Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust

Few 19-year-olds can claim to be on the board of an organisation with multi-million-pound assets, but one who can is Brandon Clements. He has just become a director of the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust (IGHT), the community-led body which completed the historic buyout of the island in 2002. Now back working on one of the two fish farms, he is on a mission to persuade others of a similar age to build their lives on Gigha to counter its ageing profile.

Brandon said: ‘When I left Tarbert Academy a couple of years ago, I didn’t really think about staying and working at home on Gigha full-time. I went off to college in Glasgow to study software development for a year, but I didn’t enjoy it all. I saw there was a job on one of the fish farms on Gigha, so went for it and am really enjoying it, finding it very interesting.

‘It got me thinking about all the people my age who think they have to leave the island and leave Argyll to find a better job or house or meet other people. I decided to join the Gigha board to see what we can do to keep some of my age group on the island, or persuade other young people to return or come here. Like lots of island communities, the population is getting older.’

The Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust bought the island in 2002 for just over £4 million.

For further information telephone Jane Millar, business development manager at the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust, on 01583 505390.