In her second weekly update, ACT Chair Anne Widdop reflects on a whirlwind start to 2026, from distributing the Gower Trust fund and a packed board meeting, to the final stages of Bill’s Shed clearout and plans to spruce up the toilets before the tourist season.
These updates are published first on our Facebook page each week – follow us there to get the news first. If anything sparks a question or an offer of support, drop us a line at info@arisaigcommunitytrust.org.uk.
ACT Diary: 1st March 2026
How did it get to March already? The first two months of 2026 have been a bit of a whirlwind and this week is no different. It started on a wet and windy Monday with a meeting about The Gower Trust. The annual £5000 Gower Trust fund is administered, on behalf of a local benefactor, by ACT and the Community Council. We had many more requests for money than cash available and while we would have loved to give everyone what they asked for, some difficult decisions were needed. After that, a quick trip to Bills Shed (a daily occurrence it seems) to check out how the clearance operation is getting on. We only have 2 things left to get rid of – an (antique) ladies racer and a birthday card for a 90 year old. Any takers? Maybe a 90 year old could ride the bike away on her birthday?
Then, onto Board business. With our monthly Board meeting on Wednesday, Zoe, Becky and I spent Monday and Tuesday ensuring all the reports were compiled and issued ready for scrutiny. With only five Directors at present (and 3 co-opted), there is a lot going on for a very small group of people. I’ve been canvassing hard to encourage new people to join the board. We could do with some younger blood as the current Directors average age is (ahem), well I couldn’t possibly say! Lets put it this way, we all remember the days when you had an actual telephone in the hall (why was it always the hall?) and the TV only had 3 channels. How come there was always something you wanted to watch, how can that be? Now we have endless streaming channels and as I flick through, I can’t find anything I want to watch. Maybe that is just me…
I digress, back to the board meeting! I managed to convince three talented people to come along with a view to getting involved, so the board were warned to be on their best behaviour. Fingers crossed, they come back! As the rain and wind beat against the windows straight off Loch nan Ceal, we ploughed through the agenda, cramming a lot into an hour and a half: Solar panels for Toilets and Land, Sea and Islands Centre; Bill’s Shed; housing, playpark and playing field maintenance jobs, the museums, discussions about funding, donations, reviewing finance and our very long list of ‘to do’s’. As the new tourist season will be rapidly upon us, the toilets need a makeover, so watch out for a request for a week-end work party. Drinks and nibbles provided afterwards in the Land, Sea and Islands Centre – how can you resist!
15K, yes, fifteen thousand people, used the toilets last year with an average donation of 21p. What do you get for 21p these days? Not a lot. I looked it up on Google and it said ‘a loose banana or an onion’. Although many people had some much needed relief in Arisaig for 21p. We are working on a plan to nudge this up so we are not losing money.
We agreed a list of repairs and maintenance for the Land, Sea and Islands Centre, as well as a deep clean and plan to re-open mid March. Still looking for a volunteer Curator for the Museum. Funding is available to help secure museum status (and possibly a paid role), such something well overdue for our small but valuable collection.
In other news, volunteers Chris P cut down the tree at the toilets and Peter F fixed the ladies toilets. I am still working on issues related to something called the ‘rural housing burden’ and scouring the internet for grants. Do let me know if you know of any! I also met up with the new minister on Friday (at Bills Shed of course) who was more than happy to sort out several boxes of paperwork from the Church of Scotland in Arisaig, which was sold last year. It’s been a great week for the Trust and thanks to everyone who has been busy helping out, long may that continue!
If you want to get involved, there are lots of ways you can do that. You can join the Volunteers WhatsApp Group, or just drop us an email and ask Zoe to add your name to the list, info@arisaigcommunitytrust.org.uk, or just talk to one of the Directors.
Cheers! Anne