Orkney College

Orkney College is a further and higher education college in Orkney, an archipelago in northern Scotland. It is an academic partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands.

The College serves the Orkney community, which is rural and has long had an economy based on agriculture and fishing. Its main campus is a purpose-built site opened in 2000 on the outskirts of Kirkwall. It is one of very few non-incorporated colleges in Scotland and is the responsibility of the Orkney Islands Council, which has devolved many powers, including management, funding and staffing to the College Management Council.

The College has strong links with agriculture and opened an Agronomy Institute in 2002.

Orkney College's courses provide students of all ages with a full range of qualifications from Scottish Vocational Qualifications, Scottish Group Awards (Higher Still) through Higher National Certificate and Diploma to Degree and postgraduate Degree Level. It hosts research in agronomy, archaeology, cultural studies, geophysics, Nordic studies, language and literature.

Orkney

Orkney /ˈɔːrkni/ (Scottish Gaelic: Arcaibh), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, United Kingdom. Situated off the north coast of Great Britain, Orkney is 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the coast of Caithness and comprises approximately 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, Mainland, often referred to as "the Mainland", has an area of 523.25 square kilometres (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall.

The name "Orkney" dates back to the 1st century BC or earlier, and the islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years. Originally occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts, Orkney was invaded and forcibly annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse. The Scottish Parliament then re-annexed the earldom to the Scottish Crown in 1472, following the failed payment of a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

North Ronaldsay sheep

The North Ronaldsay is a breed of sheep living on North Ronaldsay, the northernmost of the Orkney Islands, Scotland. They are one survivor of a type of sheep formerly found across the islands of Orkney and Shetland (the other is the Shetland), belonging to the Northern European short-tailed sheep group of breeds.

They are notable for living almost entirely on seaweed for several months of the year, except for a short lambing season – this is the only forage available to them, as they are confined to the shoreline by a 6 feet (1.8 m) tall dry-stone wall which encloses the whole island. The semi feral flock on North Ronaldsay is confined to the foreshore for most of the year to conserve the limited grazing inland. This breed is raised primarily for wool.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists this breed as "vulnerable," with about 600 registered breeding females in the United Kingdom in Spring 2014.

Wool

Wool from the sheep is spun in Lanarkshire on the Scottish mainland and returned to Orkney for sale. However a small woollen mill now has a processing operation on North Ronaldsay. This mill processes the majority of Island-produced fleeces and supplies fibre for felters and spinners, as well as spinning yarn for knitters, many of whom live in Orkney producing fine clothing and other woollen goods for sale throughout Orkney.

Orkney (disambiguation)

Orkney may refer to:

Scotland

Antarctica

South Africa

Canada

See also