120873: Ian Sutherland

Ian (1936-2020) with family connections in Carishader, Gisla and Stornoway, arrived at 2 Brenish in 1973 with his wife and four children to work the croft and set up a pottery. Iain drove the school bus and delivered the post for a while before commencing a course in weaving at Lewis Castle College. He went on to set up his own business, Brenish Tweed, specialising in lightweight tweeds, using cashmere, lambswool and silk mixes. The success that followed took him to Saville Row in London, to Germany and Austria. His fabrics appealed to designers including  Vivienne Westwood, with invitations to see his tweeds modelled on the catwalks of London, Milan and Paris.

Ian became chairperson of the Uig Community Council and ran a Job Creation Scheme to rebuild the slipway at Mealista. After 25 years in Brenish, he and his wife moved to Melbost, Stornoway.

Ian was cared for in his last days in Bethesda Hospice. Due to Covid restrictions his grandchildren and great grandchildren could not attend his funeral and in his memory they completed a walk from Melbost to London. The money raised was donated to Bethesda Hospice.