The paradise island inviting you to work from home

Gillian Todd is smiling because she is living a Bajan lifestyle for a year

An Edinburgh couple have managed to escape Scotland's long Covid winter - by answering a call from a Caribbean island.

Gillian and Jim Todd have ended up with a work-from-home set-up that is the envy of anyone trying to hold down a job and juggle home learning.

The couple accepted the invitation of the Barbados government to live and work on the island for a year on a new visa.

The Welcome Stamp Visa allows nationals from other countries to live and work there for a year, while doing their jobs for employers in other countries.

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted the island's tourist income, but the Welcome Stamp, launched last summer, is designed to bring people to the location and let them live like a local.

So far, more than 3,000 so-called "stampers" have taken up the offer.

Gillian told BBC Scotland's The Nine: "Jim is allowed to work remotely, so we thought why not?

"It was easy. We had to pay £2,000 for the Welcome Stamp. It allows you a year but you can apply again for another year after that. We put stuff into storage, then bundled a few things in a case and got on the plane.

"When we got there we had to quarantine for two weeks. But after that, it was fine."

• What would it be like to work from home in Barbados?

IT consultant Jim's working day starts early so that he can enjoy the afternoons in the dream destination.

Gillian said: "Jim works from 05:00 until 13:30. He doesn't mind it at all. It's bright and quiet in the morning so he gets a lot done.

"But I feel like I am on holiday. I gave up work last January so I have been doing yoga, meeting my friends and buzzing about."

The couple live next to the Garrison Savannah race course and have enjoyed race days there

Gillian, whose daughter Helena is working on the front-line as a carer back in Scotland, says she can almost forget about the pandemic while in Barbados.

The island has had just over 1,000 cases in total and nine deaths and has battened down the hatches following a recent spike, introducing a 21:00 curfew until the end of January.

People arriving on the island need to have a negative test result and isolate until they return a second.

Those who do test positive have to stay in government-run quarantine facilities.

Stunning beach views from the south of Barbados

Gillian said: "You basically get taken away to an army barracks at St Lucy in the north of the island and kept in isolation up there. It's a good way to do it because it means people have to toe the line and there is no mucking about.

Bajan Prime Minister Mia Mottley has said the scheme makes long stays in the country possible, as short-term travel becomes more difficult with quarantine periods.

She said: "Covid 19 has changed work globally, with a larger number working remotely from home. Now we can give certainty for the next 12 months that you can work from here.

"Rather than coming for the usual week, or three weeks, or a month, we have a mechanism that allows people who want to take advantage of being in a different part of the world, of the sun, sea and sand, and a stable society; one that functions well."

The couple arrived there in October and have been enjoying everything the island has to offer.

Gillian in the hotel they had to quarantine in when they arrived in October

"The beaches are something else, really beautiful," said Gillian. "There are loads of beach bars and casual restaurants. The people's approach is really laid back, casual and friendly."

She is not sure yet if they will stay beyond a year but is encouraging anyone who is tempted to go for it.

She said: "It depends on Jim's work, so we are playing it by ear. I'd encourage anybody to do it if they get the opportunity.

"Take a chance and do something - you never know when it's going to work out."