"Bruce Fletcher (remove dentures to reply)"
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Mary Fisher wrote:
"Bruce Fletcher (remove dentures to reply)"
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We have a new craft shop on the island, just a few yards down the road
from us. It will avoid having order over the internet or take a two hour
boat trip to mainland Orkney (and two hours to get back again)
Here's its website http://tinyurl.com/44cnxu

I had a look and was disappointed to see some imported goods, of course I
approve of Fair Trade but it's hardly local craft work :-(

It says there are 'beautiful seals and puffins' - soft toys. I hope
they're made on Stronsay. We looked at soft toys in the shape of seals
when we were in Svalbard and they were made in China :-((((

This is very common. In Coventry Cathedral honey was being sold -
'imported from the sunny countries of the world' But there are hundreds
of excellent beekeepers in and around Coventry. It's just an example but
I'm always disappointed to find the same range of goods for sale in ALL
the tourist places I go to. Last weekend we were taking part in a
'mediaeval fair' to raise funds for the local village church. The tent
next to ours was the local spinners and weavers' guild and had pictures
of rare breed sheep on the walls. There were cotton garments on sale -
and knitted on machines rather than by hand.

So saying, I understand the difficulties of scale but I wouldn't have
thought there was that problem on Stronsay. Can't some local body make
candles?

Mary

There's very little commercial craft activity on Stronsay. Most folk are
involved in farming and/or fishing with one or two who run small B&Bs and
the rest, like us, are retired folk seeking a quiet life.
We do have one lady who uses wool sheared from sheep on Auskerry
(http://www.isleofauskerry.co.uk) and North Ronaldsay
(http://www.orcadian.co.uk/features/articles/northronsheep.htm), spins
it by hand and knits it into various items some of which you can see in
the photographs of the shop.
(whereabouts in the UK are you Mary?)

I thought you knew, sorry.

Inner city Leeds, Yorkshire.

Mary