Royal Presentation

28 September 2014

We're so pleased that Shetland College UHI chose our scarves to be presented as a gift to Her Royal Highness Princess Anne when she opened the College's impressive new extension recently.  The scarves were presented by two of the year's top students.

 

Our Fern Moonlight scarf was presented to the Princess by Leah Setrice, one of the top students of the year.



Student Julie Dennison presents our Rose Tile Cowl to Princess Anne. Julie won a Creative Industries Award at the graduations which were held on the same day.

Photos by Ben Mullay, courtesy of the University of the Highlands and Islands

The Princess opened the new £4.5 million extension which includes a new library and computer suite, internet cafe and construction department.  Besides providing extra space for new and existing courses, the extension project has re-modelled the College environment to integrate existing buildings and promote a sense of community across the many subject areas.

The College is planning to develop new courses in topics including renewable energy, decommissioning and oil and gas engineering, which will extend its already wide range of courses in subjects including including art, music, archaeology, construction management and business administration. Several of the courses are available to Honours level.

The BA (Hons) in Contemporary Textiles attracts talented students from throughout Shetland and across the UK.  Many of the high-calibre graduates proceed to set up creative businesses.  Shetland textiles are held in high regard worldwide as luxury products and the expertise, teaching and facilities at the College support much of the current innovation and growth in the local industry.

Before the opening the Princess and invited visitors were led by Acting Principal Irene Peterson and chairman of the Shetland College Board, Peter Campbell on a tour of the College, where she spoke with several of the staff and students.  As part of her tour of the Textiles Department the Princess visited the Textile Facilitation Unit where our scarves are made, and she spoke with Eric Stewart who oversees production, and Roisin McAtamney who has recently begun work there. The Unit facilitates development and production of designs by students on the BA in Contemporary Textiles course, introducing them to the practical considerations involved in bringing designs into production; it also produces knitwear for local businesses such as ourselves. This Unit is a working partnership between the Shetland College and the local knitwear industry and is an inspiring and successful example of a strategic collaboration between education and industry.  

The Princess also attended the Shetland College UHI graduation ceremony and the University of the Highlands and Islands Foundation Day.


Photos by Ben Mullay, courtesy of the University of the Highlands and Islands

 

Links

Account of the royal opening in The Shetland Times

Courses available at Shetland college

Our blog article detailing the making of our scarves at the College's high quality Textile Facilitation Unit