On a visit to Bute this summer I marvelled at the beauty of this island just 30-odd miles from Glasgow. Stunning hills, shimmering bays, palm trees; Bute has it all. Behind the scenes, however, it has the same principal concern as most small islands: depopulation.

With this in mind, I was interested to read it is about to become home to 15 Syrian refugee families. I don’t doubt the people of Bute and their local authority genuinely want to help victims of the human tragedy still unfolding at Europe’s borders. But I also think they see a cogent opportunity to bolster their numbers with skilled people.

It’s perhaps a smart move on Argyll and Bute Council’s part, then. But is it right for the destitute, traumatised people who are about to arrive in this small and semi-remote community?

At first thought, you imagine all the things that could go horribly wrong. After all, most small communities have little or no experience of resettling refugees and lack the multicultural population base that helps ensure a comforting transition to Scottish life. Being able to make new friends who speak your language and understand your culture, who can offer you a simple roadmap, is bound to be important when you arrive destitute and traumatised in a foreign land.

The families arriving in Bute will likely be Muslims, and it is as yet unclear how they will organise their worship and the observances that go along with this. Our cities are better equipped to deal with the religious and cultural aspects of resettlement.

Work opportunities are also a vital part of any resettlement process, and many of our small and remote communities struggle to provide sustainable careers for their current inhabitants, never mind people displaced by a foreign war.

All these points are important, of course. But they are not the whole story.

I have a feeling Bute could surprise the doubters. The refugees who arrive on the island may well be comforted by the peace and tranquillity it has to offer, its landscape, the feeling of safety it could offer them.

The council appears to be doing its homework and has already liaised with the families themselves, who are currently languishing in refugee camps at the Lebanese border, to get an idea of the skills they can bring to the island.

By all accounts local people are lining up to provide help and friendship to them. A resourceful, close-knit community that can give them room to settle while offering kindness and pragmatism (attributes our islands know all about) is probably just what these folk will need.

Many may wish to move to the mainland in time, but with the right support hopefully some will want to stay on Bute, raise their families there and make a lasting social and economic contribution to their island home.

Other areas will no doubt be watching the experience of Bute carefully – especially, perhaps, other islands with fragile populations. Offering refuge is an entirely worthy thing to do. But I suspect it works out better for all involved when both sides have something to gain. Scotland should see this refugee crisis as an economic opportunity as well as a moral obligation.