In our regular feature, we join a local for a tea break and find out how they spend their time and their time off. This week, we welcome Mairi “Ord” MacKenzie, Head of Marketing & Advertising at ISSL and swimming enthusiast.
Mairi, please tell us about yourself and your work.
I’m a Sgitheanach, brought up in the wee village of Òrd in the south of Skye, hence the far-ainm. I have the most varied work background you can imagine, not one to be pigeonholed as those who have worked with me will tell you I have a work anecdote for just about every scenario you can imagine!
My son and I moved to Harris in 2021 following the death of my husband, Michael. I was working for the Distillery and living in Lewis and had been struggling to purchase property when I discovered the West Harris Trust shared equity houses. One visit to our new home, and we didn’t look back!
I loved my time at the Distillery, but sometimes we outgrow a situation and it's time to challenge yourself in new ways. I started as a baker (a job I had no experience in other than my love of baking) but post-COVID, I became part of the storytelling team and my role was managing campaigns and data analysis.
I have never been very good at sticking to one role as I love to learn! I’m an observer and I ask lots of questions and to some people's annoyance, I have an answer for everything. I’m a solutions-oriented person, in my world there is no point dwelling on what went wrong, other than to identify what is wrong and then focus on how we can fix it and improve for the future. This approach has taken me on some interesting journeys. It doesn’t always work out but I’ve never left any job and felt that it was a mistake as I have always made great friends along the way.
I currently work as Head of Marketing & Advertising at ISSL. I started by looking after advertising for welovestornoway.com and it has developed from there. I love the variety and flexibility of my role as I also do seasonal work for Calmac in Tarbert, the odd shift at the Isle of Harris Brewery, and even the odd cottage changeover. It is so nice to have a variety of customer service, some marketing, and some strategy work.
From being a rubbish au pair in Italy to an estate factor in Lochs and even a production co-ordinator on a channel 4 TV series after finishing a Gaelic Media degree, the list is pretty endless but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Did you have a dream job as a kid?
No, I never had a dream job. I was passionate about art, about social justice, be it women's rights, race, or other issues. I knew that I wanted to go out and do different things and I have done them. And I am not finished yet, there is always something to learn.
You said you did a degree in Gaelic. Was Gaelic spoken at home?
My dad was a native speaker, but my mother wasn't. My dad didn't really speak to us in Gaelic, but my granny and my aunties did. I understood a lot but didn't converse very well. It was a good challenge to do a degree in a different language. I have always found my Gaelic useful, certainly in employment circumstances. Being bilingual or multilingual is definitely an added bonus. I think the kids take it for granted sometimes. They see Gaelic as the language of school, which is a shame, but that is a generational thing. It will probably change the more of them speak Gaelic.
You are taking part in the winter swimming challenge. How has it been so far?
The biggest challenge has been the lack of daylight and, at times, the horrific weather. Over Christmas and New Year, we had a spell that was quite good, and I managed to make up a lot of time. The challenge lasts five months, which is a long time. I set myself a goal of reaching the halfway point by Hogmanay. Now it feels well achievable because I have 24 swims to go, out of 105. I have changed the way I go swimming. I have stopped wearing gloves and socks and have become much more efficient. The challenge is going well, and I need to do a fundraising push towards the end of the challenge.
I checked the Just Giving webpage and you have met 235% of the intended goal.
Ideally, I'd like to get to £1,000. And now I am also gearing up for the International Women's Day swim.
The International Women’s Day Bikini Dip in Horgabost. What is the plan?
We will do the Dip on Saturday 8 March at 10 am. Immerse Hebrides will bring down the sauna and a few people might bring some baking. There will be a fire pit as well. And afterwards, Gemma from the Distillery organises the Cèilidh in Lews Castle. It is going to be a nice day and hopefully, we can get as many participants as we had last year, if not more. We want to beat Lewis, we want to get more people on the beach than they did.
I would like to join this year, but I have never done winter swimming. Could you give me any advice?
My advice would be to borrow some neoprene socks and neoprene gloves. For the bikini dip, you don't need any special equipment. As long as you have got something warm to put on afterwards, you won’t be too cold. The best way to counteract the cold is to have something warm to drink after the dip and that will bring your body temperature back up safely. But we are not asking you to stay in the water and swim.
So, swimming in cold waters is one of your hobbies?
Yes, I do like to swim. People have this idea that I'm a really good swimmer, but I am probably the slowest swimmer out there. I had lessons in high school, but I only attended so that they would let me do water sports. I just wanted to go canoeing. I think the reason I love being in the water is because, in a way, you switch off everything. You get to be present in that moment. You can only focus on exactly where you are and what you are doing.
What else do you like to do in your time off?
I like to volunteer. I am involved with Western Isles Women's Aid and I have recently joined their board. I am going back to West Harris Trust to work on the polycrub. I have taken up gardening and it is good fun. My son gets to see how food actually gets to a plate, and it is nice to be able to have herbs throughout the year.
What are your favourite places in Harris?
My favourite spot for swimming has to be Niseabost as it is right on my doorstep. Swimming on the beach there when the sun is setting and all is calm is incredible. My favourite beach is Tràigh Mheilein… There are so many great places in Harris. We are a bit spoiled. I have only been to Taransay once, I would love to go across again, and I would like to visit Scarp. I might challenge myself to try and swim at all the islands. That would be quite cool.
And how about swimming in a different country?
I would like to go and swim in some of the Nordic countries, somewhere cold. Svalbard is my want-to-go place.
It’s tea break time. What’s on the menu?
Anything sweet. I love Tunnock’s Tea Cakes. But as a baker, my ultimate favourite is millionaire’s shortbread. But I don’t like it when there’s too much chocolate. It’s all about shortbread and caramel.
Through the Chilly Challenge, Mairi is raising funds for four charities: Bethesda Hospice, The Brain Tumour Charity, MND Scotland, and RNLI. You can follow her efforts here:
The IWD Bikini Dip will take place at 10 am on Saturday 8 March in Horgabost.
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