Lerwick venues lit red in show of support for live events industry

A NUMBER of venues in Lerwick were lit up red on Monday evening to highlight the plight of the events and entertainment industries during the pandemic.

The Garrison Theatre, Mareel and the Clickimin Leisure Complex were all lit red.

It was the work of lighting and audio technicians Keith Morrison and Derek Hendry, who said they wanted to support the Light It In Red campaign.

It was a UK-wide initiative held on Monday evening as a show of support for the creative sector.

The live events industry is likely to be one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, with no dates set yet on when venues will be able to reopen, while social distancing is set to hit the viability of promoting events.

The Light It In Red organisers said restrictions are “leaving an entire industry dormant, with over twenty-five thousand businesses and over half a million workers throughout the UK directly suffering the ill effects”.

The UK government, however, has announced a £1.57bn fund for the arts, creative and heritage sectors – with nearly £100 million expected to come to Scotland.