Latest news with #OuterHebrides
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Western Isles Council pauses plans for a visitor levy
Plans to develop a "tourist tax" for the Western Isles have been put on nan Eilean Siar, along with other Scottish local authorities, were given powers to introduce a visitor levy on overnight accommodation in a report to councillors said a cost benefit analysis suggested it would have "marginal benefits", and could potentially harm the islands' tourism said the pause would also allow time for a potential introduction of a "point-of-entry" levy, which could be charged at ports and airports. Councillors were told that Orkney and Shetland island councils had adopted a similar policy to pause the introduction of their visitor levy in the Western Isles has been growing, with more than 389,000 visitors in 2023 - up 21.8% from 2022 figures, according to a feasibility report prepared for the report said accommodation was mostly provided by small-scale self-catering providers, with 1,246 businesses offering about 7,900 South Ayrshire Council is set to abandon plans for a tourist tax in the local authority mooted the prospect of charging for overnight stays in a bid to boost its a public consultation into the plan was heavily negative, with only 15% of respondents supporting the proposal compared to 79% by local democracy reporter Peter Urpeth.
Bloomberg
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Allegra Stratton: Can Restoration, not Revolution, Work for UK?
Today I'd love you to read this wonderful dispatch from our Irina Anghel. She's been to Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, the island where Donald Trump's mother was born, to see how they are braced for the effect of her son's tariffs. It's illustrated with a beautiful photo portrait by Emily Macinnes of fourth-generation Harris Tweed weaver Iain Martin, dressed in a handsome wool blazer, working on his loom at home.
Bloomberg
06-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump Tariffs Get Personal for the Harris Tweed Makers of the Hebrides
In December 1957, Reverend Murdoch MacRae traveled from his parish on Lewis and Harris, one of the Outer Hebridean islands off the north west of mainland Scotland, across the Atlantic Ocean to confront the US Federal Trade Commission in Washington. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's tariffs on woolen imports were threatening an exodus of the island's workers whose hand-woven tweed jackets, trousers and caps — beloved by Americans from Wall Street bankers to the Kennedys and Hollywood actors — were the lifeblood of the local economy. Little did MacRae know that his successful mission to shield islanders from US protectionism would be undone almost 70 years later by the son of a fellow Lewis native, Donald Trump. 'Trump might portray himself as a man of Scottish heritage, he might have used the family Bible at his inauguration,' says Iain Martin, a fourth-generation weaver, but 'that man doesn't care. He's out for himself, nobody else.'
Al Jazeera
04-06-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
‘The epitome of slow fashion': Tweed's youthful makeover in Scotland
'When you see tweed on the runway, you don't expect it to come from here,' joked 38-year-old former banker Alexander MacLeod as he set up his loom in a converted barn on the shores of a Scottish loch. MacLeod became a weaver two years ago, joining residents on the islands of Lewis and Harris, off Scotland's north-west coast, in helping to rejuvenate the tweed industry after a significant period of decline. 'It's a good thing to keep the tradition going.' Tweed is a symbol of Scottish heritage and has 'always been part of the culture' on the Outer Hebrides, added MacLeod, who hails from the island of Scalpay, which is connected to Harris by a bridge. It is now 'an attractive sector to be in', he said. He left the Hebrides for seven years to work in banking, but the pull of his roots proved too strong. During the day, MacLeod now works for a small local cosmetics company. In the evenings, he puts on a podcast and patiently begins to weave. Only the steady hum of his machine disturbs the calm of the old stone barn. Harris Tweed, traditionally made from 100 percent wool, is the only fabric protected by a 1993 Act of Parliament. It must be 'handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure new wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides'. The weaver spoke of his 'satisfaction' once the tweed is finished. The tweed, once associated with the British aristocracy, goes to the spinning mill for a quality control check, where the slightest flaw is flagged up. Finally, it receives the precious 'Harris Tweed' stamp – a globe topped with a cross – certifying the fabric's provenance and authenticity, issued by the Harris Tweed Authority (HTA). The tweed then leaves the island for procurement by discerning companies abroad, including luxury brands such as Christian Dior, Chanel, and Gucci. Several trainer brands, such as Nike, New Balance, and Converse, have also used it for limited edition products. The traditional staples are jackets, caps, and bags, but the fabric can also be used for furniture. There are 140 weavers, according to the HTA, which launched a recruitment campaign in 2023 and offered workshops to learn the trade following a wave of retirements. This know-how, often passed down from generation to generation, is now being nurtured by a different profile of weaver. 'It's nice to see younger people coming in,' said Kelly MacDonald, director of operations at the HTA. 'When I joined the industry 22 years ago, there was a severe period of decline. I was wondering: 'Is there going to be an industry any more?'' But the industry is now enjoying a 'resurgence' and 'significant growth', with more than 580,000 metres of tweed produced in 2024. 'We are always looking at new markets,' she said, and tweed is now exported to South Korea, Japan, Germany, France and other countries. It is no longer dependent on the US market, as it once was, and should be largely shielded from the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Tweed has 'modernised', said Cameron MacArthur, who works at Carloway Mill, one of the three spinning mills in the west of the Isle of Lewis. He is only 29, but has already worked there for 12 years. The mill, with its large machines, looks as if it has not changed for decades. But MacArthur has seen it evolve to embrace a younger workforce and newer fabrics, meaning it is no longer just the ultra-classic Prince of Wales checks or dark colours that are on offer. 'Nowadays, we're allowed to make up our own colours … and we're just doing different things with it, modernising it, making it brighter,' he said, showing off rolls of turquoise blue and fuchsia pink. 'We're so busy … it never used to be like that,' he said, adding that he was 'proud' to be working with the local product. MacDonald said tweed was an antidote to environmentally unfriendly 'fast fashion'. 'How nice to own a product where you can actually look on a map to a tiny island and say, 'That's where my jacket was made.' That's so rare now, and I think people really engaged with that,' he said. 'Every stage of the production has to happen here, but from start to finish, it is a really long process. We are the epitome of slow fashion.'
The Guardian
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Making weaves: the resurgence in Harris tweed production
Alexander MacLeod, a Harris tweed weaver, outside an atelier at his home on the island of Scalpay in the Outer Hebrides Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images 'When you see tweed on the catwalks, you'd never think it came from here,' says MacLeod, 38, a former banker Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images A weaving loom with an under-weaving Harris tweed cloth. Traditionally made from 100% wool, Harris tweed is protected by a 1993 act of parliament. It must be 'handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides' Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images MacLeod became a weaver two years ago, contributing, with other residents of the Isles of Lewis and Harris, to the rejuvenation of the tweed industry after a long period of decline. 'It's a good thing to keep the tradition going,' he says Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Weaving tools. Tweed is a symbol of Scottish heritage and has 'always been part of the culture' on the Outer Hebrides, says Macleod, who hails from Scalpay, which is connected to Harris by a bridge Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images It's now 'an attractive sector to be in', MacLeod says. He left the Hebrides for seven years to work in banking but the pull of his roots proved too strong. During the day, MacLeod works for a local cosmetics company. In the evenings, he puts on a podcast, usually about espionage, and patiently begins to weave. Only the steady hum of his machine disturbs the calm of the old stone barn Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images A member of staff at Carloway Mill processes and prepares wool for the weaving of Harris tweed. Carloway is one of three spinning mills in the west of the Isle of Lewis Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images The industry is enjoying a resurgence, with more than 580,000 metres of tweed produced in 2024 Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Luxury brands such as Christian Dior, Chanel and Gucci are among the buyers of Harris tweed, and shoe brands such as Nike, New Balance and Converse have used it for limited-edition products Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images A weaving loom in the Carloway Mill workshop Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Wool to be used in Harris tweed Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Spools of yarn at the mill Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Dyed wool sorted into colours Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Rolls of the final product Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Kelly MacDonald, the operations manager of the Harris Tweed Authority, behind a weaving loom at her office in Stornoway. 'It's nice to see younger people coming in,' she says. 'When I joined the industry 22 years ago, there was a severe period of decline. I was wondering: is there going to be an industry any more?' Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Minnie Hooper, a weaver, at the Harris Tweed Authority building in Stornoway. There are 140 weavers, according to the HTA, which launched a recruitment campaign in 2023 and offered workshops to learn the trade after a wave of retirements Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Minnie Hooper's weaving loom Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Cloth displayed at the Harris Tweed Isle of Harris shop in Tarbert Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Shaun Campbell moves rolls of Harris tweed in the Tarbert shop Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images The Harris tweed stamp, a globe topped with a cross, certifies the fabric's provenance and authenticity and is issued by the Harris Tweed Authority Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Harris tweed stoles for sale in Tarbert Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Blackface sheep and lambs, whose wool is used in Harris tweed production, grazing on the Isle of Harris Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images
