Funding boost for ageing sports and leisure buildings

SHETLAND Charitable Trust (SCT) is planning to put in place an extra £12 million in grants to repair and improve some of the sports and leisure buildings it enabled the construction of over the past 40 years.

The proposed creation of a new capital grant scheme comes on the back of a financial windfall for the trust in the last financial year as its investments gained nearly £150 million in value.

Once finalised the scheme is expected to run from 2022 to 2025 and would support major projects such as renovations or renewal of fittings and equipment to keep existing buildings safe to operate.

The scheme will be targeted at the three main organisations funded by the SCT – Shetland Recreational Trust, Shetland Amenity Trust and Shetland Arts – as well as Voluntary Action Shetland, which operates Market House for the voluntary sector.

These organisations already receive annual grants to cover ongoing running costs including repairs and maintenance, but the trust said additional assistance was to be offered in recognition of the advancing age of community buildings.

The scheme was approved in principle during the private section of Thursday’s SCT meeting after trustees heard an “injection of cash” would help maintain the high standard of some of Shetland’s most valued buildings.