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RNLI sail Christmas tree out of Lerwick harbour

Lerwick RNLI took advantage of the deteriorating winter weather today (Saturday) to practice some drills — and sign a festive farewell to 2024.

The local crew have fulfilled their annual Christmas tradition of sailing the shape of a Christmas tree south of Lerwick harbour this afternoon.

In between their strokes of artistry, the crew worked on some of their rescue skills.

“With increasing winds and sea swell this afternoon, it’s been a test of their search planning and boat handling skills,” RNLI Lerwick posted on social media.

Last month the RNLI helped deliver Santa and his elves into Lerwick for a Christmas parade, and celebrated the institution’s 200th anniversary.

Strong winds throw ferry timetable and draw flood alert

Very strong wind and rain have disrupted ferry sailings and drawn a flood alert for the west of Shetland this weekend.

70 mile-an-hour gusts are expected for this afternoon (Saturday), which the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) say could combine with heavy rain to cause “minor coastal flooding”.

“Particularly at risk are causeways and low lying coastal roads exposed to the west,” the alert reads, as a result of “spray and wave overtopping caused by very strong winds” both Saturday and Sunday.

The alert is expected to lift on Monday.

NorthLink has cancelled both passenger and freight sailings for Saturday evening, and said delays can be expected on Sunday.

The northbound service for Lerwick will leave Aberdeen at 5pm and arrive up to two hours late.

The southbound ferry has been delayed indefinitely, “allowing conditions to improve”. It was due to depart at 7pm.

Sepa have issued alerts of possible flooding across the Highlands and Islands this weekend. Parts of Orkney and Ayrshire have seen more severe warnings that flooding is likely.

MSP accuses SNP of breaking food poverty promise

The SNP has “broken its promise” to tackle food insecurity, according to Labour Highlands and Islands MSP, Rhoda Grant.

The Shetland Foodbank this year distributed almost 140 food parcels on average each month. That figure has tripled since 2018, despite the SNP pledging to make access to food a legal right under Scots Law.

Across Scotland the percentage of adults worried they would run out of food has increased three quarters since 2017.

Ms Grant has been campaigning for almost four years to enshrine the right to food and introduced a bill in February 2024 which she says SNP colleagues have refused to back.

“The SNP has no excuse for opposing my Bill,” said Ms Grant.

“Access to food is a human right and I have been working to enshrine this in Scots law – but the SNP has broken its promise.”

In response the SNP said it was committed to ending food and all other types of poverty across Scotland.

“For a Labour MSP to accuse the SNP of breaking promises is astonishing given their party’s own actions over the past few months,” said SNP member for the Highlands and Islands, Emma Roddick.

“Unlike Labour, we are delivering the real change needed to tackle poverty,” Ms Roddick said, noting her party’s plans to reintroduce winter fuel payments and abolish the two-child cap on benefits in Scotland next year.

A Human Rights Bill, dropped last month from Holyrood’s 2024-25 legislative programme, would also have placed a statutory responsibility on the Scottish government to ensure access to food for Scots.

This year’s SNP manifesto does not mention legislating for a right to food, but does describe an “essentials guarantee” to ensure everyone can afford food, and blames rising prices on Brexit.

Last month Ms Grant took her concerns about food poverty to First Minister’s Questions, where she accused John Swinney of “missing the point”.