Sir Crispin is currently an Honorary Research Fellow, University of Dundee Law Department and a legal convenor of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland and has had a long and distinguished career in law with a keen interest in crofting and land reform.

He was in practise as an advocate from 1982 to 2020 and was appointed a Queens Counsel in 1995. From the start of his career, he specialised in rural property law with a particular interest in agricultural and crofting law.

Sir Crispin represented landlords and tenants in the Land Court under the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Acts 1991 & 2003 and was also involved in crofting cases in the Land Court and authored Crofting Law (2000) T & T Clark, also holding the role of Chair of the Crofting Law Group for many years. He was on the Scottish Land Commission advice panel on land reform and other land related issues until 2024.

Outside of his professional and voluntary work nowadays, his main interests now are sailing (I have a small boat on the Forth) and mountain biking combined with some hill walking.

In this episode we discuss community owned crofting estates amongst other things with Sally Reynolds.

Sally is a crofter from the Isle of Lewis and she currently leads Community Land Scotland's new Natural Capital Community Partnerships project. Sally's background includes experience working within the crofting sector with strong experience in community engagement and development.

Sally previously worked as an Agricultural Consultant with SAC Consulting and as Development Manager with community landowner Urras Oighreachd Chàrlabhaigh (Carloway Estate Trust). Sally's interest and passion for Land Reform led her to be one of the first Scottish Land Commissioners.

Music credit: Peatbog Faeries

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

In this episode we talk all things woodland crofting with Jamie McIntyre.

Jamie is a freelance forester and community development worker based in Ardnamurchan, though most of his time is spent supporting the Woodland Crofts Partnership (of which SCF is one of 4 partners). He's had a long interest in smaller-scale, rural development forestry and in particular 'family forestry' models such as woodland crofts & woodlots. He was, for a time, woodland crofts officer for HIE/FCS when the model gained 'official' support following the 2007 Crofting Reform Act, but has been self-employed for the last 13 years. His wife was raised on the family croft and they have 4 children, though only 1 is still in school. In his spare time Jamie is involved in various community projects including a hydro scheme, a community-owned school building and a community woodland.

Music credit: Peatbog Faeries

In this episode we chat with Rhoda Meek.

Rhoda is an entrepreneur, digital consultant and crofter based in the Isle of Tiree. Running Isle Develop CIC, and her own business, Meekton Enterprises, keeps her busy most of the time. From time to time she contracts for US Tech Startups, managing Customer Experience. At the moment she is doing Comms & Gaelic Development for the Tiree Community Development Trust. You'll also find her column in the Sunday National each week.

We explore Rhoda's thoughts on the crofting system, good and bad, thoughts on the future and what some of the barriers are to new entrants.

Music credit: The Peatbog Faeries