Community / Wishing you all the very best for the New Year: thoughts on another remarkable year

Hans J Marter

31 December 2023 18:00

WITH THE start of the New Year just hours away it is time to look back at another successful and in many ways remarkable year, and to wish our many readers, supporters and advertisers a prosperous 2024.

As usual there were many sad and often tragic incidents it is our duty to report on, but there were also plenty of joyful community events during 2023, particularly the return of the Tall Ships Races and the Island Games in Guernsey.

And Lerwick Up Helly Aa – for the first time in its history – allowed women to participate in the fire festival’s torch-lit procession and burning of the galley.

During the last 12 months our small team, featuring two full-time reporters and contributors, published around 1,600 news stories, features and reviews. Most of the material we publish is original in content and often lengthy and thoroughly researched.

Perhaps the most important event for the team here at Shetland News was celebrating our 20th birthday with a reception at Mareel in April this year.

The last year has been remarkable for many other reasons, most of them not immediately obvious, but important for us nevertheless:

In January, we organised and hosted – for the first time – a well-attended public debate on climate change and Shetland’s net zero aspirations. One of the guest speakers was the chief executive of climate think tank Uplift, Tessa Khan: https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/01/26/plenty-to-talk-about-at-net-zero-discussion-event/
In June we became a founding member of the Scottish Beacon collaborative network (https://www.scottishbeacon.com) that brings together independent local newsrooms to give local news a stronger voice in Scotland;
In April this year Shetland News was accepted by Google as a Google Showcase contributor, a major achievement that was negotiated for us and a group of around 50 other small independent news publishers by the Public Interest News Gateway (PING). It means that Google pays us for some of our output;
And earlier in December we learned that Shetland News had been shortlisted in the website of the year category at this year’s Highlands and Islands Media Awards. Reporter Chris Cope meanwhile is in the running for the environment and sustainability writer of the year prize.

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To wrap up the year it is always worth having a look through the many stories that shaped 2023 and select a few news items and features that for many different reasons made our year:

31 January: History was made as women joined men in Lerwick’s Up Helly Aa procession.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/01/31/guizers-in-high-spirits-as-historic-up-helly-aa-procession-takes-to-the-streets/
9 March: Orcas, Britain’s largest marine predators and a common sight in the waters around Shetland, would take centre stage in the first part of the BBC’s new nature series Wild Isles.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/03/09/local-cameramen-say-working-on-new-attenborough-series-was-brilliant-experience/
9 May: With Viking wind turbines going up in the Central Mainland, people were reminded that Shetland is again hosting a large energy project, yet the direct financial return for the local community – in comparison to the expected profits for the developer – is rather limited.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/05/09/if-were-not-careful-the-profits-from-shetlands-next-big-industry-will-go-straight-out-the-sooth-mooth-energy-experts-warn/
Photo: Austin Taylor
Photo: Austin Taylor

20 July: Ten years after the much-celebrated Glusstonberry, we looked back at what made the community music festival so special.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/07/20/ten-years-since-glusstonberry-it-really-did-bring-folk-together/
10 October: Three speciality cake fridges popped up across Shetland, catering for the gluten free market.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/10/10/let-them-eat-gluten-free-cake-shetlands-alternative-honesty-boxes/
11 October: A tree thought to be more than 100 years old was cut down in Yell by mistake by power company SSEN without the landowners’ knowledge or permission.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/10/11/an-awful-shame-as-century-old-tree-cut-down-by-power-company-without-owners-permission/
Enjoying a dip at Lingness beach earlier in November are (left to right): Linda Moncrieff, Glynis Harcus, Wendy Hatrick, Anita Georgeson, Jane Murphy, and Emma Knight. Photos: Shetland News

29 October: A young family from Brae opened up about their experience of having their newborn baby fall unwell last Christmas; the couple ended up raising more than £3,300 for two Edinburgh organisations which helped them in their time of need.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/10/29/family-fundraise-as-a-thank-you-after-newborns-health-scare/
26 November: A group of ‘wild weemin’ embarked on a fundraising challenge to swim in the sea every day in November. They ended up raising tens of thousands of pounds for Cancer Research.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/11/26/meet-the-wild-weemin-swimming-every-beach-in-shetland/
5 December: Lifeline ferry operator NorthLink introduced a new availability calendar to its booking system that will allow travellers for the first time to see available cabin and car deck spaces to assist in their journey planning – all thanks to a local computer whizz.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/12/05/shetland-coder-helps-northlink-upgrade-old-school-ferry-booking-system/

There are many more on the website at https://www.shetnews.co.uk

We would like to say a big thank you to all our freelance contributors, to Freya, Sarah, Malcolm, Dave, Jen, Jane, Erin, Neil, Caroline, Davie, Ronnie, Austin, Jim, Carol and Alex, and to all those who drop us a line to tip us off or call us to point us in the right direction. Your help is invaluable and much appreciated.

Finally, a big thank you for the continued financial contribution from our now more than 600 supporters. Your support helps us reporting the news.

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