Single donation point to make payments at iconic Orkney landmark easier
Moves are in hand to make life easier for visitors to St Magnus Cathedral to part with their hard-earned cash.
While it remains the most popular indoor attraction in Orkney, many tourists are discombobulated by the array of ten payment points.
They are provided by five different organisations seeking charity donations and selling guidebooks and souvenirs.
The need to simplify and streamline the payment regime was agreed at Tuesday’s meeting of the St Magnus Cathedral sub-committee of Orkney Islands Council.
Head of enterprise and economic growth Sweyn Johnston believed action is overdue.
Currently OIC operates two card donation points and three cash donation boxes.
The Society of the Friends of St Magnus Cathedral has two cash boxes for purchase of guidebooks, which double as donation points.
St Magnus Centre has a cash box while a further donation box is provided by the Church of Scotland for lighting electric candles.
Orkney Pilgrimage meanwhile operates a cash donation box and a QR code point to make donations for the upkeep of the St Magnus Way.
Mr Johnson said: “It’s fair to say these different payment options have evolved over time and that there’s probably room for improvements in terms of simplifying how that all happens.”
Mr Johnson believed the average visitor lacks an understanding of what it means “to put money in one box over another box.”
Many are cashless and find they cannot make any purchases, while others are confused when they cannot make a donation and a purchase in one transaction.
Kirkwall West and Orphir member Leslie Manson agreed the regime needs to be streamlined.
He supported the recommendation that all payments be made at a single point and the total is then split among the five organisations.
Councillor Manson said the dispersal would have to be done in a fair and transparent manner.
Mr Johnson said a large amount of historical data is held to ensure this was achieved.
He believed that a single payment point would make it simpler and less confusing for visitors and probably increase their total spend.
Les Donaldson, secretary of the Friends of St Magnus Cathedral group, made clear it supports the principle of the proposal.
He said the new regime should reflect the impact the introduction of OIC’s £5 suggested donation towards the upkeep of the cathedral has impacted on the income generated by the other organisations.
The sub-committee unanimously agreed to back the recommendation.
Members earlier heard the friends group has raised more than £1.75 million since it formed in 1958.
The cathedral attracted 203,383 visitors in 2025, down 17 per cent from the previous year, a trend in line with many other visitor attractions in the county.
Last year’s total also for the first time excluded turn-outs at services, weddings, funerals and paid concerts in the cathedral.
Numbers on guided upper-level and graveyard tours remained steady while ground floor tours and monthly ‘special theme’ tours were added. The cathedral also had 20 tours involving school pupils and college groups.