Hopes for the Future An Island Parish

The summer is almost over on the tiny island of Barra

in the Outer Hebrides, off the northwest coast of Scotland.

The steady flow of tourists

has slowed to a trickle as autumn approaches.

Up at his house, beside the Catholic Church overlooking Castlebay,

Father John Paul is up early.

He's turning his thoughts to a well overdue and daunting task.

Scrubbing brush.

But it's not quite what it seems.

Were you thinking of going up the hill?

Oh, you were? Oh, fabulous!

He's organising an annual pilgrimage

involving as many of his parishioners as he can muster.

My plan is to leave at half past and walk up then.

Excellente!

Scouring pads.

It's going to take a good 30 minutes to get there and, erm,

if one or two are wanting to get away before the half past,

we can send a few up

because it will just take that and we'll have to judge the weather.

The excursion will involve Father John Paul hiking up

one of the island's highest points,

a challenge that even Barra's fittest might struggle with.

Up at the northern end of the island,

overlooking some of Barra's stunning beaches,

a handful of campers are enjoying the last of the summer sunshine.

Hello there.

Hiya. Hi.

-So, how are you enjoying it?

-Lovely, yeah.

-It's a nice day today.

-It's grand - absolutely beautiful.

Crofter and entrepreneur Angus John's campsite business

has gone from strength to strength.

-It's a success?

-It is, I must say it's a success.

-A roaring success?

-I wouldn't say roaring, not yet.

I don't use that word yet, but it's been a success.

It's been more successful than I thought it would be.

And I have plans for the future.

Angus John has spared no expense

when it comes to the on-site facilities.

This is what I've done.

This is a mixture shower just now, mixed,

but next year I'm going to put another one of them in.

Visitors from all over the world

have been coming to Angus John's campsite.

There's comments here from people from Germany, Switzerland,

Holland, Poland and,

well, I've got one there just now on the campsite from Thailand

but I'm quite sure she'll leave a comment from Thailand and all,

which is very nice - to meet people from as far away as that.

Judging by their reaction, his future in tourism is looking bright.

"Many thanks, Angus. Top campsite.

"A wonderful view and a really pretty beach."

And I see I must have got five stars there.

But there's a looming threat on the horizon

that could undo Angus John's future plans.

The islanders are resourceful folk,

often surviving on several jobs to make ends meet.

One such canny individual, known to the locals as Coppertop,

has been fishing these waters since he was a boy.

There...that's a female one. It's got a wider tail.

That's the eggs on the female.

We try and put them back on the ground

so that they are able to lay their eggs

and help the stocks.

That's been going for about ten years now

and it's definitely made a difference.

You just clip a notch in the tail.

That lobster is then protected. Nobody can legally land that now.

But now Coppertop is investing in a new venture

that he hopes could supplement his fishing income.

There she goes.

It's unlike anything ever seen on the islands before

and Coppertop thinks this could be a real money spinner.

But it's early days.

I presume these windows have got to be thick, have they?

Yeah, they're toughened, and I'm not sure of the exact thickness,

but I know the builder

so I'm pretty confident he puts proper stuff in there.

On a day like today,

would tourists get on board and see anything, do you think?

I've never really been out in one

so I don't know what you could see, how much you could see.

You've got to find all that out?

Yeah, aye. It's like starting from scratch, like.

If you've been fishing all your days

it's a totally new... a totally new thing.

-Does this mean you give up fishing?

-I don't think I would do both.

So I suppose if I was to go into it properly,

you would have to look at getting out of the fishing.

You'd have to do a lot of dealing with the public and the tourists.

I don't know if that's for me either so that's another thing to find out.

Coppertop's hoping to persuade some of the islanders

to get aboard his futuristic glass-bottomed boat for a test run.

But bad weather scuppers his plans for now.

On the other side of the island, a small group of parishioners

are also stopped in their tracks by bad weather.

Together with Father John Paul,

they've gathered at the foot of the island's tallest hill

for a pilgrimage to give the statue of the Madonna her annual clean.

We could go up there and there would be no view, you'd just...

the cold air and... if the statue was at that level,

see that wee hill up there, if it was just there.

For the moment, they're going nowhere.

As much as I love the blessed mother, and Jesus, erm,

I think they would say,

"Be sensible, John Paul, just come back another day.

"Come back when there's a bit of better weather."

For several months now, one of the island's best known characters,

Maggie Mackinnon, known to her local friends as Scraggie Aggie,

has spent almost every waking moment

toiling over the mother of all jumpers

as a gift for Father John Paul.

All the locals have noticed her knitting marathon

and are just as eager to see the final result as Father John Paul.

-I can see you're busy there.

-Yes, I am.

-What's this you're up to?

-It's for Father JP.

Right, so have you got all his measurements?

I have, but I think he's expanding all the time.

It's all these curries he's eating in here.

As the days went by,

Aggie had been worried she'd run out of wool

so she's been keeping a close eye on the measurements.

-Maggie, are you in?

-Yes, I'm here.

-Hello!

-Hello, Father.

-Maggie, Maggie. How's things?

-Ah, they're not too bad at all.

It doesn't need to be as baggy as the jacket.

Is this a waltz you're doing?

Should you not be round the other side and we should be dancing?

Double that... eh...

I'd better not... eh... erm, 25.

All the way around? That's fantastic.

Yes, that's fifty all the way around.

My mother would be so happy(!) MAGGIE LAUGHS

The jumper is something to keep Father JP warm in the winter.

We have always given to priests.

He's a lovely man and he's devoted to everybody

so...he really is, and he deserves everything he gets. He does.

Today, after much anticipation, the big day has finally arrived.

Down at the packed cafe, Father John Paul is nervously waiting.

-Come in, come in.

-It's nice to see you, eh?

You made it.

And I need to brush and comb my hair because it's a mess.

-You're very pretty in pink today.

-Ah, well, I'm not used to it.

But having worked on her special gift for months,

Aggie's determined to make the suspense last a wee bit longer.

Oh, lovely.

-Slainte.

-Slainte.

-To your good health.

So, Maggie, you've invited me out today, what's in the...?

What have you got hiding under there? Have you been shopping?

It's quite a surprise.

-You're putting the carrot before me, are you?

-Oh, aye, aye.

Dangling the carrot. So can I get a wee sneak preview?

No. Na, na, na.

Father John Paul is going to need the patience of a saint.

For a while now, the islanders have had a dark cloud hanging over them.

It concerns plans the Scottish Government have been considering,

to make a large part of Barra's coastline an area

of special conservation.

Local fishermen say it will

restrict their catches and harm the local economy.

Now, bad news has spread round the island

that these controversial plans have got a step closer

to being approved.

I got the email from the minister that they'll run

a consultation on the Sound of Barra.

They're all in shock, including campaigner, Angus MacLeod.

...pull the rug from under our feet, basically.

Angus thinks these restrictions could affect not just the fishing,

but any businesses along these protected shorelines.

It encompasses the whole of Eriskay.

The whole south coast of South Uist,

and many of the uninhabited islands.

In here is the beach airport, the beach runway,

and one, two, three,

four, five, six piers at least,

and a major ferry terminal.

Any of these activities may be stopped.

It's a big area, that, isn't it?

It's massive.

At the island's newspaper, they're hurriedly publicising

the imminent public meeting with Scottish National Heritage,

so the islanders can voice their objections.

At last, back at the cafe, the waiting is almost over.

Can I get a feel of it? A feel to see?

For once, Father John Paul is lost for words.

"Ba-Baa-Barra".

"Ba-Baa-Barra".

Please try it on, Father, so we can see it.

SHE LAUGHS

For Father John Paul, there's no place to hide.

Do you think this suits me?

SHE SPEAKS GAELIC

What do you think?

What do you think?

And, on the back, that's me.

"Ba-Baa-Barra".

AGGIE LAUGHS

D'you want a copy?

SHE LAUGHS

Can I get a wee huddle?

Och, aye.

We've got "Ba".

Then we've got another one, "Baa". "Baa-raa".

It's just something made out of love.

That sentiment of great love,

that she appreciates who I am, what I do,

and written it down, perfectly,

"Our own shepherd".

And, I love it!

Up at the island's tiny airport, the big cheeses

from Scottish National Heritage

have arrived for tonight's important public meeting.

Heavenly Father, we pray

for our islanders.

We pray especially for our fishermen.

We pray for all that are living, working upon our seas.

That in these times of great uncertainty,

these times of worry,

that they may know you're with them

by their side.

Father John Paul is worried about the impact

the proposals might have on his community.

Everyone knows an island, you live off the sea,

a huge, major part.

If people aren't working and living off the sea,

bringing their produce to the land, and then selling that,

then it's not just the fisherman who's losing out, it's everyone.

It's me. It's the doctor, it's the dentist,

it's the head teachers. We're all losing out.

It is a community-affected issue.

Thank you very much for taking the time

to attend this meeting about proposals for a special area

of conservation in the Sound of Barra.

You've lived and worked here for generations.

You know the Sound of Barra better than I do,

better than anybody on this panel does.

We respect that.

That's why we're here tonight, to speak to you, and listen to you.

We want to make sure that you have all of the information to hand

to help you to participate in this consultation.

And the clock is ticking on that consultation.

On the adjoining island of Eriskay,

Father Calum's been following the campaign with interest.

His island would also be affected by the proposals,

and he resents the outside interference.

They are imposing a new way of life on them,

which threatens their very livelihood.

How can you welcome anything like that?

When people are digging away

at the foundations of your community,

traditions of the island.

The only way open to you to make a real living.

That, to me, is scandalous.

OK, its environment, they call it, and so on.

But what is environment without people?

It's just an empty, deserted place.

Once you take people away from an island,

then you're threatening the life of the island.

The meeting's been going on for over two hours.

Both sides have been allowed to present their arguments.

But tensions are running high.

You know, we obviously don't have

-the figures for everything to hand.

-You should have!

That's simply not possible.

We'll make that information available to you.

When? You must have it here!

We'll get it for you tomorrow.

You are destroying future opportunities for our children.

We have noted every point you have made tonight.

It's been recorded.

It WILL form part of the consultation report.

You are determined to railroad this through!

We've told you a whole lot of reasons why we don't want it.

A load of guys with wee boats,

a load of people are trying to make a living go down the pan.

We are listening to what you're saying, and will report it

to Scottish Government, before a decision is taken.

They're asking questions, but we're not getting answers,

and the people aren't happy.

The threat is to the livelihood of the island,

it's to the economy and the future of the island.

This could have, will have, a major impact

on the future of this land.

The islanders think it highly likely the Scottish Government

will give the go-ahead,

but are determined to fight until the final decision is made.

Next morning, and, at last, the weather's improved,

giving fisherman Coppertop

a perfect opportunity to test out his new venture.

Given the cloud hanging over the island fishing industry,

this could be Coppertop's new future.

But a lot hinges on today's dummy run.

So, he's persuaded a few of the island's more outspoken characters

to risk venturing aboard.

Ah, we're going on the glass-bottomed boat.

Scraggie Aggie and cafe owner. Rohill, with his entire family,

are hoping it will be a trip of a lifetime.

But their reaction could seal Coppertop's fate.

We've just got a few friends out to test drive,

so we'll just see what they think.

If I hear quite a lot of noise I suppose it'll be good.

HE LAUGHS

But it's not long before one of the punters

offers her heartfelt feedback.

He's not done a very good job of cleaning the windows.

Can't see a thing!

She can be quite strict.

Aye, I know! I think she's not easy to please, is she?

It's not very clear.

You know, at times it's clear enough, but at other times it's...

-A wee bit murky?

-Very murky, aye.

Can't see a bloody thing!

SHE LAUGHS

Oh, dear! It's not quite the reaction Coppertop was hoping for.

So, have we got a hope in the propeller here, have we?

-SHE LAUGHS

-We can't see too much.

-We're a wee bit dark here, eh?

-I know. That's the only thing.

It looks like the recent storms,

and an abundance of plankton have made the waters too murky.

I'm a wee bit disappointed, actually.

It's not the best start to Coppertop's test run.

The summer season's almost over.

And it's time for crofter, Angus John,

to close down the campsite for the winter.

The business has done well over the summer.

But now, there could be a problem.

Its stunning beach-side location

lies within the government-proposed area of conservation,

which HE thinks will mean all his plans to expand next season

might have to be shelved,

and this has wiped the smile right off his face.

They don't have a clue.

If these folk had been out here,

would come out here and stay a winter or two out here,

and find out what it's like to stay here,

they would have a totally different view.

But they don't listen to you.

They just make the decisions and they don't care about you.

They don't care about the island folk.

It's going to be devastating.

We'll be lucky if we'll be able to walk anywhere.

You'll have signs up and all that. You can't do anything.

And it's terrible.

My feeling is that the crofters, the fishermen,

and the people in the islands,

go together and tell SNH to go to hell.

Angus John's expansion plans may be under threat but he intends

to stand shoulder to shoulder

with the rest of the fearless islanders

to stop outsiders taking away what is very precious to them.

The break in the weather is also good news for Father John Paul's

second attempt with his intrepid pilgrimage.

Joining a small handful of locals is the redoubtable Sister Marie.

We're starting up a bit earlier,

as we don't think we could do it in the time the others do it.

We're going on ahead of them,

to make sure we get there at the same time.

It looks pretty steep, but we're going to do it.

As usual, Sister Marie, always dependable.

Anything in the parish, anything I ask for, Sister Marie will be there.

She'll be top of the list and she's doing that today with me,

a great support to me, and I'm so pleased that she's coming along.

The hike involves a strenuous 400 metre ascent up Heaval Hill,

way above Castlebay's harbour.

It's a climb Father John Paul's not going to rush.

So far, so good...

Haven't had to get the oxygen tent, or the defibrillator,

or whatever you call it.

Back on the water, canny Coppertop

has used his local maritime knowledge to advantage.

Oh! Trees, trees!

Oh, look at that!

He's taken the group to a special part of the island he knows,

perfectly suited for his new boat.

Even Aggie has changed her tune.

Oh, that's quite amazing. Big, long reeds.

There's stuff on this side. Woo!

There seem to be some good howling noises

coming from down there. Is that Maggie?

I don't know if they're good or bad,

but they're definitely howling noises,

so we might be getting too shallow! HE LAUGHS

Look at this! Another one.

-What was that, Maggie?

-Eh?

-What was that?

-A big jellyfish!

If you can hear Maggie screaming, that's good!

HE LAUGHS

I don't see any fish.

I've lived all my life,

and I've never in my life been in a boat like this.

-Have you not?

-No.

Cafe owner Rohill

thinks Coppertop's on to a good money-spinner.

I think it's a great business idea.

Even when it's murky, it's still magical,

because you're going under the water,

and you can see the top of the water, and you can see down.

It's a magical kind of feeling, like being in a wee submarine.

I think anyone would enjoy it.

I've certainly thoroughly enjoyed it, I have to say that.

Do you think tourists would line up to come on this boat?

I'd be amazed if they didn't.

Coppertop will have to wait until next season to see

if he can really make a go of his new boat trip business.

But, even he could be at the mercy

of the proposed special area of conservation.

If one man knows the need for employment on the islands,

it's Father Calum.

He was born here, on Eriskay,

and is a very familiar face.

-Any mail for me?

-Here we are.

-Do you know all the postmen here?

-Och, yeah.

Of course. You know everybody. I even knew their grandfathers.

CAR HORN

Father Calum has been a priest for over 50 years,

and he's seen a lot of changes affecting the islanders.

There's about 140 people living in the island, more or less.

When I was a child here,

there were about 500 people living on this island,

and so it was a very crowded island.

There were big families, and so on.

It was a very busy little place.

There were, in the school in those days,

at one stage I remember some 109 children in the school.

But that's changed a little bit?

It is down to eight.

Yeah.

Father Calum is only too aware

how vulnerable the islanders' livelihoods are.

But he has faith in their determination to survive.

It's too precious a community to disappear.

The strength of the community

is the strength you get from one another.

I hope that for the future,

it WILL have a nice future.

And a peaceful future.

And a prosperous future.

When Father John Paul first arrived on these islands,

he was an outsider.

Very aware how much the islanders depend on their parish priest,

he's been determined not to let them down.

Two years on, he's the focal point for the whole community.

-Oh, oh, my. One small step.

-We've done it!

-We've done it.

-We've done it!

Oh, I don't even have the energy to lift my stick!

Utterly gorgeous.

Religion is a vital part of island life,

and Father John Paul is seeing for himself

just what makes these island communities so special.

Their continued survival is down to cast-iron resilience,

and a deep-rooted sense of tradition.

But perhaps above all of this is their faith.

We gather to give you thanks, for all the graces and blessings

that you bestow on us,

and we receive in this life.

Continue to bless these islands and to bless all these people,

especially in those times

of sadness, and of difficulty.

Be with all our families,

and be with our youth.

Guard and protect our young.

Keep them safe,

and away from all harm.

Bless all our fishermen.

And all who live and work upon our seas.

May they never lose heart.

But always continue in their work, providing for themselves,

for their families, and for our communities.

Bless all our crofters,

and all who live and work upon these lands,

so our communities may grow,

and that many people will come

to admire the beauty of these lands,

and of the people.

Bless these islands.

And bless all its people.

Amen. ALL: Amen.

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