The seventh 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. Autumn has arrived and the island is overrun by Vikings again as a local re-enactment society stages a battle at The Priory. There's a touch of New Orleans as jazz night comes to The Ship public house and 'twitchers' are out in force as rare birds are spotted on the island. Local school children clear up one of...

The seventh 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. Autumn has arrived and the island is overrun by Vikings again as a local re-enactment society stages a battle at The Priory. There's a touch of New Orleans as jazz night comes to The Ship public house and 'twitchers' are out in force as rare birds are spotted on the island. Local school children clear up one of the island's beaches and discover a bomb and bonfire night goes with a bang. Title: Diary of an Island In the grounds of Lindisfarne Priory members of Northumbria Vikings dramatically re-enact an Anglo-Saxon battle with Viking marauders. Seated a safe distance away a large crowd of onlookers including many children watching on excitedly. Sven Haroldson from Northumbria Vikings explains that they portray life in England roughly between years 500AD and 1100, but not the attacks on Lindisfarne in 793AD, the first recorded Viking raid on England, as they weren’t very excited. Over a montage around the priory site various structures containing costumed individuals working on several Anglo-Saxon crafts, Sven Haroldson explains the importance of being authentic. Paula Constantine dressed in an Anglo-Saxon costume explains how small dogs were used by women as hot water bottles while Rachel Lowerson, dressed as Ceolwin of Dunholm, explains why as well as bringing history to life being part of Northumbria Vikings is a good hobby with opportunities to make friends with people from all over the country and abroad. Local schoolteacher Kerry Fieldhouse arrives at The Lindisfarne Centre in Holy Island Village with narrator Bob Johnson explaining that the links to the Viking past has inspired her with ambitious plans. Inside Kerry talks about wanting to develop part of the museum to tell the whole story of the Vikings and to help show how their culture overlayed onto the Anglo-Saxon culture which overlayed onto the Celtic and also Roman cultures. As she speaks a montage of the events taking place back at Lindisfarne Priory featuring a man and girl dressed as Anglo-Saxon’s playing a boardgame and a woman helping presumably her husband into his Anglo-Saxon armour. From the mainland Holy Island and Lindisfarne Castle in the distance at high tide. At nearby Seahouses Lloyd Currey directs passengers to his Aqua-Trax speed boat talking in voiceover about his trip to Holy Island being one of the most popular. As the Glad Tiding tourist boat comes into harbour Lloyd explains that his speedboat can do the journey to Holy Island in fifteen minutes while normal boats it can take over an hour. Heading out of the harbour into open water he warns his passengers they are going to get wet, pushing down on the throttle the boat increases speed spraying everyone onboard with sea water. Arriving at the jetty at Holy Island Harbour Lloyd helps his passengers of the boat. On a boat at sea as David Lishman fishes for codling, Bob Johnson explains that he has had strong associations with Holy Island all his life and has owned a holiday home for more than thirty years. As he reels in a fish, he explains how he believes he is as much an islander as one ca be without being born there. He and Lloyd Currie both talk about the character of the people who live on the island and what makes them different from those who live on the mainland. David explains that one of the biggest differences today from when he was a child is that half the properties on the island aren’t owned by islanders. He pulls in another codling and is much happier with this specimen while Lloyd explains how he never gets bored going to Holy Island. A group of old friends arrive at the Crown and Anchor Inn for important reunion. Inside the women all of whom were brought up on Holy Island sit around the table chatting happily. Esther Thomas has flown in specially from her home in Toronto Canada to be here tonight, to see friends she has known all her life. Another in the group explains why she believes Lindisfarne is the most perfect place in the world. Behind the bar as landlord Keith Shell pulls a pint, Bob Johnson explains that he and wife Rachel are both islanders. They both explain why working on the island is less a job more a way of life. As 91-year-old Elfreda Elford walks along a track, Bob Johnson explains that her father was the Holy Island vicar and she lived on the island until his death in 1942. She now lives in Berwick-upon-Tweed but her heart will always be on the island and is now an honouree islander and artist. Coming to a stop with a view of Lindisfarne Castle in the distance she gets out her watercolours and begins painting the scene on a small pad. As she continues her work, she talks about her favourite scenes she likes to paint around the island and how safe she feels walking on her. Title: End of Part One Diary of an Island A montage of an autumnal sunset around the island changes to jazz night at The Ship public house and Peter Roughhead and the Tweed River Jazz Band performing. Behind the bar new landlady Janice Cowan serving drinks before talking about the decision to buy the pub and how it has been fitting in with the local community. Partner Andrew Hnat admits tonight is a ‘bit of New Orleans Holy Island’ and how the crowd is made up of both locals and tourist. Back at Crown and Anchor Inn it’s darts night and Keith and Rachel Shell are taking a night off from the stresses and strains of running a pub. Tonight they are playing a team from Lowick on the mainland and Keith and Rachel explain that it really isn’t taken too seriously as everyone is having fun. Several players come to the oche including Rachel with one man getting 180! Back at The Ship Peter Roughhead talks about his band and why you shouldn’t rehearse jazz. The groups set comes to an end and the crowd applaud. Up at Lindisfarne Castle Garden Philippa Hodkinson from the National Trust and her volunteers are preparing the garden for next season. Philippa speaks with her volunteers about what she wants doing and everyone works on the garden digging up and chopping old vegetation for composting. Phillipa provides details on what is going to be done to regenerate the soil as well as check the gardens irrigation system. With a wheelbarrow full she takes it to the gardens small composting areas which has been divided into bays. As she tramples down on what she has dumped she explains how much more can be added if the last batch was trampled first. The six pupils from Holy Island Church of England First School along with those from their sister school on the mainland at Lowick make their way through the dunes towards a beach they have adopted for the annual clean up. After teacher Kerry Fieldhouse hand’s out latex cloves, she explains that they will be pretending to be environmentalists who have been asked by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to clean the beach and to conduct a survey to find out what materials there are and the provenance of the pollutants. While some of the children collect plastic bottles and other rubbish, some play happily in the dunes. As two children come over with a part of a broken chair attached to a broken lobster pot Kerry takes a photograph of two small children standing beside their large sack of rubbish calling them Lindisfarne Environmental Action Force. Along the road near to the village car park a crowd of eager birdwatchers all looking though their telescopes or binoculars. Phil Daviey Site Manager for Natural England explains that during October and November people come to see the mass migration of birds and over an aerial of the road leading to the causeway Bob Johnson explains that as the island juts out into North Sea it is the first resting place for birds migrating from Northern Europe and in need of food and rest. Back with the ‘paparazzi of the bird world’ Ian Fisher County Bird Recorder explains that today everyone is looking out for a very rare sighting in this part of the world, the European roller which hasn’t been since in Northumberland since 1958. A Grey heron feeding changes to Oyster catchers and other seabirds feeling on the mudflat near to one of the wooden poles that follows the Pilgrim’s Way footpath. Looking through his binoculars around the dunes is ornithologist Ian Kerr who bought a house on the island because of the birds. After explaining what for him makes a perfect October day he walks along the mudflat at low tide near to the shelter along the causeway talking about the 40-50,000 birds who migrate to Holy Island each year from places such as Iceland and Scandinavia as the mud is extremely rich in nutrients making it one of the richest habitats in Britain. Back at the beach cleanup high drama as the pupils pretend to have found an unexploded bomb in the sand. As Kerry Fieldhouse explains what they would do, a pupil pretending to phone 999 after which they build a stick fence around the clump of seaweed that is being used as the bomb. Bonfire Night on Holy Island and a crowd stands around a large fire watching a fireworks display. Annette Patterson explains she is born and bred on the island and there has always been a bonfire, but not a display like this which is new. 13-year-old Ryan Douglas explains that events like this are important as it brings everyone together. The fire dies down changing to the following morning and it’s still smouldering embers. 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