On Saturday, 21 May, I went with my daughter, Isla, to a fundraiser in Victoria (London) at the Boisdale – a pleasant jazz club-cum-wine bar owned and run by Ranald Macdonald of Clanranald in Ecclestone Street.

The launch fundraiser was for Stòras Uibhist (i.e.Uist Resources) – the company set up by the communities on the islands of Benbecula, Eriskay, and South Uist to buy out the South Uist Estates Ltd so that they’d have control over the land, its development, and the economy of these islands in their own interest.

They need to raise £4 million, but quite a lot of that will come from public funds. Their immediate target is £600,000 which they’re hoping to raise in part from the Exiles (in England and Wales, as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA).

The details are on the Stòras Uibhist website.

The fundraiser was paid for partly by Clanranald, and partly by The West Highland Free Press – the popular newspaper for the islands and the western highlands, and supported by the Highlands and Islands Society of London. There was some brilliant piping by Simon Mcmillan – a very talented young man (son of Angus Macmillan the Chairman of Stòras Uibhist) who did brilliantly at the National Mòd – and superb singing by Coisir Lunnainn (the London Gaelic Choir). The wine bar was packed, and most of the men were kilted (except one or two who, in their defence, were wearing trews).

I took lots of photos, but they seem to have got deleted in the Bluetooth journey from my mobile phone to my iBook. I don’t know what I did, but it was pretty destructive whatever it was. However, all was not lost – two survived.

Me just about to go into the Boisdale:




My daughter, Isla, drinking tea during a break between the piping and the singing: