Foula Electricity Trust

Isobel Holbourn: I’m a crafter in Foula, I came to Foula in 1956, and I’ve been here more or less ever since. So it’s about 50 years, over 50years I’ve been here, we had no electricity at all to start with then the very first electricity I ever had was we got a small second hand generator, diesel generator. It was just very short periods and as you couldn’t afford the diesel ‘cause none of us had much money, so you couldn’t really depend on it. You didn’t have the fuel and you didn’t have the well the certainty that it was going to work. The first lottery money that we got brought in that extra hydropower, which combined with our solar panels, and the diesel generator backing it up. We were able to ensure 24 hour electricity which was just an absolute God sent. So there were all sorts of little bits and pieces, pros and cons that that 24 hour power solved. It was just a huge number of things that you were able to do that you weren’t able to do before. Foula has a population of 28 men, women and children so owe to that number of people we have to do all the services. We have to man the ferry, we have to run the Post office, do all our services like water, maintaining them with just the scheme, everything has to be done owe at that number of people. So the numbers are really crucially low at the moment. The potential therefore services to be better, and perhaps encourage another couple of young farmers to come into the island in the Foula context that is a very, very important and very wonderful prospect. Page 1 of 1