The community spirit we enjoy in Oban is there to be shared

I don’t know about anyone else but I’ve always felt safe in Oban, as if we’re so far away from everything that none of the bad stuff can touch us, but the horrible events in Christchurch, New Zealand have made me think about this.

My cousin, whose dad was James Whyte from Oban, lives 50 metres from one of the mosques that was attacked, and she offered shelter to some of the women fleeing for their lives. They were with her for eight hours until they could be taken to safety – one of the women’s husbands had been shot but fortunately lived.

It’s horrific to think that something like this can happen because of hate and intolerance. We are lucky enough to have a small, close community in Oban, perhaps because we are so far away from everything, and I hope that even as the town expands we can continue to keep that feeling of community and welcome those who want to join it.

If you grow up in a community like this, where everyone is seen as an individual, you can take that with you into the wider world and pass it on, but it takes work within the community and within homes to keep our town free of intolerance and hate, and it’s up to us all to challenge it when we see it and keep Oban the friendly welcoming place it is for everyone.

Last week’s photo was of the window at the back of St John’s Cathedral and this week’s photo is at the other end of George Street.