Also in the news / Birthday event, NATO delegation, Bressay plant sale and more …
SHETLAND Islands Council celebrated its 50th birthday with a special event at Lerwick Town Hall on Friday night.
The event gave past and present councillors the chance to catch up and reminisce about their time in the council chamber, with convener Andrea Manson welcoming 35 of her colleagues back to the town hall.
She also unveiled a specially commissioned piece by artists Cheryl Jamieson from Glansin Glass, while archivist Brian Smith gave a short talk on the creation and history of the council.
Shetland Islands Council was established during the reorganisation of local government in Scotland in 1974, replacing Zetland County Council and Lerwick Town Council.
The first election was held in 1974, and since then the council has had seven conveners and a majority of independent elected members.
Three former conveners were present at Friday’s event, including Sandy Cluness – who was a member of the Zetland County Council from 1973-74 and an SIC councillor from 1978-86 and 1999-2012.
He served as convener from 2003-2012 and said while there have been many changes over 50 years, he believes the council has been very successful.
“The most important thing for me is how we’ve looked after our elderly and young folk who need care,” he said.
“I have had some personal experience, and we do that better, I think, than anyone else in Scotland.” Manson looked back at some of the key achievements of the council, her own experiences as a councillor from 1983-1999 and again since 2012.
She reflected on the past, and the future, saying: “There have been 50 years of good, dedicated councillors. It is good to see young faces joining us, and I hope that is a good sign for the future.
“Thanks to all who are here, and to all those sadly no longer with us. Long may we enjoy the benefits of friendly colleagues and dedicated staff.”
THE COUNCIL will soon begin the summer programme of surface dressing on the Shetland roads network.
Around 70 locations have been identified across the isles for surface dressing, to improve the road surface and protect the road from winter frost damage.
The work at each location will involve sealing the road surface with a layer of bitumen before applying a fresh layer of stone chips, pressed into the road surface.
This essential maintenance helps prevent water penetration and freezing, which can over time lead to potholes, and also helps to improve skid resistance for vehicles. Warning signs of ‘loose chippings’ will be in place at each location during and after work has been completed.
Drivers are asked to observe these enforceable speed limits while these signs are in place.
Among the locations with longer sections of roads identified for surface dressing include Rompa near Hillswick, the Lunna road near Vidlin, the A970 between Girlsta, Wadbister to Brunthamarsland and the Gott junction to Tingwall Hall.
The Herra road and Lussetter in Yell will also be affected.
A DELEGATION from NATO was in Unst recently to see the capabilities of SaxaVord Spaceport up close.
The team at SaxaVord and German launch partner RFA demonstrated the site’s abilities after a two-day NATO Starlift meeting in Edinburgh.
The Starlift project aims to give NATO countries agile access to space for the rapid deployment of satellites through commercial launch, which are critical to the capabilities of NATO allies.
The UK and Germany are already committed to deepening defence co-operation across all domains under the Trinity House Agreement reached in October last year.
SaxaVord Spaceport chief executive Frank Strang said: “With mounting global geopolitical uncertainty, today [Monday] was a great opportunity for SaxaVord and RFA to show the NATO Starlift delegates what we have built here and brief them on our future plans.
“Space as a domain has an ever-increasing role to play in keeping us secure and protecting our economies, and the UK and Europe have an asset in SaxaVord and partners like RFA that can help defend our combined interests.”
UK science and technology secretary Peter Kyle said: “We have been working to bolster the UK’s ability to launch into space so that we can boost our collective security both domestically and for our allies as well as grow the UK’s space industry and the British economy, as part of our Plan for Change.”
MORE THAN £1,000 was raised for the Red Cross refugees appeal at Bressay’s annual plant sale on Sunday.
In just two hours the event, which was held alongside a Sunday teas, raised £1,055 through the sale of plants, bulbs and seedlings, with more donations to come in too.
Hall committee chairman Richard Burrell said: “We’d like to thank all the generous folk who donated items for the sale, the teas and the raffle, all the volunteer stallholders and kitchen staff, and of course the public from Bressay and beyond who came to support this good cause.
“It’s really heartening that an island of only 360 people can make a contribution like this to lessen the suffering of refugees.”
A “PLAYFUL, multi-sensory” performance is set to come to Mareel later this month.
Bodies of Water is said to weave together “movement, choreography, water, objects and sound”.
Shetland Arts said that everyone will encounter water during their everyday lives, with the performance encouraging audience members to immerse themselves in a unique experience.
“Underpinning the making of Bodies of Water is a belief that if we can connect to and inhabit the realities of our bodies and experiences, we will relate to and more easily consider our environment, our communities and the challenges that we face,” it said.
There will be two performances of Bodies of Water, at 7.30pm on Tuesday 29 May and then at 2pm on Friday 30. Tickets are available from the Shetland Arts box office.
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