Digg man urges the diaspora: join the Staffin Trust!
A DIGG man, living hundreds of miles away, has urged Staffin’s expats to follow his lead and support their home district by joining the Staffin Community Trust (SCT).
Whether they are in Birmingham, Bruges or Bangladesh, the Taobh Sear’s diaspora can still play a role in Staffin’s future by becoming members of SCT. Angus MacLeod, who now lives in Warwickshire, has become one of the first ex-pats to join, which has delighted the SCT.
The SCT board of directors meet every month to discuss and make the key decisions on the various projects in development. SCT members are required to support the work of the organisation in principle but do not have to attend meetings. They must either live in Staffin or have strong ties, like Angus, whose family, including his mother and sisters, still reside in Staffin.
Angus, who first left Staffin at the age of 18, said he was delighted to join SCT’s growing membership and thought of home every day, having reluctantly left the community. “When I got married and had children of my own I wanted them to experience the freedom, friendship and sense of community that I grew up with,” he said. “So I came back to Staffin for three years. Sadly, as a family we were unable to make this work for us financially so we had to leave to get work. In my short time in back in Staffin I was involved in the Trust, and would still like to help out even though I know longer live there.”
New SCT member: Angus MacLeod.
Angus added: “There is not a day goes by that I do not think of place and the people of Staffin, I still consider it home and the place where I belong.”
Through the website and newsletter SCT will resolve to keep all members up to date about its various projects.
More than 50 people are now members, a hugely encouraging figure when there are only 500-plus people living in Staffin.
In the wake of a falling population, SCT was set up more than 20 years ago to represent local residents and develop projects which are beneficial to the economic, social and culture welfare of the 23 crofting townships which make up the Staffin district.
Having a large and representative membership base can help SCT when it submits funding applications and sets out to represent the community. For information on how to join SCT, click here http://staffin-trust.co.uk/how-to-join-the-trust or contact development officer Hugh Ross on 01470 562464 or staffin.ldo@gmail.com