Also in the news / MND fundraising, court trial, vaccination programme and more…
SERCO NorthLink Ferries’ crew members have raised over £5,000 for their charity of the year – MND (Motor Neurone Disease) Scotland – following a sponsored walk across Shetland.
Kathryn Fullerton, passenger service supervisor on board the Hjaltland, and Leigha Finnegin, who works on the Hrossey, were joined by a group of friends along the six-mile route from Lerwick terminal to the Cornerstone in Scalloway.
Now an annual event, Fullerton’s sponsored walk is a staple amongst year-long fundraising activities which seek to raise funds for the crew’s chosen charity of the year.
She said: “We are all delighted with the incredible amount raised from the sponsored walk.
“We have not only raised over £5,000 for the charity but have driven awareness of the great work MND Scotland does, such as offering financial, well-being and practical services to help the individual and their families suffering from MND feel more in control and better manage their situation.
THERE were differing views during a trial at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday about whether a reversing car caused damage to another vehicle in town last year.
The end result, however, was a driver from Lerwick being given a £200 fine and five penalty points after she was found guilty of failing to stop to provide her name and address.
Eileen Thomson, of the town’s Sletts Road, pleaded not guilty to failing to stop to give her details on Commercial Road on 16 August last year – resulting in a short trial going ahead.
Lerwick Sheriff Court heard the incident focused on the 69-year-old reversing into a parking bay near the Fort chip shop.
Occupants of the stationary car said it was hit by Thomson’s vehicle as it was reversing in alongside, despite warnings – but the accused said she was not aware of it doing so.
Thomson saw one of the people in the stationary car taking photos of her vehicle as she drove off after aborting the parking manoeuvre.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank ruled that Thomson, who had acknowledged she came close to the car when reversing, should have stopped to satisfy herself that there had not been an accident.
The court also heard that the minor damage caused resulted in a £250 expense through insurance excess.
SCOTLAND’s winter vaccination programme is set to begin on Monday (4 September) for those eligible.
As a precautionary measure, Public Health Scotland (PHS) and Scottish Government are now working closely with health boards to consider bringing winter vaccinations forward for those at highest risk of becoming seriously ill from flu and Covid-19.
This includes care home residents, those aged 75-plus and those with weakened immune systems who were initially set to receive their vaccinations from mid-October.
This change is being made following the identification of the newly identified Covid-19 variant of interest, BA.2.86.
ELECTRICITY infrastructure company SSEN Transmission is in the process of setting up a £10 million community benefit fund for the north of Scotland.
A recent consultation on the proposal generated mainly positive responses, the company said.
Once in place early in 2024, it will be SSEN Transmission’s first ever community benefit fund.
The company said plans for more ambitious community benefit frameworks were already worked on.
Director of customers and stakeholders Christianna Logan said: “It’s really important that we recognise the vital role that communities are already playing by hosting critical national infrastructure, and getting this fund up-and-running will be a big step in doing just that.”
SEAFISH, the public body that supports the UK seafood industry, has published new guidance to help businesses employing workers from outside the UK understand immigration requirements.
Anyone wishing to employ migrant workers in the seafood industry, either onshore or within 12 nautical miles of the shore, is likely to need to use a Skilled Worker Visa.
The visa allows migrant workers to take up certain skilled jobs in the UK including experienced deckhands, fish filleters and seafood processing line operatives.
Seafish, in collaboration with Darren Stevenson of law firm Wiggin LLP, has put together five guides outlining the steps that a business should take to become a sponsor – the first step in employing non-UK workers under the Skilled Worker Visa.
The guidance can be downloaded here.
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