Also in the news / Leisure centre price rises, Homemade returns and more …
PRICES are set to rise at Shetland’s leisure centres from 1 April, Shetland Recreational Trust (SRT) has announced.
It said increasing prices “isn’t something we enjoy doing”, but added it was “essential due to the continued rise in costs associated to operating our facilities”.
Both the SRT’s membership and “pay and play” prices are set to go up from Tuesday.
The price of a standard adult swim is to rise from £5.50 to £5.80, while juniors will now pay £4 instead of £3.80.
The hire of the Clickimin’s bowls rink will go up from £11.75 to £12.35, while an hour on a one-third pitch at the indoor 60/40 facility is to cost £55.10 – up from £52.45.
SHETLAND Islands Council (SIC) has agreed a new plan for greener homes, buildings and businesses across the isles.
The Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) looks ahead to the next five years, with the aim of improving quality of life for residents and tackling fuel poverty.
This is the first of its kind to be approved by the SIC, which has worked with Hjaltland Housing Association and Shetland Heat, Energy and Power on the proposals.
The strategy sets out five priorities:
- Alleviating fuel poverty
- Improving energy efficiency for people at home
- Developing a supply chain to deliver improvement work
- Decarbonising heating systems across Shetland
- Community and non-domestic buildings
The LHEES says to reach net zero by 2045 homes across Shetland will need to move away from fossil fuel-based heating systems.
Around 4,000 properties across Shetland use boilers, with the majority of those using oil, and more than 5,300 homes use storage heaters.
The plan hopes to increase the number of heat pumps installed in Shetland, as well as installing more efficient electrical heating systems.
District heating options outside of Lerwick are also being considered, such as in Brae. Council energy efficiency team leader John Simpson said: “We know there are challenges when it comes to heating and decarbonisation in Shetland.
“A big part of this work will also be looking at how we can decarbonise the council’s varied estate.
“This strategy is a way of drawing together the work we’ve been doing and looking ahead to the future.”
THE HUGELY popular mini film festival Homemade – showcasing the best of local talent – will return later this year.
Submissions will soon be open for filmmakers to share their work – four minutes long or less – with two public screenings of the films on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 September.
There will also be support from Shetland ForWirds, who will offer their annual cash prizes for the most effective use of Shetland dialect, and the audience will get to choose their favourite on the day.
Curated by volunteers Kathy Hubbard, Cara McDiarmid and Logan Nicolson, the event was a huge audience favourite at the former Screenplay Film Festival.
Since the culmination of Screenplay in 2023, Homemade has returned on its own to allow burgeoning filmmakers to showcase their skills.
Hubbard said: “It’s that time of year again when Shetland Arts invites you to dust your cameras off and try your hand at making a short film of four minutes or less.
“You have time to produce your masterpiece, whether it be drama, comedy, animation, documentary or artist’s moving image, to be screened in front of the most enthusiastic audience in the UK.”
“We are working on the details right now”, she added, “so watch this space for information coming shortly on how to submit your film.”
Last year’s audience and dialect award winner was eight year old Sally Stickle, the youngest ever winner, who helped put her grandmother Gillian Ramsay’s dialect poem Daance’ upo Da Saand onto the screen.
POLITICAL autonomy for Shetland and the Faroe Islands is set to be the topic of an online webinar next month.
The presentation will be split into two parts – a Faroese road towards independence and Shetland autonomy.
The first section will be led by professor Hans Andrias Sølvará, a professor of history at University of Faroe Islands, who has written several books about the political history of the Faroe Islands.
Shetland autonomy will be discussed by John Goodlad, who is described by UHI Shetland as a “passionate advocate of autonomy for Shetland”.
It cited “inspirational visits to Faroe” as Goodlad’s primary influence behind supporting autonomy.
People can sign up for the free, hour-long webinar here.
ARTICLES from the Shetland News, ranging from 1885-1963, have been added to an online archive of British newspapers.
The British Library and Findmypast have been collaborating on a project to put newspapers online, digitising them from microfilm.
Findmypast this week added the Shetland News papers from 1885 to 1963, the Shetland Journal of 1836-7 and the Orkney and Shetland Chronicle from the 1820s.
Shetland Museum and Archives said it was “exciting news for researchers, local historians and anyone with an interest in Shetland’s past”.
The archives co-operated with the project by providing microfilm, with Shetland Museum and Archives saying it was “good to help in such an important endeavour”.
Archivist Brian Smith added it was “terrific news for researchers”, with “hundreds of thousands of searchable words and stories”.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
