Also in the news / Climate targets, EU settled status, pollution levels, knitting, RNLI film and much more
THE SCOTTISH Government has been criticised for missing its climate targets for a third year in a row.
The Liberal Democrats’ energy spokesperson Liam McArthur said: “Once again, we’re nowhere near where we need to be in terms of reducing Scotland’s emissions. The Scottish Government’s warm words will make for an even warmer planet.”
The Scottish Greens’ Mark Russell added: “These latest stats show that Scotland is not cutting emissions fast enough to meet our international obligations. “While we have seen some progress in renewable energy, emissions from transport have seen no reduction at all, while emissions from land use has actually gone up.”
POTENTIALLY hundreds of thousands of EU citizens could be left in legal limbo across the UK on 1 July following the end of the EU Settled Status scheme, the UK in a Changing Europe think tank has said.
The finding of the organisation’s report The EU Settlement Scheme come after isles MP Alistair Carmichael and SIC convener Malcolm Bell have been urging anyone who may still be unsure about the process to check their status.
Help for EU citizens living in Shetland is available from the local Citizen Advice Bureau on 01595 694696.
HIGHER than usual air pollution levels reported recently in Shetland were down to an error with equipment, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says.
Figures from DEFRA in early June appeared to show that Lerwick had one of the highest rates of air pollution in the UK. “We have identified a monitoring station in Lerwick which appears to have a fault with the monitoring instrument, causing higher than expected readings,” a spokesperson said.
THE organisers of the knitting tuition project hosted in primary schools, Shetland Peerie Makkers, have said they hope that bairns will be able to resume classes in early September after they had to be paused due to the Covid pandemic.
In December last year money to carry on the project was secured from the Crown Estate Fund.
A final decision on whether the classes can resume will depend on the outcome of a re view of each school, to be held in August.
A NEW release of archive film and video footage celebrating RNLI communities across Scotland will premiere at Mareel in Lerwick Sunday (20 June) at 2pm.
Directed, researched and edited by Shona Thomson in a co-production with Screen Argyll, the film has been two years in the making with “unprecedented” access to the RNLI’s own archives.
Footage of both the Lerwick and Aith RNLI crews feature in the film alongside appearances from 30 other lifeboat crews.
VOLUNTARY Action Shetland said they have secured funding to support volunteer-run community buildings, such as local halls, boating clubs and heritage buildings, to confidently and safely reopen to the public.
They are able to offer a cleaning pack including cleaning materials and hand sanitiser. They are also able to assist with any screening requirements.
To access this resource please contact Amanda Sinclair 01595 743912 or email amanda.sinclair@shetland.org
SERCO NorthLink Ferries has achieved “investors in diversity” status – becoming the first ferry operator in the UK to receive the accreditation.
The award, granted by the National Centre for Diversity (NCD), reflects the dedication and effort NorthLink has made to create an inclusive workplace.
It also shows the company’s commitment to fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion and engagement.
PROMOTE Shetland has launched a welcome pack for people making the move to Shetland.
Topics covered include finding work, housing, healthcare, education, travel and local services and amenities.
The welcome pack is available as a downloadable PDF to those who sign up to the new Making Shetland Home email newsletter.
THE Shetland Distillery Company is amongst the first businesses to sign up to The Academy, a new and unique training initiative to help food and drink businesses targeting growth, after the industry was one of the hardest hit by Covid-19 and Brexit.
The three training programmes – seeding growth, accelerating growth and commercial excellence – have been designed to support companies at various stages in their development, and are the first major investment from the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership’s £5m recovery plan.
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