The fourth 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 Easter and the first of the year’s visitors have arrived to explore the islands natural beauty and to spend money in local businesses. Amongst the visitors are a group of Christian pilgrims, some carrying crosses, who walk the Pilgrim’s Way onto the island and cleaning ladies sweeping in to prepare the holiday cottages for...

The fourth 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 Easter and the first of the year’s visitors have arrived to explore the islands natural beauty and to spend money in local businesses. Amongst the visitors are a group of Christian pilgrims, some carrying crosses, who walk the Pilgrim’s Way onto the island and cleaning ladies sweeping in to prepare the holiday cottages for the new season. For island sheep farmer Jimmy Patterson, it is the busiest time of year with lambing, while the island’s only teenager Ryan Douglas prepares his boat for summer fishing and also helping his grandfather Tommy. Easter is also the busiest time of the year for the local church and there's a bonfire on the beach to mark the Easter celebrations. Title: Diary of an Island A tractor parked beside a fence with Lindisfarne Castle in the distance changes to ewes and their lambs in a shed. Narrator Bob Johnson explains it is late March and a hectic time of year for island sheep farmer Jimmy Patterson. As he walks across a field of ewes and lambs Bob Johnsons explains that in the past two weeks 430 ewes have lambed. Back in the shed as he watches over the lambs Jimmy explains that so far this year, he hasn’t lost a single lamb to the weather which has been bad with snow and rain. He has lost one to a fox, but he puts this down to the lack of rabbits on the island for them to eat. Jimmy moves two recently born lambs away from their mother, encouraging her to come over and groom them. Outside in the fields a lamb feeding from its mother. Easter weekend on Lindisfarne, one of the busiest times of year and a montage of visitors walking around the island and sandwich boards for Café Bean Goose and the Crown and Anchor Inn going up outside their respective premises. A ‘Closed’ sign in a shop window is changed to ‘Open’ and a coach party arrives on the island with visitors make their way from the car park towards the Holy Island Village. At the Pilgrim’s Café visitors sitting outside on the patio relaxing over cups of coffee, inside owner Andrew Mundy makes a cup of coffee and talks about it going better than expected. Inside The Island Store owner Gary Watson deals with customers and talks about a new range of pottery he has introduced and that in only two days two-thirds of the stock has been sold. Having fun with a customer purchasing a bottle of Lindisfarne Mead and a Mars Bar he talks about why he loves working in the shop and the people he sees year on year. A busy Oasis Café with two girls taking their drinks to their table. Outside owner Clive Massy explains why it is nice to see an influx of people again as it is a build up to busy summer months when life becomes hectic. However, he sees the tide as a God send as when it comes in people tend to leave making the island peaceful again. As water begins to creep over the causeway a car waits on the mainland for the tide to fall. Walking along the shoreline a group of Good Friday pilgrims with many singing and some carrying their own wooden crosses. At the start of the Pilgrim’s Way path across to the island, they remove their shoes and socks revealing for some bandaged, tired feet from presumably walking the 62.5-mile St Cuthbert’s Way from Melrose in Scotland to Holy Island. A man in a high-viz jacket lets the first of the cross carrying pilgrims onto the path following the wooden poles buried into the sand and mud the two-and-a-half miles to Lindisfarne. With many of the pilgrims singing, several young people in the group talk about their experience of doing the walk. Reaching the beach on Holy Island one man explains that to him it is a way to celebrate Holy Week and to follow the tradition of pilgrimage. Inside St Mary the Virgin Church women decorate the church with arrangements of flowers for the evening service. The parish vicar Franciscan monk Brother Damian help direct the women as to where to place the arrangements and talks about taking from nature and bringing it into God’s house. He explains how Easter is the ‘queen of festivals’ and for the church the most important weekend of the year. Outside Elfreda Elford who is celebrating her 91st birthday stands over the grave of her parents talking about her farther Ernest E.C. Elford who was vicar of the parish between 1932 and 1942. Over a montage of photographs of her as a young woman Elfreda talks about living on the island being a lovely life. More photographs of the village from the 1930s with Elfreda explaining that she has one more wish while she is still alive, to have a cottage for herself. She believes it is all in God’s hands. 13-year-old Ryan Douglas arrives at Holy Island Harbour on a quadbike to prepare his boat for the summer mackerel fishing. Ryan is the only teenager on the island and begins to scoop water from his boat with a bucket explaining why it is left in the boat over winter. He talks about his family owning a trawler and fishing out of nearby Seahouses on the mainland. As he pushes a rowing boat into the harbour and gets in, he explains why he loves the sea so much. Title: End of Part One Diary of an Island Karen Hepburn and three of her female colleagues working for her Help@Home company arrive on the island to begin cleaning the twenty holiday homes on their books in readiness for the first holidaymakers. As the women work to clean, vacuum, and change bedding Karen talks about how everyone works as a team as they each know their jobs. As Karen washes an outside window, she laughs when the interviewer calls her and her colleagues the ‘Charlies Angels’ of the cleaning world. As two of the women make their way to the next property, they are asked in voiceover if the visitors are clean. The majority are and they all come back again. It is Easter Sunday on Jimmy Patterson sheep farm, and he drives into a field on a quadbike pulling a feed trailer. Ewes and lambs race over and follow him around the field as he talks in voiceover about this year’s lambing season being over and looking forward to June till Christmas when the lambs go to market and so he hopes for good meat prices. Come October next year’s lambing cycle begins again. As he and his sheepdog ride or run around the field Jimmy explains he gets little hassle from the tourists seeing it is part of island life. The sequence ends on a couple sitting together on a bench arm-in-arm looking out to Bamburgh Castle in the distance. The Easter pilgrims make their way through the village carrying their crosses into the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin Church. The crosses, all decorated with daffodils, are laid against the church wall before everyone heads inside for the service. Back in the village at Pilgrim’s Café owner Andrew Munday is working with his sister and cousins to service customers. He talks about the ‘five days of hell’ when his new coffee machine broke down. A montage of visitors walking around the island changes to Ryan Douglas helping his grandfather Tommy to repair his smaller boat used for netting Salmon and Sea trout in the summer. He talks about why he likes helping him and that he likes going everywhere with him. Tommy talks about the poor spring it has been for fishing blaming the winds which he describes as ‘poverty winds.’ He doesn’t believe he will have his larger boat, currently moored at Seahouses, for much longer. Crowds of day trippers make their way back to the car park as the tide begins to turn and a woman in one of the towns café’s wipes a table down while another lowers the blinds at the end of the day. With the island becomes quiet and tranquil again two women explains how the island is a blessing as it makes them feel closer to God before returning home to their real lives. At sunset cars making their way back to the mainland passing the refuge hut, a small, raised emergency shelter partway across the causeway. Holy night inside St Mary the Virgin Church and Brother Damian leading the Easter service. Leading his congregation onto the nearby beach he blesses a fire burning there and lights a candle using a piece of wood from it. Back in the church parishioners come and light their candles using the candle lit on the beach. Back beside the fire the Keeper of the Flames Dave Verrill sits with a small boy mesmerized by the flickering flames. He talks about how its connection to paganism attracted him to the roll as Flamer Keeper and about being a part of the Easter story. He talks about the island as both a peculiar and a special place for him. 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