A specialist palliative care nurse from Bedford has been offered a life-changing opportunity on a remote Scottish island.
Tammy Hine, who has worked as a nurse for 26 years, will be leaving Bedford in February to take up the role as the only medic on Fair Isle, the most remote inhabited island in the UK, where birds outnumber humans by 5,000:1.
She applied for the job after seeing it on a news website and was delighted when she was given an interview.
“I’ve always wanted to live remotely,” Tammy told the Bedford Independent. “So to be able to do what I love, while living and working in a close-knit community on Fair Isle is perfect.”
Tammy will be one of 50 people who live on the island, which has one primary school, one shop and a community centre. There isn’t a pub, but the bird observatory has a hotel with a bar.
The island is not connected to the National Grid, and getting there takes 28 hours and two ferry rides.
Un-anchoring myself
“I think the idea of disconnecting from the daily grind really resonates with people,” said Tammy. “Everyone I’ve told about my new job has said they’d love to do what I’m doing.
“Un-anchoring myself and living somewhere so remote means that you have to be quite resilient, but sometimes you’ve got to test yourself, haven’t you?”
Tammy heads off at the beginning of February and will be taking her bed, her sofa, as well as her guitar and banjo. She says she hopes she can find some fellow musicians to play with on the island – although it’ll be a far cry from playing on the main stage at the River Festival last year.
Before she leaves, she will be playing one last gig with her band, Duzzy Avocado, at her favourite Bedford pub, the Wellington Arms, on New Year’s Eve and is already looking forward to her bandmates visiting so they can put on a show on Fair Isle.
“After working in such a fast-paced environment for so long, I’m really looking forward to the peace and quiet of the island,” said Tammy.
“It feels like I’ve won the lottery. What an adventure.”
