Community / Yell man one of five recognised from isles in New Year Honours list
A YELL man with more than 40 years of volunteering is one of five people recognised in the New Year’s Honours list for services in Shetland.
Andrew Nisbet will receive the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the community in Yell over four decades of volunteer work.
Dr Pauline Fullerton, a consultant physician at the Gilbert Bain Hospital and NHS Shetland’s associate medical director, has been awarded an OBE for services to medicine in Shetland.
NHS Shetland said the recognition highlights Dr Fullerton’s dedication as a consultant Physician as well as her significant role in advancing the work of The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and her lifelong commitment to healthcare in remote and rural communities.
And Gordon McFarlane, who was a consultant general surgeon at the Gilbert Bain until his retirement in July this year, will also receive an OBE for services to rural healthcare.
NHS Shetland said Dr McFarlane was hugely instrumental in developing and maintaining the surgical service over the years, “always taking every opportunity to advocate for the need for generalist skills in remote and rural settings”.
Martin Flett – a patron of CLAN cancer support – has been given an MBE for his fundraising efforts for both Orkney and Shetland.
The final recipient for Shetland is lunch club volunteer Kathleen Stout, for her work with Royal Voluntary Services.
More than 100 people across Scotland have received honours in the King’s New Year Honours List for 2025, which has been published today (Monday 30 December).
Community champions and those giving selflessly are among those who have been picked out in particular for honours this year, the Cabinet Office said.
Nisbet said he had been volunteering in Yell since returning from sea in 1980, including with the local Up-Helly-Aa celebrations and the hall committee. He discovered he had been put forward for an honour earlier this month by letter.
“I felt a bit embarrassed, initially,” Nisbet told Shetland News.
“It just said that I had been recommended to go on the honours list, so I thought the King could have decided at the last minute not to give me one. “It’s fine to be recognised.”
He said his decades of volunteering in Yell, including with the Cullivoe marina committee, were “definitely not for recognition”. “I’d never even thought about this before,” he said.
“I’ve been on a lot of committees for a lot of years, and been involved in some fairly big projects.”
Nisbet said he had stepped down from some of those committees now, adding there were “other people taking the strain now”. “I think it’s all in very good hands,” he added.
Nisbet does not know who nominated him for the royal honour, but thanked them for taking the time to recognise him.
“It’s nice to be appreciated,” he said.
He will receive his medal from Shetland’s Lord Lieutenant at a ceremony in the isles, along with Stout for her work with the Royal Voluntary Service.
Meanwhile Dr Fullerton said she was completely surprised and “deeply humbled” to receiving this honour.
“It would be a wonderful outcome if this honour encourages others to see the incredible opportunities and impact of working in remote and rural settings. It truly is a privilege to be part of this field,” she said.
Born and raised in Shetland, Dr Fullerton first pursued a degree in biochemistry before studying medicine at Aberdeen University.
She completed her training in general internal medicine at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, with additional placements at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Around 20 years ago, she returned to Shetland to serve as a consultant physician, specialising in diabetes care. Alongside her clinical work, she is dedicated to teaching and training clinicians, equipping them to tackle the unique challenges of rural medicine.
She said: “This recognition underscores the value of rural medicine, and I hope to use it to elevate the profile and importance of being a remote and rural clinician.
“It would be a wonderful outcome if this honour encourages others to see the incredible opportunities and impact of working in remote and rural settings. It truly is a privilege to be part of this field.”
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