We were very pleased with the way the Festival went. We organised eight events over four days, and using unusual and atmospheric venues, including the Old School Quoyloo, St Peter’s Church Sandwick, the cathedral, and the always-popular Betty’s Reading Room.

Our project was to publish selected works of much-loved Orcadian writer Bessie Skea (known as ‘Countrywoman’) during 2023, the centenary of her birth.

We very much wanted to run a summer school. It has not been possible to do this for three years. We understand how much our pupils benefit from weeklong intensive tuition and from the specialist input of guest tutors from Orkney and beyond.

The funding was to support Soulisquoy Young Associates (SYAs) to develop and deliver a project of their own devising that would appeal to children and young people 12-18 year olds. Their project involved heat press printing and applique to produce a set of individual banners and one large collaborative piece.

The event was a photographic exhibition of the building of the Churchill Barriers, which had never been viewed publicly before.