FOULA HERITAGE
Foula - The Edge of the World
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FOULA HERITAGE
Foula - The Edge of the World
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Foula 1924-37 Telegraph Installation Foula 1936 The Edge of the World Red-throated Diver or Rain Goose
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Where exactly is Foula? Whats it like? Foula is situated 20 miles west of Walls in Shetland, our small ferry has to cross the open ocean to get there. The island is about three and a half miles long and two and a half miles wide, with a lower-lying coastal strip along the east side. The five hills rise steeply into Foulas jagged silhouette and drop sharply to the sea on the west side in the highest sheer sea cliffs in Britain. The Nort Bank and Wester Hoevdi are around 700 ft and the highest cliff the Kame is 1220 ft. The glacial valley of the Daal divides the Noup from the other four hills. At the west end of the Daal theres a spectacular 200 ft rock cleft called the Sneck ida Smaallie. This is one of Foulas unique features. Another unique feature is the famous Gaada Stack at the North end, part of the rugged coast at this end of the island. The harbour, such as it is, is in the middle of the east coast, and the groups of crofts lie in three townships at the Hametun in the south, Ham in the middle, and Harrier and the Nort Toons at the north end. The private airstrip was built by islanders with voluntary labour in the early 1970s, and the local fire brigade provide cover at every aircraft landing. Most of the islanders are crofters and Foula has maintained the coloured Foula Shetland sheep, and some keep a few cattle, pigs, and Shetland Ponies. Transporting them to market is challenging, and our locally based ferry plays an important role. Its specially fitted out for the unique conditions in the island, and is crewed by islanders. In December 1999 the Foula community decided to mark the new millennium by forming a voluntary group called Foula Heritage. We realised that with the community getting smaller, much of the islands unique natural and cultural heritage would be lost if we didnt do something about it. So the purpose of Foula Heritage was firstly to collect and record all the information we could about Foulas heritage. Secondly we wanted to make this information available for other people to enjoy. So early in the year 2000 Foula Heritage worked hard and filled in a variety of application forms and raised a package of funding amounting to just over £5000 from eight sources. We achieved contributions for Phase 1 from:- Foula Heritage subscriptions, Foula Community Fund, Walls & Sandness Community Council, Shetland Islands Council Millenium Fund, Shetland Islands Council Community Education Dept, The Heritage Lottery Fund Awards for All, Shetland Enterprise and Scottish Natural Heritage. This Phase 1 funding was used to buy 2 computers and associated hardware, and during the years 2000 and 2001 Isobel and Sheila set to work to record the islands natural and cultural history. We opened files on local place-names and sayings, archaeology and agriculture, flora and fishing, crofting and crafts, wartime experiences and wells, birds and boats, the sinking of the Oceanic and the Foula film The Edge of the World", family history and old stories. In fact everything we could remember from our own experience and from speaking to older islanders was recorded faithfully. One of the bonuses during this period was that we all learned new things about the island from each other, even after 40 years in Foula. And this is where different skills in the group began to prove useful, particularly Sheila in the environmental and family history fields, and Isobel in dialect and administration. We shared information regularly and helped each other learn new computer and other skills During this first period it became apparent we needed a digital camera and a digital recorder for some of our work. Further smaller amounts of funding were raised in 2001 to buy these, and we now have a considerable archive of photographs, which we add to constantly. Weve also begun recording oral history. The trouble is theres so much material in Foula, and a small population, and we all have busy lives we just do as much as we can in our spare time. During a meeting of members of Foula Heritage where we reported progress, several ideas for longer-term future work came up. These included restoration of an old local mill; a Heritage Centre to store and display artefacts; and a local ranger service to help with interpretation of all the material wed gathered to give visitors a more enjoyable experience in the island. And this is where the first germ of the idea of a ranger service began.
CONTACT Click Foula Heritage Secretary: Isobel Holbourn
Stills from the film The Edge of the World are reproduced on this Website by courtesy of the Estate of Michael Powell and the British Film Institute.
Friends of Foula Heritage
Would you like to support the work of Foula Heritage? preserving Foula's unique cultural and natural heritage creating interpretive material on interesting local subjects operating our special personalised Foula ranger service environmental monitoring of species and habitats training young people to carry on our work using our unique heritage to build a viable future for Foula Please contact uswe would love to hear from you ! .......... In return for an annual subscription Friends of Foula Heritage will: > receive all our newsletters by post or email reporting on all our activities Ψ be able to make requests to Foula Heritage for particular information Ψ receive special attention from Foula rangers when visiting the island
YES, I wish to become a member of Foula Heritage and pay an annual subscription of £10.00
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TEL...................................... EMAIL ............ Please tear off slip and send with cheque made payable to FOULA HERITAGE to:- Isobel Holbourn, secretary Foula Heritage, Freyers, FOULA, Shetland ZE2 9PN Tel: 01595-753233 Email: i.holbourn@btinternet.com
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