Ceremony on Thursday will signal start of work on new Mid Yell school

Construction work will begin next week on the new Mid Yell Junior High School.

A ceremony is due to be held on Thursday, when Shetland Islands Council services committee chairman Gussie Angus will cut the first turf in preparation for the £8.5 million development.

Mr Angus is expected to use a specially-built chrome shovel for the ceremony, which will be inscribed and later presented to the school.

Residents will be given a chance to hear more about the project at a specially arranged public meeting on Wednesday night in the current school building.

Danish contractor MT Højgaard is keen to discuss the new build with the community while the achitect, Acanthus, will also deliver a brief presentation on the school’s design. The meeting, which is open to all members of the community, will start at 6.30pm.

Project manager Andrew Lyall said: “We’re delighted we are now going to start the building project. It’s been a lot of work and a long time coming, but it is good to have MT Højgaard here.

“It will be a great feeling to get the turf cutting ceremony under way. This time next year we will be organising the opening ceremony.”

A spokeswoman from the SIC education department said: “The school service is delighted the project has got to this stage. We look forward to progressing to it opening in October 2010.”

The council gave the green light for a slightly larger school development in Mid Yell after councillor Robert Henderson made an impassioned plea for more space to be made available.

The building will be made up of a number of blocks, or modules, built in Denmark before being shipped over to the isles.

Councillors agreed to add an extra two modules to the design when they met in the summer, freeing up more room for both pupils and equipment.