PODCAST: Charlie Gifford – Lighthouse keeper
Adam GuestCharlie Gifford served as a lighthouse keeper throughout Scotland. In this episode of The Shetland Times podcast he shares stories of his career with Marjolein.
RELATED STORIES
POLL: Has work-related stress worsened for you?
Work-related stress is reported to have become so severe for council staff that a dozen mental health first aiders have been appointed to help struggling colleagues.
Unison Shetland, which introduced the scheme, said the ongoing recruitment criss meant staff were being asked to do “a lot more with much less”.
A Freedom of Information response to The Shetland Times has also revealed that council staff took almost 55,000 sick days last year – up 44 per cent since 2020.
And almost a third of these were related to mental health.
The recruitment challenges have been well documented by the SIC – but many other sectors have also been affected.
And with tax hikes announced by the UK government, small business employers are struggling too.
How has it affected you? Do you think work-place stress has worsened in recent years? Take part in our poll and let us know.
New tourist centre owners ‘delighted’ after sale finally goes through
The new owners of the tourist centre have finally taken ownership of the building – more than a year after its closure was first announced.
Netta Simpson and Elaine Nicolson bought the Market Cross building from Shetland Islands Council for £251,000.
Ms Simpson said: “We are delighted to have got there at last.”
The pair plan to run it in a similar fashion as the old VisitScotland enterprise – but with a greater focus on Shetland produce and crafts.
Shetland Tourism Association chairwoman Amanda Hawick has welcomed the news.
“A huge congratulations to the new owners,” she said.
“This is going to be a massive asset to the street and tourism on the island.”
VisitScotland announced it would closing all of its iCentres in March 2024.
It was met with considerable opposition in Shetland, with thousands signing a petition seeking to save it.
Shetland Islands Council announced last summer that it would be inviting bids from potential buyers or tenants, with an asking price of £200,000 to purchase or £20,000 a year to lease.
The iCentre closed for the final time in November.
A full report on the new venture will be published in next week’s edition of the paper.
First cruise ship arrives at Lerwick
The 2025 cruise season is under way, with the arrival of Viking Vela – the first of 145 vessels expected by late October.
On a maiden visit, the 228-metre, 47,800 gross tonnes Viking Vela anchored in Lerwick’s inner harbour today [Friday] with more than 980 passengers from countries including the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and Ireland on board.
She is due to return on Tuesday 8th April – and a further seven times throughout the busy 2025 cruise season.
Viking Ocean Cruises is Lerwick’s top cruise line visitor, with its vessels scheduled to call 21 times during the season.
Viking Vela is one of eight maiden visits booked for Lerwick this year.
Melanie Henderson of Lerwick Port Authority said: “We are all looking forward to another very busy season, representing another great selection of cruise lines and ships visiting over seven months, reflecting Shetland’s continuing popularity as a leading Scottish destination across the industry and making an important contribution to the local economy.
“The service sector is geared up to provide its world-renowned Shetland hospitality.”
Meanwhile, MSC Virtuosa, which last year became the largest cruise ship call at Lerwick, weighing in at 181,541 gross tonnes,will return twice in June, adding to over 6.7million gross tonnes of expected
vessels in 2025.
Get Latest News in Your Inbox
Join the The Shetland Times mailing list to get one daily email update at midday on what's happening in Shetland.