No chimney sweep listed in Ness yet.

A chimney sweep cleans flues and chimneys to remove soot, tar and blockages - essential for anyone with an open fire, wood burner or multi-fuel stove.

An annual sweep is recommended for any chimney in regular use and many home insurance policies require it.

Look for a sweep registered with the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps or HETAS and keep the certificate they issue - your insurer may ask for it.

Ness is the most northerly community in the Outer Hebrides, a string of townships at the tip of Lewis stretching to the Butt of Lewis lighthouse.

The community has a strong tradition of guga hunting - the annual harvest of young gannets from Sula Sgeir - that is one of the last such practices in western Europe.

Properties include traditional croft houses, some converted blackhouses and modern family homes built to withstand the extreme northerly weather.

Ness has a primary school, a harbour at Port of Ness and a strong Gaelic-speaking community with deep cultural roots.

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The Outer Hebrides (Na h-Eileanan Siar) are a chain of islands stretching 130 miles off Scotland's north-west coast, from the Butt of Lewis in the north to Barra and Vatersay in the south.

Stornoway on Lewis is the only town of any size and serves as the administrative, commercial and transport hub for the islands. The rest of the population is spread across crofting townships and small villages on Lewis, Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra - communities connected by causeways, single-track roads and inter-island ferries.

The islands are the heartland of Scottish Gaelic language and culture. Gaelic is spoken as an everyday language here to a degree found nowhere else in Scotland and the traditions of crofting, weaving, fishing and storytelling remain central to island life. Harris Tweed - handwoven in the homes of islanders from locally dyed wool - is a globally recognised fabric and a vital part of the local economy.

The landscape is extraordinary: white shell-sand beaches on the Atlantic coast, ancient standing stones at Callanish, the mountainous terrain of Harris, the flat machair grasslands of the Uists and some of the darkest skies in Europe. Wildlife - sea eagles, otters, seals and vast seabird colonies - draws naturalists from around the world.

CalMac ferries connect the islands to the mainland from Ullapool, Uig on Skye and Oban, while Loganair flights serve Stornoway, Benbecula and Barra - where the beach at Traigh Mhor famously serves as the runway. Despite the remoteness, the islands have a strong and self-reliant community life shaped by faith, Gaelic culture and the rhythms of the sea.