Here We Are

Here We Are has taken ownership of local woodland, the 37 hectare Ballure Woods in Glen Fyne in a step to being self-sufficient.
Here We Are currently benefits in income from Our Power a CIC wood chipping plant, supplying biomass to heat water for several businesses including Lakeland Smolts, a local salmon hatchery and Argyll and Bute Council’s Kilmory Castle. Ownership of the woodland will expand the business by providing the company with a local and sustainable supply of timber.

The area of woodland also includes a plot with planning permission for a single house which the company plans to make available for local affordable housing.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE)  provided grant funding of £125,000 towards the buyout which will allow us to generate more income and provide a range of economic, social and environmental benefits as well as creating new employment.

HIE’s Claire Munro, said: “We are delighted to have supported Here We Are to purchase this woodland. It presents a fantastic opportunity for them to grow the company. Ownership of this asset will enable the community organisation to create efficiencies by providing a local and affordable supply of timber for its biomass processing operation.”

The project is also being supported by the Scottish Government’s Strengthening Communities Programme as well as the company itself.
On Friday the 14th November the community officially celebrated the take-over at Here We Are with tea and scones, and afterwards Alice Beattie and Fraser Whyte jointly cut the ribbon at Bullure wood to announce us woodland owners!

John MacDonald, chair of Here We Are, said: “We are all very excited to have had our offer accepted on the woodland and delighted that we can now continue with our plans for development of our renewable energy business and community projects. Our committee and volunteers have worked hard for many years towards this and we thank HIE for their support and financial assistance.”