News

Board games group

We are starting a board game group! It's been a goal for a while and something we've been asked for a lot and it's finally here. So join our friendly group, where the atmosphere is relaxed and inviting for everyone. Whether you're a seasoned strategist or a casual player, you'll find a welcoming space to enjoy a variety of games. Feel free to borrow one of our many games or bring your own favorites to share with the group. We cherish the joy of playing together and building connections, so don't hesitate to join in the fun! Our members are always happy to engage in a game, no matter the skill level. It's a great way to unwind, meet new people, and create lasting memories over a shared love for board games. Come roll the dice with us this on Tuesday the 26th November at the St Magnus Center in Kirkwall form 6pm - 9pm! suggested donation £2 first session free!

Young Peoples art group

We have started a young peoples art group with The Orkney Bide Trust!

It's creative little group where every one gets to express themselves in a vibrant way. We welcome everyone in to any of our sessions there on every second Friday from 12 - 3pm at the Hub in Kirkwall, its easy going if you can only join us for a little while that's okay.

There is no cost, and all materials are always provide as well as drinks so pop by and give it a go or contact us for more information.

AGM

We had our first AGM in October and we want to thank you all for turning up and being part of what we do. We couldn't do it without you! There were no changes made to the constitution at this time and the board has stayed the same.

We can report that since September of 2023 Pride in Orkney have hosted 30 events, and we have done 8 lots of community outreach either on our own or helping out other organisations.

We are really grateful to all who have supported us in this time, and we cant wait to see what the next year brings!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!!

We have been here a whole year! What a journey it has been!

We have had an amazing first year! Hosting over 30 events over 10 months (2 months for boring paperwork), working with some amazing local and national organisations! Getting to know and build our community and support them. It has been a privilege to build this with and for our supporters and friends and we are so excited for year two!

We had a birthday party for all and it was great fun! lots of laughs and games, rejoicing with familiar faces, and getting to know new ones.

Thank you to everyone who came, has attended in the past, and has helped us on this path we truly appreciate it.

Pride Month

Wow, what a month June – and PiO’s very first Pride Month – was!

We started off with seeing the bunting from the Bunting Bonanza up all around Mainland Orkney – a huge thank you to everyone who made and displayed it. We held a nature walk with support from the Orkney Field Club that we thoroughly enjoyed, and we’d like to thank them for coming to brave the weather and share their expertise. We’ve also been spending time tidying the garden at the Blide all through June, regardless of sun or rain. We’ve laughed every day of it!

We were outside the Bank of Scotland in Kirkwall half-way through the month. We had a fantastic day saying hi to lots of new people as we hid from our glorious summer weather of freezing wind and rain under a borrowed gazebo – thank you ORSAS! - before getting ready for Orkney’s big Pride Weekend.

We would also like to thank the Pride Tribe for inviting us to their Pride Prom. It was great fun, and though we were weathered off a march, it was amazing to see a safe space for Orkney’s younger LGBT+ community thriving. We also found out that we’ve been successful in our application to become a registered Scottish Charity which is something we’ve been working towards since last December.

Then the pride weekend, wow, what a whirlwind of activity! We were at Orkney Pride’s Main Event on Saturday. We had an absolute blast and met so many great people before going on the march around Kirkwall. Then, to top it off, our finale for the month on Sunday was our Funday, which was absolutely phenomenal.

There are simply too many people to thank for coming along to help us make it a great day, and we cannot thank you all enough for it. From the stalls who supported us, and the folks who donated their time and expertise for the workshops, the stunning volunteers who were there all day giving their all. To all the local companies, organisations, and supporters that donated to the raffle, or provided supplies and home-bakes to the cafe. That’s not including all the amazing people who came along to enjoy the day and help make it a memory our team will cherish forever. We thank you all so, so much and we have adored every post, email, comment, and conversation saying what a wonderful weekend folks have had.

We hope this means good long-term things for the LGBT+ community here in Orkney, and we have many great plans for the future to help make that happen!

The PiO team!

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We are now a charity

As of the middle of June - Pride month how appropriate - we are an official OSCAR registered charity. With months of hard work behind us we just know this means better and better things for us and the community as a whole.

We have so many wonderful plans and we cant wait to work on them all and again we must say our thanks as ever we do to VAO and the Equality Network for supporting us on this part of our journey!

Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund Grant

We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant through Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO) to help support our work.

They money will go toward paying for venues for our events, purchasing some much needed equipment for our work and to help cover the costs of supplies for activities so we can continue to keep things as low cost as possible for attendees