Cairngorms organisations are urging for restraint over 'strangers' in open letter

Three bodies representing the Cairngorms have made a plea for residents not to publicly criticise and jump to any judgment over 'strangers' in the national park.

They are concerned that the behaviour in some quarters could tarnish the region's 'well-deserved reputation for being a welcoming community'.

There has been some vitriolic abuse and accusations levelled on local social media against people perceived to be holiday-makers or second home owners in the strath who have broken the Covid-19 lockdown by travelling to the region.

Some of these claims have proved to be false.

There is understandably concern that such actions could deter visitors from coming to the region in the future once the crisis has passed and in turn damage the recovery of the local economy post coronavirus.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority, the Cairngorms Business Partnership and the Cairngorms Tourist Partnership have now issued a letter praising the communities for their response to Covid-19.

But they are also urging people not to make judgments on strangers who they have said often have good reason to be in the area.

The correspondence states: "These are unprecedented times and we have been impressed and humbled by the positive response of our communities across the National Park.

"The CNPA and the CBP have been working closely with other partners, including community organisations across the park, since the onset of this crisis.

"It is not normally in our nature to actively discourage visitors from coming to enjoy this beautiful place.

"Visitors are such an essential part of our lives, our communities and our economy and we very much look forward to a time when we can welcome them back safely.

"For the time being we want to recognise publicly their contribution in staying away and say thank you.

"Almost all accommodation businesses are now closed. Some, including B&Bs and self catering properties, still have ‘guests’.

"These guests are either working in our essential services; driving delivery lorries, working in the NHS etc or they would otherwise be homeless including some of our highly valued workers from other countries who are currently unemployed or on furlough and have nowhere else to go.

"A face we don’t recognise is not necessarily a stranger and our plea is not to publicly criticise and jump to any judgment.

"The very strong chance is that there is a perfectly valid reason for the person to be in our community and we should offer our normal welcome, hospitality and support."

The two organisations have urged that if there are genuine concerns and isolated instances of people flouting the rules then they should be dealt with discreetly by calling the police on 101.

The correspondence adds: "We want to make sure we preserve our well-deserved reputation for being a welcoming community, proudly sharing the beauty of the place we are lucky enough to call home."

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