About us

isleHoliday is the new project from Isle Develop CIC: the company behind island shopping site isle20.com

isle20 was created as a direct response to the impact of Covid-19 on the islands’ tourism sector. It was set up as a marketplace, to allow small businesses to keep selling despite the lack of tourist footfall. The success of this project gave rise to Isle Develop CIC - a Community Interest Company dedicated to putting profits back in the hands of island communities.

isleHoliday is a holiday rental site, which will reinvest its revenue directly into local island communities.

Like other accommodation sites, for every booking taken, isleHoliday will charge commission. But that’s where the similarities end.

The first 2% of the commission goes to the cost of processing the credit card payment. This is based on the current cost of processing credit cards, and is subject to change.

The remaining commission is used to pay our staff, advertise properties and products and manage the business. After that is done, any remaining surplus is used to give free digital advice to island entrepreneurs and community groups.

Isle Develop CIC is an asset locked company. That means that no individual can profit, or take a dividend. Our Articles of Association have been approved by the CIC Regulator and state that all assets must be handed over to another island community group should the business end.

By keeping profits local, we hope to have a visibly positive impact which will help our communities to thrive for many generations to come. We want to make sure that the islands remain a great place to live as well as a great place to visit.

By placing communities at the centre of everything we do, we hope to use isleHoliday to make tourism work better for everyone.

If you are interested in finding out more about isleHoliday - whether you have your own website or are currently using another service, or both or none, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will be in touch!

Meet the team!

Isle Develop CIC is a woman-led, island-based team who own their own businesses and are active in their communities.

We know what it takes to set things up from scratch. We don’t pretend to know all the answers, but we work hard and we’re willing to learn!

We are all passionate about creating secure futures for our islands. We want our communities to be the main beneficiaries of our projects. We want to experiment, build and learn.

We dream big, start small and move fast.

Our Directors

• Rhoda Meek (Tiree) Rhoda manages the day-to-day running of Isle Develop CIC alongside Tiree Tea and a croft.
• Rebecca Hutton (Harris) Becca is a Harris Tweed weaver, owner of Taobh Tuath Tweeds and Chair of Northton Heritage Trust. She manages the day-to-day running of isle20.com.
• Ann MacDonald (Tiree) A former accountant now working in the public sector, Ann is also a Director of Tiree Renewable Energy and the Scottish Islands Federation.
• Catriona MacLennan (Harris) Previously a broadcaster, Catriona is Vice-chair of the Leverhulme Community Hub project alongside running a family fishing business.
• Kirsten Gow (Jura) Kirsten is an island researcher who has worked in a number of paid and voluntary roles supporting island and rural communities, both in her home island of Jura and across Scotland.
• Catriona Smyth (Tiree/Edinburgh) Catriona is currently based in Edinburgh but gets back to Tiree as often as she can. She is heavily involved in island history projects and Vice Chair of Friends of the Argyll Papers.