The Centre has been involved in a number of community events - taking the centre out into the community
The big lunch
The Big Lunch– Eden Project – usually run in June. This involves getting the community together to have lunch (bringing their own food) and sharing with others if they wish. The centre provides tables and chairs, refreshments and entertainment, the first Big Lunch was held in 2016 and the weather was great for it. We put up flags around the centre and street which gave it a carnival feeling with the houseband playing along with other musicians.
The shops along the street asked if we could leave the bunting up for the rest of the summer and they put up hanging baskets and window baskets to brighten up the street. The Centre through a group of volunteers have put up flags every year since.
FAMILY fun day & Regatta sports
The shops along the street asked if we could leave the bunting up for the rest of the summer and they put up hanging baskets and window baskets to brighten up the street. The Centre through a group of volunteers have put up flags every year since.
In 2017 we worked together with Scalloway Community Council to buy a community marquee. It was funded in part through a major grant gifted by BP Sullom Voe to the Scalloway Community Council. The purchase price was completed with a further grant from Scottish Sea Farms Heart of the Community Fund. It is stored in the Fraser Park and available for summer community events.
“We are seeing more young people involved in the community events such as Da Voar Redd Up, Family Fun Day and fundraising.”
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Da voar redd up
The Centre and all the youth groups take part in the annual Voar Redd Up and it makes such a difference around the centre’s shoreline as can be seen by the number of bags packed with bruck.
The Playbox - fraser park
Every summer the Scalloway Youth and Community Centre provides a playbox in the Fraser Park that has outdoor play equipment stored in it for anyone to use. Funding for the playbox originally came from BP Charity’s Appeal in 2013 and the equipment has been supplied by various sources including the Centre, Scalloway Community Council, Central Sports Hub. It is available from May until September and the idea is that anyone can use the equipment as long as they return it to the box for others to use.
christmas Light-up ceremony
In 2014 the annual Christmas Tree gifted by Norway was moved to the centre of the village and was erected outside the Youth Centre at the Civic Square. Scalloway Community Council funded new lights for the tree and we had a lighting up ceremony in which Terry McCaffrey switched on the lights. Other people who have switched on the lights in the following years were John Thomson, Shannon Hough, Caroline Gifford with her grandchildren Aimee and Bobby, Leisha Jarrett and Kristian Leith & Family.
In 2017 Scottish Sea Farms, Heart of the Community gave a grant for some lights to go across the street and a banner for the project “Let Scalloway Shine”. Malakoff donated and hung wire across the street to attach the lights to and a core group of volunteers (Terry, Gilbert, Colin, Ross and others) put up and take down the lights every year making the street look very festive. The businesses along the street provided the power for the lights and we got a huge blow up Santa donated by Scalloway Meat Company for inside the centre. In 2018 the Centre ran a huge raffle with many prizes donated by local businesses to purchase more lights and these were distributed to the Scalloway Hall, NAFC and British Legion thus brightening up more areas around the village and the Centre hopes to add to that as they identify more funding, in particular around the Civic Square area now that it has been refurbished.
fire festival family foy
2016 saw the first Fire Festival Family Foy when the Jarl Squad and a few other squads came to the Centre and did their act before heading to the Hall for the Guizers Return. This Foy is opened by the Jarl and his squad and was well attended by children, families and older people. This is now an annual event and helps to raise funds for the Centre and the squads get a chance to have a practice run of their act before heading to the Hall. In 2018 Jarl Leslie Wills Setrice and his squad did a sponsored shave and raffle and donated the money to the Scalloway Youth Centre. The past two years we have borrowed a small galley from the Tingwall mens squad and the children march around it with torches and throw it into the galley before towing it off the floor. The 2019 jarl was George Martin who is a member of our Board of Trustees.
On Fire Festival day the Centre is open for morning teas and coffees to warm up the spectators as they gather at the Civic Square to get a glimpse of the Jarl Squad and the Galley as the proceed across the street. The Galley is left in the Civic Square during the day.