From hippy idyll to nimby feud: how Papa Stour fell from grace;

Papa Stour is not the easiest of places to get to. Such is the infrequency of the council-run ferry service that I had to hitch a lift on Gibbie Fraser's crab boat to the island off Shetland's west coast. I arrived 45 minutes later, reeking of fish.

The travails of reaching Papa Stour, a one-time Viking settlement, are nothing compared to the problems on the island itself, however. Papa, which translates as "big island of the priests", is in the throes of a feud between rival Christians that threatens to consume the rural idyll both groups sought when they moved with their families across the water.

Gliding into Papa across the sound from West Burrafirth, it immediately becomes evident that the prize is something worth fighting for. Hoving into Housa Voe, the sea turns from charcoal grey to blue. A seal pops his head up to see what's disturbing his peace as the elemental calls of peewits fill the air. The grass even seems a little greener on Papa Stour.

A series of mounds - rising above the turf - overlook the modern pier, as yet undisturbed evidence of ancient settlers dating back perhaps as far as 3000BC.

Most, if not all, of the present-day houses stick to the sheltered east side of the three-mile long isle. Most are simple crofts, although the Rev Adrian and Karen Glover's large modern house on the hill at Hurdiback, surrounded by land for their horses, dominates the landscape. It sits, as if glowering from on high, directly across the bay from the grouping of blue dwellings which forms Andy and Sabina Holt-Brook's household, focus of the Glovers' rivalry.

Relations between the two, strained for some time, have snapped as a result of plans drawn up by the Holt-Brooks to convert their guesthouse into a rehabilitation centre for up to four recovering drug addicts or alcoholics.

The former addicts would get well through hard work on the croft, daily Bible studies and learning new skills such as gardening in the fertile soil of Papa, which would equip them to return to mainstream society.

But on an island of just 17 adults and seven children, no police and no doctor, the plans have proved a Christian gesture too far for many. Fears of an uncontrollable criminal element disrupting island calm, putting off the few tourists who venture to visit and forcing some islanders to leave for pastures new, led to a vigorous campaign - headed by the Glovers - against the proposal.

"None of us are opposed to caring for ex-addicts or ex- offenders. But it's inappropriate to have care establishments that are unregulated on such a small island," said Adrian Glover, a fit- looking 42-year-old who speaks with intense conviction. "Things on Papa Stour have changed quite a lot and are still changing. This place has so much potential, it really has. This is the last thing we need."

The council planning committee agreed when it met on Friday to consider the project and a 175-signature petition, including most residents of Papa Stour, raised against it. Well-intentioned but unrealistic was the verdict, and the proposal was unanimously rejected. But tensions are still simmering on Papa and there is no love lost between the protagonists.

The Glovers arrived on the island in 1996 from Bournemouth, where Adrian was a member of the small Apostolic Faith Church. They were at the forefront of a small but significant influx of newcomers, replacing members of a hippy commune founded in the early 1970s.

It was then that Papa Stour first became a magnet for incomers - if you disregard the ancient settlers, the early Christian missionaries and the Vikings, that is - after an advert was placed in the press calling for people to come and revitalise the dying community.

Andy and Sabina Holt-Brook were among the first to take up the challenge. They moved in 30 years ago with their first child and not a lot else, leaving a hippy commune near Drumnadrochit to help start another from scratch. Their second child was born in a wooden hut and had a fishing box lined with wool that had snagged on fences for a cot.

"We were all equal in that none of us had any money behind us. It was a tough lifestyle: there was no electricity; it was generators and Tilly lamps. It was a simple but good lifestyle," said Sabina, who with her husband is now a member of the Emmanuel Christian Fellowship in Lerwick. "We were accepted and welcomed by the natives. We had pantomimes in the school, dance classes, drinks at each others' houses. Back then there really was a sense of community."

The croft they chose has since grown to a sprawling house and outhouses overlooking the bay. The compound is surrounded by long sections of drystane dyking which shelter a garden that, even in these northern climes, produces fine crops of strawberries and redcurrants.

Papa Stour has no shop, hotel, pub or bank. It has a caravan which serves as a post office a few hours a week and a wooden hut tied down to the ground which proclaims itself to be the property of Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade.

In such circumstances, community spirit would appear to be everything. But relations have gone awry for some time, according to the Holt-Brooks. "To us the environment is important, but when people started coming just because the land and houses are cheap compared to Scottish mainland prices and treating the land in the same way Mr Glover seems to, well, their reasons for being here are very different," said Sabina.

The Holt-Brooks say their dispute with the Glovers began the day they arrived, after the Glovers turned down their offer of Bible readings and Christian fellowship. Water and land disputes followed and the two families haven't spoken for four years.

Andy Holt-Brook admitted: "It has been very confusing for people here. It looks as though two lots of Christians are going head-to- head. I suppose we might see him [Adrian Glover] as a bit of an upstart. I suppose he sees us as the old guard."

Adrian Glover agrees that despite recent advances, there is still "a large measure of distrust" splitting the island - and implicitly lays the blame at the feet of the Holt-Brooks.

"If you look at our website you'll see we have a small community growing. We have embryonic businesses starting, a new pier project and the population is looking very positive at the moment. Papa Stour has been written off for a long time and for the first time in a long time things are looking very good.

"What we seem to have had in the last few years is a fractured community. Now we have a small group that socialise together, help with each other's work. It's like a small community should be. But unfortunately not everybody contributes."

Observers contrast the situation on Papa Stour with that on Fair Isle, between Shetland and Orkney. Fair Isle is booming, with a folk festival, regular visitors and harmonious community relations. One reason appears to be that islanders have a policy of vetting prospective settlers to see whether they would be likely to fit in. No such vetting system exists on Papa Stour.

Whatever the root cause, the symptoms are taking their toll. Sabina Holt-Brook said: "Because we have been blessed with this croft we have always lived a fair amount of community life. We have always had people here working on the croft in the garden. We have never lived just alone as a couple. I think the last few weeks has been the most alone we have been.

"I just feel we have been so blessed here and had so much fun that we should be able to use it for a worthwhile purpose."

The Holt-Brooks are still considering their response to the planning refusal. They maintain the plan is a good one and have their supporters. Letters in the Shetland Times voiced support for their plans, as did Jonathan Wills, boat tour operator and former Shetland Times editor.

"Sabina and Andy are doing a great thing and they should be supported. They are really good people and I hope they will appeal the decision. Unlike some religious people on that island, they practise what they preach," he said.

The Kirk's man in the west, the Rev Billy McMillan, whose charge includes Papa Stour, is anxious to try and smooth things over. The Church of Scotland even allows Adrian Glover to preach in its church on Papa, although it is unclear how many islanders attend regularly.

"There have been deep feelings on Papa Stour about a number of issues," he said, with a pained expression. "When I go over, I always go and see Sabina and Andy and the Rev Glover, so I try and keep contact with everybody.

"The thing I feel as a minister is to try and maintain good relationships with people, although obviously this decision hurts some people and encourages others."

He added: "It has been decided now and it's obviously best if everybody moves on. I do believe that by the grace of God people can move forward."

Hopefully, someone can convey his message to the Glovers and Holt- Brooks.

The tiny island community of Papa Stour, off the West coast of Shetland, was once a hippy commune, but relations between certain residents have broken down in recent years. A Christian couple's plans to open a rehabilitation centre for recovering addicts has been vigorously opposed locally, souring relations even further.

Copyright 2003 SMG Sunday Newspapers Ltd.
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