the track behind the walled garden, just around the corner, near to the squash courts. While HS are supportive of this there is still much work required in developing plans and further consultation with local planning and building authorities.
Also in preparation are substantial emergency works to the rear oriel window of the castle and a replacement castle water tank.
An upgrade to the water supply and and waste water infrastructure is planned to provide the needs of current and future residents of the island.
SNH are also exploring options for a renewable energy supply, looking at a range of technologies, such as solar (like Rum gets lots of sun or even a regular sufficient light level) and geothermal power, to support the castle redevelopment proposals and other possible community initiatives. Perhaps it should be noted that several years back a substantial upgrade and sustainable hydro power scheme involving a new dam (engineering in part supplied free by the army) was rejected.
The Community Spirit
The splendor of the Isle of Rum* with its dramatic outline and its welcoming bay of Loch Scresort helps make Rum one of the most interesting and unique islands, not just as part of the inner Hebrides but amongst all of Scotland's many west coast islands.
It has an ancient and interesting history, from evidence of neolithic habitation, the earliest in Scotland, through to what has become its glittering (and somewhat distressed) jewel - that of Kinloch Castle built in 1900.
Today it is also known for being one of Britain's finest National Nature Reserves, with an important colony of Manx Shearwater and the location for reintroducing the magnificent Sea Eagle. A long standing Deer research program has brought it international attention and its Feral goats don't go unnoticed with a research initiative of their own.
But what is most important of all is the small population of people who live and work on the island. Making the most of life and addressing those difficulties that living on a small fairly remote island can bring. These difficulties through work, family or general remoteness invariably mean that the population frequently changes from year to year, season to season. Many have to leave due to their work contract, some may simply wish to experience other places. However, they maintain a great sense of community, not inward looking but embracing of those who come prepared for the challenge and also those just wishing to visit, for the day or longer.
* In the past Rum was spelt Rhum, this was an incorrect spelling and the 'h' (added by the Bullough's) has officially been dropped.
This website is a community website, serving the inhabitants of Rum in promoting the place where they live, work and enjoy the islands unique character - the Isle of Rum.
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WHATS IN A NAME
A recent correspondent enquired after the correct spelling of Rum, believing the removal of the 'h' a Scottish Natural Heritage conspiracy. The fact of the matter is that from the earliest maps Rum (picture below, Ortelius, Abraham, 1527-1598 ) was spelt RUM. Have a look at online copies of these early maps at the National Library of Scotland 'Here'. SNH merely reverted the name back to its proper spelling.
The first map to include the 'h' in the spelling was the Ordnance Survey Maps One-inch "Popular" edition, Scotland, 1921-1930. This is almost certainly through the intervention of Sir George Bullough.
The Wikipedia entry for Rum has a very interesting discussion on the corrcet spelling.
© National Library of Scotland
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to all those who helped with this website - The people of Rum - Fiona Talbot especially with the website, Julie Buggy for additional info, the wildlife experts for text and images, those who appear in the photographs and especially to Scottish Natural Heritage for permission to use their copyrighted images (inc. Laurie Campbell commissioned work - great pics Laurie).
ALL Photographs, Illustrations and Text are copyright and governed by international copyright laws. They must not be copied and used whole or in part for any form of reproduction without permission.
Website design and realization, text (except where indicated) and photography (except where indicated) © George Logan 2008
The website has been checked for any inaccuracies but there will almost certainly be some, please let me know george@scottish-photography.co.uk
Ongoing
This website is an ongoing project for the benefit of the Isle of Rum community and island, it will have regular changes made, especially during its inaugural period.
If there is anything you wish to see, wish to have changed or wish to contribute, please get in touch. And if you spot any mistakes please do let us know.
The wildlife section will be expanded, there is still information to come in.
Walks and routes around the island will hopefully be added at some stage. Also a geology and plant-life sections would be of interest and shall be pursued. (click 'Here' for a link to the Scottish Natural Heritage Rum geology pages)
Another Geology link can be found on the links page.
Validation
This site validates with W3c XHTML and CSS standards or at least it would except the anti spam code (on pages with a mail-to link) does not conform to the standards. While it is nice to demonstrate high level web standards the protection against spam was deemed more important at this stage, in all other ways the site is web standards compliant.
If viewing on a PC the best results are achieved with the Firefox browser.
illustration of Rum © scottish natural heritage
