Residents in Harris are hoping a community buyout will reverse its declining, ageing population.

The West Harris Trust will officially take over the 4,500-acre estates of Borve, Luskentyre and Scaristavore on Monday.

The crofters are the first to buy land from the Scottish Government via legislation introduced a decade ago.

Now it is hoped more young people will be attracted to the area through the building of new affordable homes, which will in turn boost the economy.

In the summer the picturesque scenery of West Harris makes it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Western Isles.

However at the end of the season the population plummets to less than 120.

The massive depopulation coupled with the remoteness of the area and the lack of jobs has led to a demographic time bomb. Around 40% of residents are aged over 65 and only 12 children attend the local school.

Now, in a bid to regenerate their ailing community, the residents of West Harris will take control of their crofting estate.

Neil Campbell of the West Harris Trust said: “The reason we’re buying the estates is to regenerate the local community. My son Angus is the only pre-school child resident on the west side, so we’re hoping to encourage new families into the area.”

More than a third of the 95 houses on the estate are holiday homes, many of which lie empty during the winter months.

The demand for holiday accommodation means that many people are priced out of the market for sites and property.

Mr Campbell added: “On the west side the average house price is going for £50,000 before its serviced, so young people are having to pay around £70,000 before they even put a brick on the site so we plan to offer affordable house sites to people who want to live here.

Scottish rural affairs minister Roseanna Cunningham will officially hand over the state-owned land to the community on Monday, in a move that's the first of its kind in Scotland.