Sandwick Social & Economic Development SCIO
The Sandwick Social and Economic Development SCIO (SSEDS) was primarily set up “To provide facilities and services with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities and services are primarily intended.”
Currently SSED has five Trustees and staff including one Development Worker and several part time staff working in the café.
SSED owns and operates Hoswick Visitor Centre (HVC) which is an important facility in the south mainland of Shetland for the local community and for visitors, providing
- Comprehensive Visitor Information Service
- Displays of local history and heritage
- Cafe
- Arts and crafts shop which is a retail outlet for craft producers from across Shetland.
- HVC is used as a base by local community groups.
- SSED provided and owns the Mousa ferry waiting room at Sandsayre and manages the Interpretive Centre area at Sandsayre.
- To enable Sandsayre Pier to be preserved and secured, ownership and management responsibility for this listed Pier was transferred to SSED in 2005.
- SSED is a partner with Shetland Amenity Trust in seeking to continue Shetland’s UNESCO Global GeoPark status.
SSED has a proven track record of identifying needs in the community, both social and economic. Recent examples are:
- Providing the Hoswick car park, outdoor benches and table, interpretive boards and EV charging point.
- Addressing the increasing demand for the services being provided in HVC has resulted in continuing re-design and upgrades of the Centre.
- SSED works together with the local group GAETS (Garden and Ecology Trails Sandwick), supporting the development of shared cycle and footpaths.
- A social needs assessment following COVID identified a requirement to provide a weekly hot meal service to vulnerable people in Sandwick and the wider south mainland. There have been 4 phases of this scheme. Work is in progress to secure funding for a further phase to be delivered in the winter months.
Community Health and Wellbeing
We are passionate about helping the more vulnerable in our wider community. We are working with Alzheimer Scotland’s dementia advisors who support you, your family and your community.
We have set aside time and space to offer a friendly welcoming space where people coping with dementia are welcome and can get together. Jan Bee Brown and Kirsten supports the sessions and has impressed us all with her storytelling and shanties. There is also a monthly session for carers to get together on the last tuesday of every month. There have been some fundraising afternoons held in the visitor centre with poets, musicians and storytelling with tea and fancies.
Hoswick Partnership
We also work in partnership with other community organisations to help identify community development needs and assist them with project opportunities and fund finding using our extensive experience and knowledge to secure funding applications for the community.
To date, we’ve worked with many organisations creating cycle and walk paths to boost active travel in the area and make it safer to do so. Secured and preserved the Sandsayre pier which is used by the sailing club, Mousa ferry and other local users. Created areas with interpretation boards.
Get In Touch
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