Action plan to protect North Ronaldsay sheep dyke

Steps are being taken to protect and rebuild North Ronaldsay’s sheep dyke.

Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) — one of the Prince of Wales’ not-for-profit organisations — is bringing together public and private sector interests to tackle the deterioration of a historic dyke.

The 13-mile-long dyke, which dates from the 1830s, keeps North Ronaldsay’s seaweed-eating sheep on the foreshore. It has suffered badly in recent years, with storms in December 2012 leading to what was described as the “worst damage in living memory”.

The dyke has always been maintained by the islanders, but according to the SBC: “The number of residents on North Ronaldsay has fallen from 500 to just 48, an insufficient number to provide the skills necessary to maintain the dyke, which is now needing urgent repair after storm damage in recent years.”

As a result, the SBC is leading a working group to consider potential solutions to the problem.

Potential solutions being considered include skills based volunteering, local training and employment opportunities in traditional skills, and further promotion of the North Ronaldsay brand — creating better routes to market for the island’s mutton and wool.

The next meeting of the short-life working group will take place this month.