News round-up / Golf club funding, islands plan route map, new marts auctioneer, NorthLink numbers no surprise
SHETLAND Golf Club has received £30,000 in funding from sportscotland to put towards an indoor practice facility.
The three-bay facility will support and improve coach education and increase training opportunities – particularly in times of poor weather.
Shetland Golf Club treasurer Crawford McIntyre said: “Shetland Golf Club are delighted to accept this funding which will benefit many groups and individuals within Shetland and help promote the positive benefits gained from playing golf.”
A NATIONAL islands plan implementation route map has been published by the Scottish Government.
It will set out how the government will “contribute to improvements across Scotland’s islands”, and details how priorities will be delivered over the lifetime its National Islands Plan.
Islands minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “The Implementation Route Map will be published as a ‘living’ document to enable it to respond to fresh challenges and changing circumstances as they arise
“We will continue to work closely with key stakeholders to ensure that the voices of islanders are fully heard as we look to bring into reality the aspirations of those islanders who helped shape the National islands Plan and all the objectives within it.”
ELLIS Mutch has been appointed as the new auctioneer at the Lerwick marts.
He is replacing Rod Mackenzie, who has been auctioneer in Shetland for the last 14 years.
Mutch is a former chairman and current director of the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative, and he said to be a well-known and respected figure in the agricultural community.
ANM Group chief executive Grant Rogerson said: “The appointment has the full backing of the ANM Group and is part of our long-term strategy to support the Shetland Islands farmers, and our fellow co-operative Shetland Livestock Marketing Group.”
PASSENGER numbers on the NorthLink service between January and March were down 62 per cent compared to the same period in 2020.
The figures are no surprise as travel has been restricted to essential reasons only since Christmas.
Of those journeys, 42 per cent were undertaken by key workers and 32 per cent was classed as islander necessary travel.
The next highest category was essential visitor travel at 11.5 per cent followed by NHS travel (patients and staff) which represented 9.4 per cent of journeys.
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