SHETLAND MSP Tavish Scott came to the rescue of his local island fire festival when he stepped into the breach to lead the event.
The Up Helly Aa committee on the island of Bressay on Friday night had been thrown into uncertainty when the Guizer Jarl who leads the festival pulled out.
They asked Mr Scott, who lives and farms sheep on the island, if he could help out and the Liberal Democrat agreed.
The 48-year-old MSP donned his Viking regalia and stepped out as Hans Siggurdsson, a 14th century Norseman with connections to Bressay and neighbouring Noss.
Normally the Jarl Squad has a special outfit designed and made over several months, but with such short notice Mr Scott and the festival committee only managed to organise woollen kirtles for his men.
As a result the 20 warriors in his squad formed a motley crew with a wide variety of different designs on their shields, helmets and axes.
Ever the politician, Mr Scott managed to put a positive spin on the mismatched regalia, claiming it was a truer representation of a Viking raiding party.
"It's more authentic this way," he insisted. "If a Viking army was going into battle everyone would be dressed differently, wouldn't they?"
The Bressay fire festival proved a resounding success for all involved at a time when the island is facing a tough future after its primary school closed last year.
"This is a big occasion and hopefully it will reinvigorate the island to take on the wider challenges in the spring," he said.
"Our island communities are important, and in some ways Bressay is the most disadvantaged of them all because it is so close to Lerwick and gets taken for granted."
The main Up Helly Aa festival is held in Lerwick at the end of January, but there are smaller events across Scotland for around six weeks afterwards.
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