Shetland Voices Shetland News

OVER recent months journalist Jen Stout has become a bit of a household name nationally with her passionate reporting of the plight of ordinary Ukrainians suffering from the onslaught of a brutal and unjustified Russian aggression.

After a number of months, first on the Romanian border and then in the war-torn country itself, Jen arrived home to Shetland a few weeks ago to recover from an intensive six-month journey which, ironically, started in Russia, a country she had longed to return to since she was a teenager.

Here, she opens up to Jane Moncrieff as part of our Shetland Voices series, and speaks about the many people she met while in Russia, Romania and Ukraine, but also about her childhood in Fair Isle, being an angry teenager in Shetland and making your way in life with no or little money.

FOR more than thirty years Jan Bevington has been rescuing seals and otters from around Shetland’s shores. When they are able she returns them to the wild

Originally from Lancashire, Jane has now lived here in the isles for fifty years. Married to journalist Pete Bevington for 25 years, together they have built up the only local marine life sanctuary to a first-class £400,000 facility, which is now near completion.

Jane Moncrieff went up to Hillswick to what was once the oldest pub in Shetland, The Booth, which Jan owned and ran for many years to find out more about the woman who is sometimes know as the Selkie wife.

FOR the latest instalment in our Shetland Voices podcasts Jane Moncrieff travels to the Westside to catch up with vet Jim Nicolson, who retired from practice at the end of May.

Born as the middle brother of three boys he grew up on a croft in Twatt. Schooled locally until he went to the Anderson High School in third year, he studied veterinary medicine at Edinburgh University. Here he also met Juliette, who later became his wife and business partner.

After working in Scotland for two years, the couple returned to Shetland, eventually starting their own veterinary practise in summer of 1985, whist also raising a young family.

Now after 38 years in the business of looking after people’s sheep and kye, dogs and cats - 36 of which were spent locally - Jim has decided the time is right to spend more time with his family and pursue his many interests.

Highly respected in the community he will be missed by his many clients and patients, but he says he is leaving the business in good shape and has no regrets.

FOR the second instalment of our Shetland Voices series Shetland News’ podcaster Jane Moncrieff travelled to the Ness to hear from well-kent collector of all things mechanical, Geordie Jacobson.

Trained as a civil engineer, Geordie worked on many road projects in England and in Scotland before returning home to Shetland in the 1970s when the economy was booming.

The 75-year-old is also well known for his involvement with motorcycles and the Shetland Classic Car Club. A keen volunteer with the local OAP club and Quendale Mill, Geordie is a collector of motorbikes, cars memorabilia, music, books and cameras.

He also keeps a well-stocked cocktail cabinet, and is a great raconteur.

Born in Yell more than 80 years ago, Barbara Fraser has been crofting all of her life – first at Gossabrough, then Culswick and now at Gulberwick, where she has been for almost fifty years.

Remarkably, she is self-sufficient in local produce, casts her own peats and got herself a new quad to celebrate her 80th birthday earlier this year.

In the first audio interview as part of a new Shetland Voices series Jane Moncrieff visited Barbara a few days before Christmas to have a right good yarn about her life, crofting and how the Covid pandemic has changed her outlook.