News / Voxter chairman steps down with ‘heavy heart’ as new blood sought to keep facility running
A MUCH-loved accommodation facility in the North Mainland is on the hunt for its first new chairperson in over a decade – with the warning it could close without one.
Voxter House chairman Dugie Gunn is set to stand down from its two committees – one for the day-to-day management of the outdoor centre and another for trustees – on 1 March.
Gunn admits he does not know how long he has been in the role, estimating it to be somewhere between 10 and 12 years, and said he is only stepping down because of work and personal commitments.
A promotion at work, as well as his involvement in the potential Muckle Roe buy-out project, means he does not “have the capacity for Voxter” anymore.
“I’ve got to give my focus over to those things at the moment,” he told Shetland News.
“I kind of feel too that it’s a good opportunity for a fresh pair of eyes to come on to the committee.
“I’ve made the choice but with a very heavy heart. I’m really proud of the work that the committee has done over the past 5-10 years.”
Voxter, which sits just outside Brae, is a popular space for large groups looking for a place to stay in Shetland, and has been hired out in recent times for things like weddings and birthdays.
The historic building was passed onto the people of Shetland by previous owner Robbie Hughson, having previously been used as a Church of Scotland manse and a glebe.
Gunn said the facility was “kind of a little bit stale” and “wasn’t really going anywhere” around 10 years ago.
“The building was beginning to deteriorate,” he said.
“But the building is now in much better condition, the committee has really managed to turn that around.”
That was achieved in part through work by the community payback team, who offered a free alternative option in providing maintenance.
“Maintenance is incredibly expensive, so for us to be able to pay for the materials but get the work done for free is just a win-win for everybody,” he added.
Gunn said he will leave the role reluctantly having poured so much of his life into seeing Voxter flourish.
He said that, as well as his own position, the Voxter committee needs “new blood” to ensure it can continue for years to come.
“It’s always difficult to get people involved because there are so many people on different committees,” he said.
“There’s only so many volunteering hours that people are able and willing to give.
“The committee is still very small, and it’s not a committee that is necessarily going to be able to run things indefinitely.
“If we don’t get new blood essentially Voxter can’t continue. It could end up closing and that’s something I would really not want to see. It’s such a fantastic facility.”
Gunn said the committee has exciting plans, including the possibility of employing a building manager – which would allow them to look at their capacity levels.
“That could be someone to come in and start running it more like a hostel,” he said.
“That would open an awful lot of doors and income for the charity.”
The departing chairman said it was a “really difficult question” to ask how many hours the role took up every week.
“The day-to-day running is managed primarily by other people, so the chairperson is there to make executive decisions, chair the meetings and to provide a direction and an aim.
“You could give a couple of hours a week to keep things ticking over but realistically, if you want to progress Voxter more, then you could give any amount of time that you wanted to.”
He added they wanted “someone with a bit of drive and determination” to lead the Voxter committee forward.
“It doesn’t need to be someone from Brae or Voxter,” he said. “A lot of our meetings are on Microsoft Teams these days and we communicate online.
“Realistically a chairperson could come from anywhere in Shetland.”
Gunn said they would ideally like someone to be ready to take over from him on 1 March, with a transition period after that.
“I had hoped to have someone by now so that I could do the transition in February, but I’m not going to leave someone high and dry,” he said.
Anyone interested in the vacant chairperson position is asked to email admin@voxter.onmicrosoft.com
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