They would look out for their neighbours, seeking to ensure they were in good health and capable of looking after themselves. These individuals would also involve themselves in the social and cultural lives of the community, putting forward ideas to improve our shared existence there, drawing upon the experience of their earlier lives. Their work on croft, moor and shoreline helped to provide food for our tables, whether fish caught from rocks or skerries, or potatoes and turnips harvested from thin strips of land. There were other advantages too for those in such communities.
