Four lorry loads of old nets from Shetland’s pelagic fleet have been donated to a charity that helps to improve the lives of poor people around the world.
Retired Fraserburgh skipper Willie Whyte recycles the nets and donates all the proceeds through the Oor Bairns Charitable Trust to different projects, including the donation of ultrasound scanners to Uganda last year.
The consignment was picked up by his son Will, skipper of the Grateful, when she landed mackerel in Shetland recently.
The local fleet has supported the Oor Bairns initiative for many years.
‘The Shetland skippers have always been good giving us their old nets, so thanks once again to them,’ William Whyte Sr said.
‘Will and the boys picked them up when they were in Lerwick and now I’m at work getting them recycled. Oor Bairns has been going for twenty years and we’ve raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for good causes. It helps to keep me active in my retirement while making a big difference to the lives of people who have nothing.’
‘The local fleet has always been a strong supporter of good causes, local, national and international, and we’re glad to have been able to support Willie and his work,’ said Sheila Keith of the Shetland Fishermen’s Association.
