Come again, you’re welcome

Wheelchair Accessible

We have improved access through to the Vestry and back of the building, thanks to the Island’s Programme Grant Scheme.

From the car park to Hymhus is a flat, rough tarmac surface and path. Please feel free to park closer to the gate if it is helpful. Our front entrance can be quite exposed to the wind so please get in touch if you need any assistance.

Some of our doors still have the original openings. From the Porch into the Main Entrance the opening width through the original double door is 85cm.

Toilet and Changing

We are committed to installing a specialised Changing Places Toilet in future as part of our phased renovations. In the interim, we have an adjustable accessible changing bench available in our Therapy Room with adjacent sink. Please ask if you would like to use this and if you are visiting Bigton outside our public opening hours and require changing facilities we will be very happy to help.

The toilet is located at the back of the building. We stock free sanitary products and there is a baby changing table with spare nappies. There is an alternative entrance with a ramp at the back door which can be useful for prams.

Our toilet has been improved as part of the phased renovations but it is still not fully wheelchair accessible. However, we do have access to the Bigton Community Hall and the accessible toilet at any time so please ask for the key.

Sensory Needs

The feedback we receive is that Hymhus feels welcoming and easy to come into for people who may be especially sensitive to sensory stimuli. It is often described as peaceful and relaxed by people who would normally avoid public gathering spaces.

However, each group and event is slightly different so please get in touch with any questions and we can help people find times or activities that might suit them best.

Where possible there are options of places to go in the building, garden and Polycrub. We encourage people to move when they need and experiment with what feels safe and tolerable for them and people they are with.

We have a sensory kit available at the Reception Desk kindly supplied by Ability Shetland with ear defenders and other useful communication and sensory aids.

Getting to Hymhus

  • The feeder bus comes through Bigton twice a day. The bus stops at the foot of the Hymhus road at the Maywick junction. It's about 100m from there to the door.

    You can access the timetable here

    There is also a useful app for use within Shetland: Shetland Travel Information

    Weekdays - SERVICE 7

    The northbound feeder from the South Mainland comes through Bigton at 07:56, 10:36, 14:01.

    Southbound, from the Channerwick junction (connecting with the southbound service from Lerwick) the feeder comes through Bigton at 11:24, 16:14 and 17:26

  • Along with other organisations in Shetland and Orkney, we are currently involved in a research project with Community Energy Scotland exploring some of the barriers to active travel in our area.

    We are keen to encourage people to cycle or walk to Hymhus and we will do everything we can to help.

    We always want to hear about your experiences of getting to Hymhus and how we can make it easier.

  • We understand that for some people it can be hard to know if an activity or venue is suitable for you or your loved one.

    Everyone is different so please get in touch if you want to ask any questions, if any adaptation would be useful or to arrange a preliminary visit.

Bigton Collective has grown from our core belief that everyone is musical, everyone is creative and that everyone deserves to have the opportunity to realise their full creative potential.

As a person-centred organisation, we passionately believe that our activities should be inclusive and accessible.

As we continue to improve the Hymhus building we have prioritised wheelchair access and responded to the needs of our community.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion plan has a number of priorities for the next few years which include continuing to support neuro-diversity in our community, making the building and our groups more communication-friendly, improving our Makaton and signing skills and continuing to embed listening skills and emotional understanding into our organisation.

Please let us know how you find the experience of coming to Hymhus and if there are things that you might like us to do differently. Everyone’s experience is unique and we value your thoughts.