Stone skimming goes ahead!
19/09/2012 | 
Author This afternoon both Easdale People and ForArgyll received word that Eilean Eisdeal directors had at last seen sense and produced their Public Liability Insurance, enabling them to hold the Stone Skimming contest. The insurance certificate has been passed on to Jonathan Feigenbaum’s solicitor, who is making sure it is legally watertight.
This whole stushie could have been avoided if the Chair of the charity, Keren Cafferty, had engaged in dialogue with Jonathan last April, when he first made his request to see the Public Liability Insurance - as any decent landowner would need to do when a large scale festival is to be held on their land. The facts in this matter are that Cafferty and the other directors chose not to respond to Mr Feigenbaum’s approaches until September 6th, saying that they had Public Liability Insurance but “declined” to show him a copy. He was then legally obliged to advise them that, without seeing the document, the event could not go ahead.
Also in April of this year Mr. Feigenbaum advised the Charity that he requested a small fee for staging the event, and that that money was to be spent in a way that would benefit all of the island residents. Again, he received no response. But to that end this afternoon he was in contact with the Residents’ Association with regard to engaging its members as to the best way that fee could be spent.
Since its inception in 1997 the charity Eilean Eisdeal [EE] has received more than £ 1.2 million of public money – an amount that equates to approximately £24,000 per adult full-time resident! This has come from, among other funders, the Big Lottery, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Land Fund. These funds have been spent on capital projects like the hall, the harbour and buying the museum - all well and good, should islanders actually have benefitted from them. But a great deal of EE’s money may have been used to pay, for example, John Campbell QC to fight against the wishes of the majority of the island residents in the Local Plan consultation; and architects to draw up plans for developments that islanders have said they don’t want; and a planning consultant to propose developments that islanders haven’t been asked whether they want or not.
We’ve been unable to find out exactly how much EE has spent in this way, as the charity is able to hide the full details because it is only legally required to submit ”abridged” accounts. So even its members are not told!
In the last two years EE’s directors could have spent thousands of pounds trying to obtain planning permission for a wind turbine on this tiny island, that – as you’ll remember – over half of the population formally objected too. A serious waste of community money; money which is supposed to be used for the benefit of the community and NOT to fight against its wishes.
This story has had great interest both in the national media and on this website. We’ve had thousands of extra views in the last 2 days so keep viewing and we’ll update you as to how the community spend the money.
Posted in Island information
Public liability insurance documents are not private documents, they have to be displayed by law, Health and safety documents are not private documents they also have to be displayed. O.K. for all the knockers who want to come and have a mad week-end but what would they say with no come back if the worst happened . P
On seeing this morning’s headline on the front page of the Oban times I am reminded of the old joke:
Q. What is worse than an absentee landlord?
A. A community buy-out!
So the event is to go ahead. I would advise all the residents to monitor their security cameras quite closely this weekend.
Its put the island on the map and some of you must be benefiting. Some of sound like a right miserable lot.
sabotage and subterfuge. there’s a whole other agenda going on here. all over a few flat stones being chucked in the water.
it’s not compulsory to attend but I’d thoroughly recommend it. Its fun, brings life to the island and allows all of us who love Easdale to show it off to all who come.
If its not your bag, stay at home or go somewhere for the day.
hope the residents association ask everyone how to spend the money.
Easdale is a wonderful place to visit and stay . ignore the cr*p on here and just come across and judge for yourself
Beneficiaries
Cafferty / Puffer Bar
For rent cottage owners
Losers
Residents
Are we miserable, yes we are!
can they hold this on your road next year, ‘cos we dont want it.
Should the island not prosper, why should I, a UK taxpayer, pay for your ferry at a subsidised
cost. I too would like to live in Utopia being supported by everyone else, but that is not realistic in today’ world.
Would the islanders like a community buy out?
The residents would not have a community buy out if Eilean Easdale had anything to do with it .
THEY ARE A PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY with no interest in community affairs .
The community on Easdale would be sold down the river, for financial gain by these people again
Dear Jill and Alan Sayers ,
much though I love your fun loving frivoulous approach to the forthcoming weekend about to hit the peaceful shores of Easdale, maybe you should give some thought to the consequences of the impact on Islanders which you ( in a very arrogant and ignorant fashion) seem to believe is somehow beneficial to us poor financally impoverished people about to be improved by your invading of our island, aided and abetted by a money grapping and manpulative privately owned company maskerading as a community backed entity, i.e Eilean Easdale Ltd.
These people do not have your interests at heart enough to supply insurance, public liability, public conveniences, or health and safety checks.
Neither do they have the interests of the residents of Easdale Island, they have their pockets to look after and both you and us will be left to the deep blue when things go wrong.
Any visitors coming to this event should be pre-warned, there is no security provided either on the island or in the car parks at Ellenabeich (park at your own risk) and normally there is no police presence in either place. However, over the last few years this event has attracted both anti-social behaviour and also criminal activity. Enjoy yourselves but remember you have been forewarned.
We understand that there is to be a “strong” police presence, but don’t know whether that’s just to cover the actual day itself or the night before and the night after as well. Will report back if/when we get more information.
fantastic stone skimming championships today. the sun shone ,teh scenery was breathtaking, the people came , the music was great , the burgers brilliant and a great time was had by all. here’s to next year. great craic!
Hi,
I am not the same Suzanne who went round Easdale with Keren. THis is my name, unlike many people who withhold their true identity under Verum Vulnerno, Concerned resident, Mortimer. Are they afraid to put their names to their words (unless you are a small group who all know each other and do not want to be identified by outsiders)?
I do not live on Easdale but have a large vested interested, perhaps more than those who live there. I am not afraid to name myself. shame on you Easdale islanders who are afraid to name yourselves. I am not quite sure what Eadale Island Directors do, but at least they put their names to things.
suzanne
As you are obviously not familiar with Easdale Island, here are some examples of what the Eilean Eisdeal directors do :-
Baltantly lying to the media :-
http://forargyll.com/2012/09/third-parties-ensure-easdales-stone-skimming-championships-goes-ahead/
Polluting the island and contaminating land with hazardous waste such as asbestos :-
http://forargyll.com/2012/09/council-enforcement-staff-to-discuss-fly-tipping-on-easdale-island/
These are not fit and proper people to run a charity.
Dear Suzanne,
We the residents do not want any outside subsidy from anyone for the ferry service, the rubbish collection, highway maintainence, extra curricular public health services, police, etc that is not awarded to any other resident of Argyll.
We want, and have chosen, to live our lives here knowing the downfalls, knowing the risks, and in the main accepting the financial loss in moving to a mainly peaceful and tranquil, beautiful , and unspoilt area which we the residents believe should remain as such.
The reason the majority of Islanders who do not identify themselves in their proper title is due to the awful, meanminded, aggressive, and vengeful reproach that is spent upon them by the heirachy of E.E.L. in retalliation for any slight questioning of their(E.E.L) motives, desires, plans, let alone objections to the plans of E.E.L. The plans which the residents have openly and forthrightly stated as being totally alien to the best interest of the Island and the residents the Island.
The views of the Islanders have been not only totally ignored but trampled upon and thrown assunder if not in accord with the desires of E.E.L .
I have been subjected to this vile abuse, partitioned, criminalized, and ridiculed for stating my true opinion for the good of an Island I love and believe in. An Island worthy of not being destroyed by the money grabbing desires of the entrepeneurial organization E.E.L.
Might I suggest respectfully , that you live on Esasdale for a year or two , see what is really happening, what the true motivations of these people are, what the effects they extol by bad mouth and deflammatory whisperings, rumours, and untrueths, and then criticise the residents for their sydonymns, rather than decide to leave the Island, quietly with your name in tact like the 100 residents that decided it was all too stressful to bother with.
Words are easy Suzanne.
I have read all the vitriol against the EE directors, whose names are published. I really would like those who serve the vitriol to be more open about their own names. I am not afraid to state who I am – I own a holiday home and you can despise me for that if that makes you feel better, especially as I bought it from Mike McKenzie, who is someone I had never met before that day. At least stand up and be heard in your own name. That at least is HONEST.
I have also read other comments by some people who do appear to give their own names and it is more reserved in content and, in Scotland, to my knowledge you are innocent until proven guilty. I understand that small communities have difficulties, I come from a village of 20 houses, 5 miles for the nearest town and has no public transport. I know how they work and such vitriol can totally destroy a community. We would all like to live in a world where everything goes our way all the time – that is not real.
By they way, “blatantly lying to the media” is, as far as I know, possible grounds for libel, although I think web sites are immune from this so people can actually say anything without proof, without any redress from the law.
When I bought the house on Easdale, to let out for holidays, though seldom to useby myself, I thought it was a lovely island. I met some nice people and I don’tI am so glad it do not use it myself as I have now seen from all I have read, that it is not a lovely island. My little home village was bad but not anywhere as bad as this. At least we were all civil to each other.
As I am not a resident on the island, I have never and will never contribute to any decisions made on the island and for the island. I think that is fair. I should not influence the lives of real residents, but neither should they stand in the way of progress for no good reason.
I would be interested to know how many of your commenters on this website are actually residents or property owners on the Island. My understanding is that it is a very small minority of people who are disgruntled with EE, but they have a loud online voice. This negativity, both from the alleged misdemeanours of EE and the vitriol on this website, is very damaging to us as property owners on the island who rely on the small income we get from renting out our property for holiday lets. Do you think tourists are going to want to come to Easdale after reading all this? Or is that what you are trying to achieve? We are members of both EE and EIRPOA and to be honest I feel like banging both your heads together. Would you prefer the island to be a ghost town because that is what will happen if you keep this up.
Dear ET,
I think you have hit the nail on the head. Some commentators (islanders or not, as they choose to remain anonymous) do not seem to wish to see the island prosper in any shape or form.
Easdale Island is the most densely populated island in the Hebrides, so hardly in imminent danger of becoming a ‘ghost town’.
Does EIRPOA still exist?
I can assure Suzanne & ET that there are many residents who are ‘disgruntled’ with EE. EE directors’ behaviour over many years has gone without public criticism because of the threat of retribution. Only a few individuals have dared to raise their voice in these circumstances and then suffer the consequences. Latterly however, the residents have found a collective voice through petitions and mass objections to proposals such as the wind turbine, and this blog provides another useful outlet to expose the questionable antics of the EE directors. For too long they have imposed their will on the long suffering residents, so the extent of the criticism is not surprising.
EIROPA is not in opposition to EE per se, and anyone who says otherwise is trying to besmirch an open and honest organisation that is aiming to serve the interests and issues affecting the daily lives of all islanders. There have been many occasions in the past when EIRPOA has supported EE, for example, the purchase of the Museum and the stone skimming event.
I suspect that most full time resident islanders have a neutral view of holiday home owners, except when they exercise their vote as members of EE on issues affecting all islanders. If all part-timers adopted the same admirable position as Suzanne, or better still, voting was only available to full time island resident members, then a major source of discontent would disappear. Currently, if all full time residents were members of EE, they would probably still be outvoted 2:1. And of course, only being on the island for short periods of time, holiday home owners are more likely to support initiatives that benefit their business, not the residents who derive no benefit at all.
Hi,
As you have said, I have chosen not to vote on island “proposals” for want of a better word, but I am a member of EE and like to receive any information, if any, about what is happening on Easdale. I can also state, for the record, I do not like wind turbines; if you lived where I do, you would understand why – forget 1, think 51! However, I am replying to the last sentence of your comment. While my “holiday home” is a business and therefore it is in my interest to get people to visit Easdale and have amenities on it for their use (like any competent business person), my understanding is that there are homes on Easdale used for personal holidays but not let for general use (there are at least 5 I know of). I do not know how or if these residents vote or whether they are members of EE or EIROPA but any votes they cast on either side cannot be to benefit their business. If holiday home owners (other than those who have the homes as a business) supported initiatives which did not directly benefit full time residents, how would you consider that matter? Not trying to be argumentative but trying to see all sides. Thanks.
Thank you for confirming the point that holiday home owners who use their property as a business will probably support EE initiatives that benefit that business, regardless of whether it adversely affects the permanent residents.
However, in answer to your query, it is my view that permanent residents choose to live on Easdale Island for the peace and tranquillity that it offers. Not surprisingly, many holiday home owners visit the island to have a good time, and any EE initiative that contribute to the good time will be supported by holiday home owners. Conflicts arise and, coupled with the inherent EE secrecy, residents become suspicious and angry which has culminated in petitions expressing no confidence in the EE directors.
In an earlier entry, you stated that you did not know what the EE directors do. For an EE member, that is a startling admission; just imagine how the island residents must feel.
Finally, I would advise caution in relying on EE publications to find out what is happening on the island. Whilst they might be useful event reporting mechanisms, the EE website and newsletter ignore the realities of island life arising from external influences such as the Scottish Government Ferry review, or the emergency patient evacuation arrangements for the island.
Hello ET,
I agree that EE and EIRPOA should get together. That is just what I tried to do on several occasions when I was chairman of EIRPOA. Sadly, EE rebuffed and refused everyone of my requests to have even a chat. No reason was ever given. As a member of EE myself I stood for an election with it. I received the nomination papers only AFTER the closing date and despite appeals for fairness was not allowed to stand. The next time my nomination was accepted, but I was never allowed to see the membership list and so was stopped from contacting all the voters to make my case. Imagine the row if that happened in a general election. At the count (which was held in secret) I was informed that very few votes had been cast for me whereas a great many had been cast for the winner. The apparent turn out was in the order of 90%, a figure only ever obtainable in N Korea. I never found out where the EE members lived, or how many were actually annually paid up and so the voting figures may just have been made up. I was then threatened with legal proceedings if I didn’t shut up. My reply was to ‘meet them in court’. I heard no more. Others have also brushed aside such EE threats. All EIRPOA members are residents or owners and so have a stake in Easdale. The same is not the case for EE as it claims a membership far greater than would be possible if on the same basis as EIRPOA’s. Just why EE always fails to meet with islanders first to discuss its plans and seek islander approval for them before taking matters further remains a puzzle. That secrecy, and lack of citizenship and comradeship helps explains the recent damning report from the Scottish Charities Commission. It is worth recalling that EE is not a charitable trust; just a not-for-profit business. Full details of how it spends its (presumably) tax-free incomes the islanders are never allowed to know; and what little is known is rarely approved of by islanders. All very odd, inexplicable and sad. Easdale is a small island with a very divided community and the finger of suspicion for that points only one way.