In the early 1980s, Mike Stanfield, who was a householder in the Hebrides, felt the time had come to put something back into the islands. He was very aware of the fragility of the Gaelic history, culture and language, the architecture and the natural history and wanted to do something to educate the general public and protect these assets as well as to stimulate the economies of the islands.

Mike’s good friend, Alan Smith, was also a householder in the Hebrides. Sharing his views, he suggested focusing on Hynish, a township at the southwestern end of Tiree. Many of the houses were unoccupied and falling into disrepair. Mike determined to set up a charity, which he named The Hebridean Trust, and to use it as a vehicle to try to restore the area. The Trust was formed in 1982, with Sheriff Principal Robert Taylor, a Commissioner of Northern Lighthouses, and Alan Smith being invited to become founding members of the Trust.

A small office was set up in Oxford, Mike’s home town. This proved to be well placed for contact with the wide range of grant making trusts, specialists and advisers supporting the Trust’s work.

Robert Taylor remained a Trustee until his untimely death in 1993. He is sadly missed. Dr John Morton Boyd CBE acted as Mike’s personal adviser from the formation of the Trust. John’s son, Professor Sir Ian Boyd, became a Trustee in 1993. Ian and his father co-wrote The Hebrides in the Collins New Naturalist series. Ian is Professor of Natural Sciences at St Andrews University and was Chief Scientific Adviser at DEFRA.

At the suggestion of Professor Sir Ian Boyd, Paul Stanfield was appointed a Trustee in 2011, bringing a wealth of experience from the charity sector and a love of the Hebrides dating back over 25 years.

Over the past 42 years, about a quarter of a million people have enjoyed a Hebridean experience due to the Trust’s work, as it restored buildings on Tiree and Canna, provided housing for local people, acquired and managed the Treshnish Isles, provided holidays for disadvantaged young people, created exhibitions and undertook wildlife and archaeological surveys.

The Hebridean Trust gifted the Hynish Lighthouse Shore Station to the Hynish Trust and the Tiree community in June 2024. At that time, the founder members Mike Stanfield and Alan Smith had served 42 years as trustees.