Experiences of the Orkney community during the COVID19 pandemic
This is one of the four case studies carried out in qualitative research across the Highlands and Islands to examine the experiences of some of the hardest hit people in the region.
The project was led by Vicky Johnson from Inverness College UHI and Rosalind Bryce from Perth College UHI, in collaboration with Donna Heddle from the Institute for Northern Studies, based at UHI Orkney, Steve Taylor from West Highland College UHI, and Magnus Davidson from North Highland College UHI. The project was funded through an uplift grant from the Scottish Funding Council.
The research has been co-constructed in each of the four sites, in Inverness, Wester Ross, Caithness and Orkney, with local partners embedded in the sites selected. These local partners have then worked with academic leads from UHI and voluntary teams where possible. In Orkney the community partner was Island Smart Ltd (they are tourism professionals with an emphasis on Shorex services who promote sustainable island futures) who undertook the research under the guidance of the Institute for Northern Studies team at Orkney College UHI.
The aim of the project was to understand the impacts of Covid-19 and influence strategies for recovery through systematic community driven research, including understanding individual/group support and actions raised in communities and providing evidence to change policy and practice regionally.
The team in Orkney worked from March to July 2021 to achieve the following objectives:
- To implement community-driven research which seeks to understand landscapes of change and the actions taken in response to the global coronavirus pandemic.
- To capture this experience as a case study for that area/ site.
- To influence policy and practice locally and regionally with community perspectives/ evidence about landscapes of change and covid recovery.
This report is intended for use locally and regionally to go alongside a cross case report that will provide the analysis across the Highlands and Islands through the voices of local residents. This in-depth qualitative research can help to understand the complexity of the negative and positive experiences, how these differ with geographies, inequalities and support, and what actions are prioritised by local people who are hardest hit and local volunteers and service providers as we emerge from the pandemic.