Cooke Scotland is delighted to sponsor the Tall Ships 2023 event in Shetland.
As host port supporters, alongside Scottish Sea Farms and sector trade body Salmon Scotland, we look forward to welcoming the crews to Lerwick from 26-29 July.
The four-day Tall Ships event offers a welcome street parade, food stalls, live music and lots more, bringing the community together for fun-filled family days out.
The financial support will help the Tall Ships committee host the numerous events on offer for the 3rd Tall Ships to take place in the isles.
Colin Blair, Managing Director at Cooke Scotland, said: “We are delighted to support this fantastic event which strengthens the ties of our international friendships.
“Cooke is a major employer across Shetland and we are deeply committed to the communities we call home. We have seawater sites around the west coast of the mainland as well as off the coast of Unst and Yell. We also operate several freshwater sites in Unst.
“We hope everyone enjoys the sight of the impressive vessels returning to Lerwick and the onshore events.”
The Tall Ships races offer hundreds of young people aged 15 to 25 the opportunity to become sail trainees and sail aboard the ships as the fleet sails between Den Helder (Netherlands), Hartlepool (England), Fredrickstad (Norway), Lerwick (Shetland Isles, Scotland) and Arendal (Norway). This development of young people is key to the Cooke Scotland values, bettering individuals and communities.
Shetland Tall Ships chairman, Malcolm Bell, said: “We are very pleased to have the support of the salmon industry as Host Port Associates for the return of the Tall Ships races.
“The local aquaculture industry is important to our local community and economy and its involvement in this significant maritime event is very welcome.
“I’d like to thank Cooke Scotland, Salmon Scotland and Scottish Sea Farms very much for its generous contribution.”
Cooke Scotland has supported training on the Shetland Sail Training vessel, The Swan, for a number of years. Built as a Fifie herring drifter in Lerwick in 1900, the Swan was one of the vast fleet of wooden vessels fishing for herring in the early 20th century.
Since 1995 the restored Swan has participated in numerous Tall Ships Races and traditional boat festivals, including Nordic Sail, and is well known amongst fellow sail trainees.
Supporting the Community
Cooke Scotland has more than 40 seawater sites located in Orkney and Shetland, the fast-flowing waters surrounding the isles are the perfect place to grow our exceptional Scottish salmon.
As an intrinsic element of the coastal and rural communities in which we live and work we are delighted to support a variety of local-led events, activities, and community projects that reflect our corporate values as well as those of our teams.