“I give my company smokers of fish for the benefit of COLONSAY”

A man who has built a smoking company in interior hebrides wants to give it in order to help regenerate the local population.

Richard Irvine, 65, founded and directs the smoke of Colonsay but seeks to give the business to a family who seeks to stay in the long term on the island.

The Smokehouse, operational for two and a half years, will exchange hands at no cost – although Mr. Irvine can keep a share to keep the business on the move if the new owners changed their mind.

He hopes that the offer could help approach the aging population of the island and help increase the number of students in the local school.

Currently, Mr. Irvine divides his time between Colonsey and his house in Midlothian, after falling in love with the island in the 1980s.

He brought his wife to the island for their honeymoon and the couple has returned every year since.

The former brand consultant took an early retirement and planned to build a house on the island, but quickly got involved in the creation of a fish smoke company.

Now, ColonSay Smokery provides smoked salmon in the shop, local restaurants as well as the island's locations.

COLONSAY is west of Jura and Islay and south of MULL and has a population of around 120 people.

The small island also has an island store, a bookstore and a gallery.

Richard said he thought he was his chance to give back to the island he loves.

He told BBC Scotland News: “I learned a new competence and I seem to be doing quite well, but the plan has always been to reinforce the business.

“Once I gave the money I gave, I want to give it to try to attract a young couple to move to the island.

“The population decreases on the island. We need young people to provide ambulance service, fire services and simply become the next generation to manage the community.

“If I was 30 years old, it could be the kind of thing I would like to do. It's a wonderful way of life, it's a beautiful place to live.”

Like many Scottish islands, the island is struggling to deposit with retirees constituting a large part of the residents.

Richard said that the ideal candidate would be someone with a “corporate spirit” and an interest in food.

He said it would be ideal for a couple, where a person can work remotely, or a family to help stimulate the list of schools currently, which currently consists of only four students.

Affordable housing was recently built on the island, but Richard said that the lack of opportunities was another dam to attract the youngest on the island.

He hopes that the new owner of Colonsay Smokery will be able to extend the business and extend his online presence.

The salmon smoking process takes five days and includes the file and the healing of the fish in salt, before it is dried, smoked and left at maturity. It is then decided and packed before being sold.

Richard will frame the potential owners for three months, and could keep a “gold share” – this means that it would keep the decision -making powers and could prevent a new owner from selling the business.

“I don't know if I'm going to do it,” he said.

“It will be a question of confidence, but what I don't want is to do this and in six months so that they can sell. I want to keep this for the island.”

Other than that, Mr. Irvine wants to completely put the reins back.

He hopes that this will allow him to spend more time enjoying the island, while he is looking for his next project.