Also in the news / Lighthouse to reopen, hospital update and more…
THE SUMBURGH Head lighthouse visitor centre will reopen for the season on Saturday 5 April.
The foghorn will be sounded to mark the occasion and members of the public are invited to enter a competition to win a chance to help the lightkeeper.
All ticket holders are welcome to join a tour at 11am to hear the story of Shetland’s first Stevenson Lighthouse.
This will be followed by the customary blast of the foghorn with the help of retained lightkeeper Brian Johnson at midday.
The competition winner will help to open the final valve to sound the foghorn whilst the three runners up will each be given the chance to help start one of the engines.
Sumburgh Head site manager Jane Outram said: “We have already seen Guillemots and Razorbills on the cliffs beneath Sumburgh Head Lighthouse, and we look forward to reporting the first Puffin sightings any day now.
“The Observatory will be open again this season, offering an incredible setting to enjoy self-service refreshments, including tasty treats from the Picnic Press.”
Alison Moncrieff, chair of site managers Shetland Amenity Trust, added: “Last year was our busiest yet, and we are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support that allows us to care for this world-class site.”
NHS Shetland says the Gilbert Bain Hospital is still only accepting essential visits only amid a rise in respiratory illness in the community.
People are asked to contact the relevant ward before making any visits by calling 01595 74 3000.
A spokesperson said: “Staff will continually risk assess and may advise patients and visitors to wear face masks as and when appropriate, handwashing is also essential.
“If you are planning to visit a loved one and have any cold or flu-like symptoms, we kindly ask that you wait until you feel better before visiting.”
RACHEL Hazell, aka The Travelling Bookbinder, will celebrate 25 years bookbinding in Shetland at an event at the Peerie Shop café on Saturday (29 March).
It has been a quarter of a century since Rachel successfully applied for the WASPS residency at The Booth in Scalloway, and little did she know that she was embarking on an island love affair.
Hazell said she has returned to Shetland every year after her first visit in 2000 to teach a bookbinding workshop, mostly in Bressay.
THE SALE of the former tourist office building in Lerwick has not yet gone through.
A spokesperson for Shetland Islands Council, which is selling the property, said “conveyancing formalities” are still progressing.
FAMILIES of children and young people in Shetland have received more than £3.25 million in financial support since 2021 to help with the extra costs of caring for a disabled child or young person.
In December 2024, 290 children and young people in Shetland Islands were receiving child disability payment.
The latest official statistics from Social Security Scotland show that since the payment launched in 2021, more than £1 billion has been paid to the families of over 97,000 disabled children and young people across Scotland.
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