Community / Lerwick jarl Grains says having family walk beside him will make Up Helly Aa ‘special’
Guizer Jarl Calum Grains has had to wait almost 17 long years for his chance to lead the Lerwick Up Helly Aa festival – but the countdown is now almost over.
Grains joined the Up Helly Aa committee in October 2008, and should have been the head of the 2023 festival but for the intervention of the Covid pandemic.
Having had two extra years to tick off, he and his family – partner Melanie Henderson, 16 year old son Ian and 19 year old daughter Colleen – are eager for the big day to finally arrive.
“I think we’re pretty much ready,” Calum said.
“We’re still finishing things up, but we’re in the final preparations.
“It seems to be 24 hours a day, seven days a week just now.”
Colleen, who is in the Jarl’s Squad and will stand beside her dad throughout the day, confessed to being “super excited” already.
“I’m almost at the stage where I can’t sleep,” she added.
Partner Melanie agreed that the “excitement has really set in”.
Both she and Calum referred to the experience of preparing to lead the festival as “humbling”, pointing to the incredible amount of work that goes on behind the scenes – from the hosts and hostesses at the halls to those who will ensure it all runs smoothly for the pair on the day.
Grains, who is Lerwick Port Authority’s (LPA) chief executive, thinks his squad will be in ship-shape condition when the final Tuesday of January rolls around.
“I think it looks fantastic,” he said of the suit his squad will proudly display.
“We’re just working on assembly at the moment.”
Melanie said she was “really, really chuffed with the suit” – which all of the family have been involved in crafting.
“We’ve been making kirtles three or four nights a week, which has been one of the special bits for me and Colleen,” Melanie said.
“It’s been absolutely brilliant all making and working together, cutting, pressing and stitching.”
Ian, who will also walk beside his dad on Tuesday 28 January, has been involved in working on the leather – and Melanie added there had been “lots of the family involved” in making the suit.
As well as Colleen and Ian, Calum’s two brothers, four nieces and three nephews will march proudly behind him.
“The squad have spent a lot of time together, and we had lots of folk that didna ken each other that have been getting on really well and working together,” the jarl said.
Calum is preparing to take part in his fourth Jarl’s Squad, having joined Stephen Mouat in 2009, his cousin John Hunter in 2011 and Mark Evans in 2016.
He said he has “expected quite a lot of what was coming” because of his previous experiences.
But Calum – whose squad is known as the Whiteness and Weisdale squad – said this year had been a “different feeling to everything I’ve done before”.
“It’s an awfully humbling experience,” he said. “Since the mass meeting time everything becomes a bit more surreal.”
“I feel like it’s gone really quickly.”
Colleen said the last year had surprised her in some ways, saying she “wasn’t fully aware how much effort actually goes into it”.
“I didn’t realise it was going to be this much work, but in a good way,” she added.
Calum has had to balance his responsibilities as head of Europe’s biggest fire festival with leading Lerwick’s port authority at the same time, and he admitted it had “been quite a challenge at times”.
“It has been quite a bit of juggling,” he said.
“I’ve really tried to focus on the squad stuff at nights.”
However, he paid tribute to the board of the LPA – calling them “really supportive” throughout the whole experience.
And the maritime support does not end there. Calum will be joined on Up Helly Aa day by the chief executives of the Stornoway and Montrose port authorities.
“They’re really excited to be part of it,” he said.
“There’s never been three ports working together like this before.”
They are not the furthest travelled squad members, though, with one family coming from New Zealand and another member journeying up from the south of England.
Melanie paid tribute to everyone who contributed in any way to ensuring Lerwick Up Helly Aa went as smoothly as it does, calling it “so much bigger than any of us”.
“The support of folk has just been brilliant, they’ve just helped out wherever they can,” she said.
“It’s just amazing to see all the work that goes into it.
“You canna understand how much goes on behind the scenes until you see it up close.”
With less than two weeks to go, the family are preparing for what they are most looking forward to when Up Helly Aa arrives.
“There’s a few iconic moments, like the galley shot down at the wharf and the procession at night-time,” Calum said.
“The morning part is just fantastic, with the number of people that’s out to see you.
“But just seeing the whole family out together when we first get going will be pretty special.”
For Ian “going to all the halls” at night that will be a highlight, while for Colleen it’s simply “everything” that she is excited for.
She added that “standing by dad’s side the whole day” will be something to remember.
And for Melanie, she is “really excited to see them ranking up for the first time”.
“I think that’ll be a really emotional moment,” she added.
“The burning at night will also be really special.”
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