About Orkney Today

Orkney Today is a weekly community-based newspaper serving the islands of Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland. When launched by TV's 'Big Brother 4' winner, Orcadian Cameron Stout in October 2003, it introduced competition into the weekly newspaper market in the islands for the first time in 42 years, since the demise of the Orkney Herald in 1961.

Since then, Orkney Today has gone on to effectively make its mark on island life, providing full coverage of key issues and events in its geographically diverse patch in a recognizably different style to the other island weekly, The Orcadian, established 1854. The new weekly has also attained several awards and in the early days was recorded as being the fastest growing regional weekly newspaper in Scotland.

Starting in small premises in Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney Today soon moved – in December 2003 – to more spacious offices at Kiln Corner, Kirkwall. Since then it has installed a state-of-the-art newspaper publishing system, and also developed its second 'product' – the Orkney Today website, providing Orkney news worldwide as it happens.

Orkney Today actively encourages contributions from young and old alike, through sections such as 'School News', 'Orkney Yesterday', and the highly popular 'Marine Scene'. Regular contributors include: Ann Cormack, Les Cowan, Andrew Appleby, 'I Venus' and Ruth Anthea Emslie

Two pages of farming news each week; a monthly Orkney Crossword by Ann and Alistair Cormack; regular profiles of Orkney characters; the satirical column 'Cast Yow's View From Ward Hill'; plus columns on the activities of Orkney Island Council and NHS Orkney, add up to what readers have voted a winning product.

Orkney Today has gained several awards over the years; with chief reporter Robert Leslie picking up the 'Sports Writer of the Year 2003', at the Highlands and Islands Media Awards just months after the paper began. However, photographer Ken Amer has been most prolific winner. Ken became 'Local Photographer of the Year' at the 2007 Scottish Press Photography Awards. He was also 'Local Newspaper Photographer of the Year' in 2007 at the Highlands and Islands Media Awards, having been runner up in 2004 and 2005. On the campaigning front, Orkney Today was responsible for initiating the Orkney Citizen of the Year Awards, which has now become an established event on the local calendar to honour those who served the islands especially well in the past 12 months. The ceremony includes an Unsung Hero award for someone who has worked tirelessly for the community without asking for anything in return.

Orkney Today reporter Craig Taylor also organised the Orkney 'Buy-a-Boat' Appeal, which ran for 12 weeks at the end of 2005 – up to the first anniversary of the tsunami of Boxing Day 2004. The appeal raised an amazing £11,000 to help fellow islanders – the fishermen of Sri Lanka, who were badly hit by the devastating natural disaster.

And in 2006, the newspaper launched its very own version of popular TV series 'Celebrity Fit Club', called 'Orkney Today Fit Club'. This campaign followed the progress of 12 local volunteers as they adopted a healthier diet and fitness regime.

With such news coverage, features and campaigns, the experienced reporting, advertising, and production team at Orkney Today maintains its aim of 'Putting Orkney First' – every week.

The Orkney Today Team

Catherine Turnbull
Editor
catherine@orkneytoday.co.uk

Catherine switched from a career in psychiatric nursing to newspaper journalism in 1990 and has never looked back. As a rookie reporter she spent five years uncovering stories around the harbour side in Weymouth, for the Dorset Evening Echo, a great patch in which she broke stories about coastguards, fishermen, Royal Navy manoeuvres, search and rescue, D-Day war veterans, and tall ships. The court was also on the harbour so there was no shortage of material. During her time in Dorset she also gained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism at Bournemouth University and her professional journalism qualification.

In 1995 she moved to the landlocked Cotswolds as Gloucestershire reporter for the regional Western Daily Press where she juggled news writing with features about the homes and gardens of local celebrities.

Preferring a less glamorous lifestyle she became news editor of the weekly Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard in Cirencester (affectionately nicknamed the Hedger and Ditcher). In 2002 her career took her to the urban delights of town where she was news editor and later features editor of the Swindon Advertiser. Her last post before moving to Orkney Today was as editor of the Gloucestershire Gazette Series in the south Cotswolds.

After many holidays spent in Orkney the lure of the islands was impossible to resist when the editorship of Orkney Today was advertised.

Catherine is enjoying her new life here and feels honoured to have been given the opportunity to work at the OT. Her interests include walking, photography, creative writing, reading, watching live music and theatre, cooking, travel and historical research.

Robert Leslie
Chief Reporter
robert@orkneytoday.co.uk

Born and bred in Orkney, Robert entered journalism as a junior reporter with 'The Orcadian' in 1993 after spells at Highland Park Distillery and Orkney Health Board. He qualified as a journalist in 1997, the same year as he was commended in the Local Reporter of the Year category in the Highlands and Islands Media Awards, and became news editor of 'The Orcadian' a year later.

In January 2003 he moved to Moray as a district reporter with 'The Press And Journal'. However, the attraction of being on the staff of a brand new paper in his home county lured him back to Orkney in September of the same year. Robert picked up the first ever award for 'Orkney Today' when he was named Sports Writer of the Year for 2003 at the Highlands and Islands Media Awards in February 2004.

After a spell as interim editor of Orkney Today following the departure of editor John Ross Scott at the end of 2007, Robert returned to the chief reporter's post, also looking after weekly sport coverage, in April 2008. He is also a board member of Orkney Renewable Energy Forum, of which Orkney Today is a full member.

Robert, is married to Kara, a health promotion officer with NHS Orkney, and they have three daughters, Ria, Isla and Ruby.

Outside of work, Robert is a member of Kirkwall City Pipe Band, and was part of the memorable trip to Shetland for the Up-Helly-Aa fire festival in January 2008, when KCPB were guests of Guizer Jarl Roy Leask.

Brian Flett
Reporter
brian@orkneytoday.co.uk

Educated at Stromness Academy, Brian started his working career as a clerk with the Bank of Scotland. He joined the BBC in 1979 working as a station assistant during the formative days of Radio Orkney. In 1988, he was appointed producer/presenter at the local radio station - a post he held until 1993, when he took a year out to travel around the world.

Early in 1995, Brian went to Shetland, as a producer with BBC Radio Shetland and continued in that role for the next four years. In 1999, he switched to the print medium and joined The Orcadian as a reporter.

He stayed there until September 2003 when he joined the editorial team of the fledgling paper Orkney Today. With more than quarter of a century’s experience of continuous reporting of news and diary events for the media in Orkney, Brian can justifiably claim to be the best ‘walking encyclopedia of knowledge’ on local current affairs and Who's Who in the islands.

Outside work, he is passionate about pub quizzes and gathering useless trivia facts. He is also a member of his local hall committee - Harray Community Association - and a qualified badminton coach.

Craig Taylor
Reporter
craig@orkneytoday.co.uk

Craig joined Orkney Today in May 2005. His responsibilities included developing the 'Marine Scene' section of the paper. After only months in the job, he instigated and ran the highly successful Orkney Buy-a-Boat Appeal which raised £11,000 for Tsunami stricken fisherman in Sri Lanka.

Craig was educated at Flotta Primary and Kirkwall Grammar School, and later at Woodlands High in Falkirk, when his family moved south due to work commitments. At the earliest opportunity, however (in 1990), Craig returned home to Orkney after four years away.

He worked for three years as a reporter with The Orcadian, during which time he studied journalism at Napier, in Edinburgh. After a spell of working as a photographer he pursued other interests. Later he ran his own freelance journalism and photography business until 2001. He then underwent a career change working in the fishing and shipping industries. He is well known for his 'At The Fishing' video and dvd series which has been distributed worldwide.

Craig is President of the Kirkwall and District Darts League and in an attempt to stay reasonably fit spends the summer months attempting 10k runs and the Hoy Half marathon. He also enjoys being out on the sea on his boat, but struggles to find the time to do so.

Victoria Rhodes
Reporter
victoria@orkneytoday.co.uk

Toria moved to Orkney aged 13. She lived on Rousay and attended Kirkwall Grammar School, staying in the school hostel during the week. She went on to study Imaginative Writing and Screen Studies at Liverpool John Moores University and achieved her BA (Hons) in 2002. After moving back to Orkney, she worked in the Kirkwall Hotel and then the Royal Bank of Scotland before joining Orkney Today as Junior Reporter in September 2004.

Outside of work Toria is passionate about films, both watching them and making them as a member of the Orkney Movie Group. She also enjoys reading and writing fiction and kickboxing.

George Stout
Commercial Manager
adverts@orkneytoday.co.uk OR
george@orkneytoday.co.uk

George Stout was educated at Papdale Primary and Kirkwall Grammar School. He began work in 1978 at Orkney Islands Shipping Company (now Orkney Ferries) rising to the rank of office manager. In 1992, he left to join the jewellery firm of Ortak. He was its general manager for nine years - a period he referred to as ' fab days' when he undertook trade missions to America and Japan. From 2001, he worked at another local jewellery firm, Ola Gorie, and with Highland Park Distillery.

Away from work, George is a football fanatic, playing as a defender for Kirkwall Thorfinn and coaching Orkney’s Under 11 team. He is also a piper with Kirkwall City Pipe Band.

Glynis Amer
Office Manager
glynis@orkneytoday.co.uk

Born and brought up in Kirkwall, Glynis attended Kirkwall Grammar School and went on to study English Literature and Sociology at Aberdeen University, qualifying with a MA Degree. She joined the Orkney Today team after 22 years in the Civil Service, where she was based at Kirkwall Social Security office and latterly the Jobcentre. Married to local photographer Ken, Glynis has one son called Ally. Rugby plays a huge part in her household so somewhere along the line she has grudgingly become a fan herself.

Eileen Russell
Advertising Representative
eileen@orkneytoday.co.uk

Born and brought up in Orkney, Eileen, on leaving Kirkwall Grammar School, trained in retail pharmacy at W H B Sutherland The Chemists. She experienced life in the South – first in Glasgow, where she worked as a chemists in Parkhead, then later in Leicester where she got married and had two sons, Scott and Craig.

Following a change in her family circumstances, Eileen returned to Orkney in 1998, to set up home here with her boys. She undertook her European Computer Driving Licence through Support Training and worked with BP as a clerical assistant, before taking up a part-time post as a typesetter with The Orcadian in November 2002. Later she took on a full-time post as receptionist at the Orcadian office at Hell’s Half Acre at Hatston. She joined Orkney Today in February, 2006.

A Scout Leader, Eileen is also vice-president of Kirkwall Amateur Operatic Society and has appeared in six productions in recent years including ‘Fiddler On The Roof’, ‘Cabaret’ and ‘My Fair Lady.’ She is currently assisting in the production of the local Scouts 100th Anniversary Concert to be staged in 2007.

Isla Rosie
Pre-press Manager
isla@orkneytoday.co.uk

Having spent six years in Glasgow, where she gained a BA (hons) in Applied Graphics with Multimedia Technology, Isla returned to Orkney with her husband Mark in 2004 to work in the Pre-press department at Orkney Today.

Born and brought up in Orkney, Isla is a former pupil of Dounby Primary School and Stromness Academy. She has always had a keen interest in design and aims to continue to progress the high level of design which is synonymous with Orkney Today.

Brian Main
Pre-press Assistant
brianm@orkneytoday.co.uk

A native of Inverness (a Merkincher), Brian has been involved in the printing industry for over 50 years. He served his apprenticeship at the Inverness Courier and, after National Service in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, undertook various jobs in commercial printing, including running his own business 'Mainprint' for ten years.

He originally came to Orkney from Nairn on a three-day pass in November 2003 but so great was his contribution that he stayed on, becoming a full time employee in September 2004. An ardent Caley Thistle fan, he enjoys his new life in Orkney, and, since moving here, has made various hoteliers considerably richer.

Carrie Norquoy
Pre-press Assistant
carrie@orkneytoday.co.uk

Carrie was born and brought up in Orkney where she went to Papdale Primary school and then later to the Kirkwall Grammar School. After finishing sixth year she decided to stay in Orkney to do a HNC in Computing at Orkney College until she felt she was ready to move away for further studies. Moving to Glasgow in 2004, she studied for a HND in Multimedia Production and Design before returning to Orkney to take up a position in the pre-press team at Orkney Today.

Out of work she loves reading, watching movies and is also a big music fan, especially for the Glam Rock Genre. She enjoys playing different musical instruments and has played the Clarinet for the past 13 years as well as a bit of the electric and bass guitar.

Ken Amer
Photographer
ken@orkneytoday.co.uk

A well-known figure in Orkney, Ken has been a news-based and general photographer since 1985 and has run his own business 'Orkney Photographic' from Bridge Street, Kirkwall. A cameraman for Grampian TV, Ken also regularly contributes to national newspapers and periodicals.

A DJ in his youth - and beyond, Ken used to spin the latest dance floor hits at the former Kirkwall club 'Casablanca'.
Despite various leg injuries, Ken still insists on being an active sportsman - playing rugby and badminton - and is a proud spectator when he watches his son, Ally, taking part in midi rugby tournaments.