Visiting Uist and Benbecula as HIE Chair

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be travelling across the Highlands and Islands to meet HIE staff, businesses and community groups. It’s a fantastic opportunity to hear directly from the people driving growth and innovation in our region.

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Uist and Benbecula, meeting organisations that are making a real impact across the islands. During the trip, I had the opportunity to meet Comhaire nan Eilean Siar’s (CnES) leader, Paul Steel.

I was accompanied on my visits by Joanna Peteranna, HIE’s director of area operations and I was inspired by the energy and ambition shown during the two days of visits.

That sense of momentum was clear from my very first stop at Spaceport 1, Scolpaig in North Uist, a project led by CnES. I joined their project delivery manager, Alison MacCorquodale to see the completed enabling works. This development will play an important role in advancing both the Scottish and UK space industries while creating high-quality jobs, supporting young people to stay in the islands and attracting new talent to make the Outer Hebrides their home.

We then visited Macmillan Spirits, an ambitious local business that’s making a mark in the premium drinks sector. We were shown around by founder, Angus MacMillan, and I was impressed by the company’s plans for growth and their commitment to sustainability. Keeping their carbon footprint low is at the heart of what they do.

They’ve designed their whole spirit-making process to run on renewable energy, which is a pretty bold move. It means they’ll massively cut their emissions and stay ahead of the curve as the spirits industry shifts away from fossil fuels.

At Eabhal Business Park in Benbecula, I got a real sense of how the right infrastructure can create new opportunities in a rural community. There’s a real buzz around the place just now with seven brand‑new units going up thanks to strong demand from small local businesses looking for modern space to grow. The teamwork behind the whole development is impressive and it feels like the start of something with big potential for future investment.

I also stopped by at Cnoc Soilleir, a vibrant cultural and educational hub dedicated to celebrating and strengthening Gaelic language, music and culture. It’s a lively, inspiring space that supports learning, music, research and community activity across South Uist.

It was great to see the momentum behind Cnoc Soilleir. This island‑driven project is creating space for new ideas to thrive and has real potential to boost both community life and the local economy. A brilliant example of what can be achieved when ambition starts from within the Islands.

Once the second phase is completed, it will support the continued use of the Gaelic language through events, courses and other activities as well as create jobs and encourage young people to stay in the islands. It will also drive growth in the local economy by adding to the tourism and cultural offering in the Outer Hebrides.

During my time back in Stornoway, I also had the opportunity to visit staff in our Stornoway office, which was a great chance to hear first-hand about the work they’re doing to support these efforts locally.

This week I will be visiting organisations in Caithness and Moray, which I’m really looking forward to and if it’s anything like my time in Uist and Benbecula, I know I’ll come away energised by the creativity and ambition driving our region forward.