News / Bairn’s book and playpark
TWO COMMUNITY groups in Shetland were celebrating on Tuesday after securing almost £20,000 in lottery funding.
A grant of £10,000 is being made to Charlestown Playpark Association, in Whalsay, to buy new equipment for the playpark in Symbister.
The group has also received £1,500 from the Tesco Community Awards scheme, as well as more than £5,000 in donations from the local community.
The refurbishment will take place during the summer when the council is planning to replace some of its playpark equipment.
Committee chairwoman Ann Marie Anderson said everybody was “ absolutely delighted” as they had not been expecting to receive such a sizable grant.
“We are so excited and can’t wait fir aa da bairns gets der new equipment tae play on,” she said.
The association was only foirmed last April after local mums realised that the playpark had not had any new eqipment for the last 15 years.
Meanwhile, a storybook written in the Shetland dialect by a local air ambulance pilot will be published and distributed to all local school bairns aged between seven and 12 thanks to a lottery grant of £9,976.
Hansel Cooperative Press said there would also be dialect lessons in schools to complement the project.
Author Bjorn Sandison said: “I hoop da bairns hae as muckle enjoyment readin hit as I did writin hit. Da Shetland dialect is jöst incredible.”
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