A sense of optimism is gathering in Invergordon, even if many of its residents were oblivious to Rishi Sunak’s flying visit to the town.
As the prime minister prepared to outline the details of the new green freeport deal for Inverness and the Cromarty Firth on Friday, I took a stroll down Invergordon’s High Street to see what people are making of the spotlight being turned on it.
According to most of those I met, it’s about time.
Empty shops are a regular sight in every town across Scotland.
But the pressures have been particularly severe in Invergordon, where dwindling numbers of people working in the oil industry have forced so many to move elsewhere.
‘We really need a boost’
The town’s population, at around 4,000, has stayed pretty static in the last two decades.
But the demographics have changed.
With so few opportunities for young people, many have ventured further south to Inverness, Glasgow or Edinburgh.
It’s hardly surprising then that the prospect of a major investment – which could be up to £6bn and bring 25,000 jobs to the region – is such a tantalising prospect.
Archie Maiden is a former oil industry worker.
The 56-year-old now runs Sweets + Treats in Invergordon High Street.
“The oil industry has just about run out up here,” he said. “It used to employ a lot of people.
“And this used to be a thriving place, a great community.
“There are still lots of great people but in the last 10 to 15 years, it has declined really badly.
“We really need a boost.”
Freeport jobs boom could reverse fortunes in Invergordon
That view is shared by Maggie Scott of Hope Invergordon, a local charity shop.
She has lived in the area for 35 years and has seen the town completely change in that time.
Maggie said: “When I first moved up, with the rigs that were coming in, the amount of people arriving, it was unbelievable.
“What’s happening now sounds promising and the town deserves it.
“We want our young people to stay in the Highlands. I’m sure this will help keep more of them here.”
But not everyone is convinced by the potential of green freeport status.
One local, who asked not to be named, told me he didn’t expect it to make a major difference.
He said it had the potential to end up like the cruise liner trade, where hundreds of thousands dock in Invergordon every year but many of them bypass the town entirely for places like Loch Ness.
Freeport is good news for the Highlands
That is effectively what happened with the prime minister’s visit.
Three Range Rovers and a police escort quietly slipped out of the Port of Cromarty Firth office and headed back south without any time to even see the town’s mural trail.
Which is very impressive, by the way.
Retired ships agent Murdo MacKenzie has lived in Invergordon for 50 years and is not a fan of what he’s seen happening in recent years.
The 61-year-old said: “It’s been terrible. There’s not been enough work to go around and that’s hurt the town.
“It needs a shot in the arm. If the amount of people they’re talking about is true, surely we will see some investment here.”
William Sandford is another who has worked in the oil trade while living in Invergordon.
Asked to sum up how the town looks compared to when he first arrived 25 years ago he said: “There’s less of everything now.”
The town is without a bank these days, forcing people to head to Alness or further south.
William Sandford added: “We see a massive fleet of ships coming in every year. But they’re not coming to the town.
“This area really needs investment in it and if it has to come from a freeport, I think that’s fair enough.”