Cope set for temporary move to Cunningsburgh

COPE is set to temporarily move to the vacant Mackenzie’s Farm Shop in Cunningsburgh later this month as its Lerwick expansion nears its conclusion.

The popular Shetland Home Co. arm of the social enterprise has been undergoing extensive works at its Gremista site ahead of a major upgrade.

The expanded building will allow Home Co. to have dedicated workspaces, including a new repair area to increase the volume of goods available through resale.

The renovation will also mean Home Co. can take on more goods generally, introduce better display areas for larger items and will also give them better insulation to reduce their carbon emissions.

Cope will make the move to the currently vacant Mackenzie’s Farm Shop – which has been bought by CW Johnson Plant – in Cunningsburgh later this month.

The temporary move will allow the final works to be carried out in Lerwick.

Shetland Home Co announced today (Friday) it had paused all large item donations and collections until it had moved into their temporary home.

“This is to allow us to safely process the large amount of stock we currently have,” it said.

“We thank you for your understanding and please look out for update on our moving date later this month. We really appreciate your continued support.”

The near-£1 million expansion of the Home Co. facility is designed to meet the growing demand for its reuse and recycling services.

More than £653,000 was secured by the council through the Scottish Government’s Islands Programme, with £266,000 coming from Highlands and Islands Enterprise.