Fears over island surfing event

Tiree's challenging waves attracted surfers from around the world

Fears have been voiced about the future of Tiree's world-renowned windsurfing championships.

Organisers of the world cup event are discussing the possibility of moving the competition elsewhere in Scotland to improve access.

Held in October, the event has attracted hundreds of competitors and spectators.

One local businessman has warned that a move would be a huge economic and social loss to the community.

Willie Angus MacLean, who runs an outdoor sports business on Tiree, said the island had worked hard to put the championships on the map.

He added: "It would seem to me to be a little bit of an injustice that other communities would now go on to benefit from that."

Bigger logistics

However, championship organiser Andy Groom stressed that no decisions had been made.

He said alternative locations had been discussed including Islay, Machrihanish, Lewis and Harris.

He added: "We've had a fantastic event in the past in Tiree and hopefully we're going to keep it there, but just to grow the event we need to look at areas which can hold more people, with larger and bigger logistics."