Also in the news / Woolly winner, SaxaVord meeting, fisheries appointment and more …
BLYDE Welcome have been crowned the woolly winners of Living Lerwick’s window competition during Shetland Wool Week.
The town centre coffee shop saw off fierce competition across the street with their hand-knitted cakes, custard creams and huffsie winning over the voting public.
Living Lerwick said Blyde Welcome’s display was “fantastic”, and had “truly captured the spirit of wool week”.
“Participants loved it so much that many decided to purchase the pattern to create their own knitted set from Jamieson’s,” it added.
Smith and Robertson finished in second, with Ninian third and ICare Shetland fourth.
SAXAVORD Spaceport is likely to see a visit from the new minister for science and technology, Chris Bryant, in the near future.
Isles MP Alistair Carmichael said he had received confirmation from the minister that he would meet him in Shetland.
Carmichael said: “This is a sector that offers massive economic and strategic opportunities for the UK. The development of the Shetland spaceport in SaxaVord is now significantly ahead of the rest of the field.
“I know that the minister is well aware of the potential benefits to be had for the whole UK from the successful rollout of the SaxaVord launch site in Unst, so it is a no-brainer to bring everyone together to discuss how we can capitalise on this potential.”
Responding to the Northern Isles MP in parliament Bryant said: “The launch sector is something where we have a geographic advantage and in terms of skills, that we need to exploit to our best advantage for the whole of the UK economy.
“It’s not just about what happens on Shetland, it’s about lots of businesses as part of the supply chain through to mission control, to technological support, so yes, I’m very happy to meet with him.”
MEANWHILE, Highlands and Islands SNP MSP Emma Roddick has praised the resilience and dedication of the team at the SaxaVord Spaceport following a failed ‘hot fire’ testing in August.
German launch company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has since identified a fire in an oxygen pump that spread rapidly and engulfed the company’s rocket and the launch stool in a spectacular blaze.
No one was injured, and RFA is confident they will be back on-site in February of next year.
Roddick said: “The work that is going on here is so exciting for the space sector in Scotland and you can tell just how committed the team is to making sure that the project is a success.
“It was really interesting to hear how the team is adapting and making improvements to their processes, following a disappointing setback in the summer.”
ORKNEY and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael has been elected chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on fisheries.
The APPG is a cross-party group within parliament to discuss and advocate fisheries policy and related issues.
Carmichael is sharing the chair of the group with Melanie Onn, Labour MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
He said: “Fishing is at a critical moment with both opportunities and challenges facing us.
“The approaching trade deal review with the EU, spatial squeeze and questions over improving the science around stocks and quotas – to name just a few of the issues on the agenda – demand the sort of dedicated work that an APPG can deliver.
“With a new government in place there is a chance to reset the narrative and secure useful policy changes for coastal and island communities – I look forward to working with colleagues across Parliament to that end.”
A PHD STUDENT based at the University of Aberdeen has thanked islanders for participating in his research project looking at making the islands’ population sustainable.
More than 450 households took part in the study so far, which is designed to help create and maintain healthy and balanced populations in Shetland and other Scottish island communities.
Marcus Craigie said he was delighted by the support he received during fieldwork in August and September.
“The survey will help increase awareness of the Shetland context in Scotland-wide discussions about island population change and support policy recommendations for national and local government, so we want the best representation possible,” he said.
The survey is open until 28 October and responses can be submitted online here.
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