7 May, 2008

SHETLAND councillors who have to vote on Allison Duncan's notice of motion on Mareel next week should make sure they attend the Shetland Arts briefing this week, which will give them all the latest information on the project. Councillors should base their decisions on fact, not hearsay and certainly not the misleading information peddled by Mareel doubters

Since the last elections, everything this council has touched seems to have been entirely negative. Reviews, re-examinations, re-visitations and revisions seem to be all we have had so far.

Let's have something positive for a change, something tangible, creative and meaningful. Successive councils have approved and supported Mareel going back over 20 years. With building work scheduled to start within weeks, today's councillors have the opportunity to finally make Mareel a reality,

Councillors with an eye to the future, and to growing the creative economy, should be voting to continue support for Mareel. It is one of the best and most positive investments into Shetland's creative future they could possibly make. Their children and their grandchildren and all the creative children of our future generations will thank them for it.

Leslie Lowes
leslielowes@supanet.com