More than 180 Kirkwall children took part in a special event to welcome a cruise ship into Orkney for the Jubilee celebrations.
The parade involved the children marching down Kirkwall Pier to await the arrival of the ship.
Children from Glaitness School were kitted out in Union Jack bowler hats and noisy tooters to welcome passengers from the cruise ship, as they come ashore for a day trip to Orkney.
Lord Lieutenant Elaine Grieve, the Queen’s representative on Orkney, also attended the event.
The Ambassador Cruise liner, Ambience, can hold 1,400 passengers.
‘I hope the children will remember it for a long time’
Head teacher Ingrid Rendall said: “It was the first time we have been out as a whole school for over two years so was extra special from that perspective, especially following the two pipers.
“We were all delighted to see so many folks lining the main street and down at the harbour.
“It was great to see all the community members who were involved in handing Union Jacks on as we passed by the local businesses.
“Lots of smiling, waving, and cheering was appreciated, especially given the noise of the tooters.
“I feel honoured that we were part of this important event to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and hope many people, especially the children will remember it for a long time ahead.”
The event was organised by Ship2Shore, which provides a meet and greet service for cruise liners visiting Orkney.
The Cruise Capital of the UK
Cruise liners play an important role in the island’s economy. According to Orkney council, the island is the most popular destination in the UK for cruises to visit.
Susanne Carter, 59, the cruise co-ordinator of Orkney Ship2Shore said: “A lot of the passengers from the ship came down into town before getting back on the ship.
“There were some tourists from Norway here too who were pretty excited about the event.
“We will have about 186 cruise ships this year, so obviously that brings in a lot of money to the economy.
“We really suffered when we had Covid, we only had 1 ship in the first year and 35 in the second.”
Conversation