THE CROFT ORIGINALS
Women & under 40s turn to life on land
It is a way of life championed by the King but has overwhelmingly been a male domain.
Now it has emerged that almost half of new crofters are women – 200 in total.
Figures show a leap in the number of people wanting to take up the traditional way of life.
Notably, 45 per cent of the 510 new entrants are women and 29 per cent are aged 40 or younger.
The Crofting Commission data was recorded across Scotland from March 2022 to March 2023
Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan said: “The latest figures are very encouraging, particularly the proportions of young people and women recorded.
“This progress demonstrates new measures on helping prospective new crofters secure a tenancy are working, though of course there is still more that can be done.”
Minister for Energy and the Environment Gillian Martin also welcomed the figures and said the
Scottish Government was committed to supporting crofting and its role in rural communities.
She said: “We will continue to work closely with the Crofting Commission to create opportunities for new entrants.”
And Malcolm Matheson, of the Crofting Commission, which regulates 21,000 crofts around Scotland, said the numbers were “a shot in the arm for rural communities facing depopulation challenges”.
He added: “It’s clear crofting continues to offer exciting opportunities for people seeking a rewarding and sustainable lifestyle.”
As heir to the throne, the then Prince Charles famously worked as a crofter on the island of Berneray.
He was so enamoured with the life that he went back in 1991 with TV presenter Selina Scott for the programme A Prince Among Islands.
He stayed both times with Gloria MacKillop and her husband, the well known crofter Donald Alick, known as “Splash”. He planted and lifted potatoes, helped with the sheep and happily sang in their kitchen in the evening.
Charles said he found crofting inspirational and he loved it because it was so close to his philosophy. He used many of the things he learned there on his organic farm at Highgrove.
When Splash died in 2009, Charles said: “People like him are very hard to replace.”