This past month has seen the island begin to come to life again after the winter, the snowdrops in the walled garden at Ulva House were spectacular – unfortunately, I completely forgot to take any photos, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Housing Refurbishments The big news is that we finally have all the funding in place for our housing refurbishment project. We’ve been working on securing the necessary funds for well over a year, so you can imagine how delighted we are. The project will see the 6 existing residential properties (the Ferry House, the Manse House, No’s 1, 2 & 3 Bracadale and Fisherman’s Cottage) undergo extensive refurbishments, in order to bring them all up to modern standards. Work will include installing insulation, double glazing and central heating using air source heat pumps, roof repairs, new rainwater goods, new bathrooms & kitchens, staircases, and external porches where required amongst other things. Bruce & Neil Architects have been appointed as lead architects and the work will be carried out by TSL as lead contractors. Funding for the project has come from the Scottish Government’s Rural & Island Housing Fund, Argyll & Bute Council, Ecology Building Society as well as from our own funds. Huge thanks to the funders for their support for this project which will see an improvement in living standards for existing tenants and bring 3 currently empty properties back into use as affordable homes for long-term rent. No start date has been fixed; we are hoping that we will be in a position to kick off in mid-May. It is likely that the houses won’t be ready for occupation until early next year, so we won’t be advertising for new tenants until the back end of this year. ...to read more in this blog, please visit the Development Manager's Diary Page on this website.

Work on our various projects had been continuing apace this past month despite some atrocious weather which saw winds of 60mph hitting the island over the course of a week. Unfortunately, this resulted in extensive damage to trees at Ulva House. We lost at least 3 trees within the walled garden and several limbs off a beautiful old tress next to the garden. The clear up operation is still underway. We are hopeful however that we may be able to turn some of the wood that has come down into benches for. To read the full post, please click on the Development Manager's Diary Page

North West Mull Community Woodland Company are looking to appoint an enthusiastic and committed individual with education or countryside ranger experience to work with a small team on Ulva, as part of the Storas Ulbha project. The post will deliver the Education and Marketing Plan for Ulva and will involve working with a wide range of people and organisations to inform and promote the natural and cultural heritage of our beautiful island. This is a fixed term appointment for a 4 days per week contract (annualised hours) and will run from May 2021 to Dec 2022 (although may be extended subject to funding.) Salary - £22,000 - £24,000 FTE Deadline for applications is Friday March 26th at 5.00pm More Information and How to Apply For more information about the Storas Ulbha project, please visit the Storas Ulbha Page and how to apply, please go to the Jobs page . This post is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund (NCHF) delivered by .NatureScot. NCHF is an ERDF funded programme

In previous jobs I always found that things took time to pick up after Christmas & Hogmanay celebrations. Not here though! It’s been a surprisingly busy month with progress on a number of fronts – enough to keep me brooding about the on-going covid restrictions! The most significant development is that we have found new tenants for the Boathouse – Mark Elliot and Brendan Tyreman. They are planning on moving up from Edinburgh at the beginning of March with a view (covid permitting) to opening the Boathouse in April. They have been to Ulva before, spending time here in 2019 following a trip to Iona, so they have some idea of what they are coming to. With the Boathouse being such an important island attraction, we are delighted at the prospect of the cafe welcoming customers again in 2021. I’ll be first in the queue for coffee & cake – it’ll be a welcome respite from my own baking efforts. ( Read the Full Blog, Click Here )

We are pleased to be able to announce that our search for new tenants for the Boathouse has ended successfully. We are in detailed negotiations with Mark Elliot & Brendan Tyreman from Edinburgh. They are delighted to be taking over the lease of The Boathouse and are set to open for the coming season, Covid-19 permitting. They first visited Ulva in 2019 after a pilgrimage to Iona and feel fate is steering them back to the island. Bringing a wealth of hospitality experience they hope to continue the great reputation that The Boathouse has for high quality, local and homemade food and hope soon to call Ulva home. We look forward to welcoming them to the island soon.

A double edition this month to make up for the fact that November went past in the blink of an eye and I now find myself almost at the end of the year having not posted anything for almost 2 months. Frightening how that happens – I’m desperately avoiding blaming it on age!! It’s been another busy period for the island with progress being made on several fronts. The Storas Ulbha project is steaming ahead. At the beginning of December we appointed a Liz Peel as the project administrator. Liz lives in Dervaig and brings with her a wealth of project & community experience including management of European grant funds. We can’t quite believe our luck in finding her but are delighted to welcome her to the team! The tender process for the design team for the Ulva House restoration element of the project elicited 4 submissions and we anticipate making a final appointment early in the new year. The contract for consultants to monitor and evaluate the success of the project over the next 2 years has been advertised, along with a contract to undertake some filming work. These contracts will also be awarded in early January. Virtual meetings have been held with the Garden Force volunteers and a plan for the restoration of the walled garden at Ulva House is emerging. Finally, we are starting to build a network of historians, archaeologists, genealogists and general interest individuals who will be contributing to the interpretation work. To read this blog in full, please go to the Development Manager's Diary Page

The repurposing of Ulva House sits at the centre of a major project which will celebrate Ulva’s People – the impact they have had in history across the world, and the impact they will have in building a new community on the island. The story of Ulva is a microcosm of the story of Scotland’s remote communities both in the impacts of clearance and depopulation and the drive today to sustainably repopulate and regenerate some of Scotland’s most beautiful and remote places. Whilst Ulva has stunning scenery, historic buildings and areas of natural heritage interest, its greatest cultural heritage value is in the story of its people. In a competitive visitor and funding environment, Ulva needs to distinguish its visitor and cultural offer from other similar island communities. It can best do this by focusing on the history of its people and their impact on Scotland and the world. To read more, please go to the Storas Ulbha page on this website. (Old Ulva House: Photo By: Peter Garwood)

NWMCWC Ltd are looking for an administrator to support the project team to deliver the Storas Ulbha project. You will be responsible for providing an efficient and effective administration service to the Project Manager and the Education & Marketing Officer, and also lead on grant claims, reporting and financial management of the project. The contracted hours are 15 per week with a salary of between £7200 - £8000. The position is initially based in the company office in Dervaig but will be located on Ulva as office space becomes available. During C19 you are expected to be able to work from home and have a broadband & telephone connection. Requirements Office administration and support Basic financial management including data management, ideally with some grant claim funding experience Good knowledge of MS Office including Word, PowerPoint and Excel Working with small remote communities especially with reference to the need for good personal skills and need for confidentiality and discretion Experience in arranging meetings and events For a job description and details on how to apply please mail admin@nwmullwoodland.co.uk THIS POST IS FUNDED BY THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE FUND DELIVERED BY NATURE SCOT AND THE NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND

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