Celebrating Transformative Scottish Land Fund Allocations for Morvern and the Bays of Harris

That the Parliament warmly congratulates Morvern Community Woodlands (MCW) and the Bays of Harris Community Estate Limited on successfully securing what it considers to be transformational funding from the Scottish Land Fund to support community-led asset ownership; welcomes the award of £495,650 to Morvern Community Woodlands to purchase 94 hectares of land adjacent to the village of Lochaline on the Morvern Peninsula, which it understands will be used to develop vital woodland crofts, associated self-build housing plots, a community woodlot, and vibrant recreation spaces, while actively managing broadleaf and commercial forestry to address population decline, housing shortages, nature restoration, and access to land, alongside creating essential economic and volunteering opportunities; further welcomes the significant award of £1,082,680 to the Bays of Harris Community Estate Limited, which, it further understands, the community group will use to buy a 10,927-hectare crofting estate from a private seller, securing local governance to directly address long-standing population and housing vulnerabilities across a fragile and dispersed island community; applauds the immense dedication, local vision, and years of hard work demonstrated by both community groups to bring these historic buyouts to fruition; and wishes everyone involved in the Morvern and Bays of Harris initiatives the very best of success as they assume full community control with a view to building sustainable, resilient, and thriving rural futures.