Also in the news / New Swan chair, Scalloway FC anniversary and more…
THE TRUST which operates and owns the historic boat Swan has appointed a new chair.
Mary Irvine from Brae – a former commadore of the Delting Boating Club – has now been appointed chair of the Swan Trust’s board, taking over from David Goodlad, who led the organisation for nine years.
Irvine has been a trustee of the Swan since 2002, and says that she is honoured to now take on the position of chair.
“I have had a lifetime interest in boats, with many happy memories of sailing adventures,” she said.
“It is my belief that the Swan makes a real contribution to the lives of the people of Shetland, particularly the young folk who sail on her, a truly life changing experience.”
Meanwhile the trust said there are plans for a refurbished vessel forepeak to improve onboard facilities, and a mast replacement programme.
SCALLOWAY Football Club is marking its 125th anniversary this weekend.
The club will host an anniversary meal with guest speaker Jim Leishman in the local hall tonight (Friday) after the team plays against Stromness at Fraser Park.
The celebrations will continue through to Saturday when local band Fully Licensed take to the stage at the Scalloway Boating Club.
The match against Orcadian outfit Stromness will kick off at Fraser Park at 6.30pm. Meanwhile the Fully Licensed gig will run from 9pm to late, with £10 entry on the door.
NORTHERN Isles MP Alistair Carmichael has warned that Ofgem’s announcement of a ten per cent increase in the energy price cap in October represents a “serious backward step” for struggling families.
He said a “typical” household’s annual energy bill will rise by £149 in October under the new price cap, but this is likely to be significantly higher for families with greater energy needs due to climate or poor insulation.
“This double-digit hike in energy prices will be a hard hit for families in the isles,” Carmichael added. “Combined with the new restrictions on access to the Winter Fuel Payment it represents a serious backward step as we come to the end of the summer.
“It is past a cliché now to note that this price “cap” has become entirely meaningless with the way it yo-yos up and down with each revision, especially given that energy bills are already more than 50 per cent higher than they were pre-pandemic.”
AN UNUSUAL looking flapper skate with a rare spinal deformity was discovered recently in local waters.
It was discovered onboard Bryan McCaffrey’s Westside Sea Adventures charter during a recent sampling trip for UHI’s Shetland flapper skate tagging project.
The large female, with a 1.5-meter wingspan, appeared to have a spinal deformity and was missing its tail.
Although rare, similar cases of spinal deformities have been observed in other shark species worldwide.
Mia McAllister, UHI Shetland’s fisheries scientist aboard the vessel, said: “Deformities in nature can be weird and wonderful, and it goes to show that these anomalies do occur in natural populations.
“What’s particularly interesting is that this female seemed otherwise healthy, with no visual evidence of external damage from a traumatic injury.
“This suggests the defect was likely present from birth or hatching, potentially due to a compromised vertebral column.”
More information on the flapper skate project can be found here.
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