St Magnus Cathedral welcomes first work experience student

A Stronsay Junior High School pupil has had a “divine” experience as St Magnus Cathedral’s first ever work placement student.

Although having no previous knowledge of the cathedral or direct interest in history, S4 student Lilly says she came away with a new-found respect for the building and its story.

She said: “History is not really my thing, but I really enjoyed my time spent at the cathedral. Going up into the upper levels was really cool. I didn’t really know anything about the cathedral before, but I was told lots of stories and now know quite a bit.

“In the past I would just walk past it and think it’s a big building but now I know the history of it and how old it is. I learned about St Magnus and his nephew.”

Visitor Services Assistant, Annie Thuesen, said: “We managed to put together a programme that both gave some background understanding of the building, let Lilly take part in our day-to-day custodian tasks and gave her time to carry out independent research on an aspect of the cathedral of her own choosing.”

Lilly chose to delve into the history and symbolism of the West Window, Crear McCartney’s beautiful stained-glass window over the main cathedral entrance.

Although Lilly was the first work experience placement at the cathedral, she may not be the last, according to Visitor Services Officer, Fran Hollinrake: “Having Lilly with us was a very positive experience, and we will certainly be open to taking on more work experience students in the future, if the schools feel they have pupils that may benefit from it.”