It was a special day in the South Mainland on Friday with its first-ever Up-Helly-A’ festival proving a roaring success.

Firms in Shetland are facing huge rate rises – some by as much as two-thirds – under the Scottish government’s revaluation of business property which will come into force at the beginning of next month.

Already Shetland’s Young Fiddler of the Year, Anderson High School pupil Chapman Cheng added the Young Musician of the Year title to an impressive list of achievements on the penultimate night of the 2010 Schools Music Festival on Wednesday.

It’s been four years in the planning and expects to attract more than 500 people. This summer’s Shetland Hamefarin is set to become the event of the decade for the hundreds of visitors who are eagerly awaiting a chance to visit the land they or their forebears left.

The new Anderson High School could be built closer to the Clickimin Centre on flatter land rather than being dug into the hillside, design experts have advised Shetland Islands Council.

Local company Shetland Composites has recently been involved in mak­ing parts of a surf ride which will be installed in Kansas.

The snow may now be disappearing but farmers and crofters are count­ing the cost of extra feed they have had to buy for their livestock during the long-lasting cold spell.

The snowy conditions Shetland has experienced this winter may be out of the ordinary for the majority of islanders, but for Captain Gavin Gray from Yell it is nothing unusual.

Harry Brown Arthur Hay was born in his grandfather’s home at Da Knowes, just outside Brae, on 18th August 1928. His grandfather, Jamie Hay, was to have a huge influence on the life of young Harry as they lived and worked together on the family croft with his mother Voilet.

For over a quarter of a century the Rev Jim Blair ministered in Shet­land. He was a very able preacher whose background and interests gave him a rich variety of exper­iences and subjects to draw on.

Police have released a photograph of West Side man Oliver Tait, who has been missing in Shetland since the weekend.

A squeeze will be put on council grants for key industry sectors such as agriculture and tourism during the next financial year.

Lobbyless and Whalsay both recorded wins in the indoor hockey knockout competition for the Robertson Cup on Saturday, while New Rev also progressed to the semi-finals after Crusaders failed to field a team.