A FORMER Haddington woman who is now based on a Scottish island with a population just one per cent of East Lothian will star in a BBC documentary.

The Rev Irene Charlton, originally from Fortune Avenue, moved to Whalsay, one of the islands of Shetland, in August 1997.

Since then, she has been the minister on the island.

Now, along with fellow minister the Rev David Cooper, she will star in BBC2 series An Island Parish, which follows the fortunes of the communities living in Shetland, which is about 100 miles north of the Scottish mainland.

She told the Courier: “I received a call about two days after my husband, Richard’s, funeral last year.

“I got a call from Tiger Aspect Productions saying they were looking for ministers to follow for another series of An Island Parish.

“I knew the show and my husband particularly liked it.

“Everybody had just gone after the funeral and I was not quite sure what I would do with myself.

“As a distraction, I said to Tiger Aspect Productions to come along and I took a man out and about, showing him the parish and forgetting how sad I was.

“I never thought any more about it until I got a call about six or eight weeks ago.

“They had liked the filming I did and wanted to commission the show.” The show first aired on BBC2 in 2007, following the lives of residents of the Church of England parish on the Isles of Scilly.

Since then, series have looked at other islands, including Barra, in the Outer Hebrides.

Filming has already started in Shetland, with the show due to air next year.

Mrs Charlton, who studied at Knox Academy before attending Aberdeen University, was enjoying the experience, having previously worked alongside Grampian Television.

Whalsay is about five square miles in size, with a population of slightly over 1,000.

She added: “It is like what Haddington was like when I was a child.

“I still come back to Haddington and my dad, Tommy Wark, still lives in the town.

“It’s not the same place as my childhood; it is bigger and not so friendly as it used to be.

“As a child, I could go to Mr Rennie and get sweeties and I have memories but Haddington is nothing like that now.

“Here still has that community feel where if you go into a shop you are spoken to.” The chance to move to the island, which is to the east of the Shetland mainland, came about after meeting with the Very Rev John Chalmers, whose term as Moderator has just ended.

Mrs Charlton and her husband visited the island and “loved it” before moving to set up home.

Mrs Charlton has no plans to retire just yet but added that when that day comes she will continue to live on Whalsay.

The 62-year-old added: “I miss the convenience of Haddington and being able to do things like go to the theatre.

“I used to go into Edinburgh to see shows and I had the same opportunity when I lived in Aberdeen. That’s the one thing I miss: you just do not get the same access to the theatre and things, but the compensating factors more than make up for it.”