If you’ve searched for We Love Stornoway, you’re likely looking for the news and community website covering Stornoway and the wider Outer Hebrides. We Love Stornoway is the online home of local news, funeral and family notices, job adverts and community information for Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra, run by Intermedia Services (Stornoway) Ltd.

This guide covers what the site actually offers, how its notices and adverts work, what they cost if you need to place one, and how to support the free services it runs. There’s also a step-by-step section on placing a family notice, since that’s one of the most common reasons people contact the site directly.

What Is We Love Stornoway

We Love Stornoway, found at welovestornoway.com, is a daily news and community information website covering the Western Isles, also known as the Outer Hebrides. It’s produced by Intermedia Services (Stornoway) Ltd, based at Church House on James Street in Stornoway, and the site publishes news throughout the day covering North & West Lewis, Stornoway, Broadbay & Lochs, Harris & Scalpay, and Uist & Barra.

Alongside news, the site carries family and funeral notices, job vacancies, a local marketplace for buying and selling, and community information pages for events, groups and services across the islands. The company behind it states the site attracts over 50,000 users each month, making it one of the primary online sources of local information for people living in or connected to the Western Isles.

[Image: Stornoway harbour, Isle of Lewis]

The History Behind We Love Stornoway

We Love Stornoway grew out of a company with a longer history in Hebridean media. Journalist and editor Fred Silver founded the first version of Intermedia Services in 1999, working from home in the Point village of Lower Bayble with the aim of bridging gaps between local information suppliers and the community. Early projects included the Eriskay Causeway Information Service, which reported on the £10 million causeway and ferry link connecting Eriskay to Barra.

The company went on to produce HEB Magazine, a regular publication first launched in 2002 that ran until the pandemic brought it to an end in 2020. EVENTS, a free monthly magazine for the Western Isles founded in 2005, continues today and is available in print from stands across the islands or online at hebevents.com. Intermedia Services (Stornoway) Ltd is also an accredited Living Wage Employer, part of the Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative run by the Poverty Alliance.

What You’ll Find on We Love Stornoway

The site is organised around a handful of core sections, each covering a distinct type of content for readers across the islands.

News sections

News on We Love Stornoway is split by area, covering North & West Lewis, Stornoway, Broadbay & Lochs, Harris & Scalpay, and Uist & Barra, alongside a dedicated Shinty section for the sport’s local coverage. Stories run the full range of island life, from council and ferry service updates to community fundraising, sport and local business news, published throughout the day rather than on a fixed schedule.

Family and funeral notices

Funeral notices on We Love Stornoway are provided free of charge, since the company considers them a public service for families and communities across the islands. These typically come from funeral directors rather than families directly, so if you’re expecting a notice that hasn’t appeared, the advice from the site itself is to contact the undertaker first.

Family notices work differently. These are the personal thank-you messages families place after a funeral, acknowledging support received, and they’re a paid service costing £55 plus VAT, £66 in total, for a decorated display that stays online for one month.

Jobs and marketplace

The jobs section lists vacancies from employers across the Western Isles, with a basic listing costing £65 plus VAT for up to two weeks for a single vacancy. The site also runs a “For Sale, For Free” marketplace section where islanders can list items locally, alongside dedicated community information pages split by area, including Lewis & Harris, Barra & Vatersay, and Uist & Benbecula.

[Table: comparison of We Love Stornoway paid services showing cost and duration]

Community information

Beyond notices, the site’s Community section covers local groups, events and resources by area, plus a page called Creatives of the Western Isles, spotlighting artists and makers connected to the islands. This sits alongside a Mind Matters section focused on everyday mental health information for island readers.

How to Place a Notice or Advert on We Love Stornoway

Getting a notice or advert onto the site is a straightforward email-based process rather than a self-service upload system. For a family notice, you send the text by email, as plain text or as a Word or Pages attachment, along with a postal address and contact telephone number so the team can invoice you and follow up with any queries. The site sends a proof back by email before anything goes live, so you can check it before publication.

Job adverts follow a similar pattern: send the text along with any logo or image you want included, plus your contact details for invoicing. Public notices, such as AGM announcements or community meeting details, work the same way and appear first in the Community Info section when booked, then return to the top of the list on the day before the meeting itself.

For all paid services, normal office hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and the fastest way to check requirements is to call 01851 705743 or email info@welovestornoway.com directly.

Supporting We Love Stornoway

Because funeral notices remain free despite the site charging for most other services since the pandemic, We Love Stornoway runs a Supporters’ Network asking readers to make voluntary contributions towards running costs. The site is upfront that this shift came from having to revisit its business model after COVID-19, while deliberately keeping funeral notices free as a community service.

Contributions can be made by PayPal or debit and credit card through a secure payment page, and there’s no fixed amount, with the site suggesting that even £5 makes a difference towards staff time and running costs. Donations go through Intermedia Services (Stornoway) Ltd’s own membership page rather than a separate charity structure.

Following We Love Stornoway on Social Media

We Love Stornoway maintains active social channels alongside the website itself, posting on Facebook at facebook.com/welovestornoway and on Instagram at instagram.com/welovestornoway. The company’s other publications, including EVENTS magazine and Scottish Islands Explorer, run separate social accounts of their own, so if you’re specifically after Western Isles news updates rather than magazine content, the main We Love Stornoway pages are the ones to follow.

FAQ

Q: What is We Love Stornoway? We Love Stornoway is a daily news and community information website for the Western Isles, covering Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra. It’s run by Intermedia Services (Stornoway) Ltd and publishes news, notices, job adverts and community listings.

Q: Is We Love Stornoway free to use? Reading the site and its news is free. Funeral notices are free too, though the site welcomes donations, while family notices, job adverts and public notices are paid services, typically costing £55 to £65 plus VAT depending on the type.

Q: How do I place a funeral notice on We Love Stornoway? Funeral notices are usually sent by the funeral director handling the arrangements, not the family directly, and the service is free. If you’re expecting a notice that hasn’t appeared, contact the undertaker first, since the site can only publish what it’s been sent.

Q: How much does a family notice cost on We Love Stornoway? A family notice costs £55 plus VAT, £66 in total, and stays online for one month. You send the text by email along with a postal address and phone number for invoicing.

Q: How do I advertise a job on We Love Stornoway? Job vacancy adverts cost £65 plus VAT for up to two weeks for a single vacancy. Send the advert text, any logo or image, and your contact details to info@welovestornoway.com to get started.

Q: Who runs We Love Stornoway? The site is run by Intermedia Services (Stornoway) Ltd, a Living Wage-accredited company based in Stornoway. It was founded from a media services company started by journalist Fred Silver in 1999.

Q: How can I support We Love Stornoway? You can donate through the site’s Supporters’ Network using PayPal or a debit or credit card, with contributions helping fund free services like funeral notices. There’s no fixed amount, and the site suggests even a small donation makes a difference.