Also in the news / Drag queens head north, surprise prizes, parliament survey and more…
PROMINENT Scottish drag queens Lily Minogue and RuJazzle are travelling to Shetland for the islands’ first pride festival this weekend, thanks to a sponsorship deal with SSE Renewables, the company that is building the Viking Energy wind farm.
Minogue said: “It is a real honour to be asked to perform at Shetland’s first ever Pride Festival.
“Drag queens don’t travel light, so we’re making our way to Aberdeen and taking the ferry overnight. I can’t wait to take part in [Saturday’s] parade and the evening’s entertainment, and I know that a warm Shetland welcome awaits us.”
Founder of Shetland Pride, Kerrie Meyer, has been planning Shetland Pride for over a year. She said: “Promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity is at the heart of the festival and we’re pleased to see SSE Renewables and Viking Energy Wind Farm supporting the LGBTQ+ community in Shetland.”
SSE Renewables community engagement manager Julie Graham said: “This weekend’s Pride Festival will no doubt be a lot of fun, but it is also an important opportunity for everyone in Shetland, from companies like ours to individuals in the community to celebrate the diversity and inclusion of all.”
THE CREW of the Norwegian yacht Serenity was presented with some woollen garments so they could wrap up warm ahead of the return journey back to Bergen at the weekend.
As in previous years, knitwear designer Mary Macgregor of BAKKA was at hand to give surprise prizes to the crew of the fastest boat in the Class 4 category – the larger yachts – in the Bergen-Shetland race.
THE SCOTTISH Parliament is keen to hear people’s views on how they could become more involved in the parliament’s work.
The multiple choice survey (www.parliament.scot/participation-survey) has been set up by MSPs on the citizens participation and public petitions committee.
The are particularly looking for views of people who have never been in contact with the parliament before.
Committee convener Jackson Carlaw MSP said: “The parliament is here for everyone across Scotland – but not everyone feels confident or able to speak to us about the issues that are important to them.
“We are looking for ideas that will help us work in a more accessible way – but we need your help to do that. People in Shetland are currently under-represented in our survey results, so if you have 10 minutes to spare, we would very much like to hear from you.”
A LOCAL club night is set to return this summer for the first time since late 2019.
The Electric Soup night, in the Mareel cafe/bar, will serve up some “house-heavy, breakbeat-bustin, techno-tantalising” music on 6 August.
On the decks will be Bolam, Taska and L&B Superkings (Lyall & Bren B2B). Tickets can be bought online.
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