More awards made for service to community

The Western Isles Lottery Team is continuing this long-standing tradition. 2020 has been a remarkable year for everybody and with so many people making exceptional contributions to community life it was a difficult task to pick the recipients of the awards.

However, the task was made slightly easier by the addition of the new Nellie Macaskill Shield for services by an individual to the community.

Megan Macdonald from Sandwick Bay Candles won this award for her community fundraising during the COVID crisis.

Megan organised an online auction in aid of Bethesda in April which raised almost £70,000 for the local Stornoway hospice. Since then she has continued to contribute to community efforts, including collections for the foodbank and creating candles to support others in raising their own funds.

Nellie herself presented Megan’s award on Friday. She has only recently retired at the age of 80 after decades as a servant of the community with Stornoway Amenity Trust, the Ladies’ Lifeboat Guild, Acres Boys Club and numerous other organisations.

Megan said: “I was absolutely honoured to be presented with the Nellie Macaskill Shield by the lovely Nellie herself.”

The Newhall Shield for a group’s outstanding contribution to the community was shared between the Eilean Siar Foodbank and the Stornoway Corps of the Salvation Army, for their outstanding work over many years and especially during the Covid-19 crisis.

The Newhall Shield was presented by Tony Robson of Western Isles Lifestyle Lottery (WILL) to Salvation Army officers, Lieutenants Christopher and Faith Thompson, while Janet Paterson of WILL made the presentation to volunteers from the foodbank.

Running a regular foodbank from Stornoway Golf Club and a baby bank of essential items were just some of the vital services delivered by the Salvation Army, while the Eilean Siar Foodbank had to increase its operation, at the same time as maintaining safe social distance by setting up a delivery network.