Different Organisations, One Island Spirit

Sandy Fraser and Ralph Tonge, Tarbert, Isle of Harris

Muaitheabhal Community Trust meets Harris Voluntary Service in Tarbert

This week, Muaitheabhal Community Trust Manager Ralph Tonge travelled to Tarbert to meet Sandy Fraser, Development Manager at Harris Voluntary Service, and her team — for a conversation that felt as natural as it was productive.

Harris Voluntary Service is one of those organisations that gets on with it quietly and consistently, year after year. For over sixty years, HVS has been the connective tissue of community life on Harris — supporting more than 40 local groups, organisations, and charities, and providing practical help to the people who need it most. From summer playschemes for children to hardship support for families, from championing carers to nurturing volunteers, HVS understands Harris from the ground up.

It was a privilege to sit with them and talk honestly about the challenges and opportunities facing North Harris — the communities that sit at the very heart of our own work.

Shared Ground

What became clear very quickly was how much common purpose we share. Both organisations are rooted in place. Both are driven by a commitment to the people of these islands rather than to process or bureaucracy. And both are looking ahead — thinking seriously about what North Harris needs not just today, but in ten and twenty years' time.

Sandy Fraser, Development Manager at Harris Voluntary Service, captured that shared spirit beautifully:

"Different organisations, one island spirit — and I think that spirit is very much alive and well in North Harris. What struck me most about our conversation with Muaitheabhal Community Trust was how much common ground we share — not just in what we do, but in why we do it. We both believe in this place deeply. We both understand the particular challenges of island life, and the particular strengths that come with it too. Harris Voluntary Service is at a really exciting point in our development, and the plans we have for young people in North Harris are something I'm enormously passionate about. Having the support and enthusiasm of partners like Muaitheabhal Community Trust behind us makes a real difference. Together, we can make North Harris a place where the next generation genuinely wants to stay."

Investing in the Next Generation

Youth engagement was a theme that ran through much of our discussion, and with good reason. North Harris is a place of extraordinary beauty, deep cultural roots, and strong community bonds — but like many remote island communities, it faces the very real challenge of retaining its young people. The plans HVS have in development in this area are ambitious, thoughtful, and grounded in a genuine understanding of what young people in North Harris need and want.

We left Tarbert genuinely excited to watch those plans take shape.

Our Commitment to North Harris

North Harris is one of Muaitheabhal Community Trust's core priority areas. Our roots are here — in the landscape around Beinn Mhor, in the villages along Loch Seaforth, in the communities of Kinloch and beyond. We were established to invest in these places and the people within them, and that commitment has not changed.

If you are a community group, voluntary organisation, or social enterprise with a project that could make a difference to life in North Harris and the surrounding area, we would love to hear from you. Our fund is open all year round with no application deadlines, and we actively encourage early conversation — the sooner you get in touch, the more we can help.

Ralph Tonge, Manager of Muaitheabhal Community Trust, said: "Sandy's words say it all — different organisations, one island spirit. That sense of shared purpose is exactly what drives the work we do in North Harris and across the region. Hearing the plans HVS have in development, particularly around young people, was genuinely exciting. Young people are the future of North Harris, and investing in them is one of the most important things any of us can do. We came away from Tarbert inspired, and very much looking forward to what lies ahead."