Gulberwick residents try new pursuits
The first ever Gulberwick Country Sports and Activities Weekend took place from Friday to Sunday.
The event included clay target shooting, trout fishing, yoal rowing, coasteering, golf, quad biking, walks, archery, boogie boarding, and mountain biking and culminated in a barbecue brunch at Sunday lunchtime.
A menu of 14 different activities was available over the weekend for active people of all ages and abilities and many Gulberwick folk will be “spaegied” and will have discovered a few new muscles after the full-on weekend. Many people were involved in a number of activities from leisurely to skilful and the very active.
The event was organised by the community action group Gulberwick Together which has been particularly active in arranging community activities and events for the ever-increasing population in the area.
The fine Friday evening saw many first-time shooters take part in clay target shooting at the Black Gaet shooting range, prospective anglers were given tuition in fly fishing and spinning at the Sandy Loch by Willie Binns and Derek Titheradge and Joyce Anderson led a group on a walk out to Trebister Ness, returning past the old kirkyard and following the coastline back to the beach.
Saturday morning conditions was unfavourable for launching the yoal and canoes at Gulberwick beach. So, undaunted, the rowers transferred to launch the boat at Wester Quarff for a fairly strenuous row and the prospective canoers donned wetsuits and went coasteering with Phil Goodwin along the cliffs (and in the sea) along the north side of the bay.
In the afternoon, for the younger members of the community, the trips in the trailer for the quad bike were the most popular of the all the events and the children thoroughly enjoyed pretending to be sheep in the run around the park.
Meanwhile the Moor Park golf range was used by Paul Woods to show young people how to hit a golf ball in the desired direction and length.
Sunday morning saw a whole troupe of children learn cycling safety and handling techniques from Jake Williams before embarking on a mountain biking trail to Trebister Ness to test their stamina.
Also testing the stamina of walkers, Alan and Marion Ockendon led a group of walkers to the Setter Point and on to the Burland Broch by Brindister. In the hall the Shetland Fencing Club was demonstrating and teaching the fundamentals of the sport to an enthusiastic group of prospective fencers who enjoyed challenging each other afterwards. At the back of the hall Keith Lobban was extremely busy with people trying their skills at archery.
To round off the weekend, and in glorious sunshine, the lunchtime barbecue was greatly appreciated by all the exhausted and hungry participants who had enthusiastically joined in the varied programme of events.
The main organisers, Caroline Carroll and Maurice Mullay, said they would like to thank everyone who led the various activities, the clubs who co-operated so enthusiastically and, of course, to the many people who took part in the events.
Mr Mullay said: “The first Country Sports Weekend for Gulberwick has been an outstanding success and we are delighted at the response of the children and people who have taken part.
“Most of the participating clubs should see the resulting benefit of new members taking up the different sports and we hope that some of the activities will be organised on a regular basis. There also appears to be considerable enthusiasm for making this an annual event.”
