Also in the news / Four in ‘Hot 100’, online auction, offshore wind joins school initiative and more…

Marjolein Robertson. Photos: Trudy Stade

Marjolein Robertson. Photos: Trudy Stade

A NUMBER of Shetlanders have featured in a list of the top 100 people making waves in Scottish culture.

Comedian Marjolein Robertson has impressively landed at number three on The List’s Hot 100, behind fellow comic Fern Brady and music act Young Fathers.

Meanwhile Queen of Harps – aka rapper and harpist Anise Pearson – features at number 69.

Young traditional musician of the year Amy Laurenson, who plays piano, is included at number 62.

And Helen Nisbet, originally from Yell, is placed at number 41 for her work in the national arts scene, including the Art Night festival.

UNST and Yell Tunnel Action Groups have launched an online auction to help raise funds for the planned geo-technical investigations and the socio-economic and environmental impact work.

Both these projects are “vitally important” and would lay the groundwork for making tunnels to the islands of Unst and Yell a reality, the community initiatives said.

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The auction offers an array of items and experiences donated by local businesses and supporters of the campaign.

Joint chair of Unst Tunnel Action Group Alice Mathewson, said: “The funds, together with that which has already been raised in the community and through the CrowdFunder, will all contribute to this important phase of this project.”

The auction at https://shetlandtunnels.co.uk/auctions/ will run until 8pm on 10 December.

SSE Renewables’ Heather Donald accepting the award. Photo: SSE Renewables

SSE Renewables’ Heather Donald accepting the award. Photo: SSE Renewables

SSE Renewables has won the Best Community Engagement Strategy category at this year’s Scottish Green Energy Awards for its work with young people across Shetland, part of the company’s Viking Energy wind farm project.

The company’s onshore renewables development and construction director Heather Donald said: “Our engagement with the communities of Shetland didn’t just start at construction, it is something that has been at the centre of the Viking Windfarm project from the very beginning.

“Over the last three years we have opened our doors and welcomed hundreds of students and visitors to the site, and for those that couldn’t make it to site we have taken the Viking Windfarm to them.”

Community engagement manager Julie Graham added: “It is a real privilege to win this award, it is well deserved recognition of the hard work from everyone involved in making a difference to Shetland communities.”

THE PROPOSED Arven Offshore Wind Farm, to the east of Shetland, has become this year’s community partner of the Wood Foundation’s Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) in Shetland.

The programme is designed to encourage and nurture a greater connection between young people and their communities.

Through teamwork and research, participants will deliver a presentation on their chosen community cause in a bid to secure their school’s £3,000 grant.

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Arven Offshore Wind Farm’s stakeholder manager Aaron Priest said: “Currently at an early phase of its development, Arven wants to root our project in the community, whether that be continuing our early meaningful engagement with the local fishing industry or actively supporting a focused range of groups and causes.

YOUNG Shetlanders recently experienced the benefits of modern apprenticeships in a project aimed at tackling gender stereotypes in work.

The project offered eleven S3 and S4 pupils from schools across Shetland hands-on experience in sectors they would not normally consider.

Through the project, female students gained experience in an area of STEM such as engineering, automotive or construction, and male pupils got to try social care and childcare.

Any individuals who applied who do not identify as either male or female were given the opportunity to choose what they would like to experience from the range of options.

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UHI Shetland staff and students have been involved with the new exhibition and publication which was launched in Sweden last month.

The book and the exhibition Nurture: Living in the Landscape 2023showcase both the participating students’ and lecturers’ art-based investigations on forest landscapes in the Nordic region, and in Scotland.

UHI Shetland was well represented with seven students and programme leader Roxane Permar – for the masters degree in art and social practice – taking part.

Students included Gini Dickinson, Kerrianne Flett, Trish Matthews, Jane Ronie, Susannah Rose, Mauragh Scott and Mairi Summers.

Additionally, the Shetland based artist Lucy Livingstone took part in the virtual half of the project in spring 2023.

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