Promoting Scottish Amateur Radio to the World

and the hobby of Amateur Radio to Scotland

Sheffield Amateur Radio Club

In the world of Amateur Radio, throughout each year  a range of international competitions are run.    One, which took place on the last weekend of July, is the Islands on the Air – or IOTA - Contest.  In the contest points are gained for every island, for each different island contacted and bonus points are available if you operate from an island.

United Kingdom Radio Amateurs have a head start – because we all live on an island, the island of Great Britain, which has an IOTA reference code of EU-005.  But some intrepid travelers like to travel further afield and operate from more remote islands – and there are plenty of those in Scotland alone!

For the third year running, members of the Sheffield Amateur Radio Club traveled to one of our more accessible islands – the Isle of Arran – IOTA code EU-123 where they operated from Sealshore Campsite.

This year they brought with them £700 to give to Maurice and Sylvia Deighton who run the Sealshore Campsite – not money to pay for their keep, but a donation towards the work of  the Essau School in The Gambia.

Maurice and Sylvia have been involved with the school for four years. Originally they went to The Gambia on holiday because Maurice fancied a bit of exotic fishing. But they got involved with painting at the school and have been fundraising for them ever since. There are 2,000 pupils aged seven to 16 but they have only the most basic of facilities. Maurice and Sylvia have helped to get them metal tables and chairs. Wood is eaten by termites and plastic warps in the heat.  

At the moment the school only has running water for two hours a day - and they never know which two hours it will be. So the £700 from the Sheffield radio club - which will actually be worth £1,000 once gift aid is added – will be used to put in fresh water tanks at Essau School.

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