Estate management features in second of new series of ‘Obair La’

The land is very much in focus in the second programme in the new series of ‘Obair La', when the television cameras follow Lewisman Iain M. MacIver as he juggles his hectic working day as an estate manager and active crofter.
Serving on the most populated community within the Western Isles, the viewer gains a valuable insight into the challenges and appeal of running one of the most dynamic and environmentally diverse estates in northern Scotland – the 70,000 acre Stornoway Trust.
Born and brought up in the small rural village of Laxay, in Lewis, Iain MacIver’s life has been inextricably tied to the land. The son, grandson and great-grandson of gamekeepers, Iain is no stranger to estate work. During earlier times his ancestors were cleared from the land to make way for sheep. Now, ironically, he finds himself serving as factor to a large estate of forty crafting villages that was gifted to the community in the 1920’s by wealthy industrialist and philanthropist, Lord Leverhulme. At its hub is the bustling seaport town of Stornoway, which accounts for nearly half of the Western Isles’ population.
Across the Stornoway harbour on estate land is the largest engineering yard at Arnish – witness to much of the highs and lows of the oil industry over recent decades, its potential renaissance as a fabricator of wind turbines is linked very much to the Trust’s vision of Lewis being a key provider of renewable energy in the future.
The Trust, in conjunction with two other landlords, is currently in discussions with developers Lewis Windpower, who propose to build the world’s largest windfarm on the three neighbouring estates.
The programme makes compelling viewing and the scenery is also stunning as the ‘Obair La’ cameras skilfully explore aspects of everyday life in a unique crofting community.
Produced by Lewis-based Paracas Media, edited at Studio Alba in Stornoway and funded by Seirbheis nam Meadhanan Gaidhlig, the programme will be shown on STV and Grampian television on April 25 at 6:10pm.
(KmcA)