North Mainland Notes 01.05.09

Spring sale success

North Roe Methodists had an excellent spring sale on Saturday 18th April thanks to their many supporters. The organisers would like to thank all who helped to set up and fill the tables with goods to sell, gave items for the competitions and mini-auction and supplied homebakes. Many went home from the sale with arms and bags laden.

Louis Johnson from Yell opened the sale, and he and his wife Lilias were presented with a “Golden Wedding” rose bush to mark their celebrations earlier in the month. The gift marked a long and happy friendship between the couple and all their North Roe friends, having lived and taught at the school there over many years.

Rev Jeremy Dare gave a progress update into the on-going renovations at the chapel. The disabled toilet is nearing completion and re-roofing of the building will commence shortly. Mr Dare also noted how much he and his family enjoyed helping with the proceedings. The spring sale, including donations, raised a total of £1,050, another happy and successful occasion enjoyed by all.

Photos raise funds for CLAN

Organisers of the recent slide show depicting Shetland Views by the late Mary Sandison of Hogland, Ollaberry, are overwhelmed by the amount raised for CLAN 1,2,3. The event, held in the Ollaberry hall, was extremely well supported by local people and the final total raised was £806.73.

Voe under-fives’ fund-raiser

Voe under-fives recently ran a fund-raising raffle to help with equipment and running costs. The raffle raised £469 and the first prize of an Easter hamper was won by Bert Ratter of Collafirth, Northmavine. Organisers would like to thank everyone who supported the fund-raiser. The under-fives group meet every Tuesday morning in the Voe hall from 10am-12 pm during term time and new members are always welcome.

Vidlin under-fives’ phone book

The Vidlin under-fives group has recently produced a phone book for their area. Each household and business in Vidlin was contacted to ask if they wished to include their number in the book. As a result, over 80 households responded and have added their numbers. In addition to phone numbers for homes, there is also a handy numbers list which includes a range of local businesses, local accommodation, pubs, restaurants and takeaways. Shetland area codes are located towards the back of the book and there is space for folk to write their own useful numbers.

The group would like to thank everyone who has supported this project and included their details in the phone book. They are delighted with how well the phonebook has been selling since it was launched and would remind folk that copies are available from the Vidlin Shop.

Creative writing prize for Claire

Brae High School student Claire Nesfield, from Ollaberry, has been awarded a Special Merit for her entry in a creative writing competition run by the National Galleries of Scotland, the English Speaking Union and the Scottish Poetry Library. This means that Claire’s piece of work ranks among the top 10 selected for the 16-18 year category.

Inspired? Get Writing is now in its fourth year and over 927 submissions of work were received from all over the country. Competitors had to choose a painting or picture from the National Galleries of Scotland collection and write a piece inspired by it. Claire chose a photograph entitled Self Deceit by Francesca Woodman which depicted a woman staring at her reflection in a mirror. She has been invited to the awards ceremony at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh next Thursday where her poem, along with the other winning pieces, will be read out.

Clare said: “I’m quite excited about attending the ceremony and it’s also my birthday next week.” No doubt this will provide an excellent chance for some retail therapy courtesy of the Bank of Mum and Dad.

This is the second year running Brae High School has had success in this competition. Congratulations to Claire on a terrific achievement and we hope she makes the most of the trip to the shops.

Wedding belles at Muckle Roe

Fund-raising efforts continue apace at the Muckle Roe hall. Committee members are putting the final touches to a forthcoming wedding exhibition to be held in the hall on Sunday 10th May from 12-5pm as well as Tuesday 12th May and Thursday 14th May from 7-9pm.

The exhibition will include a number of wedding dresses and memorabilia from local people as well as photographs and scrap books. Entry will be £3 for adults and £1.50 for bairns with tea and homebakes available.

Nort rowers required

A few local lasses have got together in an attempt to form a Nort womans’ rowing team this year. There’s still a few vacant seats at the oars as well as well as the job of Cox, so if you fancy taking part in an opportunity to exercise and socialise at the same time, please get in touch with Cat Duncan on (01806) 533227 or Kelly Goodlad on 07920 065859.

Marathon success

Despite sunny weather in London last Sunday that caused many of the 35,000 runners in the Flora London Marathon to fall by the wayside, Isobel Mowat from Brae completed the race in a terrific time of 4.36.38, just 31 minutes behind celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and 21 minutes behind singing star Ronan Keating. Isobel’s time ensures an overall position of 495th for her gender and age group and she is delighted with her performance. She would also like to say a huge thanks to everyone who sponsored her for her chosen charity, Friends of ANCHOR. Monies are still being counted and the final total will be announced at a later date.

Extended anagram deadline

An anagram competition featuring famous gardeners, being run by Nort Trow Gairden Group, now has an extended deadline for entries. The winner will be drawn on Sunday 24th May at the annual North Mainland Gardening Club Sunday teas and plant sale in the Sullom hall. Entries should be sent to Beth Ratter, Newton, Skea, North Roe, by Wednesday 20th May.

Co-op evening

An old friend of the North Mainland, former community worker Tor Justad, will form part of an informal information evening in the Brae hall on Wednesday night.

Tor is currently a membership officer for the Co-op and the purpose of the evening will be to let people know more about the various service and facilities the Co-operative has to offer folk.

An optional free buffet will be available at the hall from 6pm and the event begins at 7pm. To book a place please contact Shirley Ann Watson on 01463 861348 or email shirley.ann.watson@co-operative.coop

Maree Hay