Eday Partnership

About Eday

Eday is located in the heart of the North Isles of Orkney, some 16 miles from Kirkwall, (1 hour 15 minutes by ferry). The Island is approximately 8 mile long by 2 miles wide with a population fluctuating between 120 -130. Topographically the Island landscape is very diverse ranging from sweeping sandy beaches and dunes to sheer cliffs, peat moors to productive farm land.

The main industry is agriculture. The main employment is with the local authority, fish farm and the Community Co-operative shop. Tourism is a small but important part of the Island economy.

There is a daily ro-ro ferry connecting to the mainland and a once weekly air service. We have a thriving community owned shop, post office, resident GP and an excellent primary school all of which provide a stable base to build on.

Our Vision

Our Vision for the future of Eday is to bring all the local organisations to work hand in hand together as 'Eday Partnership' whilst still respecting their own individual strengths and spheres of interest.

To create an economically prosperous self reliant community that is connected with the wider world that remains a safe clean environment, where we are proud to live, able to work, to bring up and educate our children and to fulfil our own hopes and ambitions.

About Eday Partnership

After the announcement of Eday's inclusion in the 'Initiative at the Edge' programme a Steering Group was formed to put together an organisation to carry forward a Development Plan for the Island. As a result, many meetings and several public consultations, it was decided the best way to carry forward any Development Plan was to draw together the existing organisations and agencies to harness their expertise and enthusiasm to drive forward the ideas contained in the Plan.

The Eday Partnership consists of 13 Directors, with 8 being elected from the Membership and 5 from properly constituted organisations already present on the Island, such as:-

. Eday Community Association

. Eday Community Council

. Eday Community Enterprises Ltd

. Eday Heritage Centre Association

. Eday Tourist Association

Eday Partnership is a membership based organisation and is to be a Company Limited by Guarantee with Charitable Status.

Strategies

To help us achieve our vision we will work together to:-

Attract inward investment by looking outside our Community to attract wealth, skills, enterprises, employment and resources. Seek training opportunities to develop the skills and experience of local people, business's and community enterprises.

. Take a stake by investing in land, buildings and enterprise.

. Influence others to ensure that funds, policies and programmes benefit our Island.

. Work in partnership with individuals and organisations in the public, private and charitable sectors.

. Networking. We are particularly keen to learn form and build links with other group or organisations carrying out similar projects at home and abroad.

. Securing and developing loan funding for business and community enterprises.

Economic Development

Our economy depends predominantly on agriculture and aqua culture and we need to diversify into other areas. Economic prosperity and a wide range of employment are critical to sustaining and growing our existing population and services.

.Creating Community owned workshops.

. Conduct a skills survey to establish what skills that we currently have and could develop into economically viable roles and what skills we lack and need to develop and import.

. Research what types of activity are most viable and profitable in a remote environment and how they might best be run, i.e., a marketing co-operative.

. Establish and develop recognised Eday products that are defined by local resources, skills and quality.

Advertise the 'Eday Brand'.

.Identify what roles might be out sourced to Eday from Kirkwall based agencies.

Community Facilities & Recreation

A wide range of community facilities are essential to maintain and enhance the quality of our life. We must ensure that we can cater for the welfare of all sectors of the community taking into account the makeup of our population, the topography of the Island and its remoteness. We plan to:-

.Conduct a community profile review to establish exactly who and where we are and what we need.

. Create a Service Point / information centre, tele-cottage. The unit will provide public service and business information and provide easy access to IT equipment for Islanders and visitors alike. This will bring the services to the people rather than the people to the services.

. Tidy up the Island and transform unsightly or unused land into Community areas, e.g., by planting trees and shrubs.

. Promote Island and inter-island activities.

. Encourage the Eday Craft Workshop to re-establish.

. Develop and showcase local crafts and produce.

. The 'Eday Website' will contain information on all local events, Island news, minutes of Eday Partnership meetings and all local information within.

Housing

Adequate quality housing to accommodate current and future demand is fundamental for the health and well-being for both the community and the economy. We hope to achieve this by:-

. Conducting a survey of current housing stock and availability of land and derelict houses for development.

. Providing an information bank with information from Crofters Commission, SERAD, Orkney Islands Council, Scottish Homes etc., on providing and improving the housing stock on the Island.

. Advertising 'for sale' and 'for rent' on the Eday website.

. Encouraging and helping source funding for improvements to be made to enable elderly or those with special needs to remain in their homes. If a need exists, encourage Orkney Housing Association etc., to provide sheltered accommodation on the Island.

. Creating a Community owned 'rent to buy' housing scheme.

. Researching innovative housing solutions to meet current planning criteria and the Islands requirements.

. Participating in local housing consultation and planning strategies.

Environment & Renewables

Eday's natural assets have allowed the Island to remain inhabited for many years. For life to continue here in the long term we must not over exploit or damage that environment on the one hand whilst at the same time we should try to use all aspects of it to our best advantage.

Potential projects and actions to ensure this are to;-

. Develop an environmental strategy that wil safeguard our environment for the future whilst allowing economic development.

. Identify and work with partners such as Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB, Orkney Islands Council, Orkney Enterprise, commercial players, academic and research institutes to develop policies and educational initiatives.

. Commission an environmental and archaeological audit to identify the strengths and areas that are at risk. Make results widely known and promote its features.

. Establish and develop recognised Eday products that are defined by local resources, skills and quality.

Advertise the 'Eday Brand'.

. Identify what roles might be out sourced to Eday from Kirkwall based agencies.

. Access informative advise and in formation to support business's through partners such as Orkney Enterprise, Orkney Islands Council, etc.

. Develop a local farmers market and aim to participate in the Kirkwall Farmers Market as an Island group / co-operative.

. Encourage 'direct selling' by cutting out the middle man therefore increasing profit for the producer.

. With so mush business being conducted online, we recognise the importance of online trading. We intend including this on the Eday website.

. Creation of a community loan fund scheme.

Infrastructure

Without the basic infrastructure of good communications, transport, postal services, health services, education provision, amenities our community would not thrive.

Eday Partnership needs to work alongside the outside authorities to ensure that the infrastructure meets present and future needs.

Suggested projects are to:-

. Review what services that we have, whether they meet our current needs, standards and legislation and whether they are optimally sited. This information will inform future developments.

. Ensure that our local health provision remains of the highest standard as possible.

. Take steps to retain the services of a resident doctor and ensure that the Island remains an attractive proposition for medical professionals to come to work and live.

. Work more closely with partners such as Orkney Islands Council, Orkney Enterprise, Orkney Ferries,

NHS Orkney, Orkney Housing Association, to make our needs and desires known and develop action plans.

. Work through the Isles Forum and Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Ferries for consideration to be given for improved services to be made to the North Isles.

. Look into improving transport links between our neighbouring Islands.

. Eday's dependency on hauliers from other Islands is an issue that may need addressing in the future.

. Encourage BT and Scottish Executive in the quest to provide Broadband to meet the current needs of many business's and attract new IT and information based business's to the Island.

Tourism

By developing our tourism on Eday, we aim to diversify the economy, create employment and increase the time visitors spend on the Island. At the same time we need to safeguard our way of life and the environment by careful management and a sound tourism strategy.

We need to develop a strategic plan that includes a clear identify or brand that can be marketed and

promoted to a clearly defined target audience. This will involve:-

. Researching target markets and how to reach them effectively.

. Creating a 'feedback' form to give to visitors. This will enable us to obtain high quality information, (from which we can make changes and recommendations).

. Distributing up-to-date information to potential visitors through effective distribution of leaflets and the creation of the 'Eday website'.

. Working with partners such as local farmers, Orkney Enterprise, Orkney Islands Council, Orkney Tourist Board, RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage and Voluntary Action Orkney amongst others to encourage tourism on Eday.

. Promote and enhance the provision of suitable accommodation, products and services.

. Identifying skills gaps and implementing a development plan to raise the standards amongst all the service providers.

. Identifying new opportunities, wildlife, archaeology, genealogy for tourism and make sure that we are equipped to give them support and encouragement.

. Provide the best experience for visitors by:-

. Improving signage throughout our Island but in a way that does not detract from the unspoilt nature of our environment.

. Developing nature walks and wildlife trails and improving access to key sites such as Doomy, Stephen's gate etc.

. Promote local history and record it for future generations.

Various things are already underway

ü The bringing together of five existing organisations and group in the Island under the auspices of the 'Eday Partnership'.

ü Eday's inclusion in 'Initiative at the Edge' from 1st April 2004.

ü The creation of the Draff Development Plan Newsletter and this Development Plan.

ü Obtained funding for the professional services of Alan Caldwell Associates from Orkney Enterprise.

ü The creation of the Eday Website and the training required for running the site.

ü Sourced Seedcorn funding from Eday Community Council for the setting up of the Development Trust.

ü Highlighted Eday's profile through the media.

ü Secured funding from Development Trust Association Scotland for research.

ü Networking and participated in Isles Forums and Orkney's Initiative at the Edge Group.

This pamphlet has been produced entirely on Eday, thereby keeping the Eday Pound on the Island.

Designed, produced and printed by Linda Brookes & Mellissa Thomson. Artwork by Linda Brookes.

Photographs from Linda Brookes, Hamish Thomson and Mark Cockram.

Large print and non-colour version available.

(Issue 1, presented on 19th November 2004)

Page Last Updated - 14 September 2005