Whit’s on this weekend?

Fundraising Gig

November 16, 2019 8:00 pm

A FUNDRAISER to help buy Stromness man Alex Fender a new wheelchair will bring three bands to the stage in Stromness, this Saturday night.

Burray Blues Club, Bryttania and Rocker will be playing at the Royal Hotel from 8pm, in a gig organised by Orkney Live Wire.

Alex has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and relies on his wheelchair to lead an independent life.

His present chair has been used every day since he got it seven years ago, and now requires constant maintenance, which is limiting his independence and causing safety issues.

Orkney Live Wire’s Kristian Cooper said: “We heard about the fundraising efforts by Alex’s family and friends, and immediately wanted to help out in some way.

“Alex is a stalwart supporter of live music in Orkney, so we felt it should give something back in some way.

“During the Orkney Rock Festival we put a collection bucket around the Motorhoose on Sunday evening, and raised a fantastic £450, so we hope to add to that on Saturday night to top up the fund and also show everyone a good time while doing it.

“Alex’s ‘lust for life’ is infectious — we can all learn a lot from his outlook. “

Despite his mobility issues, he is always up for getting out and socialising and he still makes it to the mosh pit, especially for for the loudest bands!

“Come along, enjoy the music, and buy some raffle tickets!”

Christmas Fairs

November 16, 2019

‘Tis the season for a handcrafted bargain, as Orkney shoppers are gifted with a selection of fantastic festive fairs.

This Saturday, Orkney Arts and Crafts is returning for a second year at Kirkwall Grammar School.

Last year, the event was hailed as a huge success, with 60 local arts and crafts people setting up their produce for people to buy. Eight local charities were also invited and £800 was donated to them from the raffle.

This year, the group decided to go “big,” and it has extended the KGS booking to include the dance studio. Over 90 stalls are going to be set up on the day.

There will also be an array of raffle prizes — the proceeds of which will be donated to charity. The stalls were snapped up quickly following last year’s success, and creatives are looking forward to the day.

To complement the event, the Rotary Club will bring Santa’s sledge, Orkney Youth Café will run a café and there will be some stalls for the children.

Meanwhile, Sunday will bring the Holm Craft Fair. There will be jewellery, gifts, ornaments and more at Holm Community Centre, 10am until 4pm.

For Orkney-made glass designs, why not check out Carrie Paxton’s Christmas Preview this Friday (6-8pm), Saturday (2-5pm) and Sunday (2-5pm)  at Ingaskeldt Studio, Quoydandy Loan, Kirkwall.

'Tis the Season

November 16, 2019

An exhibition of work by the children from  St Margaret’s Hope Primary School will be opening, this weekend, at The Loft Gallery.

‘Tis the Season will be on show for the next month, with proceeds from cards going towards school funds and the Every Child deserves a Christmas fund.

Japanese Drumming Workshops

November 16, 2019

After entertaining audiences during Japanese Children’s Day celebrations in May, the Tsuchigumo Daiko drummers have returned to Orkney this week.

The group will be conducting two days of drumming workshops.

Today, Friday, there has been a full day of workshops for pupils and staff at KGS. On Saturday, the public are invited to two workshops — one for all ages and abilities, and a second aimed at members of Orkney’s music community.

To find out more, you can visit the Orkney Japan Association Facebook page.

Film Focus Festival

November 16, 2019

There is just one week left to catch some exciting, heartbreaking and humorous film screenings at this year’s Film Focus Festival.

The festival, which has been lighting up cinema screens across Orkney throughout November, comes to an end next Saturday, November 23. But fear not, if you haven’t managed to get to one of the screenings yet, there’s still plenty to see.

Here are just a few of this weekend’s film highlights.

A powerful film exploring issues surrounding mental health, Connect, will be screening at the Pickaquoy Cinema tonight. It will be followed by a Q&A with its writer/director, Marilyn Edmond.

The Pickaquoy Cinema will also be holding a Mini Anime Festival over Saturday and Sunday with two well known films, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Ghost In The Shell screening.

If you are in and around Stromness, The Pier Arts Centre will be screening two films celebrating Scottish filmmakers this Saturday. There and then and never again is an afternoon screening of new short films from international talents and Scotland-based artists and filmmakers that celebrate the legacy of Orkney filmmaker, Margaret Tait. In the evening, The turning light, will showcase new work by artists and filmmakers currently undertaking practice-based PhDs at Scottish universities.

Portable cinema, the Screen Machine, will be in Westray for the weekend showing a selection of blockbuster hits.

There will be plenty more films going on over the weekend. For more information visit: www.film-focus.org