NCDC’s ‘Growing Local Northmavine’ project aims to support local growing and food production in Northmavine.  ‘Growing Local’ builds on some exciting developments around local growing in Shetland at the moment – including the ‘Shetland Fair Food Policy’ and the ‘Grow Shetland’ project.  Like Growing Local, these aim to help increase access to locally-grown produce, highlight the benefits of growing to health and wellbeing, reduce ‘food miles’, and identify business opportunities linked to locally-grown produce.

Phase 1 of the project was funded by the Coastal Communities Fund and came to an end in April 2023. We are now building on the work and lessons learned during the first phase to continue into phase 2. This includes the construction of a 5x12m Polycrub at Bruckland where we will grow produce to supply the local shops, trialling making our own compost with a large compost machine we received from COPE Ltd., opening a community fridge and offering more workshops.

It’s been a busy and exciting journey for our Growing Local project! 

Back in Phase 1, we received funding from the Coastal Communities Fund to build a large Polycrub at Bruckland — our first big step toward growing more of our own food right here in the community. That support also helped us to plan and record two beautiful self‑guided trails: Be-Nort Da Grind – North Trail and West Trail. Over 1400 people have already downloaded them, exploring our landscape and stories in their own time. You can find both on Geotourist. 

Then, in 2022, our next chapter began thanks to funding from the National Lottery, which allowed us to kick off Phase 2. Our goal is simple but powerful — to reduce food waste and support local growing together. In early 2024, the five‑metre‑wide Polycrub was completed, standing proud as a new hub for community growing. We also have three outdoor growing sites — Stucca, Hamnavoe, and Da Barn — which hadn’t been worked for several years. So there’s been plenty of digging, clearing, and preparing to do before the first crops could go in. 

By September 2024, we were thrilled to welcome two gardeners to the team, who’ve brought wonderful energy and expertise. They started work at Hamnavoe, which proved the most ready for planting, while the others continue to be lovingly restored. By February 2025, we’d fitted raised beds in the Polycrub, and the first seedlings were sown — an exciting milestone for everyone involved. 

Fast forward to June 2025, and the moment we’d all been waiting for arrived: our first harvest! We delivered crates of fresh purple sprouting broccoli, lettuce, beetroot, and curly kale to the Hillswick Shop, with the Ollaberry Shop following soon after. It was a huge achievement for the whole team and the community. We’re also continuing to grow and sell our much‑loved Shetland Kale Seed, helping to protect this heritage crop for the future. 

Our sustainability journey took another big step forward when COPE Ltd (now Shetland Home Co.) donated an industrial composting machine. Kev has been busy researching how best to run it and what ingredients make the richest compost. Thanks to NCDC, we now have a drop‑off space for tree cuttings and sheep’s wool, and local shops, schools, and businesses are joining in by collecting food waste. It’s all part of building a truly circular local system, where nothing goes to waste. 

And perhaps most rewarding of all, our monthly lunch club now features produce grown right here in our Polycrub and growing spaces. It’s a lovely reminder of what can happen when communities come together — food grown locally, shared locally, and enjoyed by all. 

Check out our content below, including the latest news from the project, local grower blogs, recipes using locally-grown produce, and links to useful online growing resources. Please also click on the below link to see the latest from our Growing Local Facebook page.