COMMUNITy

Alongside Barrahormid Trust’s environmental restoration aims are its objectives to advance community development through repopulation, engagement and reinvestment

repopulation

On the Barrahormid Estate there is one occupied farmhouse at Barrahormid Farm which will continue to be used as a home for people working on the estate, and nine groups of abandoned buildings at Barnashaig, Upper Fernoch, Lower Fernoch, Barbreack, Barbae, Drimnagall, North Ardbeg, South Ardbeg and Auchoshin.  These would have been thriving communities until the 19th century and some were occupied well into the 20th century.  Most are now ruins with no vehicular access or services.  Nevertheless the Charity will be exploring options for making these properties available as renovation projects to those who share our environmental objectives and want to live and work in the local community.

Drimnagall
Barrahormid Farmhouse
Barnashaig
North Ardbeg

engagement

Community involvement

The Barrahormid Trust has been working closely with the Tayvallich Initiative community group since October 2022 to ensure that our plans for nature conservation and repopulation are supported by the local community.

The proposals were presented and put to a vote of the community group in the Tayvallich Village Hall on 8th November 2022, and received 94% support.

The charity will continue to work in partnership with the Tayvallich community:

  • At least one seat on the board of trustees will be held by a community representative
  • The allocation of opportunities to renovate the abandoned properties will be agreed in conjunction with the Tayvallich Initiative

REINVESTMENT

Restoration and conservation of the land on the Barrahormid Estate will be expensive and require long-term investment.  To aid delivery of its environmental objectives and provide much needed expertise and capability the Charity has an entered into a long-term management plan with Highlands Rewilding Limited.  They will manage Barrahormid as a whole with the Tayvallich Estate to the South and East.

Any profits that Highlands Rewilding makes from its management of the estate will be shared with the Charity.  This profit share will be reinvested by us into other local projects that deliver on our charitable objectives of environmental conservation and community development.