Farewell to Stromness Shopping Week

Well the sun has shone, ice cream has been eaten, crabs caught, and doughnuts devoured - all the ingredients of a successful Stromness Shopping Week! Tomorrow is the final day of festivities, culminating in the fancy dress parade through the street to the Market Green ,where the prizes will be presented by the Shopping Week Queen.

But before the riot of colour, costumes, and caustic satire of the floats and fancy dress there is a day of heroic sporting activities to take part in (or in our case enjoy as a spectator). At 10.30 am there is the Holms Race when intrepid swimmers will brave the icy water, and the attentions of the remaining crabs from Wednesday's Crabbing Championship, to swim from the Holms back to the Pier. Then at 11am the Ferry Inn 10K Fun Run starts from the Pier Head, following a route around the town.

Trophies for the Holms Swim and 10K Fun Run, along with those won at Friday's Swimming Gala, will be presented by the Shopping Week Queen at 12.30 followed by the first ever outdoor competition for "Orkney's latest watersport craze" Canoe Bat Polo. Gosh we feel exhausted just thinking about all that activity!

We hope everyone enjoys themselves and the sun manages to hang around for the parade, or at least the rain which has made an appearance in previous years, stays away. As always we will be staying up way past our bedtime to watch the fireworks at 10:45pm, before saying farewell to another happy, fun-filled Shopping Week!

photo by Cecil Garson