Weekend Magic – Da Voar Redd Up & Wildlife & Photography Noss Boat tours.

Da Voar Redd Up & The Noss Boat Wildlife & Photography Tours Weekend April – 2024

We had a fun weekend with both our Noss Boat Team beach clean-ups for Da Voar Redd Up and our wildlife & photography boat tours to Noss with a small break in the weather! There was a wonderful sense of community as we passed so many people on beaches and on the roads brandishing litter pickers and the large green collection bags. We filled 3 enormous bags on one small beach alone and what was clearly evident was that the vast majority of litter was rope & line from the fishing industry. This is something we also come across and remove from the ocean surface on a regular basis during our boat tours and we see hanging in great clumps from gannet nest sites. Other items included many plastic bottles, a shoe, sheep ear tags, cans and sea-worn sections of buoys. 

We also found a hand-full of eggcases (mermaid’s purses), a Starry Skate, several Small-spotted Catshark and Thornback Ray! These will be uploaded and recorded to the Shark Trust website for their ongoing highly successful eggcase recording scheme.

We have really enjoyed taking part in this award winning, community clean up weekend & are looking forward to taking part in the next organised one already whilst still beach-cleaning as and when we can throughout the year! 

“Da Voar Redd Up is the UK’s most successful community litter-picking event, with around 4,500 people (20% of Shetland’s population) volunteering each year. The Redd Up makes a huge contribution to the protection of Shetland’s natural environment and wildlife, clearing Shetland’s beaches, coastlines and roadsides of litter and the debris washed up by winter storms.

We also enjoyed sharing the delights of Noss with with our famous Noss Boat tours over the weekend during a break in the weather – So elated to be back out on the water sharing the wonders of Shetlands incredible natural marine environment with guests from all over the world, this weekend, Australia, Germany and Italy and closer to home some passengers from here on the Isles. Hope you will be joining us this season to experience the breathtaking seabirds around Noss, a true highlight of many holidays on Shetland!

 

3D WOODEN DIVING GANNETS – FREE GIFT FOR NOSS BOAT KIDS 2024

NEWLY SOURCED – SCOTTISH SMALL BUSINESS COLLABORATION

Diving Gannets 3D Pop Up for all children aboard the famous Noss Boat for the 2024 season.

We are delighted to have sourced and are now both selling via our online shop and giving for FREE to every child aboard our boat this year, a Pop Up DIVING GANNETS eco-card. Pop up cards are quick to make, easy to assemble, need no glue and all have pop out parts to make them 3D. Pop up cards are designed and made in Scotland by precision laser cutting. They are made from a sustainable and recyclable poplar plywood.

The cards come with a C6 coloured envelope, a C6 cellophane wrap and a paper insert with a picture of a completed model on it. This wooden card measures at L 140 x W 95 x T 3 mms and weighs 19 gms. This card can be posted for the same price as a normal letter in the UK.

THE STORY BEHIND THEM

These diving gannets are one of many pop up designs made by Andy Cox who started a small business in 2012 in order to raise funds to support two children a year (or more) through compassion UK.  This charity gives long term support  to children in some of the world’s poorest places. This goal was achieved for two years by selling a range of products that were made in  Gordonstoun School,  Moray, Scotland mainly for the Christmas Gift market. (Andy had been Head of Design there for 15 years and Fiona was in charge of Careers and Cooking.)

In the Summer of 2015 Andy and Fiona left teaching to concentrate on the business. They set up as a partnership, built a workshop and now have several Laser cutters making pop up designs.  They went full time into wood gift designing, making and packing in 2016.  After selling 80 000 cards last year, in 2019 they hope to sell many thousands of products and  raise many thousands of pounds for good causes.  They have started the funding of a workshop through compassionUK (one of the top 10 British charities), providing tools, materials and  teachers to help 30 boys and girls in Kenya to get a vocational education in one of the most poorest areas of the country and of our world. This year they are hoping to sponsor a project in Tanzania for a vocational workshop for wood and cooking. In 2018 they started working with adopt-a-child as well helping with child sponsorship projects in Guatemala and Albania. in 2019 they had the wonderful opportunity to visit one of the projects we help support in Guatemala.  In 2021 they moved south of Edinburgh to a bigger workshop, to be closer to their children and new Grandchild.  Post covid they are still hoping to give away £8000 to £20 000 a year to the two main charities we support adopt-a-child and compassion UK.

The Noss Boat is delighted to support this business by giving every child passenger (under 16) aboard The Noss Boat a free diving gannet pop up gift as part of our spectacular Noss Boat wildlife experience for the 2024 season. This is a unique and original design we have sourced and a fabulous new asset to our ever expanding boat tour business here on Shetland. 

NOSS BOAT – EUGY STOCKISTS – Eco-friendly 3D cardboard crafts for 2024

We are delighted to become a EUGY stockist for the 2024 season, both in our onboard THE NOSS BOAT Seabird Gallery shop & in our Ortolan House Bed & Breakfast shop. We are big fans of these wonderful products & can see why EUGY have become an extremely successful business since their launch in 2019. We are stocking PUFFIN, ORCA & SHEEP while stocks last for the 2024 season – check out our Etsy shop! These 100% eco-friendly products are a superb addition to our original Noss Boat eco-shop range. Read all about their story here & more about the products we have for sale here on Shetland.

Eugy sales set to exceed £10m by 2024

“Since launching in 2019, the eco-friendly craft brand Eugy has steadily grown in popularity with retail sales, in the UK & ROI, due to surpass £10 million by the end of the year. Now instantly recognisable among consumers, Eugy’s longevity as a staple collectible looks promising thanks to new SKUs consistently added to the range.

Eugy was created by New Zealand manufacturer Dodoland and more specifically the brainchild of the company’s founder Hoon Kim. Hoon set about creating a sustainable 3D cardboard animal puzzle which connects people to nature and the wild, following a trek to Mount Everest base camp where he saw piles of plastic waste left behind for decades to decompose.

The UK Eugy range now features 58 models with four unique Christmas Eugys. From parrots and penguins to platypus and ptero, there are lots of Eugy animals to collect and create by following a simple number sequence to build a 3D model made from environmentally friendly, FSC accredited card.

Nick Saunders, sales & marketing director at Eugy, commented: “As a company which creates its own brand products, we always look to work with partners who share the same goals and ethos. The team at Dodoland have created something completely unique with Eugy that captures the imagination of everyone who comes across it. The sales have been phenomenal, and we love seeing how our retailers are capitalising on the craze themselves. Thanks to its price point, eco-creds and all-important collectability factor, it crosses multiple retail channels and we are staggered by the response to it year on year.”

New Eugy models will be launched in September and will include the bat and badger, followed by puffin and stingray in October.

Nick added: “Everyone is looking to make more sustainable choices and we think it is important consumers can also be assured that purchasing a Eugy is not just an eco-friendly choice but money from sales of many of the models such as the elephant and gorilla support various wildlife charities around the globe.” Toyworld Business Magazine Sept’23

 

Da Voar Redd Up 2024 – Spring Beach Cleaning Weekend !

                                                Da Voar Redd Up 2024

Da Voar Redd Up will take place from Saturday 20 April – Friday 26 April 2024.

The Shetland Seabird Tours family regularly clean up litter ‘bruck’ on Shetland beaches. We spend a lot of time beachcombing & taking part in beached bird surveys & take great satisfaction in removing ugly, damaging manmade items from the shoreline. Alongside this however, we have really enjoyed taking part in this award winning, community clean up weekend & are looking forward to taking part in this well organised one! Hope you will take part too? See you out there!

“Da Voar Redd Up is the UK’s most successful community litter-picking event, with around 4,500 people (20% of Shetland’s population) volunteering each year. The Redd Up makes a huge contribution to the protection of Shetland’s natural environment and wildlife, clearing Shetland’s beaches, coastlines and roadsides of litter and the debris washed up by winter storms.

 

2024 registration open

To register for this year’s Redd Up please completed our online form here.

Registration will close on Wednesday 17 April at 17:00.

Why should you register?

  • When you register, you will be provided with Redd Up bags. These identify Redd Up rubbish, making it easier for us to record it.
  • Registering allows you to choose a Redd Up location and allows us to make sure that different groups are not cleaning the same places. This not only means that more of Shetland gets cleaned, but also gives us a more accurate record the amount of litter that has been collected.
  • During registration, you will be able to specify a roadside collection point for all of your bags. Redd Up rubbish can only be picked up from these locations

What happens after registration?

After you have registered, we’ll prepare your bags for you and let you know when and where they can be picked up. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide gloves. If your chosen location is unavailable, we’ll get in touch to discuss alternative options.” Shetland Amenity Trust 2024

 

Both images © Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat 2024

NOSS BOAT GEOPARK SHETLAND PARTNERSHIP 2019-2023

We have been proud partners of Geopark Shetland since being invited to join forces in 2019 & are delighted to continue our journey with them into 2023/4 & beyond. We are excited to include aspects of Shetland’s incredibly diverse geology during our live Noss Boat commentary & to offer geological information enthusiastically to our many passengers each year. We are very happy to raise the geological profile of Shetland where we can & to offer direction for further exploration in this important area of Shetland’s natural history. Look out for the very colourful geological map onboard & please ask for our new free geology leaflets.

 

3 billion years in the making…

WHAT IS A UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK?

A UNESCO Global Geopark is an area with internationally important rocks and landscapes, all of which are managed responsibly for tourism, conservation and education. Whilst geology may be their foundation, UNESCO Global Geoparks build upon that by bringing it together with other aspects of heritage, such as archaeology, history, culture and biodiversity, all of which are intricately linked with the ground beneath our feet. Shetland UNESCO Global Geopark is managed by Shetland Amenity Trust.

WHAT HAPPENS IN UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARKS?

Tourism:Geoparks are places of thriving responsible tourism and development, where people live and work. They act as catalysts for community enterprise, innovation and business for the benefit of everyone.

Conservation: UNESCO Global Geopark status does not offer statutory protection and places no restrictions on development or on farming practices. Instead, UNESCO Global Geoparks work in conjunction with existing designations to promote the protection of our local environment.

Education: Geoparks are outdoor classrooms and living laboratories, where the stunning landscapes inspire learning and discovery, contributing to environmental education that helps deepen our understanding of the world around us.

 

 

Going Green! A SILVER Green Tourism Award – Leading the way into 2023!


GREEN TOURISM AWARD  – SILVER – SHETLAND SEABIRD TOURS – THE NOSS BOAT

“Shetland Seabird Tours have done a fantastic job in achieving the Green Tourism Silver Award following on from their first GreenCheck Assessment. The team have displayed an excellent understanding of sustainability as well as an awareness of the opportunities and challenges associated with running a responsible business. Shetland Seabird Tours have performed particularly strongly in the Biodiversity, Chemicals, Community, Experiences, and Water goals during this assessment. The team have shown a strong commitment to continual improvement, a willingness to implement change where required, and dedication in the pursuit of sustainable best practices. A hearty congratulations to the team on their efforts and achievement in this assessment. Shetland Seabird Tours will undoubtedly continue to make progress in the Green Tourism programme as they continue their sustainability journey” Green Tourism 

What achieving our Green Tourism award means:

We are supported in our sustainability practices, and in our improvement journey by the world-leading sustainability accreditation partner, Green Tourism. 

Achieving a Green Tourism award means that our sustainability practices have been assessed and verified by a credible partner. It shows that we have an ongoing commitment:

  • to sustainability standards and practices
  • to work responsibly, ethically, and sustainably
  • to contribute to our community
  • to reduce our impact on the environment, and
  • to be accessible and inclusive to all visitors and staff.

Green Tourism has assessed our business against 15 sustainability criteria grouped under the pillars of People, Places and Planet. These consider the social, economic, and environmental actions we undertake, providing a holistic assessment of our sustainability performance. To ensure that our cliental/passengers understand our sustainability commitment, we have been assessed by Green Tourism to validate our practice. This independent assessment brings reassurance that our practice is evidenced and authenticated. We are proud to have been awarded a Silver award in our 6th February 2023 assessment.

Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat – Highlights 

Green Tourism also helped us to highlight our areas of sustainability strength. At our 1st assessment our sustainability highlights included: Biodiversity, Chemicals, Community, Experiences & Water.

We have been working hard across the business for a few years to reduce our impact on the planet after a challenging time during covid, where we were able to stop, reassess our business & our future & re-evaluate our goals & directions. We were already committed to the environment as passionate ornithologists, naturalists, & conservationists, but time reflecting during the 2020 lockdown, for a business 100% tourism reliant, gave our business the opportunity to further cement our branding, environmental ethos & future direction & to further improve our commitments to the environment & sustainability. We now have an exciting action plan in place through Green Tourism, & continue to improve on our green commitments & look forward to growing as one of the first “green” tourism businesses in Shetland. A Silver Award allows prospective passengers to immediately identify us as a business that places great value the environment & strives honestly & seriously, to reducing our impact upon it. Another small step in the right direction…… 

GREEN TOURISM are a world-leading sustainable tourism accreditation, which means we are in ‘good company’ with some of the world’s largest brands in hospitality & tourism.

 Thanks to all at Green Tourism – we really valued the input & support given by the team to help us through the assessment process. 

THANK YOU

REBECCA & PHIL  Feb’23