About us
Find out about the project and our approach to supporting island residents.
We are a partnership between Voluntary Action Orkney and the Development Trusts of Hoy, Sanday, Shapinsay, Stronsay, Westray and Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre. Each Development Trust employs a Community Wellbeing Coordinator.
We work on five of the ‘non-linked’ isles of Orkney, Scotland. These are islands that can only be reached by plane or boat. The islands have small populations and strong communities. Residents often struggle to access services, which are predominantly based on mainland Orkney.
The aim of our project is to improve the wellbeing of island residents. We use a very broad definition of wellbeing which encompases health, economic, social and place wellbeing.
We do this through the development of community-led initiatives and the provision of generalised one-to-one support. This dual role enables coordinators to respond to the immediate needs of the community, whilst developing long-term capacity.
We’ve developed the I.N.C.A model to describe our approach:
Innovator: developing new projects and helping services to find new ways of working
Navigator: raising awareness of services and resources, and offering one-to-one support
Connector: bringing together people, organisations and resources
Advocate: sharing insights on community need with strategic partners
Since April 2020, we’ve supported more than 45 projects, groups and initiatives across the isles. These range from community cafes, pop-up charity shops, community larder schemes, skill sharing groups and a Daily Living Aids Library.
Interested in finding out more about the project?
Contact Vikki Pevitt, Programme Manager, vikki.pevitt@vaorkney.org.uk.