North Mainland Notes 19.06.09

Men’s night at Muckle Roe

The recent night of food and entertainment in the Muckle Roe hall, organised by the men-folk of the island, was a huge success. Those attending the event might have been forgiven for thinking they had accidentally walked in to The Hilton Hotel, such was the standard of decor, food and entertainment the men provided – with the assistance of one lady, Julie Balfour, who provided the beautiful corsages for ladies on arrival at the hall.

Everyone, young and old, appreciated all the effort that had been made, and a splendid evening was had by all – although one or two of the men looked slightly the worse for wear at the clean-up the following day! Special mention must go to the Northmavine Fiddle and Accordion Club who provided music for dancing until the last dancer retired, exhausted. Organisers would like to extend special thanks to the sponsors of the raffle and the auction – Busta House, Malakoff Ltd, Shetland Wind Power, Seafood Shetland, Kelly Opticians, Delting Boating Club, BP, Shetland Products, Brae Building Centre, Brae Hotel, Brae Garage and Frankie’s. Thanks to their generosity, the raffle and auction raised over £1,000. The auction featured two groups of five men whom bidders could purchase to carry out any tasks of their choosing, within the realms of the law. Building skills were at a premium and both groups received bids of £150. The last word on the evening goes to one of the ladies: “Can’t wait until next year!”

MORE Summer Nights

With just under two weeks to go, young people from Northmavine led by Rebecca Cheriyan are intensifying their rehearsals for “MORE Musical Favourites for Summer Nights”. This performance follows on from a very successful show last year.

The group will perform for one night only on Wednesday 1st July at 7.30pm at the Garrison Theatre. All the profits are being donated to b-eat (www.b-eat.co.uk). This charity aims to help people suffering from eating disorders, a condition that affects many young people and adults throughout the UK.

The team would greatly appreciate everyone’s support in raising money for this charity and invite everyone to come along for a family night out to enjoy their favourite musical songs. Tickets are available from Shetland Box Office, Islesburgh Community Centre, on (01595) 745555 £7/ concessions £5.

Crofters have a ball at Hillswick

The Crofters ball at the Hillswick hall at the end of May was a great hit with all ages of the community. The hall was packed with people and the evening began with a variety concert featuring local folk of all generations. The event was rounded off with a superb meal from the men of Hillswick and a spot of traditional Shetland dancing.

First to take to the stage during the concert was Rachel Ann Williamson who entertained the audience with her superb skills on the accordion. Next to perform were the bairns of the Urafirth primary school. Pupils were invited to take part in the concert following their recent work in dialect singing with singing instructor Maria Millar. Maria, who works for the schools service, has been working with schools throughout Shetland for the past two years, teaching dialect singing.

The Urafirth bairns, who looked resplendent in their Shetland allovers, sang Da Trowie Sang, Peerie Lavericks and The Rabbits’ Lullaby accompanied with percussion egg shakers and rabbit finger puppets during their performance. The audience really enjoyed the songs and Maria and staff at Urafirth primary were very proud of all the bairns. The pupils also helped decorate the hall and the walls were adorned with Trowie pictures of “da peerie heathen wi joost da wan claa”.

After the Urafirth bairns, Joan Tait of North Roe took to the stage and treated the audience to a Shetland poetry reading in her own inimitable style. Joan could bring humour to a reading of the telephone directory and folk were delighted to see her on stage. The Morton family, including Tom, Sandy, James and Martha were next on stage with some music.

The group played and sang their way through a varied repertoire, including a great version of Johnnie B Goode.

Next on stage was ex-Ronas Drama group veteran Anna Irvine, accompanied by Laureen Manson and Stuart Johnson who had the audience in stitches with their hilarious interpretation of “A trip to Eshaness”. The concert line-up was completed with some foot-tapping, high-quality Shetland music from young group New Tradition, led by Bernadette Porter and Jim Leask.

After the concert, organisers dished out a feast which included stew and tatties, followed by bannocks and home-made rhubarb jam. The meal was a hit with everyone in the hall, but especially the tourists who joined in. After the meal, the tables were cleared away and everyone worked off their food with some traditional dancing to music by the Northmavine Fiddle and Accordion Club. Organisers would like to thank everyone who took part in the concert and helped to make the event the success it was.

Claes and Taes for CLAN

A few women in the North Mainland have got together to organise a Claes and Taes event for CLAN 1,2,3 in the Sullom hall on Saturday 11th July from 2-6pm.

The idea behind the event is that folk donate good quality clothes which can include ladieswear, men’s clothes and outfits for bairns as well as accessories. Folk then come along and purchase the donated goods to raise funds for CLAN 1,2,3. The organisers are looking for donations of clothes already as they are keen to build up a good selection for sale and raise lots of money for the appeal in the process.

Organisers hope to make this a real family day out with lots to see and do for everyone. As well as the clothes sale, there will also be a sale of teas and home bakes along with a range of activities for bairns. Anyone would like to help provide bairns activities or donate clothes can phone Rosie Doull – (01806) 522433, Norma Peterson – (01806) 522772 or Angela Mowat – (01595) 890242.

Car boot Sunday in Northmavine

Sunday will be a great day for bargain hunters in Northmavine. The Eshaness Community Centre is having a car boot sale in the centre from 1-5pm and the Ollaberry hall is hosting Sunday teas and a car boot sale from 3-6pm.

Hope for sunshine for da bikers

It goes without saying that bikers travelling to Shetland this year for the annual Simmer Dim rally at Vidlin will get a warm welcome from folk here. Many have been coming to the rally for over 20 years and have built up a large network of Shetland friends. Here’s hoping that the weather will be as warm as the welcome, although from past experience the odd drop of rain does nothing to dampen spirits. All the best for a safe and fabulous weekend to all involved.

Vidlin’s active centenarian

There can’t be many communities in Shetland that can enlist the help of a centenarian at their events, but not only did Ruby Lindsay provide pancakes for the recent Vidlin SWRI and Women’s Guild Sunday teas and car boot sale, she also helped on a stall!

Mrs Lindsay, who will celebrate her 101st birthday next month, helped organisers raise the tremendous sum of £869.83. The SWRI and the Women’s Guild would like to thank everyone who helped in any way and thanks also to all who supported the fund-raiser. They would also like to extend a special thank you to Laura Sandison who added donations from her recent birthday party. This means that a magnificent total of £1106.74 will be handed over to the CLAN 1,2,3 appeal.

Maree Hay