Also in the news / Wool week, Maddrim fundraiser and more…
THE COUNTDOWN is on for the popular Shetland Wool Week event, which is set to get underway on Sunday (29 September).
This year, organisers Shetland Amenity Trust anticipates nearly 1,000 attendees as the festival returns to pre-Covid numbers.
With nearly 400 events scheduled across the isles, Shetland Wool Week offers a broad range of activities, from classes to exhibitions and tours, celebrating the local crofting, textile heritage and wool industry.
A wool week hub will be located in the Shetland Museum, will serve as the central gathering point for attendees, while the festival will culminate with the a makers’ market on Saturday 5 October at the Anderson High School.
Some wool week talks will also be livestreamed while some short films have also been made which will be released over the coming days.
Amenity trust chief executive Hazel Sutherland said: “SWW [Shetland Wool Week] is a reflection of the community energy and commitment that has seen this event thrive and grow over the past 15 years.
“This year we are honoured to have the Doull family as SWW patrons and we are looking forward to celebrating their dedication to the Flock Book and commitment to high-quality wool.”
YOUTH film group Maddrim Media is hosting a raffle and bingo night to raise funds for new filming equipment.
The group gives young people the chance to film their own short films, which are often shown on the big screen at Mareel during the annual Home Made showcase.
The raffle and bingo night, at Gulberwick Hall between 6pm and 9pm on Friday, will see Maddrim raising money to improve its existing equipment.
The fundraiser is a free entry event, with donations accepted on the door and with raffles drawn on the night.
HIGHLANDS and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has shone a light on some of its recent funding awards to projects in Shetland’s island communities.
An upgrade of the Unst Boating Club has received £50,000 from HIE, while Fetlar Community Association has secured £23,000 from the agency for improvements to the island’s hall roof.
A number of island projects have also been supported recently by HIE through the Scottish Land Fund, such as the community ownership of the Brough kirk in Whalsay and North Yell Development Council’s purchase of the Cullivoe shop.
HIE’s area manager for Shetland Katrina Wiseman said: “Community management and development of local assets is vital to the resilience and prosperity of our more peripheral island communities. These initiatives in Shetland’s outer isles are all great examples.”
SHETLAND Islands Council has withdrawn applications for planning in principle for nine house sites in Burra which the local authority previously said would be sold off.
A spokesperson for the council said: “As a landowner, we could provide more sites for development for new homes, to address local housing need.
“For the moment, we have withdrawn these applications for planning permission in principle, while we review the housing options in the area.”
A SECOND meeting on Scottish Government’s new Whole Farm Plan is set to take place in Yell next month.
From 2025 the government’s new Whole Farm Plan will be gradually phased in for all businesses who submit a single application form, replacing the current common agricultural policy.
While crofters and farmers in Shetland will still be eligible for the same schemes as they were last year, they will have to undertake at least two baseline plans or audits by 15 May 2025.
An event hosted by local organisation SAC Lerwick to support local crofters and farmers around the changes was held in Scalloway on Tuesday but a second is set for the Mid Yell Hall at 6pm on Tuesday 8 October.
FAIR Isle is set to feature in a new Channel 4 series called Our Tiny Islands.
The series is narrated by comedian, writer and actress Meera Syal and explores many of the over 6,000 “tiny islands” across the UK, including Gigha, Easdale, Fair Isle and Eriskay.
Producer Brendan Hughes said: “Our Tiny Islands gives viewers a chance to experience some of the UK’s most remote and beautiful locations.
“We show the reality of life on these islands – meeting the people who call them home and seeing firsthand the unique challenges and rewards of island living.”
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