Also in the news / Up Helly Aa stream, planetarium visit and more…
MORE than 430,000 people watched the BBC’s live stream of this year’s Up Helly Aa procession.
It was the first time the broadcaster streamed the procession on its website, making the festival accessible for those watching across the world.
It included footage from the Shetland Webcams live broadcast.
The stream proved most popular with viewers aged between 16 and 24 years old, with 13 per cent of the audience tuning in from North America.
The stream is still available to view for another 12 days on the BBC iPlayer.
The procession was also streamed in America via Fox, while it was also available on news networks including Reuters and Associated Press.
UHI Shetland and Dynamic Earth are teaming up for a space-themed family fun day at the Scalloway Campus on Saturday 2 March.
A highlight is set to be shows held within an inflatable planetarium.
There will be many other drop-in activities for children of all ages throughout the day too, including a visit from Shetland Library’s Bookbug.
Sessions in the planetarium will start from 11.15am on the day and continue until 4pm, with shows lasting 25 minutes. Booking is essential for places in the planetarium sessions.
Planetarium assistant manager at Dynamic Earth James Fawcett said: “After the success of last year’s ‘Discover the Deep’ family day focused on Scotland’s deep ocean, we are thrilled to be returning to Shetland.
“For this years’ family day, we will be looking up ‘From Shetland to the Stars’ as our resident astronomers bring along their inflatable planetarium shows and out-of-this-world activities.”
HIGHLIGHTING demand for housing in Shetland, a total of 111 separate applicants recently put their name in four just four houses in Scalloway.
There were a total of 84 applications for two-bedroom homes at Hjaltland Housing Association’s new Berryview scheme, and 55 for two three-beds. Some applicants applied for both.
Hjaltland is also still inviting applications for a shared equity scheme at Berryview, which offers first-time buyers a chance to buy a property at a discounted rate.
This includes two three bed and two four bed homes. Thirty expressions of interest have been submitted so far.
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