Our club of the month: Orkney Vintage Club
07 May 2025
Orkney Vintage Club was formed in November 1982. The first meeting, which attracted about two dozen people, was organized by teachers from Kirkwall Grammar School who used old engines for the tuition of technology students. The original objective of the Club was to rescue and restore Orkney’s mechanical heritage and in its first year of existence, numbers swelled to around sixty. The club soon attracted all types of enthusiasts, from those interested in cars, tractors, commercial and military vehicles, stationary engines, motorcycles, farm machinery and steam engines.
It was decided to publish an annual newsletter, as a means of recording articles by members detailing the history of what they were working on, and to publicise gatherings and events.
The first major event to be organized was in 1983. A rally was held in the Parish of St Ola. This became an annual event on the Sunday after the Orkney County Show. Other events are held throughout the year including tractor working days, car and motorcycle runs and days out.
An unusual and very popular aspect of the Vintage Club is its annual indoor display. Here, ordinary household items from the past are exhibited. Vintage toys, items used in egg farming, wartime memorabilia and even clothing have provided a theme for this. Our local and national history are also remembered with displays of related items, photographs and film. Our theme in 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2. Over 12,000 troops were stationed in Orkney during WW2 due to the strategic importance of our islands, so we are expecting there will be a great deal to see.
The club has grown over the 43 years of its existence and now has over 350 members. The Orkney Classic Motor Show, held every August in Kirkwall, has become a firm fixture in the Orkney events calendar, bringing over 2000 visitors travelling from all over the UK to attend. The show is now a two-day event with over 400 exhibits ranging from vehicles as early as 1910 to modern day. Strangely, now, some 1980’s cars are interesting enough to attract a lot of interest on the rally field!
Orkney Vintage Club is a registered Scottish charity (SC032551) and engages enthusiastically in fundraising for local charities here in the Orkney islands. If you have a classic vehicle you would like to bring to Orkney, check out our website for details of all our events. You will be made very welcome.