Two weeks of celebrations are underway to mark 100 years of community land ownership in Scotland.
Running October 13-29, a special extended edition of the annual Community Land Week will see nearly 50 communities across Scotland hold events, including a selection in Lochaber and Skye.
Knoydart, where the Knoydart Foundation took ownership of land in 1999, is to be home to a range of activities that brings together its seven community owned organisations.
Guided walks, a local produce feast and venison tasting, and a pub quiz at the famous Old Forge pub are all on the menu.
Meanwhile the Knoydart Community Hall will host an exhibition on community ownership October 14-27. The exhibition will be open daily from 11am to 5pm.
In Skye, the Borve and Annishadder Township will hold a free ceilidh starring local musicians and singers on Saturday October 28, starting at 3pm and lasting until the evening.
Crofters in Borve and Annishadder bought their land from a landlord in the early 1990s.
Organised by Community Land Scotland and the Scottish Government, the 2023 Community Land Week celebrates the centenary anniversary of Stornoway becoming the first land transferred into community hands in Scotland.
Residents of the Western Isles town were gifted Lews Castle and 64,000 acres by Lord Leverhulme, the man who had also established Leverburgh on Harris and whose soap company would eventually become Unilever.
A hundred years later nearly half a million acres of Scotland’s land is now under community control. This includes three-quarters of the Western Isles, and approximately 260 community-controlled projects across with the Highland Council and Argyll and Bute.
Community Land Scotland Development Manager Linsay Chalmers said: “There is a lot of excitement this year. The Stornoway buyout, 100 years ago, was the first of its kind and one of the biggest in terms of population.
“There are always challenges for all new-starts and economic enterprises, but the Highlands and Islands buyouts have been a great success. It’s great that all the people doing all the work at local level get a chance to mark that success.”
More information on Community Land Week, including a list of all events, can be found on the Community Land Scotland webpage.