Greenhead Base, Shetland

Crane Operator/Trainee Crane Operator

A vacancy has arisen for a Crane Operator/Trainee Crane Operator to support Shetland operations. 

You will be responsible for operating crane(s) in accordance with manufacturers operating procedures and Peterson (United Kingdom) Ltd safety policy and procedures.  You will load vessels, trailers and containers as directed by the line supervisor and ensure the positioning of people is considered at all stages during lifting operations.  

Crane Operator  To be considered for this role, you will be a qualified driver with a CPCS card and have demonstrable experience. Banksman/Slinger training is also necessary as is forklift certification. LGV class C + E and ADR’s is an advantage.  

Trainee Crane Operator Trainee operators will have a minimum of LGV class C licence and demonstrable plant experience, including forklift certification. 

The successful candidate will have excellent communication and team working skills, along with a focus on health & safety and providing excellent customer service. 

Should you be interested in applying, please submit your CV to:  Craig Lawie, Recruitment Consultant

Tel: 01224 288142

Email: clawie@onepeterson.com

Closing date for applications : 14th March, 2014.

www.onepeterson.com

1 previous owner

6 cylinders, lovely car, bespoke leather interior – fitted in 2010, FSH, new back tyres August 2013, new front tyres in November 2013. Decat exhaust – MOT legal, 6 CD changer.

Pro-union campaigners say they are playing the “long game” ahead of September’s referendum on Scottish independence.

Representatives from the local Better Together group insist they will become more vocal as time ticks by towards this year’s vote on the country’s constitutional future.

Maurice Mullay: “We don’t want people to get sick and fed up of it.”

Member Maurice Mullay has dismissed claims the group are acting in a reactive – rather than pro-active – manner as debate rages on whether or not Scotland should remain within the UK.

His comments follow calls this week by isles MP Alistair Carmichael for people to engage in the constitutional debate.

Mr Mullay insisted there was merit in biding time. He referred to the recent public Yes Shetland meet­ing in Hamnavoe which attracted around a dozen people.

Mr Mullay said Better Together would hold events highlighting perceived benefits of staying in the union as the referendum draws closer. Those, he said, would present a positive argument to staying part of the UK.

“We’re not exactly trying to rush at things. We’ve still got some time to go. Frankly we’re trying to main­tain a steady pace and we’ll build up to it later on rather than try and overdo it initially.

“There are plans – I won’t say we can give you a detailed programme at the moment, but there are various things being looked at.

“We will have a higher profile as the months go by. We will be build­ing up to September. There’s still an awful lot of discussion to be had about what the proposals for an independent Scotland might be.

“We don’t want people to get sick and fed up with it and put them off voting altogether. The view we’re getting from the public is that we are playing it sensibly and at a reason­ably logical pace.”

Mr Mullay admitted he had heard arguments the Better Together camp­aign had been too reactive.

“But our noses haven’t been put out of joint by the fact that a Yes campaign meeting only attracted 12 people. Is there such huge merit in these things at this stage?”

Mr Mullay said “facts” missing from the SNP’s white paper on indep­endence needed to be estab­lished. He dismissed the “project fear” description of the pro-union camp­aign group, insisting voters only sought clear information of what separation would mean.

“It’s the details and the informa­tion that’s critical – as well as whether we’re going to be in the union, what currency we’re going to be using and all these questions. There are a huge number of un­answered questions at the present time.”

One thing which may play into the hands of Yes campaigners is the increasing gap between rich and poor, the growing propensity for food banks to appear in communities and a Westminster government ac­cu­sed of being top-heavy with elite, privately educated MPs who are out of touch with the real world.

Mr Mullay said: “Certainly, as far as the percentage of rich and poor are concerned, there are going to be a whole lot more poorer people if independence were to come our way.

“It’s not fear, it’s uncertainty over what’s coming out from the SNP and the Yes campaign at the moment. It’s a wish list rather than a realistic assessment of how Scotland is going to be run – what currency are we going to use? how are our pensions going to be affected? what’s going to happen to mortgages?

“There are fundamental issues that are completely unknown at the moment.”

Yes Shetland spokesman Brian Nugent said the pro-independence campaign group were attempting to answer calls for more information.

“Obviously there is lots of stuff on the internet, but we are going out to meet people. We have been at the Toll Clock Shopping Centre and we are going to hold meetings in local areas. We think we are answering a need.”

Asked whether there was a lack of information he said a lot of details “can’t really be firmed up” until there are negotiations between the governments in Edinburgh and London.

“Better Together keep pointing out there’s vague stuff, but a lot of it is down to the fact that Westminster will not negotiate.”

Referring to the project fear label he insisted: “Project fear is not a name that we gave Better Together. Better Together gave themselves that name. That’s what they called themselves internally in their Glasgow offices, and it was let slip and became public.

“If you want to compare the information I would suggest they go and have a look at the two columns on the currency and the economy that were in The Shetland Times (21st February).

“They can see which one is trying to give information, and which one is just trying to instil worries.”
Better Together may have been bolstered this week by a MORI poll report which showed only 32 per cent of respondents believed Scotland should be independent.

Fifty-seven per cent disagreed with the SNP’s flagship policy, while 11 per cent were undecided. Mr Nugent said it may have been a “rogue” poll.

“The polls have been tending to increase the percentage for Yes. In the end, the only poll that will matter is the one on 18th September.”

Painters and joiners could be retrained by the council as it looks to fill vacancies left due to other skilled workers being snapped up by the private sector.

This was the situation explained by the director of infrastructure services Maggie Sandison fol­low­ing a meeting of the harbour board yesterday.

Mrs Sandison had told members that skilled workers were being lost in harbour and port operations due to the demand from the private sector.

Maggie Sandison said they could look at having to “skill up” existing staff.

Afterwards Mrs Sandison ex­plain­ed marine engineers are head­ing into offshore work and engineers and electricians were being attracted to the oil and gas industry.

She said the lack of skilled workers was having an impact right “across the directorate” even down to carrying out repair work on lampposts. Infrastructure services covers areas such as ferries, harbour and ports and roads.

“What we’re having to look at now is if we can skill up existing staff,” said Mrs Sandison. “We are looking at painters and joiners to see if they can take on potential skills but obviously that’s not a quick fix.”

In a report to members, Mrs Sandison also spoke about a drop in overtime costs because of the reduction in staff. She explained afterwards that staff were already being worked as much as they could.

During the meeting, councillor Amanda Westlake asked whether workers could be offered more over­time as opposed to turning to the private sector. She suspected that using contractors to carry out work was “quite expensive”.

Mrs Sandison said an assessment of costs would be carried out to compare in-house work to looking elsewhere.

She explained contractors do not have to be paid all year round, however they were also charging to make a profit. Key skills were in electrical and engineering skills, she said.

But she added: “There’s such a demand I don’t think we can actually compete with the private sector at this time.”

• Full report of SIC harbour board meeting in this week’s Shetland Times.

Unst is to play its part in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow by flying the Commonwealth flag on Monday.

The flag will be hoisted at Unst Leisure Centre by two pupils of Baltasound Junior High School, Joe Niven and Bryden Priest, as part of their Sports Ambassadors programme – where young people are charged with promoting sport and fitness for their peers.

There will also be a short ceremony at the community event at 10am.

Community councillor Gordon Thomson will read out the Commonwealth Affirmation and a message from the Queen.

Monday also marks “Sport Your Trainers Day” – where children at the school are being asked to pull on their trainers and take part in various sporting events on a Commonwealth Games theme. These include gymnastics, curling, bowls cycling and squash.

In Lerwick, Shetland Islands Council will also be taking part in the flag flying ceremony  – flying the flag from the town hall at 10am.

Councillor Cecil Smith, who will be raising the flag, will also read a message of “good wishes” from the Queen, along with the Commonwealth Affirmation.

He said: “I’m delighted to be able to represent Shetland Islands Council taking part in this unique event. It’s a real honour to ‘Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth’ and celebrate Commonwealth Day with the rest of the UK in this way.”

Later on Monday the Queen will “break” the Commonwealth flag outside of Westminster Abbey.

More than 500 flags will be raised by local authorities and community groups throughout the UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

It will be the largest, single raising of the flag in the history of the Commonwealth.

Charity teams will mark the day by taking flags to the top of the UK’s four highest national peaks, using the occasion to raise funds and profile for their worthy causes: Cancer Research UK – Scafell Pike, England; Help for Heroes – Ben Nevis, Scotland; Walking with the Wounded – Mount Snowdon, Wales; and Fields of Life – Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland.

Shetland Association of Youth Clubs (SAYC) was at one time a successful and active association that supported the islands’ youth clubs in a variety of ways, as well as organising the popular annual sports competitions, art exhibition, youth concert, and other events.

It has not been active over the last few years, due mainly to changes in the structure of youth provision both locally and at national – Youth Scotland – level.

However, the association is still registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and, as such, needs to decide where its future lies.

Due to the current SIC funding cuts there will be a major exodus of youth work staff at the end of March.

SAYC acting treasurer Jenny Henry said: “We’re trying to arrange a meeting to decide whether to try and resurrect the association, or dissolve it. We need to do this while there are still enough people involved in the local youth work set-up to make a decision that’s in accordance with the constitution.

“For one reason and another, SAYC suffered a kind of ‘slow puncture’ and hasn’t seen any activity over the last three or four years.

“However, with the forthcoming changes to Shetland’s youth service provision, maybe this is the ideal time to resurrect SAYC; on the other hand, it could be time to call it a day and dissolve the association.

“Whatever’s decided, it must conform with the OSCR rules and regulations and also our constitution, so it’s important that anyone interested in SAYC’s future gets in touch so we can arrange a suitable time for an initial meeting.

“SAYC is open to representatives from all affiliated clubs [affiliated to Youth Scotland], whether voluntary or SIC-run, and management committees, and we need at least six clubs represented to be quorate at a meeting.”

Interested parties can email jenny.henry60@gmail.com or text 07787 344073, or talk to their area youth development worker.

Continuing forecasts for heavy seas south of Sumburgh have led to a revised schedule for the NorthLink ferry Hjaltland.

She is due to depart Lerwick at 3am tomorrow instead of 5.30pm tonight. However, the final check-in for passengers will remain at the normal time of 5pm.

The Hjaltland is expected to arrive in Kirkwall at 9am tomorrow and Aberdeen at 5pm.

A statement from Serco NorthLink explained that heavy swells in the “Fair Isle Gap”, better known as the Roost, were responsible for the delays.

The Hjaltland‘s sister ship Hrossey is still on her annual refit and expected back on service in around a week.

Singer-songwriter Roddy Hart and his band The Lonesome Fire performed a well-received concert at Mareel last night.

Although not a sell-out, comments about both Hart and the band have been extremely positive, with some calling it one of the best gigs in Lerwick since the new music centre opened.

It was the Glaswegian’s first visit back to the isles since he supported the legendary Kris Kristofferson at Clickimin last autumn.

The five-piece Lonesome Fire has become well known in Scotland, having performed as the house band at Celtic Connections gigs.

Hart said before arriving that he was very much looking forward to the Mareel concert. It was lovely to be asked and hopefully many would turn out for the full-band treatment.

Support for the show came from veteran Yell rock band No Sweat.

• Review to follow.

Clever lyrics, soaring harmonies and the kind of music that grabs you by the guts and weaves its way into your bones.

Roddy Hart and The Lonesome Fire have, by far and away, been the best act I’ve seen at Mareel.

Pulling Hart away from a pre-gig, band takeaway I asked him about his return to Shetland, this time with the full-band treatment.

“Sonically it’s much bigger,” he said.

“It’s a bigger, denser sound, it’s heavier definitely.”

But there were still elements of his singer-songwriter roots.

The power of Hart’s songwriting was laid bare with the memory-inspired Boxes – Hart silencing the audience with a heartfelt, fragile vocal and a simple keyboard accompaniment.

Hart, who hails from Glasgow, told me the transition from solo artist to a fully fledged band evolved over a number of years, but working with a band has changed his approach to his craft.

“You can start to write with them in mind and take songs to places that they might not have done before – when you just had an acoustic guitar.”

Flanked by telecasters and backed by pounding drums, it was clear to see exactly what he meant.

Cold City Avalanche with it’s machine-gun like rhythms and cutting guitar melodies was a standout track on the setlist.

Hart and his bandmates filled the room with rousing tales of love and loss, delivered with haunting sincerity.

Tree of Darkness had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up, even if some of the audience didn’t give it the attention I felt it deserved.

From atmospheric intros to all-out roaring guitars, clearly this was a band who had their performance polished as much as the shiny brogues they were sporting.

Hart jokingly apologised to the audience for lack of Kris Kristofferson – referring to his last gig in Clickimin in September when he supported the legendary country singer.

It didn’t matter, as I found myself completely absorbed in the performance – both dynamic and enthralling in equal measure.

There was a good turnout on the night, but I couldn’t help feeling that the gig deserved a packed-out crowd.

High Hopes was a tune Hart played at the Clickimin during his last visit.

Now with a fuller backing, the waltz-like tune unfolded from acoustic guitar picking and drums to a moving tale that glided through the auditorium as Hart nodded to the words “ I won’t give up on you”.

Bad Blood was punchy and powerful with melodic interludes and guitar thrashing that had the crowd jumping and nodding along in approval.

Guitarist John Martin threw himself into the song – wildly attacking the fretboard to to add to the energetic number, with the six-piece taking it up a gear.

Ghost of Love had echoes of Coldplay and Arcade Fire with the keyboard accompaniment from Geoff Martyn setting the mood before the song flourished into a lavish lament.

The harmonies in Days are Numbered were equally impressive.

Hart’s lyrical strength shone throughout. All the tracks on their self-titled debut album were written by him – with the band adding to the foundations.

Forget Me Not with the opening line “In the movie of your heart do I feature from the start? Or is it just a bit part?” had me hooked.

The refrain in Bright Light Fever “may love take me to the grave like a rose upon a wave” was a line that also stuck, long after the gig.

By the end of the night the crowd was dancing away.

A surprise appearance from Kris Drever was also included in the deal as the band performed The Band classic Up On Cripple Creek.

Drever joined in with the chorus and verses were passed around band members – bringing the groove and showing off their impressive musicality.

Support act No Sweat, played a mixture of blues and rock with Blue Whiting a particular toe-tapping favourite.

It was the second time I’d seen the band perform and was impressed first time around.

And they didn’t disappoint – with a definite nod to Guns and Roses and good old 80s rock.

Brian Nicholson and lead singer David Nicolson laughed and joked with the crowd – making references to a record before I was born.

The five-piece as always, showed great musicianship and togetherness as a band.

Hart and his bandmates were genuinely grateful at the turnout, with whooping and whistles greeting most of the songs they performed.

Fingers crossed they return to the isles, but until then, I’ll just have to settle for the album instead.

Andrew Halcrow has been forced to call a halt to his second attempt at circumnavigating the globe after the mast on his yacht Elsi Arrub broke in harsh conditions.

The “devastated” sailer from Burra was struggling in poor weather west of Cape Horn when the incident took place today.

Mr Halcrow is unharmed but still on the vessel as he waits to be rescued by the Chilean coastguard service. It is understood that a naval vessel has left Punta Arenas and is now on her way to pick him up.

It is not known whether the Elsi Arrub can be saved at this stage.

Mr Halcrow’s wife Allyson said conditions had been extremely poor.

“It’s horrendous. It’s very, very strong,” zhe said. ” Winds are easing a little bit now. Very strong winds at very high speeds. He’s fine under the circumstances.

“I’m not exactly sure what’s happening but at the moment I think he understands that whatever comes to get him can’t take Elsi Arrub. I don’t think she’ll be towed.”

A statement on his website www.elsiarrub.co.uk says: “During the midst of a huge storm just West of the Horn Elsi’s mast broke. It is with huge regret that Andrew has had to call mayday.

Thankfully, he is safe whilst being devastated by what has just happened.”

Mr Halcrow left Shetland in November and was well over three months into his voyage, this time taking the westerly route.

His previous attempt to circumnavigate the globe, heading east, ended in December 2006 when he was rescued off the south-west coast of Australia after suffering a burst appendix.

The first visit by a cruise ship to Lerwick this year has been cancelled because of bad weather.

The Discovery, en route from Norway, was expected to call in today. However, the sea conditions have put paid to the stop-over.

Lerwick Port Authority chief executive Sandra Laurenson said the ship would be “re-routing further south on the trip from Stavanger and hopes instead to call at Kirkwall”.

The Discovery‘s call would have been around a month earlier than the start of the normal cruise ship season.
She is currently making special interest voyages between ports in Scotland, England and Norway. With capacity for 700 passengers, she is due to make a further five visits this year.

The port authority stated last week that Lerwick Harbour could be on course for another record-breaking season.

With 52 ships booked, matching the 2012 record, the tonnage was expected to reach a new high at 1,923,950grt, beating the previous record of 1,531,097 two years ago.

Passenger numbers are estimated at 44,725, above the previous high­est figure of 37,572 set in 2012.

Plans are under way to bring back the Thomas Fraser Festival in November 2015 and also release a “best of” CD of Fraser’s songs.

The festival was formerly staged annually in honour of the Burra fisherman, whose reel-to-reel musical recordings were discovered after his death and subsequently released on CDs to great acclaim. It ceased in 2012 after the launch of the sixth album.

A variety concert will be held in the Burra Hall at the end of this month, in order to raise funds for the event the following year.

Scheduled to take part in the one-off variety show on Saturday 29th March are Laeverick, The Pottingers, Robbie Cumming, Callum Watt, the Whalsay Weemin and Kansa.

The decision to bring back the festival was made last year, according to Karl Simpson, grandson of the late musician.

He said: “When we stopped in 2012, we always intended to restart at some point and three years seems like a good break to have. Everyone is refreshed and looking forward to organising what we are sure will be a memorable event.”

The festival committee members were currently in the process of scoping out and booking acts for 2015, he said.

Simpson said: “As for the longer-term future, making the event bi-annual is a possibility but we’ll see what happens.

“There are a few things left to do on the recordings side, one of which is to release a ‘best of’ type release and we may organise events to coincide with that.

“In the meantime it would be great to see folk later this month at the variety night – it is pay at the door, old fashioned tea and home bakes and of course some great entertainment. Check local press for details in the coming weeks.”

The last debate of the Althing’s season next Saturday is also likely to be the most controversial and hotly argued.

The motion is “The time is right for Scottish independence” and speaking in favour will be Mike Mackenzie, an SNP list MSP for the Highlands and Islands, supported by Danus Skene, a former LibDem and Labour candidate but now a local SNP activist.

Opposing them will be local MP Alistair Carmichael, the Scottish Secretary of State and leading member of the “no” campaign and Ian Duncan, a leading Scottish Conservative from Perthshire.

Because of the large audience expected for this debate the Althing will move from the school to the neighbouring Tingwall Hall for the evening. The debate is on Saturday 22nd March starting at 7.30pm.

Fiona Johnson with Ragnar after their success at Crufts.

Dog lover Fiona Johnson and her husband David have double reason to celebrate after attending the UK’s top dog show.

The couple’s German wirehaired pointer, Ragnar, took the top trophy in the gamekeepers’ classes at Crufts 2014.

That is just a year after the Skeld couple returned from the 2013 event laden with five rosettes following the successful display of two other pointers, Gunnar and Ylva.

In this year’s event Ragnar won the Northesk memorial trophy after going up against other class winners for final judging in the main arena.

Handler Mrs Johnson was delighted to win.

“I am absolutely gobsmacked at winning. I feel like I could cry.

“Ragnar’s previous owner fell ill and we rehomed him but he loves working and being a gamekeeper’s dog.

“He is a veteran but you would think with the way he bounces around that he was seven-and a-half-months not years.”

This year was Ragnar’s first time in the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) gamekeepers’ classes.

Mrs Johnson was presented with the Northesk Memorial Trophy by BASC’s chief executive Richard Ali.

A rallying call has been issued to save a wildlife rescue unit established in the wake of the Braer oil disaster.

Chairman of the Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group, Mike Richardson, has called for the SSPCA to reconsider its decision or consider alternatives following the announcement it will close the centre in Gott.

The facility, which opened in 1994 was largely funded by the Sullom Voe Association – parent body of SOTEAG and whose members include Shetland Islands Council and BP, along with other organisations.

But in December the SSPCA unexpectedly announced the closure of the unit – stating it could not justify the £13,000 a year running costs.

The charity said only 10 birds were handled in 2012 and in future, oiled birds would be sent to a multi-million pound centre in Clackmannanshire.

Members of SOTEAG met last week to discuss the closure, as did the Wildlife Response Co-ordinating Committee – a sub committee of SOTEAG.

SOTEAG chairman Mike Richardson said a conference call had been held with Mike Flynn senior superintendent of the SSPCA.

But he said discussions were not productive and believes the SSPCA is going to move rapidly to close the Gott centre.

In a letter to the SSPCA, Mr Richardson said: “Given the origin of much of the capital finance to construct this facility it was most regrettable and disappointing that there was no prior consultation by the SSPCA before they took the decision for closure.”

He claimed the rationale for the decision was down to lack of use and running costs.

But “under-utilisation” was good news, he said as the centre was there in case of an oil spill.

“But, conversely, its use might be required tomorrow (or next week).”

“An incident in Shetland has the potential to involve hundreds if not thousands of casualties,” warned Mr Richardson.

“Shetland has the particular distinction of a juxtaposition of very large concentrations of breeding, resident and migratory seabirds alongside oil-related infrastructure (offshore and onshore) and inshore tanker traffic.

“Exacerbating that situation is Shetland’s location, with the real possibility that links with mainland Scotland cannot be guaranteed year-round.

“In other words oil-spill casualties cannot necessarily be moved rapidly off Shetland to the SSPCA facilities in Clackmannanshire. The requirement for a Shetland-based facility is therefore paramount.”

He added if problems over running costs had been raised by the SSPCA “a workable solution” might well have been devised.

In addition to his letter, Mr Richardson told The Shetland Times he expects the land to be sold off for housing.

He said the SSPCA used the unit as their office and believed the costs were related to normal administration costs for an office.

But finding temporary facilities and ones that could give the correct requirements would be difficult, he said, hence the reason the centre was built.

A copy of the letter has also been sent to isles MP Alistair Carmichael, Shetland MSP Tavish Scott, Scottish environment minister Paul Weelhouse and convenor of Shetland Islands Council, Malcolm Bell.

Yesterday an online petition was launched by Jan and Pete Bevington of Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary.

More than 900 signatures have been collected in a bid to stop the closure or pass it over to the local community, which contributed heavily to its creation.

Mr Bevington said: “I think there’s a lot of strong feeling about this in Shetland and elsewhere because there’s a lot of people all over the world who care a great deal for Shetland wildlife and are concerned by the step that has been taken here and want to do what they can to save this unit.”

He added: “We feel fairly sure from the levels of support we are receiving; we would be able to raise money locally to keep this place going because it’s so important to Shetland.”

A statement on the petition says: “Closing the wildlife rescue unit not only leaves Shetland’s wildlife extremely vulnerable in the event of an oil spill, but leaves no local rehabilitation facilities for wildlife in trouble from severe winter storms or other traumas. Without this unit wild birds and other creatures must endure a 16 hour journey to central Scotland that many will not survive.”

A full version of this story will be published in The Shetland Times. Click to subscribe to the online version ofthe paper.

Aith pupils’ “Dunna Chuck Bruck” stop-motion film has made it to the final stages of the Marlisco marine litter competition.

The pupils, from P3 and P4, have been invited to the awards ceremony on 2nd April at the National Aquarium in Plymouth.

From there the winners and runners up will go on to an international festival at Bremen in Germany in May, an area which incidentally has historical associations with Shetland through fishing.

The whole thing started when Amelie Atia, one of the girls in P3, came into school one day with a DVD of a stop-motion animation she had made with her family, teacher Ingrid Smith explained.

The class was so impressed that they were inspired to have a go at stop-motion animation at school.

Amelie’s mother Elizabeth kindly agreed to help with the project in her role as press officer for the Aith lifeboat. She had come across the Marlisco competition which brought to the children’s attention the huge problem of marine litter and the threat it posed to the environment.

Sita Hughson from Shetland Amenity Trust’s “Dunna Chuck Bruck” campaign lent her support and is keen to highlight the schools achievement. The school is well-known for its green ethos from nursery to S4.

Mrs Smith said the pupils already participate in initiatives on waste prevention, recycling and litter control. They even had “task force” teams, which not only look to the immediate school area but the surrounding one as well.

She said the bairns loved making the film, “brainstorming” with a story board, and were involved in the whole process from the script to narration.

They were amazed and had to be very patient with the hundreds of single shots needed, this meant the tiniest of alterations. They even starred in the video at the end which caused a lot of hilarity as they are seen speeded up.

To finish the whole thing off Amelie’s father Leith did the soundtrack which matched the film very well.

Mrs Smith said it had been a very good exercise, encompassing creative pursuits and environmental studies. The video can be seen on YouTube where people can vote and this closes on 20th March.

Lord Lieutenant Bobby Hunter presents the certificate to scout leader Laurence Goudie. Photo: Dave Donaldson

Years of hard work have finally paid off for determined scout leader Laurence Goudie.

The 25-year-old of the 1st/2nd Lerwick Scout Group was presented with three awards on Monday by the Queen’s representative in Shetland, Lord Lieutenant, Bobby Hunter.

These included the Queen’s Scout Award – the highest youth award in scouting for members aged between 16 and 25.

Applicants for the award have to complete challenges in a range of areas including, physical activity, service and expedition/exploration.

Laurence took part in role playing games, practised thai chi, volunteered as a scout leader and completed a four-day expedition in the Cotswold Hills.

He also attended a scout moot – a gathering of older scouts – in Canada and completed other international and environmental activities including camping in the Faroe Islands and setting up a recycling scheme for his scout group in Lerwick.

Along with his Queen’s Scout Award, Laurence was presented with an explorer belt and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award for his efforts.

After receiving the prizes, Laurence told members of the group it had “been a long journey” but he had made many friends along the way.

He said afterwards he hoped the younger members could aspire to earn a Queen’s Scout Award.

Even with a foot infection during a four-day hike, he trudged on to earn the badge which Laurence says shows his dedication.

“It’s the last award, I can wear it on my chest for the rest of my life and everyone can see it,” said a proud Laurence.

Cope is poised to take over the running of the freight service which has proved popular at the Viking Bus Station.

The social enterprise company plans to move the service, which has been used by businesses and communities in the outer isles, to a portable cabin at its own premises.

Meanwhile, the sale of the bus station from the council to an undisclosed buyer was said today to have been “progressing well”.

It is hoped the deal could be completed at the beginning of the next financial year – now less than a month away.

Councillors were informed of the development at this morning’s environment and transport meeting.

Infrastructure director Maggie Sandison delivered the news during a presentation of the department’s performance overview in the nine months up to December last year.

She said a meeting had been held with local hauliers to inform them of the arrangement with Cope.

Smaller items of freight will continue to be delivered on the buses.

“Cope are delighted to be involved,” she told members.

“The sale is still progressing, and that has all still to be finalised at the beginning of the next financial year.”

She added that the transfer and changes should be “seamless”, and access would be better for hauliers.

The bus station’s future was cast into doubt over a year ago when councillors were recommended to make £80,000 in annual savings by closing the much-used waiting room and freight centre.

But members – who had been presented with a hastily-organised petition containing 500 signatures – opted instead to seek a buyer from outside the SIC.

It is believed a deal may be in the offing with the owners of the Great Wall restaurant, which is located above the station buildings. The council will not comment on commercial matters.

Steve Keenlyside (right) with his Boondock Hippy bandmates in the background.

A London band fronted by a Shetland musician is having surprising success with its funky version of the Up Helly Aa Song.

The Boondock Hippy, which is also the stage moniker of frontman Steve Keenlyside, have their “funky twist on the traditional song” available as a free MP3 download and there is a video, featuring scenes from Up-Helly-A’ 2013, on YouTube.

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Steve, originally from Lerwick, went to London 10 years ago after studying sociology at Glasgow Caledonian University. His first lineup included fellow Shetlanders Patrick Robertson, on bass, and Kennedy Stewart, who is now living back in Shetland.

Steve works for Thames Water but spends “every other waking moment” involved in the band, which has featured in Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch. The band’s version of The Up Helly Aa Song, called The Waves are Rolling On has also been given a whirl on Tom Morton’s Through Midnight programme.

Playing acoustic guitar and singing, Steve is joined in the band by Jim Harris on piano and mandolin, Andy MacSweeney on bass guitar, Dan Szymczak on drums, Abhs Joshi on percussion, Rich Wassall on trombone and Ade French on trumpet.

According to Steve he first wrote the tune, which bears scant resemblance to the original, around a hard jemba beat, which gave it a somewhat militaristic edge. In trying to write lyrics for it, he realised that the Up Helly Aa Song words fitted perfectly and the tune took shape to the general approval of the band and various people who have heard it. “Everyone has been quite overwhelmed by it,” he added.

Making music in London is different from Shetland and cuts and recordings are shared out between the band over the internet before being assembled in their final version. Travelling across town is problematic and full-band sessions have to be planned well in advance, unlike in Shetland where everyone can be brought together in minutes.

On the other hand, London has a fantastic music scene with thousands of pubs, clubs, open air markets like Portobello and umpteen other venues.

Boondock Hippy have recorded four studio albums, all of which “have been received really well”, and were nominated in best acoustic act, best newcomer and best website categories at the Download Music Awards 2013 on the strength of their second album. Their third album, Born on a Rock, reflects Steve’s experiences being brought up in Shetland.