In this episode we chat with Malcolm Combe, a senior lecturer in Scots private law at the University of Strathclyde, having arrived there by way of a stint in private practice followed by a position as a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen.

Malcolm grew up in Renfrewshire with strong Lewis connections; his Mother coming from Point where Malcolm spent family holidays in his younger years. Later on as a law student, Malcolm found himself increasingly drawn to the Western Isles and Lewis in particular, with its deep commitment to community ownership and land reform, just at the time the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 was passed. Land reform remains one of Malcolm’s principal academic interests and he is one of the few bridges between the world of land reform and crofting law.

John Toal comes from a crofting background in Lochaber and in 1985 he took on the role of grazings clerk and secretary of his local sheep stock club. In the same year the Scottish Crofters Union was formed, and John was directly involved in the formation of SCU branches and the area structure in Lochaber. John was then branch secretary of the Lochaber branch, and became President of the Lochaber Area, representing it at SCU Council level.

In 1992 John began crofting-related employment that continued for 30 years with the Scottish Crofters Union, the Lochaber Local Enterprise Company, and the Crofters later the Crofting Commission.

This involved work in advocacy, research and policy development, crofting development, project management, community engagement, crofting regulation and legislation, crofting support structures and land management.

In this episode, Donna and Eilidh chat with Dr Lucy Beattie.

Lucy is from Leckmelm, close to the village of Ullapool. She has over 28 years of hands-on experience managing her own farming business and has also worked in education, teaching rural skills at Ullapool High and managing education projects for the Scottish Crofting Federation all over the Highlands and Islands. Lucy took a break from work to complete a PhD focused on public engagement with science. She is currently employed by the James Hutton Institute as a researcher in sustainable farming systems and she was recently appointed as a Commissioner for the Scottish Land Commission.

Music credit: Peatbog Faeries