Highland Community Benefit and the Energy Transition: The Highlands Needs Action, Not More Words
Yvonne Crook was at the Pipeline and Places event in Inverness this week. She has seen what genuine community participation in development can produce. She is not willing to wait for it to happen.
Highland Energy Transition and Community Benefit: The Work That Starts Now
As a Highland advisor and former MP, I have watched this region generate wealth for Scotland while too many of its communities bear the costs without capturing the benefits. The Highland energy transition and the question of community benefit sit at the centre of what the new Scottish Government must now decide. As a Highland […]
What Nigg taught me about the long game
In 2007 I sat across a table from the American engineering giant that owned Nigg yard, in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands, and told them they had a responsibility to the Highlands to get it back into use. The yard had once employed 5,500 people. By then it was effectively closed, the infrastructure was […]
Inverness is growing fast. Its front door needs to catch up.
Something significant is happening in Inverness right now, and I do not think we are talking about it loudly enough. I am Drew Hendry, a strategic advisor and former MP based in Inverness, and I have been watching the Inverness transport interchange question closely. The decisions being made this month will shape how this city […]
Six leaders, one room, and no one mentioned the Highlands
I was in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon for Scotland’s Business Hustings, the first joint hustings of the Holyrood election campaign. I’m Drew Hendry, a strategic adviser and former MP based in Inverness, and questions about the Highland economy and the Scotland election are never far from my mind. I went along as someone who thinks every […]
Air Departure Tax and the Routes the Highlands Cannot Afford to Lose
There are times in economic policy when details matter more than headlines. The Scottish Government’s Air Departure Tax consultation ends tonight. This is one of those times. The headline is mostly positive. ADT will replace Air Passenger Duty in Scotland from April 2027. The proposed exemption for the Highlands and Islands keeps the tax-free status […]
The Green Freeport and the Sceptics. They Were Right to Challenge.
When the UK Government announced Freeports in 2020, the reaction in Scotland was mixed at best. Not because the idea of targeted investment incentives is inherently bad. But because the history of special economic zones around the world gives any thoughtful observer reason to pause. Tax havens dressed up as enterprise zones. Deregulation by the […]
How a Community Buyout Changed Everything for a Highland Village – Olivia Grant and Foyers Stores
There are roughly 800 people living along the south shore of Loch Ness, spread across a 35-mile stretch of road with no alternative to Foyers Stores. When the shop faced closure, the community faced something harder than inconvenience. For elderly residents, for families without a second car, for anyone who depends on getting the basics […]
From Classroom to Community Impact: Karen Simpson on Education, Enterprise, and Raising Standards in Tutoring
Karen Simpson, founder of My Primary and Secondary Tutor in Inverness, shares her journey from classroom teacher to education entrepreneur on the Growth for Good podcast. Discover how she built a team of 30-plus qualified tutors, co-founded Tutors Alliance Scotland, and is raising standards in private tutoring across the Scottish Highlands and beyond.
From Surviving to Thriving: Libby McDonald on Building People-First Businesses in the Highlands
For many founders, the journey into entrepreneurship is rarely neat or linear. Libby McDonald, founder of We Are Thryve, has been shaped by resilience and lived experience. She understands what it takes to lead people through complexity and change. Speaking on the Growth for Good podcast, Libby reflects on a path that began far from […]