A petition started in support of a pensioner couple facing eviction from their Highland estate house has now attracted more than 1,000 signatures.
Retired joiner Jimmy Bryan, 72, and his wife Lillie, 75, are leaving the cottage they rent on the grounds of Beaufort Castle Estate near Beauly so it can be renovated into a holiday home.
The estate is owned by Stagecoach tycoon Ann Gloag, one of Scotland’s richest women.
The petition was started after the Bryans’ plight was reported by the Press and Journal last week.
People signing the petition are putting their name to an open letter addressed to Mrs Gloag.
It states: “Ann Gloag does not need to turn a simple little cottage (a home for an elderly couple of 40 years) into a holiday home.
“Any positive outcome for this couple would be fantastic.”
The letter signs off “Give Mr and Mrs Bryan their home back.”
Mrs Gloag has said that the couple had been given notice of the eviction as early as July last year and that she “appreciated the implications” for Mr and Mrs Bryan.
We are happy to make it clear that the cottage in question is not part of neighbouring Lovat Estate, which has no connection with Mrs Gloag’s Beaufort Castle Estate.