Shetland salmon farmers assist stranded tourists and vulnerable residents during winter storms.
Salmon farming workers in Shetland helped rescue stranded tourists and deliver heating supplies to vulnerable residents during heavy snowfall that disrupted transport across the islands earlier this year.
Teams from Cooke Scotland and Scottish Sea Farms were among those who stepped in after freezing conditions blanketed roads and isolated some communities.
Keith Leslie, seawater site manager at Cooke Scotland’s Burrastow site, assisted two groups of tourists who became stranded at the Sands of Sound beach near Lerwick during snowfall in January.
He towed the car of a family of three visiting from India after their vehicle became stuck on a steep hill near the beach.
“Their Mercedes was rear wheel drive, an automatic car with summer tyres – there was no way it was making it up the hill,” Leslie said.
“When the snow came down, I don’t think they had thought about how they were going to get out.”
He added that the family feared they would miss their ferry to Aberdeen after becoming stranded near the shore.
“They were very panicked because they were trying to catch their evening ferry,” he said. “I told them not to worry and managed to tow them up the hill.”
The following day, Leslie helped a couple from Japan whose hired vehicle had also become stuck while attempting to reach the same beach.
“Google gave the beach nine out of 10, but the couple may have rated it differently after their hired Corsa ended up stuck down at the bottom,” he said.
“This was the worst snow we’ve had in five years, and I couldn’t believe they had even attempted to get to the beach. Even the snow plough did not manage it because the snow was so deep.”
Elsewhere in Shetland, staff from Scottish Sea Farms helped deliver coal to remote homes after severe weather disrupted normal supply routes.
Drew Ward, farm manager at the company’s Score Holms site, responded to a request from a local building supplier struggling to reach customers due to the snow.
“A former colleague who now runs one of the Jewson branches put up a post on Facebook saying they were struggling to get their trucks out to some areas,” Ward said.
“We have a 4×4 pickup and a trailer so I got in touch with him right away and offered the vehicle, the trailer and four or five men.”
Ward said the team delivered coal to two households on the first day, both to vulnerable elderly residents in rural areas. The following day they travelled as far north as the road network allows in mainland Shetland to deliver further supplies.
“One of the residents there was down to his last few bags of coal when we arrived,” he said. “Helping each other out is normal here.”
Workers from Scottish Sea Farms’ Setterness site also assisted with clearing snow from the Lunna road during the heaviest conditions.
According to industry body Salmon Scotland, salmon farming contributes around £91 million annually to Shetland’s economy and supports about 1,000 jobs across the islands.
Chief executive Tavish Scott said the response reflected the sector’s close ties to island communities.
“Shetlanders help each other out in heavy weather and our salmon farmers are no exception,” he said.
“Our farmers live here too, so helping neighbours and visitors alike is simply part of island life.”
“Salmon farms and the people who work there are an integral part of the community here, and it’s great they were able to come to the rescue of tourists and locals during the winter storms.”
