A TINY island without roads, schools or a hospital has made a glossy corporate-style video in a bid to attract more residents.
Easdale Island has a population of just 60 living on its 25-acres about 16 miles south of Oban, Argyll and Bute.
Despite the idyllic setting, several family homes are lying empty even though the price tags are as low as £100,000.
Islanders hope their slick, eight minute video showing off Easdale’s stunning landscapes and warm-hearted community will do the trick.
The film features timelapse, moving camera shots, pull focus and other professional techniques as well as soaring music and heart-tugging interviews with locals.
Following shots of flowers, mountains, beaches, and islanders working together, one resident tells the camera: “It’s not like the mainland, in some respects it’s not an easy life but in other respects it’s a fantastic experience. It really is. What a wonderful place we live in”.
Timelapse images of clouds moving like liquid above tranquil seas give way to locals working together at the dock to unload supplies.
Viewers are told that while the island lacks roads, schools or a hospital, it does have a pub and a museum.
Pub owner and director at Easdale Island Community Development Group , Keren Cafferty tells the interviewer: “Where I came from I didn’t have a community, I had never been in a situation before. It was a revelation to see people come together to do a lot of the clean ups on a cold day and things like that so I think living on an island, especially this island, we work together really well.
“It was bizarre people would just appear from nowhere and give you a hand.”
The video was posted to several websites a week ago and has already been viewed more than 15,000 times.
An employee of a local outdoor activities firm, Seafari Adventures, shot and edited the film free of charge.
Keren said: “We had been talking about ways to get people to come to Easdale for a while.
“We are hoping that it will attract more visitors to the island who may then think to themselves, ‘It would be great to live here’.
“It’s unbelievable how many views it’s had already.”
Sixteen children – including two babies – live on the island. The school-age kids face a daily adventure getting to the classroom having to catch the 7:45am ferry to the mainland.
Many residents work in the tourism industry or – thanks to an undersea broadband cable – run their own businesses from home. Electricity is also provided by undersea cable.
Local Michelle McFadyen,said: “My husband who features in the video used to live here as a child so when we had the opportunity came up to move here we thought it would be great, especially for the children.
“It’s so hard to capture just in words what island life is like so the video is really nice. It promotes the island as it is.
Steve Brown, 54, has lived on the island for 13 years and said: “It’s great. It’s not like living in the city at all and is a lot of fun. We are all on the same boat here so you need your neighbours.”
