Life With The Orkney Island Games: ‘Organising a huge event on a Scottish island presents logistical challenges’

We catch up with Kirsty Talbot, director of the Orkney Island Games, to find out about her life on Orkney, how life compares to Glasgow, and the experience from working at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games she’ll be taking into this year’s event.

Moving from Glasgow to Orkney has been incredible for us, we all have so much more space and freedom compared to our life in Glasgow. It was hard to leave friends and family behind but they have also been keen to come and experience Orkney for lots of short breaks. 

We’ve also made new friends and joined new groups which has all helped us integrate. The sense of community here is huge and when you move you just need to get stuck in. It’s great learning about Orkney traditions and how folk see things.

I love that Orkney is all sky, the land seems so open compared to the built up cities. The air is fresh (so very very fresh sometimes with winds like you have never experienced). And I love living by the sea. I had only ever lived in cities – Glasgow, London, Cardiff, Brussels, Paris and it makes a huge change. I swim in the sea from spring to autumn. It’s great for the mind and makes your skin feel better than any makeover. I think I’ll start in February this year as it’s a great stress reliever. 

We’ve seen a difference in my wee boy who would be at hospital about three times a year with asthma attacks and he hasn’t had any bother since we moved.

‘Netball has always been my sport’

I worked on the London Olympics and Commonwealth Games. Every event is unique but the principles of large sporting events are the same – you plan like you’ve never planned before, work hard, disappear from friends and family for the last few months and hopefully at the end produce a magical event that people will speak positively about for years to come.

My own relationship with sport goes back to childhood. Netball has always been my sport. I am quite tall so was drafted into the primary school netball team to pass for an older child (less stringent checks in the 80s). I then went on to play for another 30 years before moving to coaching instead and I now help coach the local school netball team. I also enjoy jogging with a couple of pals and these act as therapy sessions too.

Kirsty Talbot.

Organising such a huge event on a Scottish island has presented logistical challenges I haven’t faced before, but nothing we can’t handle. Just this past week we’ve been booking in 40 wide loads on the ferries to allow us to bring in temporary accommodation blocks, toilets and showers.

We have 800 Games-time volunteers signed up which is brilliant and not bad for a population of 22,000. Those who have attended the Island Games elsewhere are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to host, those who haven’t seen it before or aren’t involved in sport are maybe not as enthusiastic but we hope to put on such a great Games that they will embrace it. 

‘It’s challenging balancing home life with work’

My days vary from week to week as myself and my husband manage the school runs for our two kids between us. I’m definitely a morning person and will be up just after 6am, shower and head to the office as close to 7am as I can. 

There’s a lot of emails to deal with but it’s nice to have a couple of hours before anyone is around to get ahead of the game. There are also lots of meetings, presentations and prep work. I try to get a walk or a jog at lunchtime. Then at 15:00 I leave to collect the kids, do homework, make tea and some evenings I am back out for meetings at 6pm.

Kirsty enjoying the views around Orkney with her dad.

It’s challenging balancing home life with work. These events were more doable when I was younger and single but with a husband and two kids, they are my priority, and I am trying not to let work take over.

After the wee ones have gone to bed I’m happy to sit down, watch a bit of telly or get into a good book. 

Orkney will have the privilege of hosting the 20th International Island Games in its landmark 40th year since it all began.

The week-long event will see athletes from up to 24 island groups from across the world compete in 12 sports. Welcoming more than 2,000 competitors and officials, the games will be the largest multi-sport event in Europe in 2025 and the biggest event ever to be held in Orkney.

Read more from the Life With series here.

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