A community made famous by a TV series is about to switch on in a different way after raising a staggering £830,000 from investors in less than five weeks for a hydro scheme.
Apple Juice, a community benefit society set up to raise a target figure of £780,000, said residents in Applecross in Wester Ross were “stunned” by the level of support.
In fact it even tweeted: “Please don’t send any more investments to @applecrosshydro – we’ve got enough – we are overwhelmed by your support!”
Work started on the 90kW scheme earlier this year and it could begin generating electricity next month.
It will draw water from Allt Breugach, a burn that flows into Applecross Bay.
It is estimated that the scheme will generate a gross income of £106,356 in its first full year.
Residents of Applecross already run the village’s petrol filling station and public toilets as community ventures.
They also set up AppleNet to provide a community broadband service for the Applecross peninsula.
As well as generating electricity, profits from the new hydro scheme will be used to fund other community projects.
Ally MacLeod, who is one of the directors of Apple Juice, said: “We were aiming for as big a target as possible.
“That we have done it in less than five weeks has left us stunned.”
He added: “Applecross is at the centre of a very strong network. We know a lot of people have Applecross at their heart and want it to be a living community.”
The Applecross peninsula lies on the west coast of Ross-shire, directly opposite Skye, Raasay and Rona.
In 1850 nearly 3,000 people lived in the scattered townships, now there are around 540.
There are two roads into the area. One is the Bealach na Ba, an old drove road used historically to take cattle to market and the highest pass in Scotland.
The other is the longer coast road via Shieldaig which was opened in 1975.