Transition Turriefield

Available for over a year

At over a hundred miles north east of the Scottish mainland, Shetland is kept supplied with food by the daily boats from Aberdeen. But as food security and the effects of climate change become ever more uncertain, one couple have been working hard to ensure that communities maintain access to healthy food. For nearly two decades, Penny Armstrong and Alan Robertson have been running the social enterprise Transition Turriefield from their croft on the west side of Shetland. This far north, the weather and light can create real challenges to growing food. They’ve had to adapt to strong winds and short days whilst keeping the environmental impact of growing food to a minimum. They keep their operation local, providing veg boxes to local communities with the help of volunteers. The croft has become a centre for learning how to grow your own food on Shetland, volunteers applying their news skills in their own polytunnels. Since setting up Transition Turriefield, Penny and Alan have received grants to run a range of education and training programmes to help people to grow their own food, ensure access to affordable, healthy food. Yet this important work is proving to be financially unviable, relying on grants to continue. Penny and Alan discuss the sustainability of the financial model and their thoughts for the future. Presented and produced by Rose Ferraby