Bùth Renovation

Aim

We are renovating our community hub to make it a showcase for the islands and a comfortable place for our community, visitors and staff.

Bùth Bharraigh is a social enterprise established in 2013 as a route to market for local producers.  Since its inception, it has become a community and visitor hub for the islands of Barra and Vatersay and beyond.  The Bùth has created employment, volunteering and training opportunities, a place for local producers to do business and has increased visitor spending on the island by running the visitor information centre, accommodation finding service and Castlebay Marina and Ranger Service walks.

The focus of Bùth Bharraigh is to help the communities of Barra and Vatersay flourish by helping boost the local economy.

Our People

Bùth Bharraigh has 6 employees, 12 regular volunteers and over 100 producers.  It works with many different community groups and island businesses and is a focal point in Castlebay for local people and visitors alike: the go-to hub for information, support, products and services.  Bùth Bharraigh is a catalyst for economic regeneration and has the support of the community.

Recognition

Bùth Bharraigh has won many accolades for its work throughout the years, including:

• UK Rural Social Enterprise of the Year
• 2025 Social Enterprise Scotland: IDBM Community Wealth Builder
• 2022 H&I Food & Drink Awards: Independent Retailer
• FSB Awards 2020 Community Award (Scotland) 
•  

  and this year we are short-listed for Best Community Tourism & Events Initiative category of the Highlands and Islands Thistle Awards 2026.

Our Building

Bùth Bharraigh occupies the former Co-operative store in Castlebay: a prominent building above the southern port of entry to the Outer Hebrides.  From 2013 it was rented by the Bùth from the local authority after being vacant for 4 years.  In July 2023 a successful Community Asset Transfer secured ownership of the building.  

Constructed in the 1980s, the structure is badly in need of an upgrade to bring it up to modern-day standards.  The outer shell does not currently reflect the work that goes on inside or the quality local products available for sale, and many visitors comment on this fact.

The Bùth Bharraigh redevelopment is marked as high priority on the Local Place Plan for Barra and Vatersay as it is a redevelopment for a project which has strong links with the local economy and local entrepreneurship, business and social infrastructure, as well as relevant land use, community wellbeing and a cultural focal point. 

We have planning permission in place for the renovation.

Meeting the needs of the Community

Bùth Bharraigh has diversified since 2013 to cater for need within the community and visitors.  The heart of the business remains acting as a route to market for local producers.  However, Bùth Bharraigh now provides a much wider range of goods and services such as the laundry service which is used by locals, visitors, businesses and social care clients, offering a pickup and drop off option enabling people to stay in their own homes for longer.  As well as running the Visitor Information Service, we also run the Outdoor Rangers Service.   Bùth Bharraigh also runs craft classes from autumn to spring for young people, helping to pass on crafting skills, inspiring the future generation to care about sustainability, and equipping them with life skills which may perhaps empower future shop producers.

Further selling opportunities are provided for producers through our online shop and Island Markets.   The Island Markets also give opportunities to other local groups to raise income or awareness of their work. 

Supporting local businesses and community

In 2025, the Bùth took over £58,000 of producer sales, over £41,000 at Castlebay Marina (which is an increase of 60% on takings before Bùth Bharraigh managed the Marina), over £40,000 of accommodation bookings and encouraged extra visitor spend by recommending places to eat, activities to take part in and local events to attend.  All this revenue is over and above the shop takings.  Through the shop stocking policy, support is given not only to businesses in Barra (Barratlantic, Café Kisimul) but also throughout the Outer Hebrides (Ishga, Hebridean Charcuterie, Trout Hebrides, Uist Soap), other islands and mainland Scotland.  

The Buth has the largest refillery in the Western Isles and regularly receives positive comments from visitors.  Its use by locals and visitors alike provides a broad range of products, many of which are not available elsewhere on Island, as well as a cost effective and more sustainable way of shopping.

In 2019, Bùth Bharraigh calculated its Local Multiplier Factor: every £1 spent in the shop contributes £2.58 to the local economy.  So far, the shop has generated a total income of over £2 million which computes to a boost of over £5.1 million for the local economy.  (This is just for shop and producer takings, not other generated income through the Marina, accommodation service etc.)

Our range of goods and services

Bùth Bharraigh sells local gifts and crafts, local fish, fresh seasonal vegetables, wholefoods, fishing, surfing and camping equipment, haberdashery, handmade clothing, yarn, books, art and craft supplies, cards and postcards.

Bùth Bharraigh provides the following services: visitor information, accommodation finding, refillery, laundry service, printing & copying, private hot desk, free wifi, golf club hire, beach toy library and beach wheelchairs.  

Bùth Bharraigh manages Castlebay Marina and Barra and Vatersay Outdoor Rangers Service.  It also runs Island Markets and Young Crafters (Autumn to Spring).

Developing a broad range of income streams helps the organisation be sustainable.

The Renovation

The project is to renovate the current building and put on a small extension to include public toilets, something which is lacking within Castlebay and Barra as a whole.  It will upgrade all current amenities, insulate, re-roof and re-clad the building, put new windows on the front face to create a ‘Shop Window’ with a more appealing and appropriate appearance, and incorporate the laundry, currently separate, into the main building.

Bùth Bharraigh is a financially sustainable enterprise. Furthermore, it creates wealth for other businesses, organisations and individuals within the community. 

Remodelling this building will give Bùth Bharraigh not only an excellent showcase for local products but an apt welcome to the Isles. It is often the first-place visitors step inside when they reach Barra, so it is the first impression they have of the island.  As Bùth Bharraigh is open all year providing services for both our community and visitors, the renovation will improve comfort and wellbeing for staff and volunteers and make the community hub a warm, inviting space for everyone. In the winter months, when there are limited warm places local people can come for a chat and a cuppa, this is very important, particularly for people who live alone and solo travellers.  There will be a dedicated space for visitor information where people will find assistance on the local area, accommodation and travel plans in times of disruption. 

The renovation of the building will increase footfall and help Bùth Bharraigh and our local producers increase income.  Thanks to its prominent position, it will give a lasting first impression to those disembarking from the ferry. Its successful transformation will, in the long run, also increase community confidence in taking on similar projects.

All donations will be recognised on an online supporters' page on our website, unless they are marked anonymous.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 30th November 2026 at 7:00pm