US buyer brings business to Gigha

Published on Saturday 11 October 2003 01:00

THE island of Gigha’s "big house" has been bought for £640,000 by an American businessman who plans to relocate his company from Sussex and create six full-time jobs.

The community-led Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust bought the island from its private owner last year for 4 million, with 3.5 million from the Scottish Land Fund and 500,000 from the Highlands and Islands Enterprise community land unit.

The sale of the trust’s biggest asset will help them raise the 1 million which has to be repaid to the land fund under the terms of the deal.

The businessman, Don Dennis, who runs the International Flower Essence Repertoire firm, has agreed to pay 640,000 for Achamore House, the former laird’s property on the island, and a further 25,000 for an area of scrubland to build a warehouse.

The deal also includes the ten-acre uninhabited island of Craro, which comes with the title Baron of Gigha - which the new owner, who moves in on 5 December, said he regards as a "bit of a hoot".

Mr Dennis, 47, who has lived in the UK for 25 years, set up the flower essence firm eight years ago and now has 15,000 customers in Europe, the United States and the Far East.

He will move with two members of staff and their spouses and four children to boost the 110-strong island population, and plans to recruit a further six workers locally.

Mr Dennis told The Scotsman he had never heard of Gigha until he read an article about the community buy-out and later became aware that the 19th-century Achamore House was for sale.

A divorcee, he said he had been thinking about relocating the business for some time to be nearer his three children, who live with their mother in Edinburgh: "I approached the trust, who liked what I had to say. They may have accepted less than what the house would have fetched on the open market, but the economic benefit of me bringing these jobs to the island is substantial.

"I’m delighted to be moving here and have to keep pinching myself to make sure this is really happening. The impression I get is that the islanders are also delighted with the prospect of this kind of business moving in here with this number of jobs."

Mr Dennis plans to open part of the house as a four-star guest house, and will build a tennis court and greenhouse for his orchid collection to supplement the Achamore gardens, which are already a tourist attraction.

He may also seek permission to build a bothy on Craro Island, a bird haven, which could be used by visitors.

However, he has no plans to use his title, Baron Gigha: "It’s a bit of fun, but it’s just a piece of paper and doesn’t mean anything."

Willie MacSporran, the chairman of the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust, said the sale was great news for the whole island: "Don has not only bought the property but he intends to bring his business here which means new jobs and a healthy future for the island’s prosperity. We are delighted to welcome Don to Gigha and hope that he will enjoy his time spent here."

David Campbell, the chairman of the Scottish Land Fund (SLF), said the sale would bring positive, economic benefits for the island: "I have every confidence this sale keeps the community on track to pay back the 1 million to the SLF as agreed on time by March 2004."

John Watt, the Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s director of strengthening communities, said the sale marked another milestone for the trust. He said further employment was likely to result from the lease of three new workshops, built by Argyll and the Islands Enterprise.

The sale of Achamore House was one of the priorities for the trust when it took over the island. Several people expressed interest, but when no deal was done it was advertised for sale for offers over 600,000.

Craro Island lies off the west of Gigha and has a rock formation shaped like a bull. Legend has it that when a local ship was stopped by pirates, a cabin boy who was facing death asked God to bless his mother in Gigha. To prove he came from the island, the pirate captain asked him which direction the Craro bull faced and, when told north-east, the boy was spared from the sword as the pirate also had family on Gigha.

The same pirate is also said to have buried a cache of gold at Ardlamy Farm on Gigha.