Shetland Voices

Artist Ron Sandford was born in Greenock in 1937. His talent and curiosity for life, place and work has taken him all over the world.He moved to Cullivoe, Yell, with his family in 2002.  From there he continued to produce a remarkable body of work; landscapes and still life studies mostly in pen, ink and watercolour.His latest exhibition opens in the Shetland Museum’s Gadderie space today (Saturday 10 May 2025).Shetland Voices producer Jane Moncrieff spoke with Ron in advance of the show.

Born and raised in Lerwick, Caroline Adamson had a variety of jobs before she discovered the role that would become her passion. Twenty-five years ago, she founded the award winning, non-profit Shetland Community Bike Project which is based at Lerwick’s Commercial Road. The initiative provides opportunities for people with barriers to employment reach their full potential, and is hugely successful in what it does. In this latest edition of Shetland Voices, Jane Moncrieff hears about Caroline’s early life and how her previous experience led her to the project and how it has flourished since its inception in 1999.

Kathy Hubbard, born in England and raised in Wales, has had a long-lasting love of Shetland, eventually moving here in 1990 to work for the SIC. In this latest Shetland Voices podcast, she speaks extensively and passionately about her experiences as a probation officer, first in England, and then at criminal justice with the council here in Shetland. A change in career saw her becoming the development officer with the then Shetland Arts Trust. She recalls the difficult, painful and surprisingly controversial journey to get the isles’ very own music, cinema and education venue off the ground, and reveals how the popular film festival Screenplay came about. Now retired, she speaks movingly and openly about her long fight with cancer and reveals how writing a blog What Would Ripley Do? is helping her cope and put life into perspective.

This month's Shetland Voices finds Jane Moncrieff in conversation with a very well-known voice to Radio Shetland listeners.  Caroline McKenzie/Moyes has recently retired from a 40 year career with the BBC. But she has had other strings to her bow including teacher, landlady and hotelier.  She and husband Peter will be leaving the isles in May to take up their new life in Inverness. 

FROM young lobster packer, to plumber, then pilot, Shetland Voices features recently retired Loganair stalwart Eddie Watt. He tells Jane Moncrieff how an epiphany changed the course of his life, bringing him and his family on a mission to Kenya, and the challenges he met along the path to eventually becoming a commander. Watt retired from Loganair at the end of January after 27 years with the company.

SHETLAND comedian Marjolein Robertson’s star is rising. After several years performing free at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, last year her show garnered five star reviews and was shortlisted for several awards. She also took the number three spot on the influential The List Hot 100. Earlier this month Jane Moncrieff went out west to have a yarn with Marjolein for Shetland Voices…

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.