Shetland News - Advertise with us
Wednesday 30 July 2025
 16.4°C   NNE Light Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Shetland Voices / Barbara Fraser – the 80-year-old crofter with a brand new quad

Barbara Fraser: ‘Casting the peats is easier than a lot of jobs.’

BORN in Yell more than 80 years ago, Barbara Fraser has been crofting all of her life – first at Gossabrough, then Culswick and now at Gulberwick, where she has been for almost fifty years.

Remarkably, she is self-sufficient in local produce, casts her own peats and got herself a new quad to celebrate her 80th birthday earlier this year.

In the first audio interview as part of a new Shetland Voices series Jane Moncrieff visited Barbara a few days before Christmas to have a right good yarn about her life, crofting and how the Covid pandemic has changed her outlook.

More Shetland Voices podcasts can be found here.


Choose your preferred podcast platform


See more from Jane Moncrieff:

Geordie Jacobson – a man who amasses many things

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

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

 
Categories

Sign up
for our Newsletters

Stay in the loop with newsletters tailored to your interests. Whether you're looking for daily updates, weekly highlights, or updates on jobs or property, you can choose exactly what you want to receive.

Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

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.

Interested in Notifications?

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

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.