A proud member of the Guild of Craft Soap & Toiletry Makers, a peer support network for all compliant artisanal crafters in the soap and toiletry industry. When you see this sign for a business that makes soap and toiletries, you know they have been checked to comply with all UK and EU legislations regarding insurance, product safety checks (including CPSR reports), and being a valid, registered business.
Creator & Owner of The Dark Island Soap Co. Holistic Herbalist and Reiki Master
Chiara is an Edinburgh native who now resides in the beautiful Stirlingshire countryside with her young family, partner and Labrador, “Tag!” Since 2022, she has been a full-time, self-taught soap maker, who has studied for studying for and completed a business diploma in soap making; learning about the importance of creating cold process soap safely. Along with being a traditional soap maker, Chiara now creates award winning, plant-based skincare, seeing most of the ingredients she uses wild foraged near her Stirlingshire home. As an avid herbologist, Chiara understands and appreciates the wonderfully healing power of nature, and, just like the seasons, appreciates that everything blooms in its own time. In the autumn of 2022, after the loss of her father, Chiara studied Usui Shiki Rhoyo Reiki and is now a respected Reiki Master Healer, with a diploma in Shamanic Energy Healing and Crystal Healing.
The Dark Island Soap Co. are proud to support charities in Uist, where often they are overlooked being so remote. So far, they have donated their products in Uist to Parkinson's Disease, Mental Health Awareness, and for Carers on South Uist who do a wonderful and selfless job every day. If you are a registered charity in Uist, please get in touch! At info@thedarkislandsoapco.com
Fundraising in Uist to support the work of Parkinson's UK in Scotland.
Learn MoreThe Beacon is a community-based mental health support group and registered Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) located in Lochboisdale, South Uist. It offers a safe, welcoming peer-support space focused on improving island mental health, reducing isolation, and saving lives through social connection and wellness events.
Learn MoreThe Forum was established in 1992 as a forum for Voluntary Care organisations which represent the interests of carers and users of services throughout the Western Isles. It is actively involved in national and local consultations on behalf of the voluntary and independent care sectors and works closely with the statutory care sectors at a statutory planning level. We provide services directly to carers and users by disseminating information, maintaining a register of family carers, producing regular newsletters and providing a Directory of Care Services. Western Isles Community Care Forum SCIO (WICCF) has secured funding for, and administered projects which benefited informal carers, for example, provision of funding for respite, free ice grips and the Carers’ Trainers’ Project, which offers support and training to informal carers. The Forum has a Board of Directors which is made up from the Co-ordinators/Service Managers from some of the Voluntary Care Organisations throughout the islands and one carer representative.
Learn More"Tagsa Uibhist (which means ‘Uist Support’) was established by a group of friends who wanted to help elderly people who needed support and care, who were socially isolated and who did not have access to transport. Tagsa was formally constituted in 1999 and became a registered charity with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. In 2020, we adopted the simple mission statement Slàinte agus Sunnd, which means Health and Wellbeing. This gives us a broad and inclusive remit, recognizing that achieving wellbeing means different things to different people. Tagsa is a practical organisation and our core services in care at home, elderly support and community transport reflect our commitment to respond to these important needs. Through our Community Gardens project, we provide a wonderful environment for social interaction, learning about vegetable growing, sharing successes and failures in growing different plants and for providing nutritious food locally."