Farewell to charity anchor

October 5, 2017 at 10:31 am

The decorative anchor, which has been in place at Foreland Road, Kirkwall, since the beginning of July.

The decorative anchor on Kirkwall’s Foreland Road, designed especially for Orkney to mark 20 years of Friends of ANCHOR is due to be removed today, Thursday, ready to be shipped back to Aberdeen.

It’s one of 20 individually designed anchors that have punctuated the landscapes throughout North-east Scotland and the Northern Isles, in aid of the Unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary which provides care for cancer and haematology patients

All the sculptures are making their way back to Aberdeen in preparation for a final public showcase in Aberdeen’s Marischal Quad from October 16 to 28.

Orkney’s anchor was designed by artist Katie Guthrie, who wanted to do what she could do to support patients cared for by the ANCHOR Unit. Katie’s aim was to create a piece of work that would inspire and uplift.

The anchor was one of the first anchors to be sponsored and pre-purchased by a sponsor — Elaine and Willie Donald of Stonehaven-based company W. M. Donald Ltd, managed to visit their anchor during the summer.

Elaine said: “Friends of ANCHOR has played a vital role not only for our family but for many loved ones throughout the north-east as they continue to provide the best quality of care and support for those receiving a devastating cancer diagnosis. My dad sadly lost his battle with cancer; so as a family we know first-hand the support that the charity provides for patients. We wanted to give something back to the charity in our milestone year and I’m thrilled with what we have achieved.”

Orkney Islands Council and local civil and building contractors Andrew Sinclair Limited will again be on hand to help package the anchor and transport it to quayside where Northlink Ferries have donated their services to ensuring the voyage is completed successfully.

The final showcase ‘Anchors Aweigh’ will represent the conclusion of the campaign and raise awareness for ‘Dream Big’ — a fundraising appeal to pledge £1m to the University of Aberdeen’s ambitious £4.5m project to attract and recruit a world-class oncology research team to the North-east of Scotland.