Also in the news / High demand for sail training, walkers’ fundraising, speeding, Bop Shop book launch
THERE was high demand for sail training days on the Swan for young people – with nearly 60 applications received.
Training took place for 13 to 23 year olds between 28 July and 2 August, with a new set of trainees every day.
Sail Training Shetland chairman Peter Campbell said: “We were thrilled with the interest, which bodes well for Shetland hosting the Tall Ships Races again in 2023.
“Sail training is a unique experience, which builds confidence, skills and friendships and we hope these days will inspire those aboard to take part in a longer voyage when possible.”
Campbell said the taster days were able to be provided free of charge thanks to support from sponsors, as well as Summer Activities for Children and Young People Funding from the Scottish Government.
MORE than £5,000 has been raised for Pancreatic Cancer UK after a group of folk walked 26.2 miles from Walls to South Whiteness.
The group, who said they had lost three “very special family members to this cruel disease in the past three years”, took on the challenge on 17 July.
“We appreciate every single penny that’s been donated to us and would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has donated already,” they said.
Although there is continuing research and medical breakthroughs, Pancreatic cancer is the 10th most common cancer and yet only receives three per cent of the annual cancer research budget.
People can donate to the fundraiser here.
A MAN from Lerwick who drove at 86mph in Tingwall has been fined £150 and given three penalty points.
Christian Smith, 24, of Punds, committed the offence on 18 December last year.
Defence agent Tommy Allan told Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday that his client was prepared to pay a fixed penalty but was not aware of the notice coming in the post.
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TWO books written by Shetland author Jeff Merrifield are being launched in Lerwick next week.
He has written two books around the Italian community of Damanhur, who constructed the Temples of Humankind and have “established themselves at the forefront of ecological development linking to networks around the planet”.
The first book, Damanhur: Social Alchemy, Magical Temples and the Superindividual, is published by Watkins Books, one of the largest publishers and retailers of esoteric and spiritual book in Europe.
The second book, published by Playback Arts, is an expanded version of the last chapter in the Damanhur book and tells of a journey where 69 individuals – including Merrifield – went on a “freaky pilgrimage from the Cerne Abbas erect giant chalk figure in England to CERN, the 27-kilometre tube where whizz particles at unbelievable speeds in the Hadron Collider, straddling the French-Swiss border”.
The launch event is taking place at the Bop Shop in Lerwick on 10 August at 6.30pm, and free tickets can be applied for via the venue’s Facebook page.
The event will also be streamed online.
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