Pentland Hero

Just before Christmas 2008, a brand-new super-efficient catamaran vehicle ferry arrived in Orkney, the first f it's kind ever to operate in Scottish waters. She was MV Pentalina, the flagship of Pentland Ferries, a private company that had been in existence for little over a decade.

The story of the vision and tenacity of one man - Andrew Banks, a quietly spoken Orkney farmer's son - who, with a tiny team of trusted colleagues and without a penny of public funds, started operating a new, frequent, cheap, short sea crossing between Orkney and the Scottish Mainland. The enterprise has been developed in the face of predatory competition from a heavily subsidised state-owned ferry operator, a misguided and wasteful national ferry policy and a sustained campaign to undermine his efforts. Yet Pentalina's enormous and growing success is final proof that Andrew's grit and determination have paid off, showing what can be achieved in the face of fierce opposition and bureaucratic obstruction.