News round-up / Pupils’ virtual message for teacher, carnival cancelled, no suitable tenders for grass cutting contract, lockdown recording, metal band release new track
PUPILS in the P2N primary two class at Bell’s Brae school in Lerwick recently teamed together for a virtual message for their teacher.
The children held up signs saying that they missed their teacher – Miss MacLeod – as they stay at home during the lockdown period.
They also said they “can’t wait to get back to learning”.
THIS YEAR’s Midsummer Carnival, scheduled to proceed through Lerwick on 27 June to raise money for the Callum Younger Reach Fund, has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fund chairman Malcolm Younger said the next carnival is planned to take place on Saturday 19 June 2021.
“It is with great regret that we have to cancel such a popular fun event, however it is the right decision at this time to keep the community safe,” he said.
Younger added that the fund is open for applications with forms available from the Reach Fund section of the www.millgaet.com website.
NO SUITABLE tenders have been received for a grass cutting contract at Shetland Islands Council, leading to the local authority “considering options” for delivery of the service.
The four-year grounds maintenance contract went out for tender at the start of March and it was due to start on 20 April.
However, an SIC spokesperson said: “No suitable tenders were received.
“The council is currently considering options for delivery of the service.”
Some roadside sections of grass, meanwhile, are getting increasingly lengthy during the lockdown period as the SIC puts its resources into burial grounds, parks and sporting areas and safety cuts for road verges.
FORMER isles resident Malachy Tallack and a group of musicians in Shetland have recorded a new song together in lockdown using their phones and laptops.
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The writer and musician recorded the tune A Certain Something thanks to modern day technology, with a video uploaded online featuring each performer recording their parts.
“We’ve never actually played it together before – in fact some of the musicians have never actually met before – but maybe we ought to,” Tallack said.
Also on the track are Steven Laurenson, Graham Malcolmson, Jenny Sturgeon and Rory Tallack.
A LOCAL metal band, meanwhile, have released their first material in five years under a new name.
The Last Giant – formerly called Giant – have uploaded the seven-minute instrumental track Between Light online ahead of a full album release at a later date.
The final touches were put on the song during the lockdown period, with instruments recorded at home.
“We had quite a good response on our last EP five years ago and are hoping people who enjoyed that come back and see how much we have hopefully improved since then,” guitarist Jamie Hatchbar said.
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