Local talent on show at Relay For Life fundraiser

OVER £5,000 is thought to have been raised for this year’s Cancer Research Relay For Life thanks to Saturday night’s Shetland’s Got Talent event.

Young fiddle group Kirrmirren won the talent competition at Mareel as eleven acts took to the stage.

The quartet feature Gracie Gowans-Little, Maisie Henderson, Ruby Duncan and Yelena Anderson. They are tutored and led by local fiddle instructor Kirsten Hendry.

Kirrmirren – which means pleasant sensation in local dialect – came up against the North Sea Highland Dancers and music act Ana Irvine in the final after being picked by judges Morag Mouat, Bryan Peterson and Jenny Teale.

The audience selected the winner by putting money in buckets dedicated to each finalist.

The night also saw Shetland Arts general manager Graeme Howell perform an interpretive dance routine to Kylie Minogue’s I Should Be So Lucky.

Shetland Relay for Life chairman Martin Henderson said: “As always Shetland’s Got Talent, proved to be a great way of providing local audiences with a wide-ranging taste of local talent – much of which you might not see on any other stage in Shetland. It’s always a good fun night, which also raises vital funds for cancer research.

“The committee would like to say a massive thank you to all the performers who took part, Shetland Arts for their invaluable help in staging the event, compere for the evening Lewie Peterson, our three judges, all the raffle donators, and, of course, to our audience for buying the tickets in the first place, and then so generously donating on the night as well.”

A new website, meanwhile, has been launched for the local Relay For Life, which is taking place at the Clickimin in Lerwick on 26 May.