New lease of life for Eday Heritage & Visitor Centre

Getting into gear was the recently reopened Eday Heritage & Visitor Centre, who welcomed members of the Orkney and Caithness Vintage Clubs through its doors at the weekend. (Saturday 25 May) 

Members enjoyed a pit stop to celebrate the occasion and were able to view the centre’s new displays and interpretation panels thanks to funding from the North Isles Landscape Partnership Scheme, the Council’s Community Development Fund, Eday Community Council, Eday Partnership and the Heritage Centre’s own funds. 

The attraction, located in a beautifully restored Baptist church, first opened in 2008 and holds a huge array of documents, photographs, artefacts and information about life in Eday. 

The series of new panels and displays have been created thanks to designer, Rhona Jenkins and Gail Drinkall, heritage specialist.  

Katie Lockwood, who works part time at the Heritage Centre said: “The idea was to build on what’s already here, the new panels and displays pick out key themes and interesting aspects of Eday’s past and present.” 

It’s been all hands-on deck to ready the building for re-opening, unpacking items and ensuring everything is in place. 

Katie added: “We’re delighted to be up and running and able to welcome visitors again. We look forward to seeing lots of people using the centre this summer; it’ll be open daily 09.30 -15.30 until the end of September.” 

Events and activities will be delivered at the centre over the summer months for residents and visitors to enjoy. 

Katie said: “We’re a small island community and we’re keen to get more people involved in the heritage centre to ensure that it can continue to offer a great visitor experience, but also be a useful resource for islanders too. We’d love to see more people using the centre whether that’s to do your own research or take part in talks, workshops and events here.”  

Valerie Dawson from the North Isles Landscape Partnership said: “We’re thrilled to see the Eday Heritage & Visitor Centre with a new lease of life. The new panels give a great starting point for the heritage group to build on in the future and we’re looking forward to working with Katie over the next few months to develop some events and activities.” 

Vice-Chair of the Council’s Development and Infrastructure Committee, North Isles Councillor Mellissa Thomson, said: “I’ve been involved in the Eday Heritage and Visitor Centre for a very long time, so it was a pleasure to be at the reopening event and see the efforts of the community in giving the facility a renewed lease of life. 

“As well as a fantastic community space, it’s a hub for information on life in Eday and an important facility for those wanting to trace their family history, ancestry and genealogy. I hope residents and visitors will continue to support the centre and ensure it has a successful future for generations to come.” 

A community Polycrub/growing project is also underway at the Heritage Centre and an opening event is planned for Saturday 22 June. 

The North Isles Landscape Partnership Scheme is a £4.5m programme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, Orkney Islands Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and NatureScot. It supports projects that promote the culture, heritage and landscape of the North Isles and will run until December 2024.