Housing grants worth more than £300,000 have been awarded to nine crofters across the Highlands and islands.
The funding has been awarded through the Scottish Government’s Croft House Grant Scheme, which provides assistance to build new croft houses and improve the standards of existing croft housing.
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said 125 crofters had benefited from funding worth more than £4.2 million from the scheme in the past two years, and since the start of 2007 more than 900 homes had been built or improved under the scheme.
“This latest round of funding will make a real difference to those nine successful applicants and their families,” he added.
“The crofting way of life makes a very important contribution to the sustainability of remote rural communities. The Scottish Government recognises this vital role and the difference that the provision of high-quality housing can make to retention of people in crofting, both now and in the future.”
He said government was “taking the bull by the horns” and ensuring crofters were valued and encouraged to keep doing what they do in delivering low-intensity, high nature value agriculture.
