Orkney's Island Games will have a salmon flavour
Three Scottish teams are sponsored by fish farmers, and they are also providing help in kind
Salmon farmers across Orkney are lending their support as the islands prepare to host the International Island Games for the first time this week.
Local producers Cooke Scotland and Scottish Sea Farms, together with trade body Salmon Scotland, have supported the event from the outset. They are providing sponsorship, safety vessels for sailing competitions, and volunteers to help the week run smoothly.
Scottish Sea Farms is supplying boats and crew to support the sailing events off Hatston pier, while staff from SSF and Cooke will be involved in a range of activities throughout the sporting extravaganza.
The Games run from Saturday, July 12 to Friday, July 18, with athletes from 24 island groups competing in a dozen sports: archery, athletics, badminton, cycling, football, golf, gymnastics, lawn bowls, sailing, squash, swimming and triathlon.
The opening ceremony takes place this Saturday at Bignold Park in Kirkwall, hosted by ITV presenter Lorraine Kelly and officially opened by Princess Anne.
Visitors can meet local salmon producers at the Games Expo outside the Pickaquoy Centre all week, where they’ll share insights about farming in Orkney, the nutritional benefits of Scottish salmon, and how it supports the local economy.
£10,000 for Orkney team
In addition to sponsoring the games, Scottish Sea Farms has made a separate donation of £10,000 from its Heart of the Community fund to the Orkney Islands Games Association’s team, which is fielding its biggest ever cohort of well over 200 competitors.
The funding is being used primarily for kit and sporting wear, uniforms and strips, and Scottish Sea Farms is also the front of shirt sponsor for the Orkney team.
The company is donating 60kg of salmon to the event, and Scottish Sea Farms staff will be involved in volunteering to help the smooth running of the Games.
Will Scott, Scottish Sea Farms’ area manager for Orkney, said the company was delighted to play a role in the Island Games’ success and, in particular, support Team Orkney in its pursuit for medals.
The perfect stage
Cooke Scotland sponsors the Shetland Island Games Association.
Cooke Scotland managing director Colin Blair said: “We’re proud to support all the athletes competing at the Games – the wonderful people of Orkney are the perfect tourism hosts, and Scotland is the perfect stage.”
West coast and Hebridean salmon farmer Bakkafrost Scotland is supporting the Scottish salmon stand in the Games Expo and separately sponsors the Western Isles Island Games Association, as well as the Western Isles’ swimming team under its Native Hebridean brand.
Around 15% of all Scottish salmon is farmed in Orkney, where cold, fast-moving waters provide ideal conditions for premium fish, including prestigious Label Rouge and organic certified salmon.
Exports of Orkney-raised salmon were worth £97 million last year, up 46% from £66 million the previous year.
The sector directly supports around 200 jobs on the islands and hundreds more indirectly in supply chain companies.
