A Skye community is to get its own shop, providing locals and visitors with a much needed service and helping to boost economic activity in one of the more peripheral areas of the island.

In the shadow of the Cuillins, the village of Torrin has about 65 residents, and attracts a considerable amount of visitors during the summer months. At the moment they have to purchase provisions in Broadford before heading towards the village and the rest of the Elgol peninsula.

The driving force behind the new shop is the Torrin Management Committee which was set up in conjunction with the land owners, the John Muir Trust, when they took over ownership of Torrin Estate in 1991. The aim of the committee is to improve both the natural and built environment in and around the village. Recently the top priority for the organisation has been the establishment of a community shop.

With £6,000 from Skye and Lochalsh Enterprise (SALE), part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network, matching funding from The Highland Council, and £12,000 from the John Muir Trust, the shop will be built at a cost of £24,000 .

The Torrin Management Committee will own the shop but lease it to local woman, Marina Campbell, who intends to sell a wide range of goods including groceries and crafts. The new facility will also provide locals and visitors with information on the surrounding area and the work of the John Muir Trust.

Marina Campbell said: "Local support for the project has been tremendous and I am so pleased to see it now going ahead. I am really looking forward to getting the shop up and running. It will provide an essential service for the people of Torrin and will be a new focus for the village."

The shop will create one full-time job and one part-time seasonal post in an area where employment opportunities are extremely limited.

Development manager at SALE, Graham Campbell said: "The creation of a community shop in Torrin will be a tremendous boost for the village in terms of improving economic activity. It will provide residents with important retail facilities but will also encourage visitors to spend more money in the area."

Spokesman for the John Muir Trust, Nigel Hawkins said: "The new shop at Torrin will provide both a much-needed local service, and a new focal point for the community.

"This project has come about because of the initiative of local people. It says a great deal about the community that, by their own efforts, they are reversing the national trend towards closure of rural shops and instead opening a new shop, which will ensure that in this part of Skye both local people and visitors will have the benefit of a shop and its range of products."

Highland councillor for the area and new SALE board member, Angus Sutherland said: "This is evidence of what our active and vibrant community can achieve. It is a credit to the villagers and the presence of the John Muir Trust that an initiative of this kind can happen in a little place like Torrin. Support from the local community will be essential to sustain the business and I wish Marina Campbell good luck, along with the community."