Lerwick Brewery unveils ambitious national targets

Lerwick Brewery plans to increase its mainland UK sales by 500 per cent within the next three years.

The ambitious growth strategy will see the craft brewery launch a robust marketing campaign and seek prominent listings in major UK supermarkets, capitalising on a burgeoning interest in Shetland and its unique craft beers.

Despite operating in a crowded craft beer market that was “badly impacted” by successive pandemic lockdowns, the company is “confident” it will be able to reach £1million in sales by 2027.

The brewery has celebrated a rise in its visitors – with brewery tour attendance doubling in the past year.

Head brewer Jonny Sandison said. “The success we have achieved so far has been pleasing, but we feel we are only scratching the surface.

“We make high quality beers and so and we were always confident that they would find a market.”

Read the full story in next week’s Shetland Times.

WATCH: Dozens of orcas hunt east of Mousa

Dozens of orcas were spotted spy-hopping and spraying out their blowholes east of Mousa.

The orcas surrounded both sides of Whalsay pelagic vessel Zephyr.

Fisherman John Lowrie who captured both day and night-time footage said there could have been anywhere from 50 to 100 orcas alongside the vessel.

The Zephyr are set to conclude the mackerel season today (Sunday) before returning to the sea in the New Year.

Skipper retires after 64 years at sea

A Whalsay fisherman has reflected on his lifetime at sea as he retires after almost six and a half decades.

Davie Hutchison, 79, known locally as “Davie A Skaw”, had been skipper of the 75-metre pelagic trawler Charisma.

He has now called time on his career after 64 years.

Mr Hutchison’s first job at the fishing was in 1960 on the 53-feet seine-net vessel Brighter Morn where he worked as the cook.

“I was 15 and one month when I went off to the fishing – the Brighter Morn was one of the peerier boats,” he told The Shetland Times.

“It was normal for folk at that age to be a cook for a year or two. I don’t know what like my cooking was but it didn’t kill them anyway,” he joked.

Throughout his career, Mr Hutchison witnessed countless changes to the industry – including the introduction of radars.

“Radars came aboard the boats twarry year after I started. That was before I was in the wheelhouse. I don’t know how the older ones managed to get up and down Yell Sound and places like that, but they did manage somehow or another.

“There’s been a lot of changes when you see the boats there is now. It’s a job keeping up with it all when you get to my age.

“I can’t see there being as many changes in the next 60-odd year, but I suppose you never know.”

The introduction of the first pelagic vessels was a significant gamble, with paying back loans serving as the greatest pressure of all.

“We weren’t that confident about it,” he said. “It was tough going for a few years. It wasn’t just a case of getting the boat and making money. The hardest bit was paying it back.”

Read the full story in yesterday’s Shetland Times.

In this week’s Shetland Times

In today’s (Friday,  8th November) edition of The Shetland Times:

• EXCLUSIVE: Isles denies permanent driving test examiner

• EXCLUSIVE: Fears raised as obesity and malnutrition figures soar

• EXCLUSIVE: Whalsay skipper reflects on almost six and a half decades at sea

•  Unst man reports from Gaza

• Frustration expressed over US election result

• SPORT: Island Games preparations get under way 

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

Fair Isle Ferry funding secured

Funding for the Fair Isle Ferry has been secured, following the uncertainty of last week’s budget.

Questions over the future of the project were raised after the Chancellor Rachel Reeves left out funding for Levelling Up schemes in her announcement to MPs in Westminster.

But the Scottish Secretary for Scotland Ian Murray confirmed in a letter to all local authorities about their funding for local growth initiatives.

Mr Murray said the UK government will be investing nearly £1.4 billion in dozens of important local growth projects across Scotland over the next 10 years – including almost £27 million for the Fair Isle Ferry development.

He said this would ensure economic growth is seen the length and breadth of the country.  

This was a “historic budget” for Scotland, Mr Murray said, adding it would “herald an era of growth.”

“Over the summer I wrote to every local authority to set out our commitment to building strong and trusted relationships so that together we can deliver the change our country needs,” he said.

“I am pleased to be able to write to them again to confirm their funding allocations.”

In recent weeks, the SIC said it was continuing its work on the project in the hope that a funding decision would soon be available. 

The council recently completed a tender process for the new vessel, which is hoped to replace the aged Good Shepherd IV.

According to the notice, the new, larger 24-metre load-on, load-off vessel would have the capacity for 12 people at an estimated cost of £5.7 million. 

Overall the project is expected to cost £40-45 million, with the bulk of the spend going towards harbour works in Grutness and New Haven, which are necessary to facilitate the new, larger vessel.

Fundraiser set up to help couple after house fire

A fundraiser has raised hundreds of pounds to replace items in a Lerwick house which was ablaze last night (Tuesday).

Rhanna Latham and her husband Gary had come back from the supermarket to see the fire brigade at their house on Harbour Street.

The shocking incident had occurred because of a small heater had caught fire, wrecking their home.

So far, £475 has been raised on the GoFundMe website.

On the fundraising website, Mrs Latham said it has left them devastated with Christmas just around the corner.

“Thankfully we were out at the time but our home is wrecked and we have lost a huge deal. My husband is a joiner and unfortunately most of his tools have been ruined,” she said.

“Whilst we are incredibly grateful no one was hurt, it’s completely devastating especially being so close to Christmas and will take a huge deal of work to get the place liveable again.”

She added that they unfortunately had no content insurance on their home, so had set this fundraiser up.

Harbour Street blocked as emergency services attend house fire

A road has been blocked off by emergency services attending a house fire in Lerwick.

Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and rescue are at the scene in the town’s Harbour Street, where they have blocked access to pedestrians and traffic.

Scottish Fire and Rescue said three appliances (two from Lerwick and one from Scalloway) were called out after 8pm this evening (Tuesday), with firemen wearing breathing apparatus. Two hosereel jets and a thermal image camera are also in use.

This is an ongoing story and updates will follow as they happen.

Anderson High School marks Remembrance with 1,800 woolly poppies

Anderson High School in Lerwick has decorated its commemorative stone cairn with a blanket of woollen poppies as a symbol of remembrance for those who have died in conflict.

Roughly 1,800 poppies — some knitted, some crocheted and some made from the base of plastic bottles — have been draped  over the cairn.

The design was partly inspired by a 2014 display “cascading” over the walls and moat of the Tower of London.

Headteacher Robin Calder called the display “striking” and emphasised the importance of teaching children about historical wars.

“Remembrance is an important topic for pupils, to understand the impact that past conflicts had in Shetland and elsewhere,” Mr Calder said. 

Children, staff and parents came together to knit the poppies while younger children made paper cut-outs for classroom windows.

Ability Shetland also sent in poppies from their social club made from the bases of plastic bottles painted red.

Children will spend the week involved in a number of other remembrance activities: from remembrance-themed lessons, to breaktime fundraisers for Poppy Scotland, the Scottish armed forces charity. Students will also write remembrance “postcards” for former pupils who have died in conflict.

The school will host a small ceremony at 11am on Armistice Day, Monday 11th November, at the school’s war memorial, which lists all former pupils of the Anderson Educational Institute who died in the First and Second World Wars. 

Brae High School inspection identifies ‘many aspects of good work’ 

An inspection highlighted a number of positives for Brae High School and Nursery – with some areas in need of improvement.