Shetland’s transport partnership ZetTrans could benefit financially by joining the Northern Periphery Programme, an EU-backed group of sparsely populated regions.

The other four main partners so far are: the Regional Council of North Karelia in Finland (lead partner); the County Council of Vasternorrland in Sweden; the Development Centre of East Iceland; and the South West of Scotland Transport Partnership (SWESTrans).

Monday’s ZetTrans meeting heard that the programme, which runs initially from Setember this year until the end of 2012, has the potential to bring in 60 per cent of the cost of public transport projects.

SIC head of transport Michael …

Shetland Swimming Association held the annual junior champion­ships on Sunday, involving young swimmers all aged 10 or below.

In the eight and under boys’ championship Bowen Ratter of Delting Dolphins (DD) swam really well in the freestyle and butterfly to win the gold medals and also very well in the backstroke to win the silver medal. This was enough to win him the overall championship in the age group.

Seamus Mackay of South Mainland (SM) also swam well to win the gold in the backstroke and bronze in the freestyle and breaststroke. The final gold was won with a great …

By JOHN ROBERTSON

The troubled livestock marketing co-op has been thrown a financial lifeline after coun­cillors performed a U-turn yesterday, risking a breach of EU state aid rules to pump in £20,000 to keep it trading for two months.

Another £10,000 grant will pay half the cost of drawing up a rescue plan for Shetland Livestock Marketing Group (SLMG) but its members will have to stump up the rest.

The frantic bid to save the co-op followed fresh advice from the government and SIC lawyers which was enough to sway coun­cillors, many of whom had used state aid fears last …

A Whalsay fisherman who admitted clubbing 21 grey seal pups to death with a fencepost on a small remote island was told he may be facing a prison sentence when he appeared in court this week.

Jimmy Stewart, 47, of Saltness, Symbister, who is a crewman on the Altaire, one of the UK’s biggest pelagic fishing boats, admitted mutilating, beating and crushing the young mammals on East Linga, near Whalsay, on 29th Nov­ember last year. All charges against his co-defendant John Eunson, 44, also from Symbister, were dropped.

On Wednesday Lerwick Sheriff Court heard the dead pups were discovered by …

It is estimated that there are around 3,500 grey seals around Shetland and that the figure has remained largely static for over three decades, in contrast to the picture nationally where numbers are estimated to have doubled in the past 50 years.

East Linga is one of the few suitable sites for breeding grey seals in Shetland and accounts for up to 50 per cent of the pups born in the Whalsay area, with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) estimating that the 21 pups beaten to death amount to up to one third of the Whalsay pup production.

Grey seals, which …

By LOUISE THOMASON

They were manufactured in 1943 and issued to the Home Guard to help protect Shetlanders in the event of an invasion by the Nazis. At the end of World War II they were dumped on a hillside between Lerwick and Scalloway.

And there the 31 grenades had lain for over 60 years until two boys, Nathan Robertson and Larri Goodlad, both 12, who were out for a walk on Sunday stumbled across them and had the good sense to phone the police.

As a result of their find a major operation swung into action with the Black …

By LOUISE THOMASON

It’s strictly fun and strictly fund­raising. The latest CLAN venture is based on the hit TV series Strictly Come Dancing and looks destined to be a phenomenal success when the big dance-off takes place in April.

The idea of dancing to drum up funds for the CLAN 1,2,3 appeal came from fundraising committee member Cecil Smith when he was “suffering” the show at home with his wife.

It occurred to him that the popularity Strictly has enjoyed could transfer to Shetland – and be used to raise money. He mentioned it to the other committee members, and …

By JOHN ROBERTSON

One of the Orcadian fuel station owners who broke GB Oils’ monopoly on the islands’ supply believes the Irish-owned company has since slashed the amount of profit it takes from Shetland and Orkney.

David Tullock of WR Tullock in Kirkwall said the fuel war and political pressure had led GB Oils to drop its prices so much that petrol can now be cheaper in Lerwick than the Orkney breakaway group is able to charge in Kirkwall.

Tullock’s is one of the so-called gang of four Orkney garages which started buying petrol and diesel wholesale from Caithness during …

Ferry fares at Bluemull Sound will not be reinstated, it was decided at a meeting of the Inter Islands Ferries Board this week.

The decision to remove ferry fares between Yell, Unst and Fetlar was made back in September 2005, a move designed to help with the economic regeneration of Unst following the closure of the RAF Saxa Vord base, which it was feared would prompt severe depopulation.

The situation is kept under periodic review and the continuation of the no fares policy has been approved on a number of occasions, although one or two board members have in the …

The Inter Island Ferries Board met this week with representatives of the Scottish government Ferries Division.

The meeting was part of the government’s Ferries Review and gave the board an opportunity to present the points members wished to be considered.

The main concerns raised by councillors with representatives Judith Ainsley and Bob Watson were over fuel poverty and fares and, specifically, the impact these have on rural areas where depopulation is already a sensitive factor.

Councillor Caroline Miller, a resident of Bressay and therefore directly affected by the ferry services, began by pointing out that in areas such as Bressay, …