LOCALS living on Britain’s most remote island have told how they don’t even have a pub – but could never be lonely.
Sheila Gear, 82, originally from Oxford, has lived in Foula for 61 years – now she has children and grandchildren on the island.
The tiny land mass can be found just off the Northern coast of Scotland, in the Shetland islands.
Foula has a primary school, an airport, a wool shop, holiday rentals, and a ferry terminal – but no pub.
There’s around 15 to 17 houses on the island – with residents forced to either get lucky and snap one up or forced to build their own.
Ham is the slightly “busier” part of the island, near the harbour, where Sheila currently resides.
Sheila’s grandfather, Ian Holbourn, bought Foula in around 1900.
Growing up, Sheila spent many a family holiday there and by 1964 she had married a Foula native.
Her daughter Penny, 54, has lived on the island all her life.
But a bizarre rule means no Foula residents are allowed to give birth on the island.
And all children must board at a school on the mainland after primary.
Due to a lack of hospitals, and until recently, a nurse, pregnant residents must leave for Shetland around two weeks prior to giving birth.
This tradition is longstanding but before residents had access to an airport, they would have to leave by boat a whole month before giving birth.
For the past two years, Foula has been without a nurse, but thankfully one has just been appointed
Penny said: “It brings a great sense of security”.
A factor which can put people off visiting, is getting trapped.
Penny said: “Foula is a very weather dependent island. You never know whether you’ll get stuck in or out!”
But Sheila doesn’t believe this to be an issue: “We’re not cut off anymore. When I first married, it was quite common for the island to be cut off for a month.
“We always keep a store of food. We might run out of one specific thing like chocolate, but we don’t run out of something to keep us alive.”
As is custom, children leave the island to attend secondary school on the mainland – but being around a larger amount of people can come as a “shock” for many.
However, during the four years Penny spent boarding on the mainland, what kept her going “was the thought of Foula”.
She added: “I’m very attached to Foula, it’s in my blood.”
The Primary School currently has just five children, who all happen to be cousins.
Penny said: “Foula is a good place to raise kids.
“We have a very good school. There’s only a small amount of kids so it’s almost one to one teaching.
“Right now there are five kids to one teacher so it’s very good quality.
“It’s well resourced, in a good position for education and the kids can grow up in the countryside and everyone knows everyone.”
She added: “The children are the future of Foula.”
But Penny admitted there can be downsides for younger people.
She said: “There’s not much nightlife here. There just isn’t that opportunity to meet people who aren’t family.”
However, this hasn’t proved to be much of an issue for Penny’s eldest son, Robert, 27.
Robert met his girlfriend on Tinder and at some point in the future he would like to raise a family in Foula.
He also reminisced about his childhood: “I always had kids to play with. I never felt lonely because you always had the whole island to play on – the island was our playground.”
Robert’s job incorporates a lot of travel. In the summer he works on ferries as a mate/deck crew, and in the winter he works with odd jobs based on the island.
He said: “I’ve sailed the world on merchant ships and seen thousands of horizons, but if I had the choice, I’d still choose Foula.”
For Robert, Foula is an escape from reality.
He said: “You can drop in and out of civilisation – you feel connected with neighbours and the community.”
Roberts’ grandma, Sheila, does not see herself ever moving away from Foula.
She explained why: “It’s very beautiful, very dramatic – the scenery.
“It’s very interesting if you’re interested in the natural world, wildlife and so on.
“There’s always something interesting going on because we have the northern lights, very strong winds, and hurricanes occasionally.
“We also have totally calm beautiful days, there’s a lot of contrast in life here.”
When asked if island life ever gets lonely, Sheila replied: “Most people live on small islands, it’s just they don’t have seas all around them.
“But where you live you have your house and home, the places you go to and people you meet at work, and your friends.
“But it’s not a large number – if you actually counted it up. It’s probably not much more than what we’re mixing with.
“Because sometimes we get a lot of people come, say there’s a cruise ship and in comes 200 people and you meet them, but you’re not actually living with them, you’re just meeting them and joining them for the day, then going home to your island.”
She argued living in a city is more lonely than the island.
“If you’re in a city, you might go somewhere very crowded and you’re meeting or seeing and maybe interacting with 100 people, but you’re not having a close relationship with them any more than we are with those who come here.
“Living in a city can be lonelier to tell you the truth.”
