In 1953 the Picture Post described the Highlands as “Britain’s most gravely depressed area”. A chronic lack of employment opportunities and no economic choices for young Highlanders left no choice but to leave in order to find employment elsewhere. Population demographics indicated little chance that Highland communities would survive.
At the first meeting in Edinburgh in 1953 of the promoters of what was to become The Highland Fund, Lord Malcolm-Douglas Hamilton expressed the option that “nothing was lacking in the Highlands that was necessary to bring about it’s economic revival except capital.” From conceptualisation by a Conservative MP the strongly socialist orientated concept was to go on to provide capital to communities and individuals in the Highlands and Islands for the next 55 years, enabling this economic revival to take place.
Loans were supplied to individuals without need for collateral other than “good character” with the aim of assisting a large number of small agricultural and industrial undertakings to strengthen the economies of Highland communities. Support was given through the years to assist with stock, equipment and housing and to encourage younger crofters to remain on the land.
An early gift to the Fund of 44 John Brown Cropmaster tractors enabled practical support to be provided where needed. These tractors were given, or provided on interest free loans, to crofters and crofting communities at cost price, one going to an elderly gentleman in Appin who was seen by a committee member to be pulling a saddle plough himself. Support was given to fishing, tourism, agriculture, market gardens, food producers, community schemes and craft industries, and the fledging Sabhal Mòr Ostaig received financial support in 1977. Bigger schemes were financed, including the Brora Coal Mine and Brickworks and the emerging Cairngorm winter sports industry but support was not confined to economic projects; funding for a boat was given to the doctor in Glen Elg to allow him to attend patients in KyleRea and CalMac was contacted to provide a service to allow Lismore Island school children to travel home from Oban each weekend.
Long before the days of organisations such as the HIDB the fund provided people opportunities to make a living using both traditional means and in developing new methods of economic diversification.
Symbolising in some way it’s success in revitalising the Highland Economy the requests for assistance dwindled as other funding sources became available and in 2008 a donation of £200 000 to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig came “...with the good wishes of the Council members of the Fund and our hope and confidence that Sabhal Mòr Ostaig will act as a beacon for the economic future of the Highlands and Islands.”
With this financial vote of confidence in the College came the records of the operations of the Highland Fund over its 55 years of operation; within the minutes, accounts and annual reports are contained a record of a revival within the Highlands and Islands; in terms of economics and subsequently in pride in our culture and way of life.
