WATCH: Garth Wind officially unveils new turbines in North Yell

There was celebration in Yell when the community-led Garth Wind project was officially unveiled.

The occasion was marked with a special ceremony at the site of the five turbines.

Representatives from the North Yell Development Council (NYDC) were on hand to oversee the process.

Taking part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony was one of North Yell’s oldest residents, 83 year-old Andy Gear, and one of its youngest, Cullivoe Primary pupil Mark Henry, five, who’s father, David, is one of the windfarm’s directors.

The ambitious project has finally come to fruition after a lengthy 14 year process.

Chairman of of the NYDC, Mark Lawson, said he felt a “huge sense of pride and a lot of relief” that the windfarm had finally been opened.

“There was a lot of hard work done for it by a lot of people,” he said.

“I’m just very thankful and very grateful to everybody who has supported us through the years.”

Visitors to the windfarm today learned that each of the turbines are named after vessels that were lost in the Gloup disaster of 1881, in which 58 fishermen were killed in an unexpected storm.

The turbines are called: Eliza, Undaunted, Excelsior, Eel, and Ann Jessie.

Mr Lawson said: “They are names we felt captured what our community is all about.

“In the past there was a disaster in Gloup, well over 100 years ago now. There was a community torn apart, in many ways, caused by the wind.

“But the resolve of the community kept going, it built itself back up, and now today we can celebrate the resource our turbines are going to bring to North Yell.”

• See next week’s Shetland Times for full story.