Carbon Neutral Islands - Raasay

07/04/2026

🛟Want to protect the waters and coast around Raasay? Show your support to Ourseas who are campaigning to bring in a limit which would see harmful fishing methods such as dredging banned while encouraging small local sustainable fisheries. 🛟

https://ourseasscotland.eaction.org.uk/bring-back-the-fish/submit

Protecting our marine habitats emerged as a top community priority and we plan to investigate how we can do more on this over the coming year.

Pictured - Kelp - Which borders much of Raasay shores. Kelp was was once harvested to harvested for its high amouunt of nutrients and minerals. It provides a shelter for much marine life and even helps break up the force of waves hitting the shore. For those inclined it, it makes a rich umani addition to food dishes.

30/03/2026

The workshop explored the how common objects and materials have ended up here and how they can be used beneficially for the future. Thanks for having us!

10/12/2025

Find out how Raasays battle to control Rhododendron Ponticum is going 1 year in.

01/09/2025

Interested in community buildings? Come along. I'll be speaking about the story of Raasay Community Hall and the works, challenges and insights in making the building so energy efficient its our first Net Zero building!

One of a series of webinars from the Energy Learning Network

18/08/2025

Art, done differently. Made using reclaimed seafood shells from local restaurants, this piece, made of one person's waste, is now giving back. This is circular economy in action.

We installed Tidal Greens bivalve mural in Raasay Community Hall today and it looks beautiful! Big shout out to Joel of Skye Stone Studio, James Wilson - Joiner Builder and Tom from Carbon Neutral Islands - Raasay for getting it safely on the wall!

Creative Scotland Gaia Art Foundation

22/07/2025

JOIN THE TEAM: Raasay Development Trust is hiring a Development Manager

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (0.8 FTE/28hrs)
• Lead project development from RDT's Five Year Development Plan
• Manage RDT systems and community engagement
• £33,670 pro rata with 5% pension contribution
• 12-month contract with view to permanent position, subject to funding confirmation

Why Work With Us?
• Flexible hours and generous annual leave
• Chance to develop the island while applying your skills
• Hybrid role - Home/Office working. Frequent Travel to Raasay required.

About: RDT manage community assets from pontoons to houses, deliver the Carbon Neutral Islands project and support the many community organisations on the island of Raasay. See job pack for more details.

Apply: Send CV and cover letter to [email protected] by 4th August midnight.

Questions about the role or how your experience might fit? Contact Tom at [email protected]

JOB PACK: https://storage.googleapis.com/.../068P100000OZYcBIAX...
Website: https://raasay.com/development-trust/

17/06/2025

🌟 JOIN THE TEAM: Opportunities at Raasay Development Trust!

Seeking motivated people to support community initiatives and help realise the island's ambitions.

TWO POSITIONS AVAILABLE:

1️⃣ LOCAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (0.8 FTE, 12 months)
• Lead project development from RDT’s Five Year Development Plan
• Manage RDT systems and community engagement
• £33,670 pro rata with 5% pension contribution

2️⃣COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER- CARBON NEUTRAL ISLANDS(0.8 FTE, 9 months)
• Implement the Community Climate Action Plan
• Foster community participation and engagement
• £30,940 pro rata with 5% pension contribution

Why Work With Us?
• Flexible hours and generous annual leave
• Meaningful work supporting a vibrant island community
• Mix of home and office-based work
• Both roles have potential for extension

About: Raasay Development Trust manages community assets and delivers the Carbon Neutral islands project on the sublime island off Raasay. See job pack linked below for details.

Apply for either (or both) positions by July 1st: Send your CV and cover letter to [email protected] If you have any questions about either of the roles contact Tom at [email protected]

09/05/2025

21/03/2025

On April 12th, - "Conversations of Consequence" workshop at our hall. Like no other (CNI) event, the tailored day focuses on exploring how we relate to ourselves, others, and change.. It's designed to be an investment for participants- building practical skills, meaningful connections, and valuable insights specific to our community's needs, leading to greater confidence and agency.

Resident Paul Howell will run the workshop. Since meeting him last Autumn, I've discovered that beneath a few peculiarities lie valuable skills from 28 years of work with communities, organizations and individuals. It's rare to have someone with this calibre of experience offering a workshop on our island.

Raasay's community reflects dedication spanning generations to present day. Future success won't emerge accidentally, but through intentional action to face challenges such as ageing demographics, housing shortages, and climate change impacts. I see a path forward with more confidence, through strengthened cohesion and collective action, having necessary conversations and making hard decisions together that leverage our incredible local skills to build a resilient and adaptable island for future generations.

I believe the workshop is a step towards this - Our capacity and time are limited, so using it wisely is prudent. Everyone is welcome. No experience needed, though I particularly encourage those involved with community groups or actively contributing to attend, to step out of your comfort zone and become more effective as individuals and groups,

As we believe this to be a valuable investment into the community, CNI is offering 12 funded places for Raasay residents, covering £85 of the total cost on a first-come, first-served basis. The full workshop cost is £105 until March 28th, then increases to £125, so book early to save. If the remaining cost presents a barrier to attendance, please get in touch.
Cheerio,
Tom.
[email protected]

https://www.pauljhowell.com/events/the-nature-of-change
or contact Paul at- [email protected]

13/03/2025

Hello one and all,

Here's a well overdue update on what's been going on.

- The Rhodo-No-More operation hits the road in pursuit of run away Rhododendrons
- The answer lies in the deep: Test borehole at Raasay house drilled
- Farewell to Rosie
- Retrofit Scheduled to be completed by end of May

Since moving on from Oscaig woods, Iain, Gary, and Spencer have begun works for CNI's Island wide Habitat Restoration campaign, focussing on treating Rhododendron. With so many to choose from, 'where do we begin!?' has been a challenging question for me. Treatment is focusing on outlying infestations that threaten Rhododendron free areas. Currently, the team is based up at Creachan and have already treated Balachuirn. Many folk have given us encouragement, support or help - Thank you.

Going down to 199m the test borehole for the renewable heating system for Raasay Hole was complete. Next week the borehole will undergo thermal testing, which will tell us how much thermal gold the ground has to offer. To clarify from my last post on this - Its expected that this project will deliver energy savings, a portion of these savings will be ringfenced for community projects through RHCC.

Rosie has moved on from the CNI team. It's been a joy to work alongside Rosie over the last years. Doing a job with no 'How-to' manual, Rosie's initiative and reason has been instrumental, and her input has played a huge role in getting the project to where it is. All the best Rosie. (The 3 Inverarish Houses being retrofitted will remain under her umbrella, and I'll let her keep you posted on those separately.)

While we're not managing the retrofit project, we will be giving out information to help with the process. The latest update is that the works will be completed by end the end of May.

March marks Springs, and less excitingly, the end of the financial year. This month, my focus is on making sure our funding is utilised as effectively as possible. There is a couple events in the pipeline, i'll keep you posted.

For now, take it easy,
Tom.

25/11/2024

Earlier this year Rosie got the chance to write an article for the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland's quarterly magazine on rural housing. You can read about it here:

Raasay, like many rural areas, faces a significant housing crisis. Only half of the island's homes are occupied by permanent residents