Shannon Morrison spent a year living in Teangue, one of the villages at the heart of today’s major police incident.
Known for its beautiful and dramatic scenery, Skye has the ability to capture the heart in ways words cannot quite express.
Standing at Uig pier with a holdall, I watch the ferry sail away.
At 17, I was experiencing what it was like to leave my family home for the first time.
I would be staying with an auntie-like figure and her family, who had given a lost teenager a chance out of the kindness of their hearts.
Being from Uist, I was well-acquainted with island living.
The idea of staying in the small village of Teangue was comforting if anything, a home away from home, and a home it was.
A close-knit community
Looking for a fresh start, I decided this wee place would now be my base.
In only a matter of weeks I grew to know my neighbours all by name, and not once did they forget mine.
Nothing makes you feel more memorised than a neighbour complimenting your fringe trim from across the road.
Many years on, I still know their names and their faces. I will always remember how they liked their tea when they visited, the names of their pets and what cars they drove.
There are struggles when you live somewhere small, of course.
In small villages, people will notice when you get new shoes. This doesn’t come without them noticing your break-ups, your mishaps, your mistakes and downfalls too.
But with that came encouragement, the people around me telling me they were proud of me, that they had seen my growth as a person. I had people rallying behind me.
What I really learnt from my time in Teangue was to appreciate what it meant to have people emotionally invested in you.
‘This sort of thing doesn’t happen around here’
Today’s events came as a huge shock.
You get used to news reports of people saying “this sort of thing doesn’t happen around here” but in a small, close-knit community like this, that is how you feel.
Small communities will see you laugh, they will see you cry.
They will share your joy and your grief. They will witness your happiness and your pain, but most importantly – they will also share it with you.
It’s that community spirit that will help get people through a time like this.
