North Mainland Notes

Muckle Roe matinee

This weekend Shetland Film Club is showing a double matinee at the Muckle Roe Hall.

Doors open at 2.30pm on Sunday and the first film, Simmer Dim, begins at 3pm. This is a documentary shot by the Home Mission Unit in 1953 and features footage of Shetland in the 1950s. There will then be a break of at least a half an hour before the showing of the next film at approximately 4.30pm.

The second picture is one for bairns of all ages – the Disney classic Dumbo. This is the story of a young elephant that is ridiculed because of his enormous ears and is assisted to achieve his full potential by a clever mouse.

Refreshments will be available throughout the afternoon and will include a selection of popcorn, ice cream, hotdogs, tea and coffee. Tickets are priced at £4 for adults and £2 for children. This includes both films. Tickets can be reserved by phoning Dugie on (01806) 522 181 or can be purchased at the door.

Energy Saving for Voe

Voe Hall committee members are holding an open day in the hall tomorrow from 11am-4pm. The purpose of the day is to inform interested members of the community of energy saving proposals for the building.

Community halls can often be notoriously cold or damp buildings that can be costly and difficult to heat. Many halls and public buildings in Shetland have now seen the benefit of the installation of small wind turbines to help heat the place. Energy costs have been reduced significantly, but more importantly perhaps, the buildings are now more comfortable for users.

The committee at Voe is now at the early stages of a wind turbine proposal as well as other energy saving measures to help make the hall more user friendly. Jennifer Nicolson from Community Energy Scotland will be on hand tomorrow with display materials and information about wind turbines and community projects.

Peter Johnson will also be there to discuss the project with anyone who drops in. He will also take note of any comments people would like to put forward. Peter said: “We feel this project could be of great benefit to the community as hall users and I would encourage people to come along to find out more.”

Tickets for the Voe Hall as a venue for the Delting Up-Helly-A’ on Friday 19th March will also be on sale at the hall tomorrow from 12-3pm.

Quiz for all the family

The prolonged spell of winter weather has wreaked havoc with the Shetland social calendar for the past couple of months. Weather permitting, a quiz night due to take place in the Muckle Roe Hall last week will now be held next Saturday, 13th March.

After the success of the last quiz, back in September, Jim Reyner has prepared another evening of brain teasing. Jim will be the very capable quiz master for the evening and he has dropped the odd clue that it might also be helpful for folk to have a teenager or bairn on the team. This will be a family orientated event with teams of six or fewer. The entry fee of £5 includes a supper of tattie soup and bannocks, with a vegetarian alternative. The winning team will receive a prize and a trophy, the bar will be open and there will also be a raffle during the evening. The committee urge folk to go along and give their brain cells some exercise! Doors open at 7pm and questions begin at 7.30pm.

Vidlin bingo for Haiti

Members of the Vidlin SWRI hope that the weather permits their planned charity event tonight. The local women have organised a prize bingo evening in the Vidlin Hall to help raise funds for the Haiti Earthquake Appeal. Everyone is invited to have dabbers at the ready for eyes down at 7.30pm.

1,400 hits

The recent North Mainland Notes article which featured the new website for the Vidlin hall – www.vidlinhall.co.uk – appears to have encouraged internet users to look at the site.

According to hall committee member and website designer Rowland Dawson, analysis of user statistics showed that there were 1,400 hits on the site the day after the article appeared. It’s great to hear that so many folk have looked at this invaluable community resource.

World prayer

World Day of Prayer takes place each year on the first Friday of March meaning communities all over the globe will take part tonight in this unifying event.

Each year a world community chooses a theme. This year it is the choice of the women of Cameroon. Cameroon is on the west coast of Africa, just north of the equator and is divided into many geographical regions. Its people have faced many hardships as a result of poverty and disease. Women there have chosen “Let Everything that has Breath Praise God” as their theme. To highlight the reasoning behind their choice, the women explained: “In the Cameroonian context people praise God even in, and especially during, difficult times in their lives. This is because generally we consider life to be God’s greatest gift to us. As long as one has breath, there is hope. So we sing in the hope that things will be better.”

In Northmavine the World Day of Prayer meeting alternates between Sullom, Hillswick, Eshaness, North Roe and Ollaberry each year.

This year it is the turn of Hillswick to host the event. The evening of prayer and music will begin at 7.30pm in the Hillswick Hall.

Throughout the evening folk from the districts of Northmavine will be the “voices” of the prayer booklet written by the women of Cameroon, leading the congregation through the prayers prepared by the women.

Tea and homebakes will be provided and organisers would like to extend a warm welcome to all.

Grant deadline

Northmaven Community Council chairman John Alex Cromarty would like to remind local community groups that the extended deadline for community grant applications is Friday 19th March.

Anyone who would like an application form should contact the NCDC office at Greenbrae, South Collafirth, Ollaberry. Telephone (01806) 544222 or e-mail northmavencc@yahoo.co.uk

Skip resited

The sight of security fencing at the Ollaberry Hall is a positive sign that work on the much-anticipated hall refurbishment has started.

The fence also means that the non-domestic skip, usually sited at the hall, cannot be placed there.

During the refurbishment period the skip will be left at the Gluss junction. Hall committee members hope this will not cause too much inconvenience for folk.

Maree Hay