Also in the news / Yachts to arrive, Yell ferry, road safety and more…
YACHTS competing in the annual Bergen-Shetland race are expected to arrive in Lerwick on Thursday next week.
Twenty six entrants in the race will leave Rongesundet, north of Bergen, on Wednesday 19 June and are due to arrive in Shetland the next day.
There will be a prize giving ceremony on Friday 21 June, with the yachts expected to depart again on the morning of Sunday 23 June.
There stands to be around 130 crew members heading to Shetland as part of the race. Among the boats participating is the former Volvo Ocean racer Lolmao, which at 19m is expected to lead the pack.
Lerwick Port Authority harbourmaster Alexander Simpson said: “The Bergen-Shetland Race is an established feature of our yachting season and of the close relationship the islands enjoy with Norway.
“It underlines the port’s reputation as a popular destination for yacht crews. We look forward to giving friends old and new a warm welcome.”
The race can be followed with online tracking using Yellowbrick – links will be available on shetlandrace.no or the Shetland Race Bergen Facebook page.
THE YELL Sound ferry service is again down to a single vessel today (Friday) due to a lack of available cover for crew sickness.
It comes after the same happened on Thursday, leading to some frustration among residents and businesses.
Shetland Islands Council apologised for any inconvenience caused.
A NEW ‘best garden’ competition has been launched in Sandwick.
People in the village have until 31 July to get in touch with organisers Sandwick Community Council, with judging due to take place in mid-August.
Folk are asked to email sandwickcc@hotmail.com or message the community council on Facebook with a name, address of the garden, phone number and also a photo of the garden.
People can enter themselves, or put forward somebody else. All age groups are welcome, and there will be a best junior (under 16) garden category.
TWENTY seven pupils from seven local schools attended Lerwick Town Hall during the week for the annual presentations to Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSOs).
The pupils, all in primary six, each have a role in their school to promote road safety awareness to everyone in the school and to the wider community. Pupils attending today’s event gave short presentations of their work over the last school year, highlighting some of their projects.
Attending were pupils and staff from seven schools – Happyhansel Primary School, Sandness Primary School, Scalloway Primary School, Sound Primary School, Whiteness Primary School, and the primary departments of Mid Yell Junior High School and Whalsay School.
Chair of the SIC’s road safety advisory panel Robbie McGregor said: “It has been another year of fantastic work by the JRSOs in local schools and I’m pleased to see schools so engaged with this topic.
“By sharing road safety messages to their fellow pupils, school staff and parents they remind us all how to stay safe and look after each other on the roads either as a pedestrian, cyclist or vehicle driver.”
UNST’s recent D-Day anniversary events helped to raise more than £3,200 for the Armed Forces charity SSAFA.
Activities included the lighting of a beacon, a social event at the local hall and “knitted postbox toppers”.
Unst Community Council chair Claire Priest said: “While a committee, made up of two local community councillors and a number of ex-military personnel and their extended families – all former RAF – organised the events, it really was down to so many people of Unst coming together that made the events and commemoration such a success.
“This military connection, and that we were commemorating D-Day made SSAFA the perfect charity to donate the £3,220 funds raised to. Thank you to everyone who took part.”
PHYLLIS Logan has won a Royal Television Society (RTS) Scotland award for her role in the last series of crime drama Shetland.
She won the female actor award for her performance of the character Grace Bain.
At the 2024 RTS Scotland Awards a special contribution prize was presented to editor Chris Buckland, who has credits on TV shows including Shetland, Guilt, Shetland and Taggart.
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