Friday 29 March 2024
 6.5°C   ENE Moderate Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

News / Ringing in the Games

Belle Spence (in white) is joined by 40 others on Unst's Skaw beach and around the country to ring in the 2012 Olympic Games. Pic. Shetland Arts

THE 2012 London Olympics got underway this morning with Shetland playing its part in the very first opening act of the global event.

The aptly named Belle Spence was joined by 40 others on the UK’s northernmost beach at Skaw, on Unst, to ring in the Games.

After being interviewed on Chris Evans’ Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 at 8.12am, Belle and her entourage joined others across the country who rang their bells as hard as they could for three minutes.

The All the Bells project was dreamed up by Turner Prize winning artist and musician Martin Creed, with bells in more than 5,000 locations – church bells, school bells, town hall bells, bicycle bells, doorbells and Big ben – being rung all over Britain.

Belle’s bell was originally used to signal the start of a fish auction at the Baltasound herring station, a floating fish market on board the Norwegian vessel Lunde moored in the harbour in the 1900s.

The bell was loaned by the Unst Boat Haven for the event. Other bells at Skaw included the school bells from Westing school, which closed in the mid 1940s, Haroldswick school, which closed 15 years ago, and the still open Baltasound junior high school.

This is Belle’s second Olympic experience after being a torchbearer in June, for which she was chosen because of her efforts behind the fundraising event Relay for Life.

“It’s been amazing getting to take part in this. I’m really pleased to get to be both the UK’s most northerly torchbearer and the UK’s most northerly bell ringer,” she said.

Shetland Arts has worked with local sound artists to capture the unique soundscape of the 40 bells, including school bells, sleigh bells, crystal bells, and cow bells, ringing with the sound of the waves, wind and wildlife in the background.

And here is what it sounded like.

 

Become a supporter of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.

Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has  over 600 supporters  who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.

Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -

  • Bring you the headlines as they happen;
  • Stay editorially independent;
  • Give a voice to the community;
  • Grow site traffic further;
  • Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.

 
Categories

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

We're committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to impartial, open and quality local journalism that benefits all residents.

By supporting Shetland News, you play a vital role in ensuring we remain a pivotal resource in supporting the community.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.