Christmas Day will feel a little brighter again this year thanks to the volunteers who will cook and deliver hot festive meals to anyone who needs them.
The tradition, now entering its fourth year, has become a quiet act of kindness woven into the lives of people across Lerwick, Tingwall, Gulberwick, Scalloway and Burra.
It is run by familiar faces who give up their own Christmas morning to make sure others are not forgotten.
The meals will be cooked in the kitchen at Sound Primary School, where Head Cook Alison Beattie and Assistant Cook Brenda Moar will lead the team preparing traditional turkey dinners and desserts.
The work is supported by the Islands Cost of Living Crisis Fund, which allows the volunteers to focus entirely on the food and the delivery, knowing the funding is in place.
Last year close to one hundred people received a hot Christmas meal delivered to their door by volunteer drivers.
Another forty meals were provided through Food for the Way, the local church group that has become an anchor for many who struggle through winter.
The organisers say the most important step now is hearing from the community.
If you know someone who could use a festive meal this year, their details should be passed to the Council’s Children’s Services team on 01595 743841 by Monday 8 December
Councillor Catherine Hughson, Vice Chair of the Council’s Education and Families Committee, said the effort is one of the most meaningful examples of community spirit.
She said the volunteers made a real difference last year.
“My thanks go to all the volunteers who supported this last year, ensuring folk enjoyed a hot Christmas meal who may not otherwise have been able to,” she said.
She said she is pleased to see the tradition continue.
“I’m delighted this will continue again this year and would encourage anyone who knows someone in need to get in touch.”
The volunteers say the meals matter just as much for the knock on the door and the moment of conversation as they do for the food itself.
In the middle of winter, and in the middle of a cost of living crisis, a meal delivered with care carries more weight than ever.
It is one of the small, human gestures that remind people they are not on their own.
And on Christmas Day, that matters.
