WATCH: Little Miss Goatee raises cash for lifeboat
Ryan Taylor
It may not have been the best possible conditions, but rain has failed to stop the Lerwick lifeboat open day from being a huge success.
The day has featured live music, stalls, the Guizer Jarl’s Squad – and plenty more.
But one of the main attractions has been a young goat, going by the name of Little Miss Goatee.
The three-month-old goat has been helping the fundraising effort get off to a flying start, with a little bit of help from owner Tom Jeromson, a West Side crofter from Gruting at Bridge of Walls.
“I’ve been down with the goat to support the lifeboat,” he said.
“She’s been raising money for three weeks now for the RNLI. So far she’s raised over £1,000 in two weeks.
The effort is a remarkable achievement for Little Miss Goatee, who was bottle-fed by Mr Jeromson after she was rejected by her mother.
Little Miss Goatee is not the only one of Mr Jeromson’s animals to raise funds for the good causes.
She is a niece of Connor the goat, a one-time local celebrity who raised money for the lifeboat – and helped Santa lead the town’s Christmas light parade.
Deep in the lifeboat’s engine room, coxswain Stephen Manson was delighted to see the day go ahead – even if the rainy weather was far from what had been hoped for.
“It’s a shame about the weather, but it’s good to see folk still turning up. It’s nice to see, and hopefully the weather turns for the better, too.
“I think it’s good for the community to see the event, see what we can do – and just come along and support us in general.”
He said planning the day, with all its various attractions, had taken six months. As a fundraiser, he said, it was “very important”.
The day comes just a week after the Aith lifeboat open day raised over £7,000 for the RNLI.
“It’s really good especially to see that folk really are supporting the lifeboat.
“There are a lot of people who come down for a look, and they all have good comments.”
Among those with good comments was Up-Helly-A’ Guizer Jarl Richard Moar.
“It’s good. The organisers asked us if we would be able to pop along. We’re more than happy to show support for an important cause, and give ourselves out amongst the community.”
Of course, no lifeboat day is complete without the tempting smell of burgers coming from the food stalls.
Overseeing the cooking was Cathy Mann, who works as a regional support worker for the RNLI.
“It’s a shame about the weather,” she said. “It’s quite quiet at the moment, but as always there’s still a good turnout, and the lifeboat is always well supported.”
Best seller of the day was the saucermaet roll, with quite a few tourists asking about it. But lentil soup was doing a treat as well.
