Cathedral to be lit red in remembrance

St Magnus Cathedral will be lighting up red on Wednesday, November 11 to help raise awareness of the annual Scottish Poppy Appeal.

The cathedral will be among a host of Scotland’s most famous landmarks taking part in the “Light up Red” campaign.

A Poppyscotland spokesman said: “2020 has been a difficult year so it is fantastic to see Scotland lighting up red once again for the Scottish Poppy Appeal with so many areas showing their support, including Orkney.

“The 2020 Scottish Poppy Appeal is in an emergency situation, with thousands of our volunteers being forced to stay at home due to the ongoing pandemic. This comes at a time when demand on our services is increasing rapidly.

“We are eternally grateful to those who continue to show their support and we hope that when people see a wonderful iconic building like St Magnus Cathedral glowing red in remembrance they will think about the many ways they, too, can go the extra mile in support for this year’s Poppy Appeal.

“Never more so in these challenging times, are we grateful for every penny given to allow us to offer life-changing support whether to veterans, or serving men and women, and their families.

“The usual methods for collections have had to change this year, but the appeal want to ensure that everyone can still get their poppy, so they have developed a “Remembrance Poppy” poster that is available from our website for display in people’s homes.

“There is also a “Virtual Field of Remembrance” where you can add your personal tribute. We are also appealing for the public’s help and asking them to donate differently this year, and to visit our website for more information on how to do this.”

The cathedral is managed by Orkney Islands Council on behalf of the people of Orkney.

The council’s chairwoman of education, leisure and housing committee, Councillor Gwenda Shearer, said: “The cathedral has provided a central place of remembrance for many years and despite all that we have faced this year, the symbolic lighting of the cathedral reminds us to stop and pay respect to those who fell for our safety and freedom.”