Funding award paves way for Voe community group to buy Sail Loft

THE SAIL Loft building in Voe is set to be sold to a community group after it secured more than £100,000 for its purchase.

The Scottish Land Fund has awarded the Voe Community Development Association (VCDA) £106,780 to buy the B-listed building from Shetland Amenity Trust.

It plans to create a heritage centre and offer low-cost tourist accommodation, café and workshop space within the building.

VCDA chair Martin Naylor said: “We receive this award from the Scottish Land Fund with enormous gratitude.

“The Sail Loft purchase can now go ahead. Thanks to their support and superb adviser, this building will be developed for the community and enjoyed by all who choose to visit.

“The benefits will be felt by many future generations.”

The community group previously undertook a feasibility study on the building, which has in more recent years been used for basic böd accommodation. However, it has not been open since 2019.

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The building, in Lower Voe, dates back to the mid 19th/early 20th Century, and it was originally used for fish curing. It was then used as a sail loft, a knitwear factory and then backpacker accommodation.

It comes as the amenity trust continues to reduce the number of properties on its books.

The organisation has invited offers in recent years for the likes of the Bressay Lighthouse, Park Hall and Voe House in Walls, which also previously operated as a camping böd.

A total of six projects have received a share of more than £2 million from the Scottish Land Fund.

The scheme is funded by the Scottish Government and is delivered in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Gillian Martin, cabinet secretary for climate action and rural affairs, said: “Once again these projects demonstrate the scale and variety of ways the Scottish Land Fund can support communities, whether it is giving islanders greater autonomy, creating a much-needed heritage centre and workshop space or bolstering volunteering opportunities.”

The largest award in the latest funding round is to Bays of Harris Community Estate Limited, which has been given more than £1 million to buy a 10,927 hectare crofting estate in the Outer Hebrides.