The Shetland Times Live

First headline act for Rising North to be announced

February 15, 2025 | 9.23am

Plans are gathering pace for the return of the Rising North Festival, which was held for the first time last year.

Organisers say a first headliner announcement will be made this weekend.

More news is expected tomorrow evening at 7pm.

Last year’s Rising North was praised as an outstanding three-day musical highlight.

Happy 100th birthday to Edith

February 14, 2025 | 12.43pm

Lord Lieutenant Lindsay Tulloch has presented Edith Beattie with a birthday card from the King and Queen to mark her 100th Birthday. 

Edith moved to Shetland in 1946, where she lived in St Olaf Street in Lerwick with her late husband Andy, who was manager at Hay & Company.   

In her youth Edith played hockey for Shetland many times, and now enjoys playing bridge and scrabble.

Edith has only recently moved to ET & Taing House residential care home in Lerwick, and has received many visitors today. 

She will also celebrate with a birthday party tomorrow, which has been organised by her son Alan and care centre staff. 

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Damage caused to Clickimin Broch

February 14, 2025 | 9.27am

Damage has been caused to the Clickimin Broch in Lerwick.

Rubbish was dumped within the broch and stones were removed.

The incident is believed to have occurred sometime over the weekend between Friday 17th January and Monday 20th January.

Many Brochs and other scheduled monuments are protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

Under the terms of the act it is an offence to cause damage, either recklessly or deliberately, to ancient monuments.

Police are now investigating the incident, and have described the mistreating of monuments as “extremely disrespectful”.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police via their website, or through 101, quoting incident number 1204 of 21/01/2025.

In this week’s Shetland Times

February 14, 2025 | 7.00am

In today’s (Friday, 14th February) edition of The Shetland Times:

• Gilbert Bain hospital under “extreme pressure”.

• EXCLUSIVE: Trials wrap up for new AI fish-sorting net.

• Debate over community rewards from renewable energy.

• Scottish Human Rights Commission visits Shetland.

• Report investigates surge in school truancy.

• Seals live in “landscape of fear” from orca attacks, scientists say.

Alan the lifeboat lives on.

• SPORT: Benchwarmers win their first mixed volleyball league title.

Click here to get The Shetland Times delivered to your device every Friday morning.

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Capsize and crew death were avoidable, investigation finds

February 13, 2025 | 3.00pm

The crew of a vessel which sank between Shetland and Norway were fishing with unauthorised modifications, hauling too large a catch and not wearing lifejackets when they capsized – according to an accident investigation report published this morning (Thursday).

The Njord, formerly Courageous when she sailed out of Shetland, sunk on 6th March 2022 roughly 100 miles west of Norway. All eight crew entered the water; one deckhand died.

“It is almost certain that Njord would not have capsized had the vessel been operated in line with the assumptions made in the stability book,” the report, prepared by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), reads.

“The deckhand drowned because he was not wearing a PFD when he entered the water after Njord sank.”

The Njord‘s crew were fishing out of Peterhead in “benign” conditions when they pulled in what, for many of them, was the largest single catch they had ever seen – the equivalent of more than 700 boxes.

They brought the catch round to starboard to begin hauling it in, but there was too much fish to sort, gut and store at once.

So the crew removed their floatation devices to go below deck and begin processing some fish.

By that time the remaining fish off to starboard began tilting the boat towards the water gradually, until it was listing as much as 20 degrees.

While the crew were already bailing water out of a passageway on the starboard side of the boat, the skipper “keen to load the catch on board as quickly as possible” told them to haul more fish in to sort.

The crew came back up without putting their flotation devices back on, as the vessel continued to lean into the water.

By the time the skipper noticed the net had actually sunk back into the water, and began trying to cut it free with a knife, it was too late.

Because MAIB already recommends vessels are not modified without consulting the coastguard, and that crew wear floatation devices while on deck, the report did not include any recommendations to avoid similar accidents in the future.

• Read the full story in this week’s issue of The Shetland Times, out Friday 14th February.

Sella Ness accommodation approved by councillors

February 13, 2025 | 11.04am

Councillors gave their approval to extend the usage of the Sella Ness accommodation for a further 10 years.

This comes despite concerns the building had deteriorated since it was erected in 2010 — when it was originally meant to be in place temporarily for five years.

Members of the planning committee felt they had little choice but to approve the application on the basis of the application’s merits.

However, councillors noted that they had “hoped” the owners would maintain the building as they had said.

Shetland West councillor Mark Robinson said Shetland would have to accept the decision to approve, despite describing the facility as “not the best fit”.

“It’s all we’ve got,” Mr Robinson said. “This doesn’t give us much other option.”

However, he reminded the council chamber of objections made on the state of the building and said he would hope the matters would be resolved.

He added he had heard from workers who had been based in the facility while working at the Viking Energy windfarm. Some of the people he had spoken to had described the facility as “Cell Block H”.

Read more in the next edition of The Shetland Times available in shops tomorrow.

Visit here to subscribe to a digital or print edition. 

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  • Bar Staff at Scalloway Legion
    Scalloway, Shetland. PART TIME

    Bar Staff at Scalloway Legion

    Up to 30 hours per week Wednesday to Saturday evenings Could be job share Good rates of pay

    February 14, 2025 | 6.00am
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    February 14, 2025 | 6.00am
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    Thulecraft are looking for applicants for the position of Engineer in our busy Box Plant, which supplies Polystyrene Boxes to the Aquaculture Industry in Shetland….

    February 14, 2025 | 6.00am
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    We have a number of vacancies for various hours at locations throughout Shetland. Jobs on offer this week include… • Work Placement and Child Permit…

    February 14, 2025 | 6.00am
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    February 14, 2025 | 6.00am
  • Various vacancies at Tullochs
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    Various vacancies at Tullochs

    • Site Agent / Project Manager – For civil engineering construction works. Ideal candidate must be able to take lead of a team and organise/complete…

    February 14, 2025 | 6.00am
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  • Hjaltland Housing TO RENT

    Hjaltland Housing

    A registered Scottish charity Open Mondays to Fridays 9am – 5pm including lunchtimes HAS AVAILABLE TO REGISTERED APPLICANTS One bedroom flat in Berryview, Upper Scalloway…

    February 14, 2025 | 6.00am

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Football teams vote for three-league reconstruction

February 11, 2025 | 10.40am

Teams have decided in favour of creating a third league after a vote was held by the Shetland Football Association.

SFA president Jakob Eunson said he was delighted to see constructive change, which allowed for “a bit of flexibility” for referees.

It also means changes will be seen in the number of teams in the reserve league, and the number of fixtures each team will play.

Eunson told The Shetland Times he was happy to see an agreement made between all of the teams represented in the league during a vote last week.

“It should give referees a bit of flexibility,” Eunson said. “And take pressure off a small group of fantastic refs.”

“Now we can put the season’s fixtures in place and look forward to a great season.”

The Premier League will remain the same, with seven teams and the reserve league will include eight sides – seven B teams and Delting.

The DITT Reserve League had 12 teams last season, with four B teams dropping down to form the new unnamed third division.

Ness will field a C team in the third league, with a new team joining the set up.

Speaking last month, Eunson confirmed promotion and relegation was off the table.

This comes a year after the SFA voted against reconstruction and introducing a third division.

It was proposed to split the reserve league in two – with one-club teams such as Bressay and Banks in one league, and the reserve teams of premier league clubs such as Celtic and Spurs in another.

There would have been automatic promotion and relegation between the premier league and first division from the 2026 season, if approved.

But members opted instead to keep the leagues as they are for the 2024 season.

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Human rights commission returns

February 10, 2025 | 2.18pm

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has returned to the isles to share its findings from a report published last year as it tours around the Highlands and Islands.

Dr Luis Felipe Yanes, the author of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands, will present his findings to members of the public today (Monday) at the Shetland Museum and Archives.

He will also meet with representatives of the Shetland Islands Council and Hjaltland Housing Association to discuss the next stages of the report over the next few days before attending his next event in Kirkwall on Thursday.

Professor Angela O’Hagan, chairwoman of the commission, said her organisation was concerned about the “poor state” of economic, social and cultural rights in the region and it had a “general duty to take action” to promote human rights across the country.

“Too many people are hungry, homeless, without access to healthcare, and the basics for everyday life,” Prof O’Hagan said.

“With our report… we piloted a new way of monitoring, one that brings the commission closer to communities and is informed by their voices and experiences.”

The report, published in November, found people in the Highlands and Islands felt “abandoned and forgotten” by national government with a Central Belt focus.

Health, housing and hunger were the top priorities of where improvements could be made in the region, the study said.

The research was conducted by the commission, after visiting 20 communities and interviewing 146 people – including a short spell in the isles in 2023.

At the time, Dr Yanes said economic, social and cultural rights were an essential part of living a “dignified life,” however, people felt these had been infringed.

Read more in the next edition of The Shetland Times available in shops on Friday.

Visit here to subscribe to a digital or print edition. 


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