Mother and family move 600 miles from south of England to Orkney to tackle allergy to daylight

Aine and her family moved north to Orkney

A MUM living in the south of England moved her family 600 miles north to Orkney – as she has a rare allergy to daylight.

Former drama teacher Aine King suffers from an auto-immune condition called Solar Urticaria, which causes her to break out in painful blisters when exposed to daylight.

She relocated from Brighton with her husband Antony and their youngest son, eight-year-old Gerry, to the more manageable environment of the Northern Isles.

Their new life in the north and the home they moved into is the subject of a Channel 5 show on Tuesday.

The family has transformed Highland Park House, the former home of whisky magnate James Grant, into a luxury accommodation and arts hub.

Aine said: “I suffer from Solar Urticaria, which means that unless I take a lot of medication I can’t be outside – or even near some lights – for more than a few minutes at a time.

“Even on a dull day from March onwards I can’t go to the washing line and back without developing painful blisters.

“The medication helps control the swelling and blisters, but it makes me drowsy and I can’t drive or concentrate.

“I love Orkney winters although the summer time is challenging. But being here means I can actually go out for three or four months of the year.”

Aine and art teacher Antony bought their new house, which was built in 1895, after spotting it on the internet.

“We did everything you’re not supposed to – we fell in love with it before we viewed it,” Aine continued.

“We were both hovering around 50 and we could see where our life was going, so it was time for a change.”

That change was Highland Park House, which had previously been a retirement home and was in need of attention.

“It wasn’t a ruin but the roof needed a lot of attention,” Aine said.

Aine and Antony – who have two other boys, Fionn, who lives in Brighton, and Dylan, who studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – finally finished the work last June.

Aine added: “I could no longer travel from home to work, so putting my job within the place I live was my one chance of having a working life. There was no plan B if it went wrong.

“We had an image in our heads that would make guests say ‘wow’ when they come in and that’s now what happens – it’s lovely.”

My Dream Hotel is on Channel 5, Tuesday, 9pm.