Latest Fair Isle News & updates 2006
 

23^rd December

Shetland Environmental Awards, 2006
(text by Betty, Maavi by Neil - as published in the 2006 Christmas Edition of the Fair Isle Times)

Mike Wood, one of the Bird Observatory's directors, applied to the Shetland Amenity Trust nominating F.I.B.0 and John for an award for the Creation of a Wetland, basically a pond on the Utra land which the Observatory staff and John created with able help from champion digger, lain Stout. The pond provides a much needed year-round feeding and resting area for waders, ducks and other birds.

Every year schemes from around Shetland are judged by a panel including S.A.T., R.S.P.B., S.E.P.A., Visit Shetland (? Sub-section Holidays for Birds), S.I.C., Association of Shetland Community Councils and the Civic Society. It was great that our application was successful, and a ceremony was held to receive the awards at Herrislea on 14th December, with Dennis Coutts making the presentation. As neither Deryk nor John could attend, Dave Okill represented the Obs. and our son Andrew went instead of John. He was very impressed with the occasion and somewhat overawed by the size of the presentation plaque. Will it sit well on a huge post in the middle of the pond, providing a raised vantage point for observant birds?

12^th December
Fair Isle Primary presented Jesus' Christmas Party, followed by a short concert of music.

A selection of pictures here

8^th December
Chroma back again
- in the words of Amy (11), Erin (11) Alice (10) (Fair Isle Times no.26, vol.29)
Click here to view a slide-show of the vertical images (this will open a new browser window)

	Last Friday, Chroma and Bill came to work with the school. Stuart, Marcus and Clare are some of Chroma. Stuart and Marcus are musicians and Clare is their manager. Bill is a director with Tete a Tete. First we took all our instruments through to the hall and started to play them.
	Then we did some warm ups. One of the warm up games was called Beans. There were lots of different types of beans we had to act out. Then Stuart took out his clarinet and Marcus took out his fiddle. Then we warmed up our arms and hands by playing Spider. What we had to do was copy what Stuart was doing.
	Then we decided who we would be in the play and started to learn our parts. The first scene we did was the giants practicing their marching. The main giant was Alice acting `Surtr' - Queen of Muspelheim. Lowri was `Surfeit' - the Muckle Foot. Fyntan was `Gobble-Dropper' Volcano Breath.
	Melissa was `Adivia' - The Water Giant. Henry was `Grabbit' - The Bone Crusher. Raven was `Truncher-Face' - The Puppy and Dog napper. Then Amy learnt her lines as Odysseus and we had lunch. After lunch Erin learnt her part as the Cyclops.
	She was called Polyphemus. Then we learnt our words and the song for the rowing scene. After that we did the play all the way through. Then Stewart had an idea that Bill could do Erin's voice for the Cyclops. So that is what he did. Then school was finished so all of us went home.
	On Saturday at 3:00 we all met at the hall so that we could practice the play again. We practiced lots of times and added bits in. The play started with Odysseus and his crew rowing around, until they came to an island and started to explore.
	They went into a cave and ate cheese and drank milk. When they were asleep the Cyclops returned to his cave and was very angry. He killed three of the crew. The other crew members and Odysseus woke up and Odysseus tricked the Cyclops into drinking wine to make him fall asleep.
	When the Cyclops was asleep they took a log, heated it up in the fire and stabbed the Cyclops in his one eye. The Cyclops woke up and was very angry because he was in pain and couldn't see.
	Odysseus and the rest of the crew pretended to be sheep to get out of the cave. They ran back to their boat and began to row again. The Cyclops realised he had been tricked and threw rocks at the departing ship. The ship sailed away - and landed on an island called Muspelheim.
	They started to explore the new island but then all the crew were eaten by the giants except Odysseus. Then all the giants came in and introduced themselves. Odysseus then went to beg for help from Surtr, the Queen of Muspelheim.
	She refused to help because he had blinded her friend the Cyclops. Then all the giants started singing and they surrounded Odysseus. Suddenly church bells started to ring and all the giants ran away (giants are afraid of the noise that church bells make).
	Odysseus then escaped from the giants and that was the end. At 7:00pm we went to the hall to perform our play in front of everyone. It went very well. After we had performed, we had juice and cakes. Then we played ball tag and catch. It was a great night.

29^th November
Made it at last!

A warm welcome to Tom, Liz and Henry who arrived on Fair Isle Wednesday 29th November.
See Tommy Art for their web page

Story at Scotsman Online, BBC News, The Herald, and another link at www.off-grid.net

Arriving earlier this summer to settle on Fair Isle, Darren and Angela Wiseman and family Marie, Mark, Amber and Robyn are now well-established in Burkle. They too have a website Burkle Crafts

8^th October
From New York to Fair Isle

Indeed they do folks ... quite an informative story in The Herald
 

4^th September

An example from the exhibition by John C Best opening today

4^th September at the Gilbert Bain Hospital, Lerwick.

The picture reflects the Fair Isle community's continued concern and desire to protect the marine environment and the bird life. This is a small  part of the united effort they have undertaken to convince the Scottish Parliament to designate the islands coast line and inshore waters as a Marine National Park.

John comments that he sketches and makes notes on site before transposing to full size paintings in the studio. He works on Ingrs paper using Caran dAche oil pastels that are colour fast. The finished painting is fixed and varnished to produce a surface as hard as an oil painting. The oil pastel paintings are mounted on a black background creating  the impression of a floating picture.

More work by John can be seen here.

27^th August
Couple make epic journey for quiet croft-house wedding!

16^th August
Rowing for CATS
More pictures
Fair Isle residents and visitors gathered at the North Haven during the evening to give a warm and encouraging welcome to six members of the Burra Rowing Club as they completed the first leg of a marathon row in their traditional yoal.

They had left Grutness Pier, near Sumburgh Airport, at about 5pm and, accompanied by others on the guard-boat Pilot Us, arrived at Fair Isle at about 9.30pm. Having completed the first leg of their 84 mile row to Kirkwall in Orkney.

They are raising funds for the Community Action for Trauma Support (CATS) appeal. This popular, local appeal, though only launched in January this year, has seen Shetlanders already raising more than 200,000 through a wide range of community efforts. The target is to collect 1.5 million over the next two years to help provide a modern CAT scanner for the Gilbert Bain Hospital, in Lerwick.

On arrival in Fair Isle Ian Best presented the rowers with a cheque towards the appeal from our Community Association. This, with a number of other donations, raised another 350 for the CATS appeal.

After an overnight stay on Fair Isle they were off again at just before 5am Thursday morning on the next leg south, arriving in Sanday, Orkney by mid-afternoon. They hope to reach Kirkwall by Friday afternoon.
Read the story in the Shetland News

Have midges moved north to escape the heat? According to a BBC News headline here the summer heatwave in Scotland has killed off midges in record numbers, according to an expert at Edinburgh University. Anyone north at the Haven to welcome the rowers would have probably disagreed with that finding as - no doubt taking advantage of the still conditions -  the midgies were as bad as we have ever known them! They are also reported to be making themselves a nuisance elsewhere in Shetland this summer.

Midges can be the scourge of holidaymakers

10^th August
Three adults and eight bairns join Nick Riddiford for a Fair Isle Wildlife Club evening investigation of the flora and fauna of Vaadal and Gilsetter. Nick's account can an be read as a pdf file or swf (Flash) file.

5^th August
New website

Elizabeth Riddiford (Schoolton, Fair Isle) is developing a new website at - www.communityconservation-initiative.org.uk for CCI-Kenya. This site is a link/outreach facility for the local community-led groups. The aim of CCI-Kenya is to provide support for community-led sustainable resource management projects and the safeguarding of their natural & cultural heritage. Elizabeth in Kenya with KEEP and the Fair Isle School tree.

3^rd August
Fair Isle Wildlife Club
There is an impressive knowledge of, and interest in, the natural world on Fair Isle - hardly surprising with the wealth of wildlife around us. Urged on by various islanders, Nick Riddiford proposed a Fair Isle Wildlife Club designed to seek out and enjoy our flora and fauna at first hand.
The club got under way at the beginning of July and so far about 15 participants, islanders and visitors, have joined Nick on three excursions two to look at flowers and the most recent one to look at Fair Isle seaweeds at low tide.

Oyster Plant, Muckle Uri Geo, Fair Isle

A report with the results of their exploration across the pebbles and rock pools of Kirki Geo and Sompal at South Harbour can be read as a pdf file or swf (Flash) file.

1^st August
DirectFlight arrives on Fair Isle

The new Islander, in SIC livery & operated by DirectFlight, on the Fair Isle airstrip.

DirectFlight's first ever scheduled flight to Fair Isle arrived on Tuesday 1st August - poor conditions with mist and low cloud preventing any of the scheduled inter-island flights from Tingwall yesterday.The Bedfordshire company has taken over from Loganair who have served Shetland's outer isles for the last 37 years

Following Loganair's loss of the air ambulance contract earlier this year the operation of the inter-island flights was put out to tender. To encourage a wider interest from operators the Council's investment firm SLAP bought a brand new Islander aircraft which they would lease to the successful bidder. As the new 'Islander' is not due to be delivered until October, the Council had to leased an aircraft so that the new service could begin on time.

The aircraft is much better equipped and has more powerful engines, which makes it much safer to land on the airstrips of the small islands. The Council intend to retain the aircraft as back up for the main aircraft, to use for charter flights, an extended scheduled service and as an additional support should the air ambulance plane not be able to land in Shetland.
Read more about this story on The Shetland Times website.

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Roy was there for the start and finish ... and start!

In a strange twist of coincidences Roy Dennis MBE has been a passenger on both the first and last Loganair Fair Isle flights ... and again on the first operated by DirectFlight! Read more about this story on The Shetland News website.

25^th July
Loganair says farewell
LOGANAIR management flew into Fair Isle Monday afternoon following visits to Foula, Papa Stour and Skerries to bid farewell after serving the Isles for the past 37 years.
 

Captain Eddie Watt spins a yarn!
 

View these pictures
as a slide-show
(opens in new window)

Read more about this story on The Shetland News website.

The Flag presented to Fair Isle Primary by Roy Dennis MBE (centre). Deryk Shaw, warden Fair Isle Bird Observatory (left) and Gilly Harrison, head teacher (right)	Roy Dennis MBE, assisted by the children, hoist the second Eco-Flag on the Isles flag-pole.
The two Eco-Flags on the flag-pole by the Fair Isle school
Jimmy Stout, skipper of the Good Shepherd IV (left) and Angus Jack, National Trust for Scotland (right) and the Plaque

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26^th March
Green Flag for Fair Isle Primary
Fair Isle Primary has been awarded its second Eco Flag to mark the school's environmental achievements, the school praised for its continuing standard of environmental excellence and awareness.
Read the story in the Shetland News

25^th March

	An informal evening with members of Chroma
	and  Fair Isle Primary
Fun Weekend with Chroma On Friday Chroma came to school and worked with us about Betty Mouat. The people were Evgeny, Marcus, Stuart and Claire. First we did some warm-ups like chewing some pretend gum. We did a concert about Betty Mouat on Saturday. The songs we did were Splice the main brace and Betty's rap. We took the spelling of Fair Isle School and Betty Mouat and composed music to play on the chim-bars. We used things that we found around the school. We used things like wet t-towels, posts, balls and a rain tree as percussion instruments. We also read out poems that we wrote about what it would be like to be on the boat. After the concert we had food and drink. It was great working with Chroma and doing a concert. Amy (10)   A Visit From Chroma On Friday a group called Chroma came to work with the school about Betty Mouat. First of all we looked at the instruments they had brought. There was a French horn, a violin and a clarinet. The three musicians who came were called Marcus, Evgeny and Stuart. After that we did some warm-ups. Then we learnt a song called Splice the Main Brace. Then we learnt a rap called Betty Mouat. On Saturday we practised it all over again and again. That night we did our piece to everybody in the hall. It was fantastic. Erin (10)   Chroma On Friday Chroma came. A French horn player called Evgeny came and a violin player came. His name was Marcus. Stuart a clarinet player came as well. Stuart stayed with us. We did a concert at the hall. I loved it. Lowri (6) (From the School Page of the Fair Isle Times Vol.29 No.11)

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20^th March
Shetland Odyssey Education Programme 23-31 March 2006
Fair Isle, Yell, Fetlar and Unst Schools
Children from all eight schools on Fair Isle, Fetlar, Yell, Skerries and Unst will participate in workshops with musicians from CHROMA chamber ensemble 23-31 March 2006. The workshops take themes from Homers Odyssey and the Betty Mouat story, and involve creative writing, music, singing, movement, plus the giant knitting of bits of scenery and props!
CHROMA start their visit in Fair Isle, with Stuart King (clarinet), Marcus Barcham-Stevens (violin) and Evgeny Chebykin (horn). Helen Cole (harp) joins the group for the workshops with Unst, Yell and Fetlar schools.
This will be Stuart King and Evgeny Chebykins second visit to Fair Isle, as they were part of Classic Fair Isle in 2002. 

While on Shetland, CHROMA will perform two concerts on Fair Isle Saturday 25 March and in Lerwick, at the Garrison Theatre, on Tuesday 28 March. (Programme details to follow.)
These schools workshops are part of the programme for Tte Tte opera company's latest production - a version of Homer's Odyssey, with singers, instrumentalists, knitters and spinners. The opera had workshops on Fair Isle in October 2005, and is scheduled to premire in October 2006, then tour to Shetland, Norway, Ireland and around the UK. CHROMA provide the instrumentalists for the opera.
CHROMA is working with the teachers to provide each school group with specially tailored sessions. For Unst, Fetlar and Yell these are based on themes around the ideas of voyage, storms, travelling home, dreams and dangers from the Odyssey. The Fair Isle schoolchildren, (who were involved with the Odyssey workshops in October) will create a new telling of the story of Betty Mouat. 

Friday 24 - Saturday 25 March:
Fair Isle Primary School, Fair Isle

Monday 27 March:
Baltasound Junior High School, Unst

Tuesday 28 March:
Fetlar Primary School, Fetlar; Burravoe Primary School, Yell; Cullivoe Primary School, Yell, Skerries School, Skerries

Wednesday 29 March:
Mid-Yell Junior High, Yell

Thursday 30 March:
Baltasound Junior High School, Unst: Uyeasound Primary School, Unst

Support
The Shetland Odyssey Education Programme is supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Ernest Cook Trust, and the Kenneth Leighton Trust. Sponsorship in kind comes from the hosts on Fair Isle (accommodation) and Chansonnette (the project website).

Further information: Claire Shovelton, Manager 07969 135794 chroma.admin@mac.com

6^th February
A National Marine Park for Shetland?
A well-informed article on the subject by Dr Jonathan Wills in THE SHETLAND NEWS

1^st February
GREEN MSP BACKS FAIR ISLE BID FOR FIRST MARINE NATIONAL PARK

The enthusiasm and commitment from the Fair Isle community for their bid to be the site for the first Marine National Park should be a key factor when sites for the first such park are considered, Eleanor Scott, Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands said today.

FAIR ISLES EFFORTS TO SAFEGUARD ITS MARINE RESOURCE AN UPDATE BY NICK RIDDIFORD
This note is to bring readers up to date regarding the Fair Isle communitys efforts to be considered as Scotlands first marine national park, and allied sustainable maritime planning developments.
Read it here as an Acrobat pdf file
or here as a Flash file

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