21 September 2006
SHETLAND DEVELOPMENT TRUST SUPPORTS SANDSAYRE PIER PROJECT
At yesterday's (Wednesday 20 September) meeting of Shetland Development Trust, trustees agreed to disburse £54,000 of surpluses earned on local investments to the Sandwick Social and Economic Development Company to assist with the restoration of the Sandsayre Pier in Sandwick.
The total value to the project will be £90,000 when the Sandwick Social and Economic Development Company re-claims the tax already paid by Shetland Development Trust on the earnings.
Commenting on the award, lead project manager, Sheila Keith, said: "I am very pleased that the Trust has agreed to support this community led project. The community has worked hard to attract significant funding from within the community and they hope to attract the remaining costs from external bodies to be able to take forward this great project.
"The work will preserve and secure the 150 year old pier, which is Grade-B listed. Restoring the pier enables visitors to visit the island of Mousa, which is a nature reserve managed by RSPB, and the Broch, which was recently voted by the Rough Guide as Scotland's Top Tourist attraction. The pier also provides essential transportation links for all the agricultural activity on the island.
"If this project reaches its funding targets there will be 12 people employed during the construction phase of the project. A further nine jobs that are directly or indirectly supported by the tourism and agricultural activity on Mousa will be safeguarded. Additional employment opportunities relating to the development of other marine related activity based at the pier will be created in the longer term."
Welcoming the Trust's support, Rosemary Inkster, one of the directors of the Sandwick Social and Economic Development Company, said: "I am delighted that the Trust has given this surplus and would like to thank them for their confidence in the project. The Trust's support will make the job of securing external funding easier and bring us a step closer to achieving the preservation and restoration of the pier. The amount of local community support we have received has also been extremely encouraging and we look forward to being able to complete this project for the community."
Notes to editor
The Sandwick Social and Economic Development Company has already completed the first stage of the project by restoring the sheds at Sandsayre to provide marine, historical, cultural and environmental interpretive display and a waiting room for visitors to Mousa. A working space for small boat maintenance, repairs and restoration has also been provided.
The Sandwick Social and Economic Development Company was created in 2001 and has three directors: Tom Jamieson, Cecil Duncan and Rosemary Inkster. For general information on the company, please contact