Also in the news / Rowing, tanker leaving, artist residency, STEM scholarship and more…
THANKS to Keith Morrison for this photo of the Burra team giving their all as they row through Lerwick Harbour on Saturday, as part of the Interclub Rowing Races.
The event was hosted at the Lerwick Boating Club.
SHETLAND Islands Council confirmed earlier today (Thursday) that a tanker leaving the Port of Sullom Voe with a cargo a crude on Monday night had done so within an “identified weather window”.
Concern had been raised when 253 metre Bahamas-registered Penelop left the council run harbour into a force 8 north-westerly gale shortly after 11pm.
Responding to a query from Shetland News, a spokesperson for the SIC said: “Tanker Penelop left the Port of Sullom Voe on Monday night within an identified weather window, following the port’s standard operating procedures.”
SHETLAND artists are being invited to apply for a self-directed research and development residency in Bergen, which will take place next summer.
The Brig∂i Residency 2026 is being led by Shetland arts organisation Gaada, with £2,900 on offer to cover expenses such as travel and accommodation, as well as an £850 artists fee.
Daniel Clark, lead for development and curation at Gaada, said: “Gaada was founded on the belief that artists working in remote places should have the same opportunities to connect, exchange, and thrive as those based in cities.
“Over the past four years, we’ve been building our creative partnership with Norwegian organisations through Brigdi, starting with smaller exchanges and collaborative projects between artists in Bergen and Burra.
“This residency builds on those established relationships and gives Shetland artists a springboard to explore their own research and projects.”
Clark said the opportunity has been made possible through new support from Creative Scotland’s multi-year funding programme, alongside the continued backing of Shetland Charitable Trust.
OCEAN Kinetics is now inviting applications for its 2025 scholarship programme, aimed at supporting students pursuing degrees in STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
The successful applicant will receive a £3,000 annual bursary, along with one-on-one mentoring and paid work placements with Ocean Kinetics during university breaks.
Applications in writing are open to Shetland students who plan to study a STEM subject at either HND or degree level this year.
Letters should include the applicant’s skills and qualifications, the chosen course and college/university, and the reason they are drawn to this particular course/establishment.
Ocean Kinetics said they should also explain why they believe they are the ideal candidate, if there are any barriers that might prevent them undertaking study without scholarship support, and anything that is interesting or unique about their choice of career and/or ambitions and how that ambition might benefit Shetland in the future.
Anyone interested should email info@oceankinetics.co.uk by 5 September.
HIGHLANDS and Islands Enterprise said it approved £1.6 million of funding for Shetland projects in 2024/25.
These ranged from the restoration of the Papa Stour kirk and improvements to Bigton community hub Hymhus, to support for companies like Seaspray Shetland Ltd and Shetland Composites Ltd.
SHETLAND MSP Beatrice Wishart has welcomed the announcement that the human papillomavirus (HPV) at-home self-sampling NHS cervical screening programme is to be rolled out in Scotland by spring 2026.
The initial roll-out of self-sampling is set to focus on reducing inequalities by promoting kits to some of the most deprived areas in Scotland first, where cervical screening uptake is lower.
Wishart said that “cervical screenings and attending appointments can be intimidating and a barrier to healthcare that home testing can sidestep”.
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