HazeyJane

I totally disagree with the original post. My Mother and I were in Fjara Cafe today at the exact same time as the complainer and had 2 bowls of sweet potato, pepper and coconut soup. It came with 2 large slices of home made bacon and cheese bread. In fact, this is probably the 6th time I have beento the Cafe since it opened. Yes, there have been teething troubles, as there is with any new business, but the staff are polite, apologetic and very quick to rectify the situation. It's no wonde, as they have been inundated since it opened. The service is much faster than many other establishments in Lerwick, the seating is comfortable, there is free wifi, excellent views and it is always busy. Mareel's Cafe should take note!

I agree with this and Staney Dale's post about Mareel bringing out the worst in folk - some really do seem determined to spread nonsense about it. Facebook seems to be the worst - lots of folk directly blaming Mareel for everything wrong in Shetland with one line posts - school closures, reductions in gritting, ferry timetable reductions and the closure of Freefield seem to be the favourites just now. At least on here there's a reasoned debate going on. And I didn't see spending on the new SIC offices, Sumburgh Lighthouse refurbishments, lack of Bressay Bridge, no AHS, HIAL runway, non functioning Sullom Tugs, revenue spending on the Museum and Leisure Centres etc etc coming under fire on Facebook. Just Mareel. Don't forget the "Dave Clark" fiasco! These are the things people should be getting angry about. There has been millions spent on the empty spaces where there should be a School, Bridge etc but with Mareel you actually have an excellent fully functioning building. Young people actually have something to do at nights. For the record, I think the SIC should have given the money to the Country Halls and I don't think they should be closing Freefield and the gritting cutbacks are just ridiculous and will only cost more as time goes on. The Council need to be cutting their administration costs from the top and NOT vital services. I just wish everyone would stop blaming Mareel for everything, it is getting really boring and also quite worrying how people in Shetland are becoming so spiteful and hate filled. Is that really what Shetland is about now? I was in Mareel the other day buying tickets for the Aiden Moffat / Bill Wells concert and two English women appeared at the counter after seeing a film, I presume, and one of them proceeded to speak extremely loudly about what she thought was wrong with Mareel (this was right in front of the young boy who was serving me). She complained that the ticket prices were too low and the place was far too big then she actually said "I didn't sanction the building of this place". I feel sorry for the staff at Mareel who are doing a really job but are faced with this type of vitriol on a daily basis. I can remember the days of sitting in the North Star Cinema, dressed for the North Pole, freezing due to the hole in the roof, watching a rubbish B movie that I still haven't heard of to this day!! So, everyone, please separate the Country Halls / Mareel issue, give Mareel a chance, it is here now and be grateful for what we have!

I saw the film "SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN" at Mareel last Wednesday night and would urge anyone who loves music especially singer songwriters like Bob Dylan, Nick Drake or Leonard Cohen to go and see it when it shows again on Sunday night. I won't say too much about it as that may ruin the experience for you but I left the cinema fascinated and immediately went home and ordered up the albums featured in the film. If fact, everyone should go and see the film, it was absolutely brilliant!! With regards to the previous person's post about Mareel only appealing to the arty and music crowd - what a load of rubbish!! I am really fed up with all the moaning about Mareel. Music and films are "The Arts". I don't play an instrument but love music and think that the variety and quality of Musicians, Bands and films has been second to none. Maybe, if people went to a concert or event that they would not normally go to, they would be surprised by the quality of the music and enjoy it! Having said that, there is a lot on at the moment, at Mareel and other places, and people can't afford to go to everything. Yes, there has been some problems with Mareel but it's just opened and they seem to take comments on board and genuinely try to fix the mistakes. In fact, I didn't know it, but was incorrectly charged for some film tickets a few weeks ago I got an email a couple of days ago saying that this mistake had come to light and there was a voucher at reception for the amount I had been overcharged. Now that's pretty good customer service!

You should contact Lifeskills Ltd in Market Street to arrange the test. You should apply for an ILA - that gives you £200 towards the cost of the CSCS training, test etc

I recommend a cup of Dr Stuart's Valerian Tea before going to bed. You can buy it from Healthcraft. It is known as the herbal valium but is non addictive and doesn't have any side effects. The only problem is it smells awful and doesn't taste that good either but I really does work.