This Is Islay

In this episode, Lynn Johnstone of MAYDS (Mid Argyll Youth Development Services) chats with This Is Islay's Glen Roberts and Russell Pollock about introducing Planet Youth to Islay. ⁠Planet Youth⁠ is a global initiative which uses a local, community-based approach to align families, schools and community to create safer, healthier environments for young people. In Iceland, Planet Youth was instrumental in reducing substance abuse and improving community health. “It takes a village. Let’s be the village.”

For more information:

Planet Youth ⁠https://planetyouth.org⁠

MAYDS ⁠https://www.mayds.org.uk⁠

Contact:⁠ [email protected] ⁠

Acknowledgments:

Guest: Lynn Johnstone, MAYDS

This Is Islay:

Hosts: Glen Roberts, Russell Pollock

Production: Gordon Bermingham, Jean MacLellan, Russell Pollock

Music by Islay Digital

In this episode, This Is Islay's Richard Mansbridge is in conversation with David Protherough, a Senior Coastguard Operation Officer with responsibility for Islay, Jura and Colonsay. We learn what happens when the call comes, and the role of the Coastguard working in conjunction with RNLI and other emergency services, to perform critical work in the waters around Islay and beyond, and support emergency calls on land as well.

References:

"Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard"

About what3words: https://what3words.com/about

More about HM Coastguard: https://hmcoastguard.uk/about-us

Acknowledgments:

Guest: David Protherough, Senior Coastguard Operation Officer, HM Coastguard

This Is Islay:

Host: Richard Mansbridge

Production: Gordon Bermingham, Jolyon Thurgood

Continuing our collaboration with Islay primary schools, this episode features the students across Port Ellen Primary discussing their favourite fact-finding books, as well as characters from their most-loved storybooks. Students also offer their reading recommendations to their friends and classmates. Recorded in April 2026. (Part 2 of 2)

Acknowledgements:

Many thanks to Amy Hannett, and other staff and students of Port Ellen Primary School who contributed to this episode through recordings made at the school.

Music :⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - 335607-Happy Kids Cartoon

This Is Islay production: Gordon Bermingham

Marking the new school year, and continuing our collaboration with Islay primary schools, this episode features the students across Port Ellen Primary discussing their favourite fact-finding books, as well as characters from their most-loved storybooks. Students also offer their reading recommendations to their friends and classmates. Recorded in April 2026. (Part 1 of 2)

Acknowledgements:

Many thanks to Amy Hannett, and other staff and students of Port Ellen Primary School who contributed to this episode through recordings made at the school.

Music :⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - 335607-Happy Kids Cartoon

This Is Islay production: Gordon Bermingham

Discover what makes the Islay Book Festival unique.  In this episode, This Is Islay's Jolyon Thurgood chats with Charlène Busali, Creative Director of the 2026 Islay Book Festival, We learn about the book creators and special guests who make up the festival and how its events engage the Islay community and visitors alike. The 2026 Islay Book Festival takes place 27-30 August.

We also feature introductions from three book creators who join the Festival this year:

- Polly Pullar, author of In Company of Sheep

- Louise Welsh, author of The Cut Up

- Eilidh Muldoon, illustrator

For more information visit islaybookfestival.co.uk or find "Islay Book Festival" on Facebook.

Acknowledgements:
Guests: Charlene Busali, Islay Book Festival
Many thanks to Eilidh Muldoon, Polly Pullar and Louise Welsh
Host: Jolyon Thurgood

Production: Gordon Bermingham and Jolyon Thurgood
Music : Pixabay 323343 – Ikoliks (Jingle by IslayStudio for This Is Islay)

In this episode, a group of students from Islay High School have created their own podcast. They did so as part of their journalism and media studies, as a result of a two day Media Skills programme sponsored at the High School by the National Union of Journalists and led by Fiona Macdonald, a well known BBC broadcaster and journalist with the World Service. During the workshop, she worked closely with all attendees, who included a couple of This Is Islay podcasters, but this episode is largely a result of the students who participated. These students chose to debate the impact of both the current global downturn in the whisky market and the advance of AI in terms of their future employment prospects.

Acknowledgements:

Special thanks to the high school students who participated in the media skills workshop and provided their consent to the development and release of this podcast episode.

Many thanks also to BBC Senior Journalist Fiona Macdonald for leading the two-day workshop at Islay High School and supporting our budding journalists, and the NUJ for supporting the programme which brought her to Islay.

Thank you to Islay High School for sponsoring the workshop and allowing use of its facilities.

This Is Islay: Jean MacLellan, Richard Mansbridge (workshop participants), Jolyon Thurgood (introduction)

Production: Gordon Bermingham
Music by Suno.com https://suno.com/song/d9f55fd3-5c28-416f-807f-c1776465f6eb

DISCLAIMER

It must be stressed that what we did together was a role play which does not necessarily reflect the views of those of us who participated. Some content is consciously more provocative to make the dialogue more stimulating.

This episode launches a new four-part series on Caring for Older People. Part 1 – Policies, People & Partnerships - lays out the care framework by providing an overview of how national and local policies and services impact our lives as we get older, through Scottish Government policies for older people and the role of the local Health and Social Care Partnership.

Acknowledgments:

Hosts: Jean MacLellan and Tracey Hunter

Production: Gordon Bermingham

In this episode, This Is Islay's Jean MacLellan is in conversation with Mairi McCuaig, manager of Argyll College on Islay, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands and offering further and higher education across Argyll. The conversation also include Andrew Davis, a Social Sciences lecturer at Argyll College, and student Angela.

Acknowledgements:

Host: Jean MacLellan

For UHI Argyll: Mairi McCuaig, Andrew Davis and Angela.

Music:

In this episode, we meet with Malcolm Ogilvie, Deputy Chair of the Museum of Islay Life, and the Museum Manager, Christine McPhie. We learn about the origins of the Museum in Port Charlotte, and take a tour of its highlights. Find out more at https://www.islaymuseum.org

Acknowledgments:

Many thanks to Malcolm Ogilvie and Christine McPhie of the Museum of Islay Life for spending time with us to share the history of the Museum and highlights of its unique collection from the people of Islay, collected and curated since 1978.

For This Is Islay

Host: Jolyon Thurgood

Production: Gordon Bermingham

Continuing our collaboration with primary schools on Islay, this episode features the students of Primary 1 and 2 and their older students of Primary 6 and 7, together with staff at Port Ellen Primary School, discussing the Vikings. What did we know before and what did we learn? One thing we know for certain: helmets worn by Vikings did not have horns.

Acknowledgements:

Many thanks to the staff and students of Port Ellen Primary School who contributed to this episode through recordings made at the school.

Music :⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠ - 335607-Happy Kids Cartoon

For This Is Islay production: Gordon Bermingham