The second of an eight-part series produced by Tyne Tees Television on a year-in-the-life of residents of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne off the Northumberland coast. It is still winter as a herd of cattle arrive on the island to help keep the dune grasses down and help the rare orchids to grow while the island's professional painter prepares for a big exhibition. A boat is cut in half to replace two of the upturned boatsheds burned down outside Lindisfarne Castle and there is a...

The second of an eight-part series produced by Tyne Tees Television on a year-in-the-life of residents of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne off the Northumberland coast. It is still winter as a herd of cattle arrive on the island to help keep the dune grasses down and help the rare orchids to grow while the island's professional painter prepares for a big exhibition. A boat is cut in half to replace two of the upturned boatsheds burned down outside Lindisfarne Castle and there is a traditional island wedding with a shotgun salute. A winkle picker braves the cold on the shoreline; the schoolchildren make a video of themselves as a new café prepares to open. Title: Diary of an Island An aerial of Holy Island Harbour in winter with smaller boats either moored in the harbour or drawn up on the beach. In the background Lindisfarne Castle on its hill dominating the skyline. Along the rocky beach dressed in his waterproofs a man turning over rocks and filling a bucket with Common periwinkles or winkles that he finds. He explains that he is from Stockton-on-Tees down on Teesside and while he has areas down there where he picks his winkles, as he was at Berwick-upon-Tweed he has come to Holy Island to get some more to take home. He explains why he no longer eats them and what happens to the ones he has picked. A car follows a livestock lorry as it arrives on the island. As the thirty-eight cattle onboard are unloaded and herded into a field, their owners Mary and John Barber of Brackenside Farm on the mainland state how they are happy to help out Phil Davey from Natural England in allowing their cattle to graze in a specially fenced off area. Narrator Bob Johnson explains that as there are no rabbits on the island the cattle will help keep the grasses down and allow the nine species to orchid that grow to thrive. Andrew Craggs also from Natural England explains why the cattle won’t eat the orchids. The dreaded Pirri-pirri burr an invasive, mat-forming, evergreen perennial plant and a sign warning visitors to watch out for the plant which gets matted in their clothing and shoes causing it to spread. Andrew Craggs explains how the cattle will also hopefully eat or trample the burr which would be an added bonus. Phil Davey explains that he sees this as a holiday for the cattle and that in three or four weeks they will be ready for home when the east winds get up. A montage of an empty island with no visitors featuring the ticket machine in the visitor car park wrapped in plastic, no-one passing the Shipwrecked Mariners Society Lincolnshire Mine charity box on the green at Holy Island Village and a man walking alone across a field and through a turnstile with Lindisfarne Priory in the background. It is, explains Bob Johnson, as if the island is dozing. From their wedding video Rachel McAnany and Keith Shell take part in a traditional shotgun salute as the happy couple come out of St Mary the Virgin Church following their marriage service. As they toss coins at wedding guests Bob explains that this is the first time two islanders have married on Holy Island for more than 30 years At a dockside boatyard at Leith near Edinburgh, Catherine Atkinson National Trust Property Manager at Lindisfarne Castle takes photographs of a man as he begins cutting a wooden boat in half. Over a montage featuring both an aerial of Lindisfarne Castle and the work to cut this boat in half, Bob Johnson explains that Catherine has been on a nationwide hunt for the right kind of boat to replace two of three boatsheds which outside the castle and were destroyed by fire. She hopes to have them on site before the beginning of the new season on the 18th of March which is in six-weeks away. As Jim Scott from Coastal Marine talks about why this boats fits the necessary requirements for Catherine, another man uses an acetylene torch to cut through the boats steel keel. As the chainsaw completes its work, Catherine is happy this ceremony is over. Back on Holy Island the cattle are settling in well, but there are concerns they are leaving to much of a mark. All around them large mounds of cow dung and cow pats. At Holy Island Church of England First School a big film production is underway with pupils producing video clips which they then edit using a computer. All of the schools six pupils sit on a sofa alongside teacher Kerry Fieldhouse. As the children continue their editing Kerry explains the pupils are made up of the whole first school range and to her are an extended family and part of the island community. As she watches the children film their Puppet Bus, Bob Johnson explains that Kerry is researching the islands Viking history and will soon be visiting Norway where she hopes to show the children there the videos made by the pupils here that will give them a sense of the lives of the children on Lindisfarne. As the pupils get into a waiting car outside, Kerry explains that the school splits its days between the classroom on the island and another in the village of Lowick on the mainland. She believes this is the only school in the world that is governed by the tide. Title: End of Part One Diary of an Island After three weeks on the island the cattle are heading back to the mainland for calving. Watched over by Andrew Craggs, Mary and John Barber work with others to herd their animals into a waiting lorry. Andrew is pleased with the work done so far in both reducing the grasses but also the Pirri-pirri burr. While some have complained about paths being churned up, Andrew sees manure as being part of having cattle. As the livestock lorry departs the island, he explains that Holy Island is one of the last areas on the Northumberland coastline where cattle can graze. Following a montage around the island John Fieldhouse, husband of schoolteacher Kerry, comes out of their home and walks across the garden to a shed inside which is his artist studio. On a table John flicks through a series of small images or paintings he has produced. Walking along a track not far from the village he stops and takes out a memo pad and begins to sketch, one of a hundred he will hopefully produce a day as 90% will be eliminated to focus on the 10% he believes works for him. On the nearby water a series of small boats with John explaining in voiceover that Lindisfarne is an interesting place, but not in the obvious places. As he continues to draw, he passes Snowdrops now flowering. Bob Johnson provides details on the types of jobs John did previously including almost becoming a professional footballer, but he is under pressure as he still needs to produce fifty paintings for an exhibition he is holding in July. A montage of visitors who have not started to return to Holy Island walking around the village and making their way towards Lindisfarne Castle. Several visitors outside Clive Massey’ s Oasis Café changes to another local resident Andrew Mundy who is working to fitout his own coffee shop ‘Pilgrims Café that is also in the village. As he paints a skirting board outside workmen installing stone pavement slabs for a patio area. Andrew talks about his family’s connection to the island and that they already own several businesses on the island, he believes there is a lot of potential for businesses like this here. Next door Andrew’s mother Karen runs ‘Celtic Crafts’ and weighs a piece of fudge on a set of scales for a customer. As he works to install a fridge, she talks about how her son is fanatical about coffee but can be a bit of a perfectionist. As she weighs more of her home-made fudge for another customer, she explains that it is all made on the island and which are her bestsellers. She explains that other than fudge she isn’t a good cook so won’t be helping Andrew out with any baking for the café. Back at work next door Andrew explains how he plans to cope with missing city life. As he talks an aerial of the road leading off the island, partly submerged at hightide, with the it disappearing into the distance towards the nearby A1 main road north and south. Back inside Celtic Crafts as Karen talks about the kind of visitors who come to the island and what they expect to see, crowds making their way from the large visitor car park to the village when the tide is out, and a lone father with his two small children heading back to the car park possibly when the tide is high and most of the visitors have left. The sequence ends on an aerial of the village. In his studio at the bottom of his garden artist John Fieldhouse at working on a painting for his new exhibition. As he paints a large canvas sheet he complains, as a Yorkshireman, about its price. Next to him an abstract composition of nearby Budle Bay with him talking about the relationship between the paper and paint and how pieces like the one he is working on is a celebration of him coming to terms with the lack of recognition he receives as an artist. Over a montage of clips details are provided on next week’s programme. Title: With thanks to the people of Holy Island Credit: Narrator Bob Johnson Cameras Alistair McKenzie, Phil Driver, Alan Robinson, Janusz Ostrowski, Dave Dixon Sound Robbie Carruthers, Andrew Bennett, Chris Corner, Colin Lang, Rob Tickell, Dave Venus Sound Post-Production The Edge Titles Music McGregor Cook Graphics Jon King Production Manager Christine Stewart-Tilling Editor Kerry Plummer Assistant Producer Sal Brecken Producer Sheilagh Matheson Executive Producer Jane Bolesworth Series Producer Derek Proud Title: © ITV Tyne Tees 2006 End title: Production for ITV