Also in the news / Lerwick cemetery tours, A&E waiting times, fundraising auction, Boaty McBoatface
THE COMMONWEALTH War Graves Commission is introducing walking tours in Lerwick to help people discover the World War heritage on their doorstep.
The free guided tours will take place once a month from July to October at the Lerwick Cemetery and will give people the chance to discover the stories of the men and women who are buried in their community.
The cemetery contains 42 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. There are a further 74 from the Second World War, including two unidentified sailors of the Royal Navy and one unidentified seaman of the Merchant Navy. There are also three Norwegian war burials here.
The tours will be led by local resident, Jon Sandison, who is a teacher and volunteers for the commission as a tour guide and speaker. Bookings can be made here.
NHS Shetland has been praised after the Gilbert Bain Hospital once again met A&E waiting time targets.
For the week ending 4 July 97.1 per cent of people were seen in A&E within four hours.
The target is 95 per cent, but only the Shetland and Orkney health boards met this in the latest figures.
Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston said: “Orkney and Shetland are the only health boards to actually meet the Scottish Government’s target of 95 per cent, and our thanks go to all our hard-working NHS staff here in the Northern Isles.
“However, the overall figures for Scotland remain very concerning as not even one mainland board has been able to meet the national target.”
AN AUCTION of donated items raising funds for teacher training and education in Sierra Leone is taking place this weekend.
The online auction, organised by Julia Odie, is being held on Facebook.
Bidding starts at 9am on Saturday (17 July) and ends on 9pm on Sunday.
Up for grabs is local artwork and hand-knitted clothes, amongst many other items.
A ROBOT submarine called Boaty McBoatface is set to launch from Shetland to carry out environmental assessments at three decommissioning sites in the northern North Sea.
The submarine was named that following a public vote to name a new £200 million research ship.
The joke moniker Boaty McBoatface won the vote – and the nation’s hearts – but the company decided against using it for the ship, and instead named the robot submarine that instead.
The research on end of life oil fields, by the National Oceanography Centre, will see its first robotic mission start in summer 2022.
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