Shetland.org

People

Over the last five to six thousand years, Shetland has become home to successive waves of immigrants, Pictish peoples being succeeded by Norse and Scots. Of today’s inhabitants, roughly a third were born outside the islands and a wide range of nationalities is represented. The islands have always welcomed temporary visitors, too, first as seafarers and more recently also as tourists.

All of this makes for a community that’s generally tolerant, welcoming and vibrant. Not long ago, when Britain’s Home Office sought to deport a young Thai man who had made his home here, the community rose up in his support. Thousands signed petitions, wrote letters and turned up at public meetings. He won the right to stay and the campaigners won a national award for their efforts. To understand this strength of community character, it’s important to remember that Shetland’s economy has not always been as buoyant as it is today. People recall the days, only half a century ago, when every departing ferry took a few more emigrants away, bound perhaps for Scotland, perhaps for New Zealand. Perhaps your ancestors were among them and, if so, you might want to contact the Shetland Family History Society.

Shetlanders welcome people who want to live here and contribute to our society in whatever way they can. By the same token, our young people have an intense curiosity about the wider world and they seem to be born explorers. Two Shetland schools participate in the Global Classroom that links students in Shetland with their contemporaries around the world.

Getting to know people isn’t hard in Shetland. There are only 22,000 of us, but we have a busy (some would say hectic) community life. There are clubs, societies and activities to suit just about any interest and they’re listed in our Community Directory. If you’ve lived here for a little while, there’s little hope of popping down to the local shop or supermarket for just a couple of minutes, because the chances are that you’ll meet two or three folk with whom you need to catch up.