Who is listening?
In the news last week it stated that the Shetland Charitable Trust (SCT) fund increased by £41 million since March this year, which is brilliant, but what does it mean?
The Scalloway Swimming Pool closed on the 31st of March with the local and wider Shetland community clearly showing its disapproval through the signing of two petitions, with over 5,400 signatures gathered – which is equivalent to nearly a third of Shetland’s electoral role.
On 28th April 2026, the Scalloway Pool Action Group launched a community impact survey, the intent being to gauge the impact of the closure to Scalloway and the wider community, and to allow comments to be heard. Over 500 people responded in just 13 days.
Its concluding position was: “Taken as a whole, the survey evidence presents a clear, consistent message: The closure of Scalloway Swimming Pool is perceived by a large majority of respondents as a significant negative loss, with impacts extending beyond leisure into health, education, equality, and community sustainability.”
So, we the Shetland public are making our views clear – its impact is beyond sport and recreation, but who is listening?
We have been told we don’t have the money, and we don’t change our budgets once they are set, but we have £41m we didn’t have in March, so are you listening or are you looking for another reason not to help?
To reopen the Scalloway Pool and keep it open for the next five years would equate to roughly 3.6% of the £41m profit made.
The SCT website front page states: “The Shetland Charitable Trust is a charity set up to benefit the people of Shetland, especially in the areas of:
– Social care and welfare
– Arts, culture, sport and recreation
– The environment, natural history and heritage”
So, do you stand by these aspirations or are they just words for the website?
Tommy Clark
Scalloway
