Good news for islanders

TWO STORIES last week gave me cause for pleasure.

One was the campaign being fought on Raasay to save the island’s community hall, while the other was the granting of planning permission for new affordable housing on Colonsay.

In the case of Raasay, local people face a tough challenge as they need somewhere north of £18,000 to bring the hall, a crucial amenity for island life, back to a fit condition for public use.

For Colonsay, despite there being a number of objections, Argyll and Bute Council was right to approve the new homes, as there is a desperate shortage of affordable housing on the island.

What both share, of course, is the dispiriting problem of depopulation, a blight on many remote communities, let alone in the islands. Anything that makes a vibrant community more viable gets a thumbs up from me.