Shapinsay Development Trust
Welcome to the website of The Shapinsay Development Trust, a registered Scottish Charity Number SC034818.
The Trust was formed by the residents of Shapinsay. Its role in the greater scheme of things is to be the vehicle through which the islanders can collectively help to maintain and improve their lives on the beautiful, peaceful island of Shapinsay. All Shapinsay residents over the age of 18 can apply for membership of the Trust. The Directors of the Trust are elected from within the membership of the Trust by the members.
How SDT Works
History, Structure and Operation of the Trust
The Trust grew out of the Shapinsay Development Group which was formed in 2002 after consultation with the island. The Trust which is a company limited by guarantee was formed in 2003 achieving charitable status at the same time. As a company limited by guarantee its members are liable for a sum not greater than £1 should the Trust become insolvent. The Memorandum and Articles of the Trust form the governing document or its constitution – basically the rules governing the activities it can undertake, the structure of how it is to be managed and the rights and responsibilities of directors and members.
Membership of the Trust gives the members a vote each at the Annual General Meeting or AGM. At this meeting the directors tell the members what the Trust has been doing during the past year and present the accounts for the last financial year (forms can be downloaded below). If there are vacancies on the Board then members will vote at this meeting to elect new directors. Public meetings may be held at other times during the year to enable the directors to present various options to the community and to assess the opinion of the community. Other means of communication include newsletters, the website and the board in the shop window. This process is formalised in the drawing up of the Development Plan.
In order to be as transparent as possible, the Trust makes the Minutes of Board’s meetings available to general public by including them in the SDT header.
Finally the Trust has drawn up polices covering child protection, health and safety etc which are included in the Handbook of the Trust.
Go on – Get Involved!
Beyond contributing to the sustainability of life on this beautiful island volunteer work is a great way to add skills to your CV and increase your confidence and abilities. It can also be fun and very satisfying. We realise that becoming more involved with the Trust can seem a daunting prospect. Training is available for board members. All volunteers are very precious to us as we realise that folk do have very little disposable time these days and they have to be happy with the way it is being spent, training allows us to be efficient with the time we have.
Shapinsay folk can contribute to the work of the Trust in three ways:
- Become a member. The more members we have the easier it is to demonstrate support for the Trust when applying to funding bodies for the grants we need to do the work.
- Become a volunteer. If you would like to contribute your time and skills to community work organised by the Trust, contact the Staff or one of the directors.
- Stand for election as director at the next AGM. Directors are elected by the membership annually at the AGM.
