Ross-shire fisherman hauls in boost for Highland coronavirus frontline staff
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A PRAWN fisherman moved by the courage and dedication of frontline NHS workers used his catch of the day to net funds for the coronavirus fight.
Sandy MacKenzie (36), from Conon Bridge, was completing seven days at sea last week as the stark reality of the lockdown became apparent.
The skipper and owner of the Gairloch and Ullapool-based True Vine fishing vessel headed for shore with his crew of two on Wednesday but found the usual mainland markets were already closed.
He could have taken the 60 kilo prawn landing to Stornoway for sale, but decided instead to offer them up to the public, with all proceeds going to Raigmore Hospital’s coronavirus wards.
With others simply donating to the cause on his JustGiving crowdfunding page, the sum raised is approaching £1000.
Mr MacKenzie, a fisherman since the age of 11, initially on his father’s boat the Silver Cloud, said: “What the nurses and doctors in the NHS are doing for us is incredible and I just thought if I could do any good at all, I might as well.
“We all hope it won’t end up being as bad in the Highlands and Islands, but I know there aren’t as much resources for the NHS up here, given the size of the area it covers.
“I don’t suppose what I’ve done will make a huge difference, but every little helps.
“I decided to put up the social media message and, on a whim, got in touch with Davie at DM Seafoods in Ullapool who shifted 35 kilos and raised £120 in an hour alone.
“The response online has been just amazing. I couldn’t believe the amount of people who responded.
“Between calls and messages on social media, I’ve had over 300 in touch with me.
“I just asked for a donation, no specific amount, and I would deliver prawns to them and I spent that evening delivering to folk around the Conon Bridge, Muir of Ord and Dingwall area until about 11pm.
“If I’d gone further afield, my wife would have had an absolute fit!”
The family-run, sustainable prawn trawler is now anchored indefinitely in Mr MacKenzie’s native Gairloch while the public health crisis plays out.
But he hopes a silver lining amid the gloom of the current situation might be that more people in the future will appreciate - and buy - local produce.
Mr Mackenzie stressed: “The catch was pretty poor, actually, for us for one day.
“We were on day seven or eight of the trip and, through that time, we had seen the way things were going with things escalating while we were at sea.
“It is classed as a luxury food and people were getting them cheap, but most folk just wanted to help the NHS.
“I couldn’t believe the amount of people who wanted them. I said to my dad, I could have sold that amount 10 times over, easily. “Hopefully good will come of it, and more people will start eating more local produce.”
How have people and businesses in YOUR area responded to the crisis? Email hector.mackenzie:hnmedia.co.uk'
