UOG Newsletter 2016 - Issue 14

Issue 14

October 2016

Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn

Newsletter 2016

FÀILTE

WELCOME

A very warm welcome to the latest Urras newsletter. Some of these stories have appeared in Fios and other media through the year but the newsletter provides us with an opportunity to share these directly with members. The past year has been another busy period but two very significant events have been the completion of the Druim nan Càrnan, Ballantrushal wind energy project and the subsequent roll-out of the Community Investment Fund which has contributed to a number of very worthwhile community projects.

Tha e na thlachd dhòmhsa fàilte a chur oirbh aig toiseach cuairt litir eile bhon Urras làn naidheachdan. Tha cuid de na naidheachdan nach bi buileach ùr dhuibh oir bidh sibh air an leughadh anns a’ phàipear ionadail Fios no anns na meadhanan eile. `S e cothrom sònraichte a tha seo dhuibhse mar Bhuill den Urras air lost `s gu bheil e a’ tighinn an cois pàipearan na coinneamh bhliadhnail.

Mur a bi e comasach dhuibh a bhith an làthair aig a’ choinneamh bhliadhnail, feuch gun tadhail sibh san oifis an Gabhsann. Bidh fàilte romhaibh an còmhnaidh eadar gu bheil sibh an ceann gnothaich no dìreach airson a thighinn a chèilidh. `S e bliadhna dripeil a bh’ ann le mòran phròiseactan coimhearsnachd gan cuir air adhart ach gu sònraichte gun deach pròiseact lùth gaoithe Druim nan Càrnan a chrìochnachadh agus thòisichear a’ roinn Maoin In-thasgaidh Coimhearsnachd.

We look forward to seeing members at the AGM, but remember that you are very welcome to visit the office in Galson whether on business or simply to find out more about the Urras.

Please also remember that we always welcome new members and once you become a member you have the opportunity to put your name forward for Board membership and participate in managing our community owned estate.

Le deagh dhùrachd, Agnes Rennie Chairperson

Bu mhath leam cuideachd a chur nur cuimhne gu bheil sinn an còmhnaidh a’ sireadh bhuill ùr airson an Urrais agus ma ghabhas sibh ballrachd gu bheil e ceadaichte dhuibh an uairsin ur n-ainm a chur air adhart airson ballrachd air a’ bhòrd. `S e cothrom air leth a tha seo airson cuir ri obair an Urrais agus pàirt a ghabhail anns gach raon sa bheilear an sàs tron choimhearsnachd.

We are fast approaching our 10 Year Anniversary of the Estate… look out for upcoming events to celebrate this momentous occasion or get in touch with any ideas!

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Strategic Planning - ‘A coimhead Romhainn’ One very critical part of the planning is the creation of a forward looking strategy, to plan a vision for the estate area for the next 10 years and beyond. The past 10 years have seen some large scale projects undertaken and completed. These projects have been vital in supporting the sustainability of the estate, but we now need to review the current situation and identify the opportunities for the estate as a whole. A consultation process has been launched where planning events and focus groups have been held as well as outreach meetings with groups who already meet on a regular basis. Additionally, household and visitor surveys have been carried out in order to gain as much information from everyone in the community as possible.

10 Year Anniversary

In January 2007 the community purchased the Galson Estate, which covers most of the north west of the Isle of Lewis. Now that we are approaching the 10 year anniversary next year, a series of exciting activities will be planned for a year of celebration across the estate.

A youth survey has also been created and we are working with Janet MacLeod (CnES) to engage with young people. We spent a day at Lionel School in October where classes came one at a time to visit us in the gym hall at the school to take part in various activities.

This consultation allowed the children to have their say and it was a great success with some very good ideas.

CALENDAR 2017

Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn’s 2017 Calendar is on sale now! All photos in this calendar were chosen as the best photos sent in for calendar competitions in the past 10 years. We would like to thank all the photographers for their beautiful photos. To buy a copy please visit our website, www.galsontrust.com, contact the UOG office or visit any of the following locations: • • • • • •

Swainbost Shop

Post Offices Comunn Gàidhealach Borve Country House Hotel Welcome In Filling station Comunn Eachdraidh Nis

• • • •

It is hoped that the combination of these different activities can allow as many people as possible from within the community to have an input into the Plan. The findings will continue to be collated and will be shared at the AGM. If anyone has any information or comments they would like to share with us please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have not already done so. We appreciate everyone’s support with this strategy planning and would like to thank those who have filled in the survey or taken part in a focus group/strategy planning events so far.

Cross Stores Borve Mini Mart Borve Pottery Lewis Crofters

dar £7 per Calen Or 5 for £30

A Sense of People and Place

“A Sense of People and Place” is a project currently being worked on by Fiona Rennie as part of HIE’s Scotgrad Graduate Placement Scheme. The project seeks to celebrate and capture the contemporary face of our rural community in the run up to the 10th anniversary of Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn.

By creating a visual and oral archive, through portrait photographs and interviews in both Gaelic and English, it will aim to work closely with the wider community to not only look back over the last 10 plus years of the UOG, but will also use this as an opportunity to look forward to the next ten years.

As suggested in the title, a community is nothing without the people that live there.

Over a ten year period there have obviously been numerous people within the community that have been involved with the Urras at different stages, from the initial steering group members, to the current Board of Directors, staff and community members. This project aims to capture a portrait of each person, some accompanying descriptive images and many being accompanied by audio interviews, which will collectively portray the versatility and vibrance of the unique community. The images and interviews will be used to create an exhibition which will compliment a series of 10th anniversary celebration events.

Various aspects of this project have already got underway and are available to see on Fiona’s website www.fionarenniephoto.com (UOG Project and Muinntir an àit). If you would like to participate in the project please contact me Fiona on fiona@uogltd.com.

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Community Investment Programme £1,000 Fund The Community Investment Programme was launched in October 2014 and is the vehicle used by the UOG to invest funds from the renewables project, back into the community. The programme offers funding, but also advice, guidance and aftercare to support the delivery and development of projects if required.

The programme is open to groups and social enterprises who can demonstrate how their projects and ideas deliver against the wider objectives of the charity.

The £1,000 application process is fairly simple and the turnaround of applications is achieved within four weeks.

Applicants are asked to demonstrate how their project delivers against the priority objectives and outline the overall costs of the project, alongside a brief description of project outcomes and the beneficiaries.

TURBINES ON TARGET

A year is a long time in renewable energy, probably because it is so closely tied to politics, and despite the uncertainty over UK energy policy, it is pleasing to reflect on the progress that has been made locally in the last 12 months. In September last year, two new turbines in Baile an Truiseil had not long appeared on the skyline and commissioning had just been concluded. The new turbines completed the required testing during early autumn production and were handed over at the end of November. The final stage of works at Baile an Truiseil comprising grass seeding, stock-proofing and signage was undertaken over this summer.

This is a significant part of the UOG’s work and it has been most encouraging to see the uptake of the fund growing and a variety of projects being taken forward.

*Breaking News* £5000 Fund to launch in November 2016

Since the launch of the £1,000 fund 2 years ago 30 awards have been made in total. The £1,000 fund has been critical for many projects and has helped them to progress or has acted as the final building block in a larger project. The UOG are delighted to be in a position to launch a new £5,000 fund. This fund will open in November 2016 and full details will be available on the website www.galsontrust.com or by contacting the office on 01851850393.

Financing for new turbines was a significant challenge with the main loan from Triodos Bank not finalised until September last year, later than had been anticipated, and so the community share funds raised were vital in ensuring that critical construction was able to proceed over the summer. The total cost of the project across both phases is c.£5.1m plus VAT. Loans from Triodos amount to c.£3.8m with the balance coming from the community share monies and a loan from the UOG. Under the loan finance arrangements, Galson Energy as the wind turbine owner/operator became a subsidiary of Urras Energy Society as had been planned. The legal arrangements put in place ensure that all net profits are passed to Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn for community investment purposes.

Production during the first year of the full development has been quite varied, beginning with a windy winter followed by an unusually calm spring and then typical summer conditions. This confirms the unpredictable nature of weather in the Outer Hebrides but, over the course of a year, we can be confident that there will be a generous supply of wind. SSE’s usual summer grid maintenance programme kicked in during May and June but only a total of 9 days were lost in the necessary shutdowns. However, a further 5 days were subsequently lost in August due to maintenance activity on the Barvas Moor overhead line infrastructure.

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND CASE STUDY - ORGANISATION: Taigh Dhonnchaidh PROJECT: Fèis Nis is a 5 day event catering for children aged 5 to 8 to encourage them to learn various skills in local culture, music and art; using the medium of Gaelic.

This prepares them to continue to the main Fèis which offers a wider variety of classes.

Production over the year to September hit 9,208 MegaWatt Hours, 104% of forecast, which would be sufficient to meet the electricity needs of 2,180 homes annually.

FUNDING FOR: Funding is for instruments, materials, tutor fees and expenses, plus food.

Amount awarded: £1,000

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UPCOMING EVENTS Training courses

AGM

Lisa, our Commercial Development Manager, attended a co-ordinator meeting with the Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF) in August, UOG is now a co-ordinating centre for training and events aimed at supporting crofters. A new training team for SCF have been employed and it is hoped the standard SCF courses can be delivered, but also more specialist “bite-size” courses, and township training courses also.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn will be held at Clan MacQuarrie Community Centre on Friday 4th November 2016 at 7.30pm.

Guest speaker: Andy Wightman MSP. Please note the AGM is open to members only.

If you are not already and would like to become a member please contact the UOG office on 01851 850 393 or visit our website for a membership form.

The first bitesize course will be held on the 28th & 29th of October, “An intro to Drystone walling and Drystone skills”. This will be followed by an Access to Crofting Toolkit course on the 4th and 5th of November, a classroom-based introduction to Scottish agriculture.

BOTH COURSES ARE FULLY BOOKED.

Guide to North Lewis Leaflet

The very popular bilingual map fold leaflet has been updated to highlight the attractions throughout North Lewis. The leaflet features an illustrated map of the area covering Barvas to the Butt of Lewis, with information on historical sites of interest, a business service listing, location of defibrillators and local business advertising on the back. It was produced by the UOG, using the design and illustration expertise of Domhnall Smith. The leaflet will be available in all local outlets, tourist information sites and in the UOG Business Centre.

Other courses will be available in the new year and topics covered will be lambing, horticulture, etc. Keep an eye on social media, Fios and our website for more information on future events.

Fri 4th & Sat 5th November 2016 UOG Business Centre, South Galson, Isle of Lewis

Access to Crofting Toolkit Local Course Director: Lisa Maclean (Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn )

An introduction to Scottish agriculture directly related to crofters and smallholders. Peer to peer support and a faceto-face training event with industry experts to give you a step up to starting out in crofting, taking on a croft or to update your knowledge and develop your crofting business.

This highly acclaimed 2 day classroom-based course is designed specifically for new or aspiring crofters, successors, smallholders or anyone else interested in this traditional way of life.

Cost per person: £70.00 Limited fully funded places available for under 25s, sponsored by the MacRobert Trust, please ask for availability before booking

Energy Efficiency Advice Project

For further information or to book a place contact: Donna on training@crofting.org or 01343 209384

Taighean Innse Gall (TIG) are offering advice in assisting householders to reduce their energy bills, make referrals for energy efficiency measures and helping them deal with electricity debt. In addition the TIG can; • Apply on behalf of clients in accessing support funds to deal with fuel debt, and assist householders whilst

speaking to utility companies, • Ensure eligible householders apply for the Warm Home Discount, • Deliver workshops and training events for groups, • Refer clients onto other relevant agencies.

If you would like to benefit from a home visit please contact Alana Murray on 01851 706 121, or via e-mail: alana@tighean.co.uk

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EVENTS 2015/2016 Our events turned out to be a great success this year we worked with a number of volunteers / contractors to deliver a variety of events throughout the year.

Fishing Event

The fishing tuition session was held in mid-June and once again proved to be very popular with 14 people taking part. Thanks to Roddy MacDonald and Donnie Maciver for running this event again this year.

Dry Stone Walling The Dry Stone Walling workshops ran for a second year in April 2016, following the success of the 2015 course.

The workshop was full and once again excellent feedback was received. The UOG would like to thank Chris Barrowman for delivering the course and the participants for producing such a lovely wall at the business centre.

Scenic and informative walks Local Ornithologist Tony Marr, RSPB’s Vicky Anderson, and, Archaeologist Chris Barrowman led a number of interesting and informative walks throughout the year, capturing the wonderful wildlife and various vegetation on the estate and also the history of the area. We hope to offer a range of these again next year. Thanks to everyone who took part and special thanks goes to the event leaders who provided their time and expertise.

Outdoor Sessions

Lindy Cameron Saunders delivered four outdoor sessions involving bushcraft, rockpooling, river dipping, and outdoor family fun. We are really pleased to have experienced such a great demand for these sessions, so much so we added an extra session to the programme.

They were all aimed at getting young people and their parents/carers out enjoying and exploring nature and they proved to be great fun. A great learning opportunity for families!

‘Ceangal’ On the 20th & 21st of June this year UOG took part in a 2-day conference event for the 6th year pupils at the Nicolson Institute, “Ceangal! This is the second year we have taken part: Day one was held in An Lanntair, and the UOG gave a short talk to the pupils, and day two was a visit by pupils to the Galson Estate. The ‘Ceangal’ event seeks to explore the various opportunities open to young people ahead of their final year of school.

The feedback received was very positive, showing a demand for sessions on a more regular basis throughout the year and perhaps allow us to offer longer sessions throughout the summer holidays.

Comments from the adult evaluation forms included: • lots of ideas, relaxed • clear leadership for children and great fun • It was really well run and lots for the kids to do.

Defibrillator Training

The children’s comments included: • I didn’t enjoy leaving • I enjoyed finding a big crab in the rockpool • I enjoyed making a fire & bread

Some of the UOG staff attended the excellent Defibrillator training course in Clan MacQuarrie on the 14th of September. If anyone gets the opportunity to attend one of these courses we would highly recommend it, it is very beneficial. It is also important to be aware of the locations of each defibrillator on the estate:

Look out for more sessions like these next year!

• • • • • •

• •

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Comunn Eachdraidh Nis Taigh Dhonnchaidh Cross Skigersta – High Street phone box Lionel School Clan MacQuarrie Centre Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn Business Centre Dell Fire Station Café Sonas

LOCH STIAPABHAT NATURE RESERVE THRIVES BIRDS OF PREY TRAIL

Loch Stiapabhat is part of the fantastic Birds of Prey Trail. That’s us right at the top, number 1 on the trail and you can then work your way down through the islands to Craigston, Barra (or vica versa, of course!) www.hebridesbirdofpreytrail.co.uk

HABITAT MANAGEMENT

Habitat management of the reserve continues with much help from Vicky Anderson (RSPB). SNH has reported that the site which is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Importance) is in favourable condition. This site is definitely something to boast about in the world of bird watching.

NATURE OF SCOTLAND AWARDS 2016

Our fantastic nature observatory has been shortlisted for the ‘Nature of Scotland awards - 2016’. These awards acknowledge the impressive diversity and site management being undertaken by charities, businesses, community trusts, the public sector, partnerships and individuals to protect the natural environment. https://www.rspb.org.uk/whatwedo/scotland/natureofscotland/

Estate Business Estate business deals with crofting related matters and commercial activities such as sand extraction and leases.

A small sub-group is responsible for managing the estate business and work alongside the Commercial Development Manager. This core element of business has been extremely busy since the buyout in January 2007 and administration of the estate continues to be busy, with a focus currently being given to new croft creation.

Community Land Scotland Western Isles Groups UOG is working closely with other land trusts in the Western Isles and Community Land Scotland to establish a Western Isles Network. A networking event has been planned and will be hosted by UOG and held in the business centre on 17th November. This will be the first of what will be three meetings per year, hosted by a different trust each time. 16 CLS WI groups have been invited and the main topics covered at this meeting will be tourism, community engagement. This event is funded by Highlangs and Islands Enterprise.

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Who’s on the team Board of Directors: Agnes Rennie – Chairperson Carola Bell – Vice Chairperson Norman N Thomson Colin M Maclean Donald S MacLeod James MacLeod Captain Alex J Morrison Mairi M Smith Murdanie M. MacLeod Murray MacLeod

Staff Lisa MacLean – Development Manager Neil Mackinnon – Development Officer

Joanne Matheson – Accounts Administrator

Amy Kapherr-Diament – Local Development Officer Christine Murray – Crofting Administrative Officer Mairi Graham – Crofting Administrative Officer

Fiona Rennie – Publicity and Promotions Officer (Graduate Placement) Iain Mackenzie – Amenity Site Supervisor Bob Mace – Amenity Site Operative

Neil Mackinnon married 3rd June 2016

Neil MacKinnon, Development Officer at UOG got married on the 3rd of June this year with the service in Stornoway and the reception in Uig. The office was closed for the day and all staff members attended and thoroughly enjoyed the event.

Goodbye to Marie Gillies and welcome to Mairi Graham (Crofting Administrative Officer)

Marie Gillies finished working as Crofting Administrative Officer with UOG at the end of May this year. Marie is moving on to concentrate more on her weaving and to spend more time at home. Mairi Graham took over this role in June on a part-time basis. Goodbye also to our Amenity Site Supervisor Iain Mackenzie who is leaving us this month, good luck in your new jobs Marie and Iain!

Graduate Placement

We welcomed Fiona Rennie to our team in September as a Publicity and Promotion Officer for a 9 month placement as part of HIEs ScotGrad Graduate Placement Programme. Fiona, originally from Galson, studied photography at Napier University, Edinburgh and then became a freelance editorial photographer, image editor and bilingual graphic designer. To see some of Fiona’s great work, visit her website - www.fionarenniephoto.com

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Wordsearch Common Grazing

History

Community

Investment

Crofting

Land

Culture

Landscape

Engagement

Membership

Environment

Projects

Events

Renewables

Funding

Sporting

Future

Sustainable

Gaelic Language

Trust

Habost Household Waste and Recycling Centre Bulky Household Waste Disposal and Recycling Point for the disposal of Household Waste Only

Opening Hours Winter Timetable: 1st November 2016 – 1st April 2017 Open from

Open to

Open from

Open to

Monday

10am

12 noon

2pm

4pm

Tuesday

Closed

Closed

Closed

Closed

Wednesday

10am

12 noon

2pm

4pm

Thursday

10am

12 noon

2pm

4pm

Friday

10am

12 noon

2pm

4pm

Saturday

9am

12 noon

2pm

4pm

Sunday

Closed

Closed

Closed

Closed

Operatives will be onsite during the opening times to assist you with your disposal.

Please refrain from discerning items out with these times as this will be treated as fly tipping.

Contact Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn – 01851 850393

OUT OF HOURS

Zero Waste Western Isles (CNES): 01851 79900 SEPA: 01851 706477 SEPA 24 hour pollution report line: 0800 80 70 60 UOG: 01851 810544 / 01851 810661 Site Licence Number: WML / N / 0220269

Contact us

Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn UOG Business Centre Tom na Ba South Galson Isle of Lewis HS2 0SH

Tel: 01851 850393 www.galsontrust.com

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A company registered in Scotland - No: 273903 A registered Scottish Charity SC036903.