Station House Media Unit (shmu)

shmu (Station House Media Unit), at the forefront of community media development in the UK, operates across the regeneration areas of Aberdeen, and with other disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals and groups across the North East of Scotland. 

Station House Media Unit (shmu) is one of the core cultural organisations in North East Scotland and is at the forefront of community media development in Scotland, supporting residents in the seven regeneration areas of Aberdeen in radio and video production, traditional and on-line publications, music production and digital inclusion. The organisation also supports other disadvantaged communities, both geographic and communities of interest, including an employability and training arm, and our adult services arm which provides support and opportunities for adult with barriers, including those in HMP Grampian. 

Established as a charity in 2003, with a turnover of over £1 million in 2020-21, and a staff team of 28, shmu has a proven track record of securing, successfully managing and delivering programmes, service level agreements, contracts and grant-funded initiatives. 

Successful initiatives have made the organisation a nationally recognised centre of excellence and created models of good practice in youth work; community development; digital inclusion; literacy and numeracy; community capacity building; personal and community development; employability skills; community justice, and the curriculum for excellence. 

In 2020, shmu was honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK - the equivalent to an MB.