Scapa Flow based drilling rig crews dig deep for charity

Orkney Harbours are delighted to have played a small part in the tremendous fundraising effort by the Stena Spey and Stena Don crews and the Stena Drilling team in raising a magnificent £10,000 for a local charity.

The crews have been based in Scapa over the past months, including over the festive period, so to raise their spirits they raised money through raffles, competitions, and onboard events.

The teams discussed which charities they would like to share this money with and chose those close to their hearts, one of which was NHS Orkney’s Hospital Adventures. A truly phenomenal donation of £8,000 was to be presented from the crews, then an incredible further donation was made by the Stena Drilling team taking the total to an enchanting £10,000!

The Hospital Adventures focuses on demystifying hospitals for children and families. The group which is headed up by Dr Tariro Gandiya has already helped so many local children and their families to understand what is going on with their loved ones, explaining things relevant to each age group and ensuring they are comfortable with asking questions and visiting the hospital.

Dr Gandiya expresses her gratitude: “It is an absolute honour to have received this donation from rigs which call Scapa Flow “home” for a while. This money will allow us to extend our reach, we will be able to impact more families and the community we are serving. We hope, in the future, we may begin to go into schools and expand our scope of work to ensure children and young people of all ages understand the role of hospitals and medicines to help them and their families.”

Marc Swinton, Rig Manager, Stena Spey commented: “The crews of the Stena Spey and Stena Don have had a fantastic relationship with the local community in Orkney since we arrived in 2018 and it’s a great pleasure to be able to give something to those in need in the local community.  The crews on the rigs have been very generous with their donations, along with the staff in Stena Drilling Aberdeen - all delighted to be able to support truly amazing charities.”

Erik Ronsberg, CEO of Stena Drilling said: “I’m very pleased that our staff on Stena Spey and Stena Don have managed to raise so much money for the charity.  We’re delighted to be able to give something back to the Orkney community who have made us so welcome.”

Davie Campbell, Chair of the Endowment Fund Sub Committee said: “We’d like to extend a huge thank you to the crews of both the Stena Don, Stena Spey and the generosity of Stena Drilling. To see such a donation come our way is a real testament to the hard work carried out by the whole team and all involved with the Hospital Adventures. As a member of the community, it’s our privilege to have the rigs in Scapa Flow and to see how generous they have been to the county, not just this year but the years before this too.”

Orkney Islands Council’s Head of Marine Services, Transportation and Harbour Master, Jim Buck, said: “We are proud to be able to offer Scapa Flow as a safe haven for all manner of vessels, including drilling rigs such as the Stena Spey and Stena Don but it is something quite special when those who come here do so with the intention of giving something back to the communities that warmly play host to them. We at Orkney Harbours and some of the local suppliers to the rigs were delighted to be able to offer up raffle prizes as part of their fundraiser and thanks to the generosity of the rig crews and management at Stena Drilling an outstanding amount of £10,000 will benefit many families in Orkney at a very difficult time in their lives. Our heartfelt thanks go to all those who played a part in bringing this ‘adventure’ to such a successful conclusion.”

Pictured are Ann Gregg NHS Orkney, Davie Campbell Chair of Endowment Sub Committee NHS Orkney, Linzi Mowatt NHS Orkney, Andrew Morrison Master/OIM of Stena Spey, Dr Tariro Gandiya NHS Orkney, Gerard Cowie Master/OIM of Stena Don and Jim Buck Harbour Master at OIC)