Stronsay group campaign to attract folk to the island

A community group on Stronsay, Orkney’s ‘island of bays’, has launched a campaign to attract more visitors and residents to the island.

The group has unveiled a new website, www.visitstronsay.com to provide tourists and potential new residents with a behind-the-scenes look at life on Stronsay, which has a population of around 300.

Dianne Riley-Moore, a member of the community group, retired to Stronsay seven years ago from London and opened a craft centre on the island, the Craftship Enterprise.

Dianne said: “We’ve invested in a new brand and website for Stronsay because we want our beautiful, wild island and its community to be sustainable and vibrant.

“Stronsay has one of the most diverse shorelines in the North Isles. We have unspoiled white beaches and dramatic cliffs, making the island a haven for walkers, families and wildlife watchers.

“Over the last few years we’ve improved facilities for tourists on the island, with more accommodation, places to eat and better way-marking. So we now have the facilities for more visitors to come and enjoy the island’s wild beauty.”

The push to attract more tourists is part of a larger project aimed at developing the island’s economy and encouraging more families to try island life for themselves.

She added: “We hope that by increasing tourism we will be able to create additional jobs on the island that will bring more residents, whether retirees or young families.

“We have a small, brilliantly equipped and resourced school, fantastic healthcare, a safe crime-free environment. The community is active and friendly, but everyone has the freedom to be as involved or as solitary as you please. It is a truly unique place to live.”

Stronsay currently attracts 600 visitors each year, who arrive on the regular ferry or by plane from Kirkwall. The community group hopes to double tourist numbers over the next three to five years and has already approached Visit Orkney, VisitScotland and Orkney Islands Council to seek support for the marketing campaign.

Local nurse Shirley Whiteman moved to the island from England in 2012 with her husband, Andy, and two sons, Dan and Sam, then aged 4 and 5.
Shirley said: “In June 2012 I responded to an advertisement for an island community nurse on the island of Stronsay in Orkney. Until then I hadn’t even heard of the place, although I had vaguely heard of Orkney.

“During the five years that we have lived here, our boys have grown and developed into confident and secure little people. The community is very protective of the children and it is a very safe environment to bring them up in.

“Andy and I feel very much part of a lovely, friendly and welcoming community and have no regrets at making this beautiful island paradise our new and forever home.”