Community council happy to support merchant navy memorial
LERWICK Community Council has pledged its support for a proposed new memorial to those from Shetland who served at sea.
The Shetland Seafarers’ Association – formerly the Merchant Navy Association of Shetland – has planning permission to erect a memorial at Hay’s Dock in Lerwick.
At a meeting of Lerwick Community Council on Monday, association chairman Eddie Knight said the idea behind the memorial was to highlight what the merchant navy has done for Shetland – and what Shetland has done for the merchant navy.
He said it is understood that around 80,000 people walk past the Hay’s Dock area in front of the museum each year.
In a letter to the community council Knight wrote that small scale fundraising for the memorial has been ongoing for “some time”.
“It is estimated that the cost of the memorial will be in the region of £10,000 and the association currently has £3,500 of its own resources to put towards this, with £2,000 already spent on planning and design work,” he said.
“This means that we are passed the half way point, funding wise, with £5,500 spent or ready to be spent.
“As it has taken several years to accumulate this sum, we are now approaching local businesses that may wish to donate funding towards what we hope you will agree is a worthy cause.”
With the community council only having around £300 in funds to last until the end of the financial year, chairman Jim Anderson suggested using the community development fund available to community councils by Shetland Islands Council.
“I propose that this would be a worthwhile project,” Anderson said.
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