Scottish Islands Explorer - November-December 2016

Page 9 Top: View towards Lerwick

from the cruise ship berth.

Below: Lerwick Harbour.

Opposite: Fort Charlotte from the

north.

Left: Britain's most northerly

barber shop.

Below: Shetland Museum interior.

Photographs taken by the author,

James Hendrie.

The Inconvenience

e Shetland Charitable Trust dates to

1976, a way of recompensing local people for

the ‘inconvenience’ of having the terminal

based in Shetland, by investing its public oil

money for the benefit of its community. Its

genesis came four years earlier when the ‘oil

giants’ were doubtless viewing Shetland as

little islands to be exploited in the greater

scheme of things.

Ian Clark, then Clerk of Zetland Council,

thought otherwise, and devised a scheme to

acquire special powers from Parliament ‘to

protect Shetland’s interests and exploit the

financial opportunities about to arise’. It was

very ‘Local Hero’ and led to the local

authority (now Shetland Islands Council)

holding the initiative on oil matters over

Parliament and the industrial giants.

Disturbance Agreement (DA) money is

paid to the Trust, charitable status giving

exemption from certain taxes and Clark’s

initiative resulting in ‘special funds’ which the

CT can spend as it likes. To highlight just one

success; Shetland now has eight top-class

leisure centres and sporting facilities in its

more populated areas.

Secondary Banking Crisis

e Charitable Trust is not as buoyant as it

was, a reflection of the global financial

downturn. ‘Cost cutting’ and ‘value for

money’ are now watchwords. at new mood

also reflects at council level, Shetland Islands

Council lost heavily in the Secondary

Banking crisis of 1973-75 when a slump in

property prices caused smaller lenders,

offering high interest rates, to face

bankruptcy.

en again there were difficulties in the more

recent stock-market declines and banking

crises, particularly those faced by the Icelandic

financial authorities. All this goes to show that,

while Shetland has done well from the North

Sea’s oil industry, the words and concept of the

poet John Donne need to be heeded in that ‘no

man (nor business) is an island’.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER 11

Lerwick

Further Information

Shetland Pride of Place -

shetland.org

Lerwick Harbour -

lerwick-harbour.co.uk

Shetland Charitable Trust

Shetland Times-

shetlandtimes.co.uk