Could you live here?

Of course you couldn't. But this is the sad state of housing for the Pictish community in the Western Isles of Scotland. Houses that are little more than windbreaks , open to all the weather that the Atlantic can throw at them. Houses where people and animals alike must huddle together to keep warm.

The existence of houses like this in modern Britain is a crying shame. But fortunately there are now moves afoot to do something about it: Teams of volunteers from the mainland are moving in to bring this accommodation up to scratch. It's hard work, and badly paid, but just knowing that they are making a difference is all the motivation they need. These dedicated young people are setting out to right the wrongs of hundreds of years of neglect, showing that even the most outlying parts of the British Isles are still entitled to share in the wealth and welfare that the rest of the country takes for granted.

The work is being led by this man. Yes, he looks like a hairy Pict - and that is just one way in which he tries to empathise with the people to whom he has dedicated his life. But don't be deceived by appearances. This is Tim Neighbour, and even as you read this, he is attempting to convene an international conference to discuss Pictish roofing, so that we never again have to see pictures like those above. Please give him your support and encouragement by sending him an e-mail. Don't send money. He won't accept it. All he needs is to know you care. Thankyou.