‘Doors Open Days’ events to be held

This Saturday and Sunday will see Orkney’s biggest ever Doors Open Days event.

Doors Open Days is Scotland’s largest free cultural festival, celebrating the built environment and giving free access to around one thousand venues across Scotland throughout the weekends of September, every year.

It provides free access to sites of historic, cultural or community interest, increasing public appreciation and enjoyment of Scotland’s built heritage.

The event is co-ordinated by the Scottish Civic Trust, and supported by Historic Environment Scotland.

Last year, Orkney had two places participating in Orkney for Doors Open Days — the Fossil centre, and the Storytelling Centre. This year Orkney boasts seven venues — some of which are participating for the first time,

As far as local people are concerned, Doors Open Days is about getting into buildings for free and seeing things that you don’t often see. If buildings are usually charging an entrance fee they can take part by offering to open for free,

The event benefits the organisations or venues by attracting more visitors. It helps them by becoming more involved in the community, as a volunteer or a visitor, and enhancing appreciation of local architecture and local heritage.

The seven venues taking part in Orkney all have free entry. For their opening times see the Orkney Doors Open Day or visit the main Doors Open Day website. The local venues are:

• The Stromness Museum

• Fossil and Heritage Museum, Burray

• Deerness Distillery

• Orkney Museum, in Kirkwall

• Radio Orkney, in Kirkwall

• Kirkwall East Church

• The Orkney Wireless Museum