Hans J Marter

17 August, 2006

SIX YOUNG men from Shetland are on their way to Orkney this morning (Thursday) rowing a yoal.

The sextet left Grutness Pier, near Sumburgh Airport, yesterday afternoon on the first leg of their 84 mile marathon challenge, which brought them to Fair Isle, by nightfall.

Considering the weather conditions and taking advantage of the tides, they hope to arrive in Kirkwall by Friday afternoon.

The six members of the Burra Rowing Club are raising funds for a popular local appeal, which aims to collect £1.5 million over the next two years to help provide a modern CAT scanner for the Gilbert Bain Hospital, in Lerwick.

The Community Action for Trauma Support (CATS) appeal was only launched in January this year, and Shetlanders have risen to the challenge by already raising more than £200,000 through community efforts.

Shetland Charitable Trust have pledged another £600,000 towards the CAT scanner, which will help doctors in the isles diagnose serious illnesses like kidney, lung and liver diseases, multiple injuries, cancer, spinal and head injuries, and many more conditions.

The benefit to patients is that they will not have to travel to Aberdeen for immediate treatment.

Rower Ian Couper said the idea to row to Orkney had been kicked around among members for some time, but it was the CATS appeal that had put their ideas into action.

He added that the challenge was going to be a tough one. "It is going to take up to 24 hours, we think. We are going to Fair Isle first, and then on to North Ronaldsay, and then down to Kirkwall.

"It is going to be a very tough row, pretty demanding on the body, but we hope we can last the pace."

They left Grutness Pier at 5pm, in the company of the historic fishing vessel Pilot Us, which had been provided by Shetland Museum as a support vessel.

As they set off CATS appeal chairman Peter Malcolmson praised the Burra rowers, as well as the whole community, for their ongoing support towards the efforts.

He said: "This is community action in action. The community here wants to raise money for a CAT scanner here in Shetland, because it is a piece of medical equipment that is badly needed.

"That's the kind of support we are getting, from young men from Burra who are going to row all the way from Shetland to Orkney. I am immensely proud of them, and I think the whole community is proud of them. It will raise the profile of this campaign enormously."

Once the CAT scanner is in place at the Gilbert Bain Hospital, it is hoped that Orcadians will also benefit from the facility.