Local Artist Collaboration – Linda Richardson – Puffin & Seal masks!

We are delighted to collaborate and showcase another local artist, the wonderfully talented Linda Richardson of Voe, Shetland. As part of our original FREE eco-gifts for each child passenger on our Noss Boat tours through 2024, each child will be given one of Linda’s original eco-craft paper masks, of either PUFFIN of SEAL, ready to colour and wear! These are carefully made and perfect for young children, so that they can continue to be inspired by the rich marine life around Shetland waters, even after their tour with us has come to an end. We have seen (first hand experience with our own young daughter!) these masks being enthusiastically coloured in and enjoyed by many children at craft fairs and events in the past and are excited to be given the opportunity to purchase them and share them with our onboard guests this year, knowing they will be a big hit!

Linda is a popular, very active local artist and printmaker, producing original works of art. She draws, paints and makes limited edition relief prints and etchings of wildlife. Birds, animals, flowers, coastline and landscape are all subject matter from the beautiful Shetland Islands which inspire her work. Previously a part time tutor in adult education, Linda now teach various workshops here in Shetland. As a member of Shetland Arts & Crafts Association Linda’s studio is open on weekends during the summer as part of the Shetland Art & Craft Trail.

Ninian, the Bonhoga Gallery and Hoswick Visitors Centre all stock Linda’s artwork, both original prints and cards.

Linda is a keen birdwatcher, gardener and all-round nature lover, moving to Shetland from Little Bardfield, a small village in North West Essex in October 2016. Her home is in Voe, on the hillside overlooking Olnafirth.  There is an abundance of wildlife here, with ever changing weather, varied coastline, flora and fauna. Linda’s garden is apparently “very much a work in progress, gardening on a steep slope, with the extremes in weather it proves a challenge to say the least”.

Linda’s paintings are in watercolour or acrylic on canvas. She enjoys making mixed media pieces using wax crayon and ink. Her printmaking encompasses etching and block printing in the form of linocuts.

You can see Linda’s latest work here via her website link below,  and purchase cards, unframed original prints and one off pieces via her online shop!

lindarichardson.co.uk

Mob: +44 (0)7765 037516
Tel: +44 (0)1806 588289

Studio Open:
Studio is open by appointment. Please text or call to arrange a time.

Mail: linda@lindarichardson.co.uk

 

Address:
16 Mulla, Voe
Shetland. ZE2 9XQ
Scotland, UK

THANK YOU LINDA

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