Introduction to MCTC Directors

In recent newsletters we have published introductions to our MCDC directors. In this edition we are delighted to introduce some of the Morvern Community Trading Company (MCTC) directors who have kindly provided an introduction to themselves in their own words. MCTC is one of the two trading arms of MCDC as illustrated below. As always, if you would like to contact any of the directors, please email admin@morvern.org and your message will be passed on. 

Em Rosier

I have been the treasurer of MCTC since January 2024 and lived in Morvern since 2012. I was born in Raigmore and we shortly moved to Dervaig on Mull from Portree on Skye. We then moved to the island of Carna in Loch Sunart and we were the last family to live on the island full time, every day my parents took my sister and I to Glenborrodale primary school in a small boat unless the weather was too rough, then we were home schooled for the odd storm here and there. From Carna we moved to Kingairloch and then Ardmaddy where we attended Easdale Primary School. We then moved to Honiton for a time and I finished my high schooling just outside Oxford. 

Growing up in rural communities meant that the big cities were an amazing experience but I longed for the hills and lochs of home. I then headed back up to Glenmoidart where I was a home carer for a time. Having been very practical throughout my life in remote places and being involved in everything from road building, boat handling and general maintenance to deer stalking I decided to go to Inverness College UHI and went on to complete a 4 year modern Apprenticeship in Plumbing and Heating. 

I went self employed in 2016 and I’m now in my 8th year of my business. I took one season out to Ghillie which involved taking Highland ponies up the hill to recover the deer on a shooting estate but otherwise I have been working all over Morvern, Mull and Ardnamurchan. 

Having moved around a lot and done a reasonable amount of travelling I have experienced many different places but when I moved to Morvern I felt like it was home. The community were so welcoming and warm and there was so much going on. I have since been involved in different community projects including ‘the village tidy up’ and restoring the telephone box. I am now putting my business skills to use in MCTC and have enjoyed working with the board and employees to help run our fantastic amenities both for the residents of and visitors to Morvern. 

I am an avid explorer and adventurer and have covered most of Morvern and the surrounding peninsulas on foot with my beloved spaniel, on my push bike, in a boat or on horseback. I love sailing, fishing, taking my boat on long trips, recording butterflies and moths, local history, hill walking and generally being outside in nature. 

Sue Layton

I was introduced to the membership in May’s newsletter but as some of you will know I also sit on the Board of Morvern Community Trading Company, one of the two trading arms of MCDC responsible for the harbour, hub, fuel pumps and the electric bikes. I was born in West Sussex, emigrated to NZ as a toddler and grew up in the native and pine forests of NZ so retiring to Morvern is a home from home!

I spent many years in the volunteer sector fundraising for charitable causes both paid and unpaid. My passion has always been the sea and it was a huge privilege to spent seven years on the Greater Manchester Challenge, the Ocean Youth Trust NW gaff rigged ketch, as sea staff and then acting first mate. I was also a Trustee for three years. 

Stu and I set up and ran our own skippered yacht charter holiday company in 2006 doing fifteen years, eight of which we also did RYA training. Attaining my commercial skipper’s ticket was more than a dream come true. 

Lochaline became a favourite port of call and in inclement weather we did a lot of sail training in the Loch’s relatively sheltered waters. We were the first to come alongside the new pontoons and the last eight years of chartering we were liveaboards so spent more and more time here in LA. I’ve taken on the mantle of treasurer of the Lochaline Mooring Association (LAMA) and have helped, together with the committee, transform the Association into a shining example of how Mooring Associations should be run according to our Crown Estate representative. 

When we came to Morvern we were staggered by the diversity of interests, clubs and groups and the shared hard work of those who make Morvern such a vibrant and diverse place to live. It was only natural for me to want to give back and keep than momentum going. We feel very blessed to have found Morvern and made it our home. 

Footnote from Stu - Sue and I met sailing as volunteers for OYT NW. Since we became a couple in 2004 and married in 2009, I can testify to Sue’s tenacity and commitment to any project she takes on. “If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” She has a true passion for doing the best she possibly can whether that be for family, clubs and associations we belong to and indeed the wider community as a whole. Two words that sum her up: Sue cares. 

 Jane Stuart-Smith

I am an employment solicitor. I trained and worked in London for nine years before moving to Morvern in 1999 with my young family. I run my legal practice from home, commuting to London on the sleeper for court appearances etc. 

I co-founded the award-winning Whitehouse Restaurant in Lochaline with Sarah Jones and we ran it together for just under 20 years. I co-founded SLOW Adventure, a sustainable travel company to help remote communities like Morvern  to build and manage tourism sustainably.  Over the years, I have been involved in different ways to make Morvern an even better place to live.I chaired Lochaline Primary School Parent Council when my kids were there and helped get Highland Council to agree to a new primary school and fire station for Lochaline which was completed in 2013. 

 I set up a charity—Morvern Outreach in 2000, a vehicle for obtaining grant funding for educational activities in the community. Ballet, Scottish dancing and Spanish lessons were some of the classes held in the Village Hall. 

I joined the board of MCDC in 2007. I have been a director since then on and off and also a director of the trading company, MCTC. When I joined the company the only assets were the petrol pumps and the Hazelwoods. 

I am very proud of what the company and the community has achieved since then: building the marina and shore facilities, 3 houses at Miners Court and the critically important Barr Hydro Scheme and the Hub. MCDC has also supported many community groups over the years including the allotments. This has all been achieved with only one full time employee and volunteer directors. The inward investment into Morvern via MCDC and MCTC in the last 25 years is estimated by HIE to be in excess of £6 million. There is still much to do. In January 2024 I stood down from being Chair of MCDC and MCTC and remain on the board. It is great to have new (and younger!) directors on the boards to help us identify priorities and lead the companies in the next phase of the company’s development. 

I love being outside walking and travelling and I am a fair weather sailor of sorts. 

The remaining MCTC Directors will be introduced soon!