Also in the news / Also in the news: Melby pier, debut book and more…
A COMMUNITY group in Sandness has been given just over £12,000 in funding to buy the Melby Pier.
The plan, from Sandness Community Development Ltd, is to make the pier safe and accessible for use by the local community as well as tourists – with an aim for it to become an “outdoor hub”.
Facilities will be upgraded providing public toilets, showers, car parking with EV charging, and campervan and camping böd provision.
Chair of Sandness Community Development Brian Ashley said the Scottish Land Fund grant is “fantastic news” for Sandness.
“It helps us to secure an important and much loved asset for Sandness folk and visitors to enjoy. This is a project that will strengthen our community, around which we can build our resilience for the future,” he said.
AUTHOR Blair Grant has released his first novel, Bookmark, which is said to be a “poignant exploration of friendship, loneliness, and the search for meaning in ordinary lives”.
Grant, who is originally from Scalloway, now lives in Sandnes, Norway. At the heart of Bookmark is Ellis, a man drifting through the routines of work and solitude.
When he meets Andy, a charismatic but troubled man struggling under the weight of trauma, Ellis is pulled into a fragile friendship that changes them both.
Together they chase half-remembered myths and whispered rumours of lost treasure, and in the process, begin to confront the emptiness they’ve each carried for years.
“I’ve spent much of my career helping others tell their stories, so writing Bookmark was a way to finally tell one of my own,” said Grant, who works as head of media for a Norwegian energy company.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the complexities of the human experience; the small moments of connection and the struggles that we all face. With Bookmark, I wanted to capture the search for meaning that comes from ordinary lives.”
MEANWHILE a new and updated edition of Jonathan Wills’ Seabirds and Seals book is being launched at the Shetland Library on Tuesday 18 November.
Wills said the book takes readers on a “20-mile cruise around the coastline of Bressay and the Noss National Nature Reserve, with a hundred stops for stories on the way”.
The book is available online, while it can also be bought at the Shetland Bookshop in Lerwick.
THE SLEEPING Beauty Salon on Lerwick’s Commercial Street is set to close at the end of the month after opening in 1999.
It comes as its salon manager has decided to pursue a new career path outside of the beauty industry.
However one of its team members will be opening a new salon in the building called Aura Lounge.
A SHETLAND-based craft business has improved its online presence after accessing tailored support from Business Gateway.
Uphouse Crafts, founded by Andrea Leask in 2019, is based in Aith on the Westside of Shetland and sells hand-sewn purses, bags and keyrings, as well as greeting cards featuring her artwork.
Leask turned to Business Gateway to take her digital marketing to the next level. She received one-to-one support as well as specialist consultancy in digital marketing.
“Running a business in Shetland comes with its own unique challenges, especially when it comes to building an online presence and reaching customers beyond Shetland,” Leask said.
“I knew my website and communication needed work, but I lacked the confidence to make those changes on my own. The support from Business Gateway has been genuinely transformative – it helped me understand my customers better and gave me the tools to connect with them more effectively.”
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