A new policy for deciding when Kirkwall’s St Magnus Cathedral should be lit up has been backed.
It has been proposed that a couple of new points have been added to the policy for lighting up the exterior of the iconic red sandstone building.
The policy was discussed by the isles council’s St Magnus Cathedral Sub-committee this afternoon.
Following LED floodlights being installed at the building in 2011, it has been lit up in particular colours for a variety of reasons over the years.
According to a report to the sub-committee, since 2014 has been getting requests from organisations to have the cathedral lit up.
The report says these requests are becoming “more frequent and varied”.
Requests to light up the building are increasing
The current policy helps with deciding whether to recognise the work or particular campaigns of local or national charities by lighting up the building exterior.
This has included for the RNLI and local charity ORSAS (Orkney Rape and Sexual Assault Service.)
The current criteria being used to decide applications is being kept intact under the proposed new policy. These are the lighting up:
- being part of a national charitable campaign, where the charity or its aims are relevant to Orkney, or:
- being for a local charity as part of a wider local awareness raising or specific local targeted campaign.
- having no political or commercial element to the activity.
- not being for more than 24 hours.
Organisations wishing to light up the cathedral have to install the coloured gels on the lights facing the cathedral themselves, although there have been some exceptions to this rule.
There also has to be no cost to the council and no clash with another event taking place at the cathedral.
And of course, there also has to be no physical impact or damage to the building.
The two new policy points and why they’re needed
However, the two new points being included are:
- A lighting up is to mark a national event, so designated by the UK or national governments.
- The lighting up is in support of national campaigns to promote the equality, dignity, and increased visibility of minority groups.
Sub-committee members were told that certain events have fallen outside the council’s policy but have seen St Magnus Cathedral lit up nonetheless.
This is what prompted the review of the policy.
For example, the cathedral was lit up in blue and yellow in support of Ukraine.
The lights were on to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and passing.
The council’s team manager for culture, Nick Hewitt said these events fell out with the current policy but “clearly we weren’t going to ignore these”.
In the past, these decisions fell to the council’s executive director for Education, Leisure, and Housing, in consultation with the leaders of the St Magnus Cathedral sub-committee.
Requests would still have to go through this group. The council convener councillor Graham Bevan would also be included in the conversation as part of the new policy.
New policy shouldn’t increase workload for staff, says minister
The minister at the cathedral, Fraser Macnaughton expressed concerns about one particular part of the new policy.
It says that “in exceptional circumstances” staff at the cathedral could be required to provide assistance.
This would be “for national organisations who cannot provide a local liaison”.
Such a situation has already taken place, with the cathedral lighting for Poppy Scotland. This was been done by staff on a voluntary basis.
Rev. Macnaughton asked for officers to define “exceptional circumstances”.
He also said they would have to make the position clear to the public.
He was told that this would allow some flexibility in the policy.
Such requests would have to go through the aforementioned group for the final decision.
However, Rev Macnaughton was told the council would do its best to consider staff in the decision-making.
The sub-committee backed the new policy, which will now go forward to the main committee level.
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