Mairi MacKenzie, from Lochbroom, Ullapool, Ross-shire, became a crofter in 1987 after her father gifted her a croft – and some sheep – when she got married.

Mairi is now both tenant and owner-occupier of croft land amounting to fifty hectares, running a flock of 100 North Country Cheviot ewes and six pedigree Luing cows. In 1990 Mairi and her husband Kenny built a home from which she now runs a four star B and B in conjunction with working the croft.

In the MacKenzie's township, there are ten crofts and three active crofters who work hand in hand to ensure their smooth running. Managing the land and the grazing is key, which entails moving the sheep out onto the common grazing at various times throughout the year.

“I’m very thankful for what I have," said Mairi. "There’s no better place to bring up a family and I take great pride in what I’m producing – it’s great to see the livestock being born and bringing them through. I’ve spent the past 26 years building up the croft and restoring the land, with help from my family. The croft is vital for preserving not only the natural habitat here, but also the heritage of the area and our way of life. As custodians of the land it’s a crofter’s responsibility to maintain the land for the next generation.

“We also can’t ignore that crofts make up a quarter of agricultural land in the Highlands and Islands, a large proportion of which will be arable land. Therefore, we cannot dismiss the contribution crofters make in producing scotch beef and lamb, which is recognised worldwide as being a quality product.

“The Crofting Commissioners are a good way to have our voice heard, especially in changes of policy, and so it’s important to have people who are working the system involved. For that reason, I think whoever is elected should come from a crofting background and should have seen for themselves the highs and lows of crofting. We need an articulate person, who would be a strong voice on the behalf of crofters.”