Also in the news / Fair Isle harbour events, arts grant, EV charger and more…
TWO public consultation events are being planned in the coming weeks around proposed harbour works in Fair Isle.
The potential upgrade of existing facilities at North Haven is part of wider plans for a new Fair Isle ferry, which is currently the subject of a Levelling Up bid to the UK Government.
A consultation event on the harbour plans and the design is due to take place at the Fair Isle school on 5 December between 10am and 2pm, while another session is planned at the Sumburgh Hotel the following day between 2pm and 6.30pm.
Further consultation events are planned for 2023.
SHETLAND ARTS has been awarded a £21,000 grant which will support plans to redevelop a former school building into a creative hub.
The grant is coming from the Scottish Government’s Community Led Local Development fund.
Shetland Arts is currently working in partnership with Shetland Islands Council to convert the old Anderson Educational Institute into studios for artists and makers, with a gallery, workshop and darkroom facilities.
Jane Matthews of Shetland Arts said: “We have such exciting plans for The Institute and this money is a huge boost, to make the most of the site and what it will offer for the community, providing a gateway to learning, upcycling and skill-sharing while alleviating pressures of the cost of living.
“We now have the funds to invest in tools and machinery for a community workshop, a tool library, a paint recycling scheme and to be able to establish a dye garden and dye kitchen. And we’ll provide community outreach and education opportunities alongside this in the coming months.”
The tool library is due to open in Mareel this winter before moving to the Institute building.
A NEW electric vehicle charger could come to Scalloway.
Planning permission has been granted for a a 44kVA electric vehicle charge point at the Burn Beach car park.
THE FESTIVE timetable for Shetland’s internal ferries has been published.
North Isles councillor Ryan Thomson said: “The importance of regular ferry journeys in between Christmas and New Year was highlighted by communities so the timetable will run to a normal two vessel winter timetable on non-public holiday days in between Christmas and New Year.”
The timetable, which will run between 22 December 2022 and 4 January, can be found here.
SCOTLAND’s largest health union UNISON says its NHS members have rejected the Scottish government’s final pay offer.
The announcement comes following a two-week consultative ballot which saw 61 per cent of members vote to reject the offer.
Wilma Brown, chair of UNISON Scotland’s health committee, said: “Our members have voted in their thousands and their message is loud and clear – the Scottish government’s pay offer just isn’t good enough.
“Ministers need to understand the anger of health staff who are working in an under-funded, under-staffed NHS.”
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