Ambitious Lochalsh ready to love local

Lochalsh Loves Local is an ambitious new project to encourage sustainable travel by foot, cycle and electric seven-seater minibus and to encourage buying in Lochalsh.

The project will promote local businesses and encourage sustainable travel by foot and cycle routes as well using a new minibus which is being bought with additional funding secured by Kyle and Lochalsh Community Trust.

The need for better local transport links and better cycle and foot links between settlements, as well as the need to support businesses were all identified as important priorities in the recent Lochalsh community survey conducted in 2021.

With funding from Scotland Loves Local, Kyle and Lochalsh Community Trust is recruiting for a Lochalsh Loves Local co-ordinator on a three-day a week role for an initial year, working alongside the community development officer Susan Walker.

The co-ordinator will work with local businesses to develop promotional campaigns and special events and ‘Lochalsh Loves Local’ days to encourage local purchasing.

The project will also work with the community and groups to identify the best way to use and schedule the new electric seven-seater vehicle.

This might include designing some scheduled routes and possibly a dial-a-taxi or rental set-up to make sure the community gets the best use out of the new community transport vehicle.

The project will also be looking for volunteer drivers to help to deliver the new community transport scheme.

The project will also identify and promote existing path and cycle routes between settlements, as well as researching potential new foot and cycle routes, and will work with partners to produce a plan for a new paths network that links as many settlements as possible in Lochalsh. Additional funding and partnership working will be needed to develop any new paths.

Maggie

Byrne, chairperson of Kyle and Lochalsh Community Trust, told the Lochaber Times: ‘Transport within Lochalsh has been raised as a serious issue that prevents community members from getting to work, accessing childcare, getting to the shops or medical appointments, attending social or sporting activities or events, connecting up with the public transport network or being able to travel safely by foot or cycle between settlements. The community also values our local businesses highly and was very grateful for the extra community support they gave during Covid lockdowns. We are delighted to be able to begin to address these crucial community priorities with our new Lochalsh Loves Local project.’

For more information check out Kyle and Lochalsh Community Trust’s website www.lochalsh.uk