The opening ceremony for The Sorting Room went really well. Councillor James Stockan cut the ribbon and Rev. Fiona Lille gave a blessing and prayed for God's favour. We had hundreds of helium balloons and hot chai on the Rayburn solid fuel stove that we just installed yesterday (pheeeeew!)
Thanks everyone for coming and making it a success. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make it happen. Some of us have put in very long hours painting and sealing up the roof and nailing floor boards. This room, formerly the Sorting Room of the Post Office, has been derelict for a decade and is no longer a horrible moist damp storage room.
The Sorting Room is our social enterprise. This opening marks the launch of a dozen micro-businesses, some of them from the small islands around Orkney. We are artists and artisans who want our creativity to inspire and we want our business to help transform society around us. The Sorting Room offers Orkney's first free WiFi zone, a small performance space, a reading area with a small arts library, printing equipment, free coffee and tea, and classes in things ranging from pottery to blogging. And you can also buy products directly from the artists who make them.
Here's a 2 minute video of the opening ceremony.
Technorati Tags: cic, community interest company, cooperative, puppy, social enterprise
Congrats!
Posted by: Bill Kinnon | May 23, 2008 at 03:25 PM
this is so exciting ! may your transformative engagement bring much blessing to the community - peace, julie
Posted by: julie | May 23, 2008 at 03:45 PM
Wow, Andrew, that's exciting. Amazing. Great stuff. Cheers!
Posted by: Steve K. | May 23, 2008 at 04:52 PM
hallelujah, go go go!
BIG congratulations - we rejoice with you.
and hope to see you perhaps this summer - if it works out for Viki to go to Orkney and do her lace art with you guys, i would like to accompany her and finally visit you - and see the Sorting Room :-)
Posted by: sasa | May 23, 2008 at 09:05 PM
Congratulations to you all! Blessings on all who sail in her!
Posted by: Mark | May 23, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Deacon & Usher stopped by
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Posted by: Deacon & Usher | May 24, 2008 at 02:11 AM
Yo Yo!!! That rocks!!! Awesome! Rather posh eclectic homey feel...
Kinda like God... He likes the good stuff, has a variety of tastes that blend and He like to have people feel at home! Well done... angels are 'a danc'in.
Blessings.
xoxo cat
Posted by: Cathryn Thomas | May 24, 2008 at 05:59 AM
hey thanks for the video, we smiled the whole way through and my girls were especially happy to see Abigail again... especially with such a funny voice! We are very excited about the sorting room!!! love from all us mudriks in prague
Posted by: elaine mudrik | May 24, 2008 at 09:15 AM
That does it - I'm coming to Scotland - not sure the details but this is so inspiring.
Posted by: Becky | May 24, 2008 at 02:10 PM
AWESOME!!!!!!!!
well done you guys!!!!
Still miss that island!!!!
Love you all....
Posted by: whitney | May 24, 2008 at 05:35 PM
That clip made me smile.
Good work Andrew and all. Very good work.
May it do well, in ways that are not just financial.
Posted by: Randall | May 26, 2008 at 04:55 AM
Looks great, wow, you guys have been working hard!
I look forward to seeing the the sorting room and you guys in a few months. Love Jess
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