Ullapool and Loch Broom is a great place to come and live your dreams, and I am fortunate enough to have been able to do that for more than three decades, either as a visitor, staying in a family cottage at Letters on the Lochside, or in more recent years as a resident of Ullapool. Those dreams have included exploring the mysteries of as many hills as possible, finding camaraderie on the sea by rowing with other ‘elderly lads’ in St Ayles Skiffs, laughing with others whilst sharing our contributions to a creative writing course, being excited by live music and local art, and being Chair of BroomPower, the community hydro scheme, as well as a director of UCT.
You see, if you want to do something, you can, and you are likely to find reward rather than criticism. Like the weather, people can occasionally get you down, only for the most part this a place of great people, terrific scenery, and a socially supportive community. Prior to that, I was born in Wiltshire, lived in London, followed by many years in West Yorkshire.
I have migrated North and this is where I shall stay. I have left behind a career as a psychotherapist, and got far away from many grandchildren who all live in London. Mind you, they are of the younger generation, and they are the only ones who now matter. Whatever our reasons and aims in contributing to community work, the purpose is to prepare the younger generation for a world that has hope and opportunity to live harmoniously together.