Residents of Applecross in Wester Ross are on the crest of a wave today (Friday, 13 October) as a recently completed £260,000 pier was officially opened.

75 year old Angus Gillies - one of the oldest fishermen from the village was given the honour of cutting the ribbon to mark the occasion, drawing a ten year period of hard work and planning by the local Pier Users Association to a successful conclusion. The new facility is set to serve a wide variety of purposes for the local community.

The 40 metre long pier will help Applecross and the surrounding area develop as a tourist destination by attracting passing leisure craft and will provide much needed landing facilities for local fishermen. Supporting on-shore facilities include a fuel storage tank, power, water, gear storage and car parking.

The project has been achieved thanks to a funding package of £120,000 from Ross and Cromarty Enterprise (RACE), £10,000 from The Highland Council and £130,000 from the European-funded PESCA fisheries programme. The Applecross Trust also demonstrated its enthusiastic backing for the project by providing the land for the development at a 'peppercorn' rent.

Although the PESCA programme has now finished, funding has been targeted towards the development of skills and the enhancement of commercial prospects for fishermen and other individuals in fishing dependent communities across the Highlands and Islands, while ensuring that traditional fishing activity was maintained.

Commenting on the pier opening, chief executive of Ross and Cromarty Enterprise (RACE), Gordon Cox said: "The Applecross community had experienced a steady economic decline, combined with population loss. In an endeavour to improve the viability of local businesses and of the wider community, Applecross was designated a priority area for development.

"The new pier will allow local fishermen to safely land their catches at any state of tide and should attract leisure craft and touring yachts which will help provide additional income for local shops, hotels and visitor attractions."

The development will help create full-time employment for locals by allowing another fishing boat to be added to the local fleet, and an opportunity may also exist for someone to start providing boat trips for visitors as marine tourism has been identified as offering excellent future potential.

Alistair McCowan, secretary of the Applecross Pier Users Association said: "Trends now indicate that visiting craft are more likely to stopover where there are high quality onshore facilities which add to the enjoyment of the whole sailing experience.

"The upgrade of the local hotel, which features an award winning pub; a well stocked shop; a proposed heritage centre; and of course the beautiful scenery all contribute to help meet these requirements.

"The pier will also allow Applecross to benefit from other pier and pontoon developments which have been built between Mallaig and Ullapool over the last few years. With the sailing fraternity typically travelling around 30 miles each day, Applecross will become a more appealing destination, complementing other similar facilities at Gairloch, Kyle of Lochalsh and Kyleakin."