Tiree to Tiree, by Loganair
25th May 2010
Canadian company flies half-way around the world to visit its Scottish namesake...in Tiree!
Scotsman Duncan McNaughton has come up with a novel way of celebrating his company’s 10th anniversary.
The 43-year-old, who founded Canadian-based Tiree Facility Solutions Inc a decade ago, is flying his employees half way around the world to visit the firm’s namesake in the Inner Hebrides.
Ex-pat Duncan, who was born and raised in Dundee but whose descendants came from Tiree, moved to Canada in the late 90s to be closer to family.
He subsequently set up Tiree Inc in 2000, which provides commercial property solutions to a range of government and industry organisations across Canada.
Today (Sunday, May 23), the entire company – all 24 employees, many of who have never visited Scotland before – will complete the first leg of their 8000-mile roundtrip to the small island of Tiree.
And to help them on their gruelling 12-hour journey, Loganair, Scotland’s airline, is laying on a special flight from Glasgow and opening Tiree Airport, which would otherwise be closed.
Loganair engineers, cabin crew, ground staff and pilots have all agreed to work on their day off so that the intrepid travellers can reach their destination.
Teri Anne Ryerson, Tiree Inc’s business communication manager, said: “The original plan was to take a ferry from Oban. However, with such a long overseas flight beforehand we decided to look into other options.
“After speaking with Loganair, they offered to arrange an extra flight and it was the perfect solution to our problems. The company has been very accommodating and has arranged to open the airport on the island on a Sunday, when it is usually closed.
“We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who is making our journey possible and we’re very excited to be visiting Tiree for the first time as this is where our company name comes from.”
With two days on Tiree the Canadians are determined to pack as many local activates into their trip as possible. Their itinerary includes water sports, visiting art galleries and exploring the island by bicycle.
Jonathan Hinkles, Loganair’s commercial director, said: “We’re delighted to help Duncan McNaughton and the staff at Tiree Inc on their 10th anniversary. My thanks go to airport operator HIAL for agreeing to open the airport for this flight. By doing so, Duncan and his team will have much longer to take in the island and experience all that it has to offer.”
The trip to Tiree is part of a six-day Scots adventure for Tiree Inc’s staff, who also plan to visit similar businesses in Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh as well as take in some of the country’s top visitor attractions including Edinburgh Castle and the Wallace Monument.
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