Lerwick – Town of Culture

Gazing over Lerwick Harbour, from the cultural hub of the Mareel, Graeme Howell is in a confident mood. And so he should be. He is the man in charge of Lerwick’s Town of Culture 2028 bid. Out of over 400 contenders Lerwick has made the 15-town shortlist. With such a rich cultural scene, woven around a deep and palpable sense of living history, the UK’s most northerly town is in with a great chance of taking the top honour, propelling its cultural reputation far beyond the Northern Isles.

“What is it like living here? 80% of the time it’s like living anywhere else with life’s routines, 10% it’s appreciating the most beautiful place I’ve ever come across and 10% it’s savouring the colourful life and lives of inspiring small communities”

Graeme, CEO of Shetland Arts, has a passion for Shetland that comes across instantly. “I’ve got a remarkable job in a remarkable organisation in a remarkable place to live,” he smiles. “I’ve been here since 2014 and it’s a really special place – Shetland makes up over 15% of the UK’s total coastline, so it’s remarkable in so many ways.”

“It’s hugely exciting and an incredible privilege for Lerwick to be shortlisted. It’s a reflection of – and an acknowledgement of – where we’ve come from and what our stories might be. This is an archipelago that has always been nothing sort of captivating, all the way from the Vikings to the new space port on Unst.”

“When we got the call to say we’d made the shortlist all we’d really done was tell a bit of Lerwick’s story and that was interesting enough for the judges. There is so much more to come. We also put youth participation on a large scale in there, which should be in everyone’s bid. Our year would look at the nature of Shetland’s story, our location and life on the edge.”

“What is it like living here? 80% of the time it’s like living anywhere else with life’s routines, 10% it’s appreciating the most beautiful place I’ve ever come across and 10% it’s savouring the colourful life and lives of inspiring small communities. The person you saw on stage two days before at the Mareel turns out to be your dentist. Everyone has an opinion on what we’re doing here, which is positive. Shetland is an artistically literate place. People come up to me in the supermarket and want to talk culture.”

Visiting Lerwick countless times over the years I’ve long appreciated the pivotal role this ‘muddy port’ has played in both the story of Shetland and of Scotland. Graeme takes this a step further: “Lerwick has a long, rich history of trade and exploration and it has indeed been integral to the development of Scotland and in shaping Scotland, but also the wider UK. It has done all this whilst also remaining fiercely independent. This is a massive chance to define our culture, protect it and explore it even further. Lerwick is a very creative place with a brilliant community and that is at the very heart of the bid.”

The bid plan for the very special year, which is submitted in November 2026, is up against 14 other towns and just Ilfracombe, Isle of Bute, Sandown, Strabane and Stockton Town Centre Ward in the small-town sub-category.  The bid swirls around four key strands. The first is producing mass spectacles and landmark cultural events. The second is about participation, bringing that vibrant community in as well as visitors and engaging them. Thirdly it is about involving Shetland creatives, with the final strand concentrating on Lerwick’s youth, ensuring the Town of Culture year has a genuine legacy.

 “We want the year to have an immediate effect, but this is not just about 2028; it’s about 2038 and beyond too. It’s about what differences we can make for future generations, what different choices we can offer for kids, what opportunities,” Graeme continues.

His passion about the plans popping synapses in his brain is clear: “We’re not just talking about commissioning a new piece of Scottish music but also going on to have that music performed here at the Mareel and then on to star at The Proms.”

The Mareel is a fitting space to have this conversation as it’s already an educational hub. “We are a major educational facility, offering students vocational pathways like HNCs in film, music and other creative studies, and on to degree and master level, with 50 registered students this year. They have access to facilities and get to experience situational learning in a working environment that is very different to college. It’s an experience their feedback reports as being invaluable.”

“And the space we have here is world-class with a 320 seated and 600 standing main amphitheatre, which stages everything from traditional Shetland music, through to jazz, classical and rock. We also have two cinemas, seating 160 and 32 that screen everything from arthouse films through to Hollywood blockbusters.”

Mareel mercifully doesn’t sit in cultural isolation, something I’ve found in other cultural hubs elsewhere in Scotland. “Support agencies meet here, as do civic groups. “We see it as part of our remit to play a key role not just in supporting art, but also supporting the community in other ways. We want to help through our work to build cross generational bridges and stress how genuinely welcome everyone is here.”

Culture in Shetland takes many forms. One of the newest expressions I find life-affirmingly just south of Lerwick at Sunshine Shetland Oo Croft, with ebullient islander Heather Davidson. This is very much an active farm – her family has farmland across Shetland with 450 sheep on three different hills here. This new tourist venture lets visitors come face to face with Shetland sheep, chickens, cows and those famous Shetland Ponies. She has also turned one building into a real, cosy timewarp croft home. It’s a glorious experience sitting warmed by the fire enjoying a cuppa as she tells colourful tales of Shetland of old.

Heather and Graeme’s worlds coalesce through her daughter Laura Manson. This talented singer recently released ‘Muddy Bay’, a stirring song dedicated to Lerwick. Its strains are still warming my heart when I bump into local tourist luminary Steve Mathieson. He is a man clearly who knows Shetland’s culture and is deeply passionate about it, so I’ll leave the last words to him: “Not many towns in the UK have such rich history and culture. It dates back beyond to beyond Viking times and the town has seen through lots of iterations from the Norse influence to the Hanseatic League. There has always been a real churn of nationalities enriching our culture and that continues today. We enjoy a high level of music, arts and exhibitions not many towns can match. It’s easy to see why we’re a firm contender for Town of Culture, which would be great for Lerwick and Shetland.”

By Robin McKelvie
Robin McKelvie is an award-winning travel writer and broadcaster who has been published in over 200 magazines and newspapers worldwide.

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