Otter Bank renovation donation

Orkney Islands Council’s Museums service has been gifted money towards the restoration of the Otter Bank – the boat used to provide a remote banking service to the North Isles in the 1960’s – by the Friends of the Orkney Boat Museum.

The donation of £3200 will be one of the final acts by the Friends before they wind down and re-emerge as two new organisations – the John Rae Society and the Orkney Historic Boat Society.

Andrew Appleby, chairman of the organisation said: “We are in the process of winding down the Friends and replacing it with these two new organisations, to reflect the importance and changing nature of both aspects of the Friends’ work and vision to date.

“The renovation of the Otter Bank was in large part carried out by members of the Friends and I am proud that one of our last acts is to hand over this donation to pay for some materials and specialist work employed on this well-loved boat.”

The Otter Bank – and around 20 other boats in the OIC’s collection – remain at Lyness and the efforts of the newly-created Orkney Historic Boat Society will be focussed on researching, protecting and restoring vessels, with efforts to restore the Hall of Clestrain falling under the John Rae Society’s aims.