Also in the news / Also in the news – 18 March 2026
- Strongwoman fundraiser
- Young musician gala concert
- Place plan event
- Education visit
A GOFUNDME page has been launched with the aim of raising enough money to take strongwoman Lauri Siegel to Phoenix to compete on the world stage.
As featured in a recent Shetland News article, the 16-year-old suffered a double break in her arm in 2025 and had to take nine months out to recover full strength.
But determined Lauri decided to throw herself fully into weightlifting in late January 2026, entering her very first strongwoman competition just three weeks later.
A stunning performance there was enough for her to qualify for the world Static Monsters final in Phoenix, Arizona this September.
She is now aiming to raise £6,000 to be able to make the long trip across with her family later this year, a journey they have said is “once in a lifetime”.
They are hoping to hold Sunday teas and bingo nights to raise money.
Any companies that would like to sponsor Lauri can do so by getting in touch with her family at ngraved.shetland@gmail.com for more information.
You can donate to her GoFundMe page here.
VIEWS and ideas about places in the South Mainland are being sought at a community event this Sunday in the Gulberwick Hall.
The Gulberwick, Quarff and Cunningsburgh Community Council is inviting residents to attend the drop-in session, which will help inform the development of a local place plan.
Large paper maps will be displayed to encourage discussion, alongside comments already submitted via the interactive online Placecheck maps.
A final event will take place in Quarff next month. Residents from across the community council area are encouraged to attend any of the sessions.
Community council chair Pat Christie said the process is about ensuring local priorities are clearly recorded.
“People have a strong connection to the places they live in, and it’s important that this is reflected in future planning,” she said.
“This includes recognising valued sites as well as identifying where improvements or change may be needed.
Feedback can also be submitted online via the Placecheck website, where users can drop a pin on a map and comment on specific locations.
The drop-in event takes place on Sunday 22 March from 2pm–5pm at the Gulberwick Hall.
THE SHETLAND Youth Music Festival’s annual final showcase, the gala concert, will be held at Mareel on Thursday night at 7pm.
The event brings together standout performersfrom across the week, including the newly crowned junior and senior young musician of the year winners.
Shetland Youth Orchestra, Tingwall choir, the Ness Narwhals, Happy Hansel choir and strings, and the winner of the junior young musician event will perform at the concert tomorrow night.
After an interval, Bells Brae P7, Birlin Bows, Cunningsburgh P5-7 choir, the Delting Boys, Bells Brae ASN department, and an African drumming film will be the entertainment.
There will then be a prizegiving ceremony before the newly crowned senior young musician of the year performs.
Tickets for the gala concert can be purchased here.
QUALIFICATIONS Scotland’s chief executive visited Shetland this week as part of a week-long tour of the Highlands and Islands.
Nick Page was in the isles on Monday to meet education officials as part of the new organisation’s commitment to engaging with communities across Scotland.
He met with children’s services director Samantha Flaws and took part in a roundtable with local headteachers and school coordinators.
Page also visited UHI Shetland, where he met staff and students, before engaging with organisations such as Shetland Arts and Shetland Amenity Trust.
He said that visiting Shetland at the start of the week “felt entirely right”.
“If we are serious about designing qualifications that work for every learner in Scotland, we have to listen carefully, understand the specific challenges and strengths, and build genuine partnerships,” Page said.
Flaws said it was really important for people like Page to come to Shetland, “to see first-hand the connections between industry, education and our wider community, and to understand the culture of Shetland.”
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