Papay Development Plan

About the Papay Development Trust

The Papay Westray Development Trust - a charitable company - has its roots in an informal group of folk nominated in 1997 to represent the main bodies on the island: the Community Co-operative, School Board, Community Council and Community Association.

The representative body began meeting with the intention of airing island issues, considering development possibilities and formulating viewpoints, which would allow the island to speak with one voice on a whole range of issues.

The Government’s decision in the summer of 1998 to select Papa Westray and Westray among eight areas to be included in their ‘Initiative-at-the-edge’ for speeding development in areas around the Scottish margin gave fresh impetus to the Development group.

At the launch of the Initiative that summer the then Scottish Office Industry minister Brian Wilson stressed that the plan to offer support to projects in these designated areas and cut red tape would only work if the communities themselves generated ideas.

The minister called for the formation of local steering groups for this purpose but in Papa Westray - with the development group already in place - his challenge met with an immediate, organised and positive response.

Development group members took part in a watershed conference in Westray in October 1998, which apart from bringing local people together with relevant agencies also involved a series of workshops where a range of possible projects began to take shape.

In 1999 the Development group sought charitable status and became the new Community Company - Papay Development Trust - to drive improvements on the island.

Although the new Papay Development Trust is completely self-contained with its own plan and vision for the future, there is regular contact and cordial communication with the Westray Development Trust on the many issues which the two communities have in common.

The two Trusts now share a worker and provide a strong joint lobby for development funding and representation.

The Trusts meets regularly to assess ongoing projects and decide how best to move them on. There is regular contact with the officers of the various funding bodies and the mention of Papay Development Trust in the corridors of power is now a signal for action.

It seems certain that in the coming years, other beleaguered little communities around Scotland’s island fringe will follow the pioneering lead given by PapaWestray.