This week’s snippets as follows;

• Start this week’s updates with some very exciting news. Sleat Renewables Ltd (SRL), a subsidiary of Sleat Community Trust, has won a Santander Social Enterprise Award! SRL will use the £30,000 prize money to fund the building of a covered facility in its community forest to grow its wood fuel business. A representative of the Trust will attend the prize giving ceremony in London on the 2nd of November.
• Members of the Trust board and staff attended a presentation by Sabhal Mor Ostaig on their outline plans for the development of Kilbeg.
•  Graeme Prest, Forest District Manager for Inverness, Ross & Skye Forest District and Bruce Taylor  visited the Trust on Thursday. A progress report about Tormore forest was presented, by Chris Marsh and Ron Johnstone, along with a discussion about potential forestry partnership working with FCS.
•  Holidays are upon us with all Trust staff taking a break over the next few weeks. The office will have a least one staff member around on each day. Bear with us if it takes us a wee while to get back to you over this time if you have an enquiry.
•  Our hugely complex financial reporting for the last accounts year is finally coming to an end after several months of work. A final set of draft accounts is now in place for the approval of each board.
•  Most of the new retail space work has been completed at the Filling Station. Wiring, lighting and heating is now the priority and its hoped that this work can be completed over the next couple of weeks or so.
•  Sharon will visit two community organisation on Mull next week as a way of broadening her (and the Trust’s) understanding of the projects they are developing and how they tackle issues such as governance, communication, financial reporting and social enterprise.
• A reminder that the Trust’s AGM is on the 30th October at 7.30pm in Sèomar Chruinneachaidh,  Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Director nomination forms can be collected at the Trust offices if you wish to apply.
• As of Monday 22nd of October the Armadale Post Office, petrol station and shop will operate during the following times; Monday 9am – 5pm, Tuesday 9am – 5pm, Wednesday 9am – 1pm, Thursday 9am – 5pm, Friday 9am – 5pm,  Saturday 9am – 1pm Sunday – Closed