About Us
Our History: In November 2021, the Lochranza and Catacol Community Society (LCSS) called an open meeting in the Lochranza and Catacol Village Hall to discuss the Lochranza Hotel, the last hotel and hostelry in the North of Arran, which was being put up for sale. The meeting of around 80 residents agreed unanimously that the community should attempt to buy the Hotel for the benefit of the community. As a result an independent team of volunteers was formed. During 2022, following research, much form-filling, etc, the North Arran Community Benefit Society Ltd (NACBS) was formed as a Charity with the team becoming the founding members and directors.
The reason that it was a Benefit Society rather than another type of organisation such as a CIC, Trust or SCIO was that it was felt that in order to buy the hotel and with the uncertainty of being awarded 100% grants, that the body would need a method of raising its own capital through a share offer which it did towards the end of 2022, when around 80 members gave their support.
On December 22nd, 2022, with the help of grants from the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) the NACBS acquired the Lochranza Hotel (renamed the Lochranza Country Inn ) for the community and opened for business in May 2023.
Inn start-up: During 2023 and 2024, there was much work required to bring the Inn up to standard so that it could operate within the various health, food hygiene, environmental and fire safety standards. This was achieved through various grants and hard work and by the end of 2024 the operation of the Inn became more settled and the business turned the corner towards profitability.
Moving forward: Since the end of 2024, the NACBS has turned its attention to other Community Projects, the main one being the provision of affordable housing. This is a 5 year project to help the regeneration of the Community. However while this is its major project the mission of the NACBS is to support any projects requested by its community members and to provide its expertise to help the other community groups.
Meet the Team:
Since forming, NACBS has encouraged the local community to get involved, become members, join the Board and shape the future of the organisation. We firmly believe that NACBS will be most effective if it has a broad a membership from the community as possible. As of 1st July 2023, there were 84 community members and 8 contributor members.
Duncan Craig (Chair)
Duncan has been in the community for over 16 years. A former business consultant and project manager, he was also a trustee of Hostelling Scotland for 8 years. He is a current Director of the Lochranza and Catacol Sea Society and one of the founder members of the Benefit Society. He is the current Director of Operations and Chair.
Robin Finlayson (Treasurer)
Robin was raised in the community and is a professional accountant. An active member of the community being a Trustee of the Lochranza and Catacol Village Hall and the Chair of the Lochranza and Catacol Sea Society, he is the current Treasurer for NACBS.
Alison Richards
Andrew Rigby (LCI Board)
Andrew lives in Shiskine where he runs Kayak Arran with his partner Fiona Clarke. In addition, they let out a property in Lochranza where they also keep their sailing boat. He worked as a volunteer at the Inn during 2023 often as Kitchen porter. After being co-opted onto the NACBS board in August 2023, He obtained an alcohol sales licence and was the premises manager for the Inn between April 2024 and March 2025. He is the current LCI director for NACBS and advises on property and maintenance requirements. He can often be seen at the Inn doing minor fixes to enable the Inn to continue operating.
Robert Cumming (Secretary)
Robert is a long-term resident in the community and has held various roles for various community groups including Secretary for the Lochranza and Catacol Community Association, when he organized the meeting which voted to purchase the Hotel.
Charlie Newton (Advisor)
Born and raised on Arran, Charlie graduated from the Scottish Hotel School in 1963. He has 60 years’ experience in the hospitality and tourism industries in both Scotland and the USA. Charlie was the original Director of Sales for the Consort Hotels Consortium in both the UK and USA. He served on the Board of the Travel Agents of Tennessee as the Supplier Advisor until 2024. He owns Britain by Choice, an American company creating and operating customised vacations in Britain for Americans.
Jemma Sharman (Community Engagement Officer)
Dan (Development Officer)
Dan has been NACBS Development Officer since 2023. He has administered the grant spending and has organised all of the renovations, from the staff accommodation to the kitchen. He can usually be found wandering around the inn with a tape measure and a notebook