News / Wildlife sanctuary celebrates after reaching fundraising goal
HILLSWICK Wildlife Sanctuary has secured its long term future after reaching its fundraising target.
Sullom Voe Association, which represents the Shetland oil industry and the local council, promised to give the sanctuary up to £300,000 to refurbish and renovate its premises if it could show that it could sustain itself financially.
The target of 500 people donating £5 a month has now been reached after nearly four months thanks to neighbours Iain and Anne Sloan, who wanted to ensure they were the ones who saw the sanctuary’s Jan and Pete Bevington reach the goal.
The funding from Sullom Voe Association represents around 75 per cent of the cost of refurbishment work the sanctuary hopes to begin from next year.
The Bevingtons will now concentrate their efforts on consulting with the council and the association’s other members – BP, TAQA and Total – on the budget for the work.
The good news has come just in time for Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary’s 30th anniversary celebrations at the Sound Hall in Lerwick on Friday, which will see the Peter Wood Band perform and artwork be auctioned.
“We can’t thank the people of Shetland and beyond enough for all the support they have shown since we launched this fundraising campaign,” Jan said.
“This support means that we can now create facilities that will keep the sanctuary going for at least the next 15 years and make sure there is always a safe haven for Shetland’s seals and otters when they get into difficulty.”
Pete said that they want the sanctuary, which has run on “very basic facilities” to date, to be able to act as a base for any future oil spill.
He added a longer term goal of attracting more people to work at the sanctuary should be helped by having better facilities.
The sanctuary began life in 1987 when Jan came across an abandoned seal on the beach at Hillswick.
They went on to play a major part in the response to the Braer oil spill in 1993, with the sanctuary taking in 37 seals and 11 otters and receiving the help of nearly 400 volunteers.
The Bevingtons have been kept busy ever since, and this summer has seen the couple involved in helping stranded whales, saving seals caught in fishing line and rescuing abandoned otter cubs.
Tickets, meanwhile, for the 30th celebration cost £7 and are available at the door or by contacting Jolene Leftwich on 07917 262238.
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