orkney tourism awards 2023

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Finalists for the inaugural Orkney Tourism Awards have been announced this week by organisers, Destination Orkney.

The awards, funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Orkney Islands Council, cover 13 different categories - everything from the best newcomer to local tourism and the most innovative visitor experience, to the visitor attraction of the year and the best welcome to Orkney.

Accolades for green innovation and responsible tourism are also included, along with prizes for accommodation providers, retailers and employees.

Nominations for five of the award categories were made by members of Destination Orkney , while eight finalists have been chosen after voting by local people and visitors to Orkney over the last year.

Winners will be announced at a gala event being staged by Destination Orkney in Kirkwall’s St Magnus Centre, on Saturday 25 February.

Category winners will receive a special awards trophy - sponsored by NorthLink Ferries – with each one an original design by local artist Ruth D Brough of Orkney Inspired Art. In addition to being able to highlight their achievement in promotional material and on their websites, winners will be nominated by Destination Orkney for the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards and the Thistle Awards.

Destination Orkney’s destination manager, Ailsa Heal, said: “Firstly, a huge congratulations to all of our finalists and a big thanks to our sponsors, too. This is the first time we’ve run an awards scheme for our hard-working members who put so much effort into ensuring the experience for visitors to Orkney is second to none, and it’s been so encouraging to see such a positive response, both from Destination Orkney member businesses and the general public. We’re all really excited about this month’s event, which also gives our members the opportunity to relax and have some fun before the 2023 tourism season gets underway fully.

She added: “We hope the Orkney Tourism Awards will become a regular fixture in Orkney’s events calendar and also be viewed as a quality seal of approval by visitors to the islands.”

Cheryl Chapman, VisitScotland Orkney development manager, said: “It is great to see Orkney tourism businesses being celebrated for their innovation, best practice, collaboration and achievements. As a member of the judging panel for the member-nominated awards, I have been really impressed by the hard work, investment and creative approaches of businesses wanting to deliver great experiences to visitors. Well done to all those nominated, short-listed and to the worthy winners, who will go forward to the Highland and Islands Tourism Awards and Thistle Awards for further recognition.”

Orkney Tourism Awards 2022 Public Vote Shortlist

Winners of the five award categories nominated by Destination Orkney members will be revealed on the night.

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#Orkney Wildlife Tourism Business Wins Top Award

“I’m delighted to have won this Award, and I’d like to think that it reflects the importance of Orkney as a global nature destination as I get clients from all over the world.” – Steve Sankey, Orcadian Wildlife

Orkney based wildlife tour operator, Orcadian Wildlife, has won the prestigious Business for Nature Award at RSPB Scotland’s Nature of Scotland Awards 2023.

Orcadian Wildlife is a family wildlife tourism business founded in 2004 when its naturalist owner-operator, Steve Sankey, partnered with local Orkney businesses to build a small eco-tourism business with customer care and sustainability as its twin core attributes.

Based on South Ronaldsay, the business remains very much centered in Orkney, with a focus on Orkney’s wildlife and culture. Seabirds such as puffins and gannets, cetaceans like orcas and porpoises, and raptors such as hen harriers feature in their island-wide itineraries, along with the major archaeological sites. In recent years operations have expanded to include international destiations such as this Winter’s tours to Costa Rica and the Falkland Islands.

Steve Sankey, owner and founder of Orcadian Wildlife said:

“I’m delighted to have won this Award, and I’d like to think that it reflects the importance of Orkney as a global nature destination as I get clients from all over the world.”

“I’m delighted to have won this Award, and I’d like to think that it reflects the importance of Orkney as a global nature destination as I get clients from all over the world.

“I’d particularly like to thank my family, my wife, Sarah, and our son, Sami, for their huge support over the years. Sarah and I founded the business two decades ago, although it just seems like yesterday! Our son Sami has been an assistant tour guide in numerous locations around the world, and I couldn’t have made this journey without them.

“I’ve also enjoyed the company of hundreds of clients over the years, and won so many friends through the enjoyment of Orkney’s precious wildlife. I’m a bit overcome!”

Finalists gathered at the EICC on the 22 November to enjoy a night of celebration, hosted by zoologist, TV presenter and RSPB Ambassador Megan McCubbin, and TV presenter and nature enthusiast JJ Chalmers.

The awards ceremony, now in its 12th year and co-sponsored by NatureScot, celebrated finalists across 10 categories. Winners from nine of the categories were chosen by an esteemed judging panel, made up of Susan Davies, Chief Executive of the Scottish Seabird Centre Seabird, Francesca Osowska, Chief Executive at Nautrescot, Anne McCall, Director of RSPB Scotland and Sara Thiam, Chief Executive of SCDI.

Anne McCall, Director of RSPB Scotland said:

“All our winners this year should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved.

“Another year of the Nature of Scotland Awards has brought a growing group of hardworking, motivated and passionate people into the conservation spotlight, and I’d like to wish them all a huge congratulations.

“The annual awards night is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our successes here in Scotland, but the twelve months in between is where the real magic happens. Scotland’s nature and climate is in a better position because of all your amazing efforts, thank you.”

Professor Colin Galbraith, Chair of awards co-sponsor NatureScot, said:

“Now more than ever, Scotland’s nature needs champions with the ambitious ideas these award winners demonstrate.

“All of the individuals, communities, businesses and organisations nominated have inspired us this year, with their vital work to stop biodiversity loss and help us to move towards a nature-rich, net-zero future. Congratulations everyone.”

The 2023 Awards

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Categories: Local News

Tagged as: awards , environment , nature , Orcadian Widlife , Orkney , RSPB , Steve Sankey

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Tour Guide of the Year accolade at inaugural Orkney Tourism Awards

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Roy leading a tour group on site. (Jo Bourne)

Organised by Destination Orkney, 13 awards were presented on the night, with eight of the winners selected by a public vote over the past year.

During excavation season around 17,000 visitors make their way to the Ness, many of whom take advantage of the three free site tours each day .

The 11am and 1pm tours are led by the Ness of Brodgar’s Roy Towers and Sigurd Towrie, with the World Heritage Site rangers, Sandra, Elaine, Keith and Eleanor, taking the 3pm excursions.

The 2022 Orkney Tourism Awards.

Speaking after the ceremony, Ness of Brodgar site director Nick Card said: “I am delighted with the award and hope that you will all be able to experience our world class guides and visitor experience for yourselves.

“Our sincere thanks to all who voted for the Ness and we look forward to seeing you on site again this summer.”

The award-winners will now be put forward for the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards and the Thistle Awards later this year.

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59° NORTH – Winner of the inaugural Orkney Tourism Awards – Most Innovative Visitor Experience

Winners of the inaugural Orkney Tourism Awards were announced at a gala event held in Kirkwall at the weekend.

Organised by  Destination Orkney , the awards included categories for visitor attraction of the year, green innovation and the best welcome to the islands.

In total, 13 accolades were up for grabs on the night, with eight of the winners selected after public voting from local people and visitors to Orkney over the past year.

Orkney’s islands were well represented at the event with  Sanday -based pizzeria  59 Degrees North  named most ‘Innovative Visitor Experience’, and  Westray ’s  Saintear  bistro winning ‘Best Newcomer to Tourism’.

Other winners on the night included the  Ness of Brodgar  Trust,  Fernvalley Wildlife Centre , and  Skaill House Falconry , who each took home awards won through public votes.

Each successful business claimed a special trophy – sponsored by  NorthLink Ferries  – featuring an original design by local artist Ruth D Brough of Orkney Inspired Art, with each piece representing the  Ring of Brodgar , one of Orkney’s most famous archaeological sites.

Now the winners will be put forward by Destination Orkney for the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards and the Thistle Awards later this year.

Destination Orkney’s destination manager, Ailsa Heal, said: “Congratulations to all of our finalists and of course to our winners on the night. We wanted our inaugural awards to be a celebration of Orkney’s tourism industry and the people that work so hard providing an incredible welcome to the visitors that come here from around the world.

“We also wanted to give our members the chance to enjoy a fun evening together before the 2023 tourism season begins in earnest. We’re hopeful that our awards will become a bi-annual event and we can continue to highlight and support the work our talented members put in throughout the year.”

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Triple Recognition for Orkney attractions in Tripadvisor Awards

Date: 15 August 2023

Three of Orkney’s council-run cultural heritage attractions have been awarded a 2023 Traveller’s Choice Award by TripAdvisor.

The Orkney Museum, Scapa Flow Museum and St Magnus Cathedral have all been recognised in the awards, which celebrate attractions that have consistently received great reviews on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months.

The awards place the three sites amongst the top 10% of all listings on Tripadvisor globally.

The news follows recent recognition for Scapa Flow Museum which, earlier this year was selected as one of five finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023, the world’s largest museum prize – eventually losing out to the Burrell Collection in Glasgow.

The Orkney Museum tells the story of Orkney from prehistory to the present day. It is an excellent overview and introduction to the history of Orkney and its treasures. There is a large collection of old photos and activities to amuse younger visitors. The Museum’s collection is of national importance, hosting a recognised nationally significant archaeology collection and it has a changing temporary exhibition programme.

Scapa Flow Museum’s role is to chart Orkney’s military involvement in the First and Second World Wars and provide a safe home for a major collection of wartime artefacts, many of national and international importance. The newly re-developed museum helps share this story through the display of over 250 interesting artefacts and is also brought to life through interactive exhibits throughout the building.

St Magnus Cathedral was founded in 1137, and is of international significance as the most complete medieval cathedral in Scotland.  It is dedicated to St Magnus, Earl of Orkney in the 12th century, at a time when Orkney was part of the Kingdom of Norway. He was killed on the orders of his cousin and rival Hakon, and many miracles were reported after this death. In 1137 Magnus’s nephew Rognvald began construction of the ‘fine minster’ in honour of his saintly uncle; Magnus’s relics remain interred in a pillar of the choir.

Councillor Gwenda Shearer is the Chair of the Council’s Education, Leisure and Housing Committee.  She said: “What an incredible achievement for our tiny corner of the global tourism market.  To have not just one, but three, of the Council-run visitor attractions recognised in this way is just fantastic and down not only to the investment and care by this Council into these attractions, but the daily hard work of our on-the-ground teams in making the visitor experience the best it can be.”

John Boris, Chief Growth Officer at Tripadvisor, said: “Earning a Travellers’ Choice Award demonstrates that you have provided great experiences to those who matter most: your guests. With changing expectations, continued labour shortages, and rising costs, this is no easy feat, and I am continually impressed with the hospitality industry’s resilience and ability to adapt. Cheers to another successful year!”

Tripadvisor, is the world's largest travel guidance platform, and helps hundreds of millions of people each month become better travellers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travellers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before.

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The 2023 round-up blog!

With 2024 just around the corner, we'd like to share some stories on why 2023 has been such a great year for us. Read on to find out what we've been up to...

Orkney Tourism Awards

In March, we were lucky enough to win the title of 'Tourism Retailer of the Year' at the Orkney Tourism Awards! Thank you to everyone who voted for us and to Orkney's amazing retail industry, full of unique and independent businesses.

Malcolm Appleby's engraving course

Throughout the year, Sheila has been supporting and working closely with up-and-coming designer, Olivia Yorston, helping her turn her drawings and ideas into wearable pieces of jewellery. Sheila and Olivia were both delighted to attend an engraving course in March by world-renowned engraver, Malcolm Appleby.

Sheila had this to say:

"When I noticed Olivia had a very natural ability to engrave, I felt she would benefit from an engraving course with Malcolm. I had always admired his work, so when the opportunity arose to attend one of his masterclasses, we grabbed it! It was an interesting break from the norm for us both and we had a fantastic experience. We are excited to use our new engraving knowledge in future designs and have the ability to add even better details within our jewellery."

Read the full blog about their time on the course.

Meet the Designers

We held two 'Meet the Designer' events in 2023: one in our Edinburgh Gallery in Stockbridge and another in our  Glasgow Gallery  in Princes Square. Sheila loves spending time getting to know her customers and finding out their favourite collections. Pictured here with Sheila is Erica, one of our most experienced enamellers who has been with us for over 12 years now, demonstrating one of the many steps it takes to bring Sheila's stunning jewellery to life:

Celebrating 30 years of Sheila Fleet Jewellery!

Monday 9 October 2023 marked 30 years since Sheila established her own jewellery business in Orkney. With no sign of her slowing down, Sheila continues to design and launch new collections, including her two most recent designs: Sculpted by Time , based on a design from her college years, and Shells .

As part of our anniversary celebrations, a 20-minute film celebrating Sheila's life was created by local filmmaker, Mark Jenkins. From her childhood spent on a farm in Orkney, to becoming one of Scotland's best-known designers, this film gives a fantastic insight into Sheila's story.

New Collections!

Sheila's Sculpted by Time collection was launched to celebrate the 30-year milestone of Sheila Fleet Jewellery and has been adored by many of you since its release! The collection's bold, contemporary design was inspired by natural rock forms created by the gradual erosion of rock. This process was one of Sheila's passions while studying jewellery and sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art. Each piece within the Sculpted by Time collection is hand-set with a moonstone in our Orkney workshop.

The Shells collection  was also launched in 2023, containing beautiful Mussel, Scallop, Oyster, Limpet and Groatie Buckie designs. Sheila was inspired to create these designs by many happy days beachcombing along the shorelines of Orkney.

And Sheila hasn't just been designing jewellery! Discover her new range of Tote Bags , created in collaboration with local designer Kirsteen Stewart. These are available online and in our shops in Cosmos, Summer Meadow, Runic, Skyran and Storm designs.

Drawing & Printing Classes

Sheila has been enjoying some drawing and printing classes that were gifted to her by her employees as part of the company's 30-year anniversary. Through these locally-run courses, she has been reminiscing about times when she would draw people locally in the pubs with her late husband Rick. Taking the time to draw again for pure pleasure has brought Sheila immense joy and is something she hopes to continue. Watch this space!

Enhanced Shop Displays!

For those in Edinburgh, you may have noticed our recent Stockbridge Gallery makeover by Gloam! How stunning does this decoration look? (There's even more inside!)

Charitable Donations

Since 2014, we've been supporting local and national charities through donations from sales of Sheila's Daisies at Dawn , Diamond Daisies and Coloured Daisies collections. Recipients have included Orkney Charitable Trust and Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland. Throughout 2022 and 2023, we've been supporting MS Society Orkney and are delighted to announce that we have raised over £18,000 for the group!

Donations from Sheila's Bumblebee collection also helped support the important work done by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, with close to £6,000 raised by the end of March 2023.

We hope to continue helping both local and national charities close to our heart in the future.

Lots of Photoshoots!

It's been a very productive year of photoshoots, where we've had the chance to meet lots of lovely people along the way, and unexpectedly ending up in Mark Wick's fishing boat! Here's a few behind-the-scene images showing some of the jewellery pieces we've been busy photographing.

Looking forward to 2024

We're very excited for 2024 with a lot of projects planned. Keep up-to-date with the latest news by following us on social media and by  joining our mailing list .

We'd like to say a massive congratulations to Jodie Brown for winning the Orkney 2025 Island Games medal design competition. Jodie joined the Sheila Fleet team at the beginning of June after undertaking the Jewellery Arts and Technology course at City of Glasgow College. We look forward to working alongside Jodie and she's sure to get involved with the medal-making process, which Sheila Fleet Jewellery is sponsoring.

Thank you so much to all our amazing customers and supporters from over the years. We are very grateful to have such a great community and are looking forward to our future projects together. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2024!

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