Scilly islander KATE MOORE on running the only shop on Tresco and growing up on the isles. Interview Gabrielle Jaffe.
I grew up on Bryher, the smallest of the inhabited islands in the Scilly Isles, with fewer than 100 residents. In a community like Bryher, or Tresco, where I now run the island shop, everyone knows each other and says hello. On the mainland, you walk past so many people without seeing a familiar face.
My sister runs the island shop on Bryher but my brothers have moved to London. When I visit them, the striking difference is the noise – on Tresco the only sounds you hear at night are the waves and sometimes the wind.
My grandmother used to manage the shop too. In her day, it was part of the island’s only pub, the New Inn, and Tresco was more of an extended farm than a holiday destination. Now the island has many luxury holiday cottages and our customers expect the best. We keep everything as local as we can, baking our own bread, selling vegetables grown on the island and Tresco beef. We also have dairy products from St Agnes, home-made fudge from Bryher and ales from a brewery on St Mary’s.
I cycle to work, looking out to sea as I go along the coastal path – it’s always different and always beautiful. I visit the mainland a lot but these islands are home. Seeing them on the horizon as I fly back never loses its magic.
For more information, visit tresco.co.uk
"On Tresco, the only sounds you hear at night are the waves and sometimes the wind."
