Fisheries expert signs up with Shetland Charitable Trust

May 5th 2023

Prominent local scientist Beth Mouat is joining the board of trustees of Shetland Charitable Trust (SCT).

The community charity is looking to add another two new faces in the coming months to replace three trustees stepping down at the end of May. SCT chair Andrew Cooper and Ian Napier will go after completing two four-year terms while Ken Harrison has spent four years on the board.

Dr Mouat is known for her work at UHI Shetland in Scalloway where she is director of research, enterprise and impact as well as the university’s islands strategy director. She is the recognised expert scientist on Shetland’s wild shellfish stocks and advises on the management of local shellfish fisheries.

Welcoming her appointment, Dr Cooper said: “I’m confident Beth will be a great asset and bring fresh ideas. We need sharp minds on the issues that inevitably arise, so SCT is grateful when skilled people give up their time to help.”

SCT holds around £380 million in reserves for future Shetland generations. These are mainly invested in world markets to generate a sustainable budget which, this year, stands at £15.6m for grants to community organisations. The main focus is on social care and welfare, sport and recreation, heritage, the arts and the environment.

Dr Mouat said she was keen to shape how community funds are put to best use in the coming years. Away from her work in education and science, she has a young family and is active in local sport, particularly netball.

She said: “The charitable trust contributes a great deal to community life in Shetland, not least through its support for charities and social care, alongside the fantastic leisure centres and cultural venues that it funds.

“We all benefit from the investment decisions made by trustees and I am looking forward to contributing to that process during my time on the board.”

SCT is about to start work on its next financial strategy which will shape its spending plans for 2025-2030.

The other trustees who continue on the board are vice-chair Robert Leask, Margaret Roberts, Ryan Stevenson, Ewen Adamson, Aaron Ferguson, Susan Gray, Yvette Hopkins, Ryan Leith and Emma Miller.

For more information

Contact: Shetland Charitable Trust - mail@shetlandcharitabletrust.co.uk - Tel: 01595 744 994

Media Contact: John Robertson - noostmedia@gmail.com - Tel: 07775 407 796

Testimonials

The funding COPE Ltd receives from the Shetland Charitable Trust supports us in many ways. It allows us to develop and maintain a strong foundation to our core business and assists us to provide on-going employment skill development opportunities to people with disabilities living within Shetland. COPE Ltd highly values the support provided to our organisation by The Shetland Charitable Trust.

“The substantial grant made to us by Shetland Charitable Trust every year allows us to provide first-class facilities and dedicated staff to underpin sporting success among people of all ages and abilities in the islands.”

Having this core funding from the Charitable Trust means that we can use that money where we need it at any given time. It's multi-year funding which really takes the pressure off. To have the funding to keep going is really important as it is improving the lives of disabled folk in Shetland.

The funding that we get from the Charitable Trust pays for part of staff support and matching with other funders. Without local funders we wouldn't have national funders, and without either of those funders, we wouldn't be able to do this, so funding from the Shetland Charitable Trust is incredibly important.

The funding Shetland Arts gets from Shetland Charitable Trust is about making sure the organisation can thrive, access other funds, and deliver on behalf of the community of Shetland. Our funding from the Shetland Charitable Trust really helps us with our conversations with national funders because it shows that we're working on behalf of what the local objectives and priorities are.

The Access to Leisure scheme was introduced to allow folk to be able to get access to classes and activities for a lower cost. I feel that the SRT play a critical role in every community across Shetland and that's all down to the funding of the Shetland Charitable Trust that we're able to maintain that.

Unpaid carers do an amazing job looking after people 24/7 in their own homes, keeping them living at home safely, and they really need help to do that. Thanks to the funding from Shetland Charitable Trust, we've been able to employ a deputy manager, recruit more care attendants, and provide overnights. We're also really grateful for the funding because it means that everybody can get the service for free.