On this week's Saturday Supplement, producer/presenter of the programme Frank Lewis & sound technician Siubhan Lewis were in the Shetlands from April 29 to May 13 & heard lots of stories.
Wildlife wardens on the Isle of Noss Jen Clark and Sally Rea tell about a pair of Great Skuas who called every morning for breakfast - and sadly died during the pandemic.
Archaeologist and site manager Lucy Morris explains that Jarlshof, one of the most important neolithic settlements in Britain, was been lived in for over 4,000 years and was uncovered by a sand storm. Journalist Mark Burgess says that in Scalloway the daring Shetland Bus operations carried men and resources across the North Sea in small fishing boats, to support the Norwegian resistance during World War Two. Their bravery helped shorten the war.
On the Island of Fetlar, after a wet and wild crossing, Maurice Henderson had the story of how music was stolen from the trows – the Shetland version of leprechauns - and played the lively tune on his fiddle along with his niece Ella Robertson, bass guitarist John Clarke and acoustic guitarist Ewen Thompson. On a glorious day Samburgh Lighthouse manager Jane Outram how lighthouse keepers had given a vital eight minute warning of the loudest explosion ever heard in Britain from the World War 2 bombing on Scapa Flow 120 miles away on Orkney on the 8th April 1940.
On the cliffs at the Hermaness National Nature Reserve on the Isle of Unst Operations Officer with Nature Scot Juan Brown outlined how the gannet population has increased dramatically over decades, but was severely hit by bird flu. Last year bonxies (great skua) crashed due to bird flu. Puffins have declined, kittiwakes, arctic terns & arctic skuas even more so, due to food availability.
At a rehearsal of the Shetland Mandolin Band, in the Isleburg Community Centre in Lerwick, with twelve mandolin players, four guitarists and a piano Gary Peterson told of his heritage of mandolin players and Jenny Henry most young Shetlanders played music. From the Old Moorens a modernised croft, where Frank & Siubhan stayed, marine engineer Brian Gray told of life on a super trawler and GP Jacqueline Gray spoke of the demands on a family doctor.
Frank and Siubhan’s visit was supported by Promote Shetland, with help from Visit Scotland and Shetland Amenity Trust. They flew Loganair from Dublin to Sumburgh via Aberdeen. Shetland.org is the web site for the archipelago of some one hundred islands.
