Spurred on by the success of the first, Orkney’s second farmers’ market took place in Kirkwall on Saturday.

The market began on Broad Street at 9am and, ran until 2pm, once again offering good quality local produce direct to the public.

The first market, held in July, was a sell-out success, the range of local produce varying from organic vegetables and herbs, to local fish and beef, wool products, and locally made herbal soaps and shampoos.

Members of the congregation of St Magnus Cathedral had the opportunity to view progress at the St Magnus Centre on Sunday.

Immediately afte rthe morning service, the congregation were invited to move to the Centre site in Palace Road, in the company of architect Gordon Fleming.

The Centre, which is being built by local firm Casey Construction, is on schedule for opening on St Magnus Day, Easter Monday, April 16, 2001 - a year to the day after the cutting of the first turf.

A 3D representation of the front of the new Orkney library. Click the image for an enlargement.

Plans have been firmed up this week for Orkney's new £4 million pound library.

The new library is due to be built on the old Kirkwall Auction Mart site in the town and OIC officials say work on the library is due to start in the late summer next year.

It is hoped that the work will be completed by the middle of 2003. Click here for the latest 3D representation of the new building.

Kirkwall looks set to gain more zebra crossings with another two crossings likely to be appear on the town's waterfront roads.

Four zebra crossings were installed along a stretch of Junction Road in Kirkwall earlier in the year and now it seems likely that another two will be installed on Harbour Street and Shore Street.

The new crossings will replace the current red crossings, which have come in for criticism for causing confusion as drivers don’t actually have to stop for pedestrians.

Councillors this week agreed to recommend they go ahead with the two suggested crossings and to further discuss possible locations for zebra crossings on roads throughout Orkney.

Pentland Coastguard Station made its final broadcast at midday on Friday before finally closing its doors.

A long-running battle to save the station, supported by Orkney MSP Jim Wallace, failed to sway the Government and the station is now closed.

Critics say the closure will lead to a loss of local knowledge, but the Maritime and Coastguard Agency argue that this will remain with the auxiliaries. Pentland's role as a rescue co-ordinating centre will now be carried out by staff in Shetland and Aberdeen where new equipment has been installed.

Urgent measures to slow down traffic near St Mary’s Village in Holm are to be looked at after it was discovered nearly all drivers are breaking the speed limit in the area.

Councillors at Thursday's traffic management sub-committee meeting agreed that countdown markers be introduced leading to the west side of the village warning drivers to slow down. It was also suggested that speed cameras be set up in the danger zones.

Councillors also agreed to recommend that a feasibility study on traffic calming features is carried out in the area.

Thursday's gales took their toll on transport in Orkney with sea travel particularly hit.

Heavy seas meant that Orkney Ferries sailings to and from Rousay and Shapinsay were rescheduled and the afternoon sailing of the MV Earl Sigurd' to Eday was cancelled.

A combination of the weather and problems with her bow thrusters meant the St Ola's early morning sailing from Scrabster was delayed by almost two hours. Later sailings were cancelled.

Although there was some air disruption - the mail and newspaper flights were cancelled - passenger flights to and from the airport were not badly affected.

Plans to build a multi-million pound ro-ro ferry terminal at Crowness in Kirkwall were approved by Orkney Islands Council on Tuesday despite a wave of protest and claims that a secret agenda was being followed.

After a heated debate councillors voted 11-8 in favour of the project which will see the relocation of the new Northlink operation between Orkney, Shetland and Aberdeen to the new Kirkwall facility.

The estimated cost of the project is £10.5 million and it is hoped to be complete by the time Northlink take over the Northern Isles ferry contract in 2002.

For full story, click here.
See archive: OIC unveil plans for £9.5m ferry terminal on Hatston site

Council plans to prepare a report on the legal issues of the annual Ba' game were stopped in their tracks on Tuesday with the message that the council should leave the Ba' well alone.

The plans had been due to be ratified at this week's full council meeting but they were referred back for further consideration after protests by several councillors.

Councillor Mike Drever said the proposal would lead the council into dangerous and uncharted waters adding that he wouldn't want to be the one that told the crowd on Christmas Day that they couldn't take part in the game.

The shipbuilder who were to build the replacement ferry for the St Ola Scrabster - Stromness route has pulled out.

Fergusons of Port Glasgow were to have constructed the new ferry but informed Northlink on Tuesday night that they could no longer finalise the contract.

A Northlink spokesman said that although they hoped that Fergusons might reconsider, alternative suppliers have indicated that they can take the order and deliver the vessel on time for October 2002 handover from P&O Scottish Ferries.

Responding to the announcement, Transport Minister Sarah Boyack said she was extremely disappointed but hoped agreements could be signed by the end of the week.

Orkney’s proposed new music venue and nightclub took another step forward on Wednesday after councillors decided to allow the building to have a separate entrance and exit.

The development at the site of the former Orkney Seafoods factory on Ayre Road will transform the building into a music venue including nightclub for 650 people, recording studio, music school, museum, shop and box office.

Papa Westray's community school has been highly praised in an HM Inspector of Schools report issued this week.

The report of an inspection in September praises the head teacher's leadership and her commitment to the school. It goes on to highlight the school's welcoming atmosphere as well as the achievements of its polite, friendly and very well behaved pupils.

Assistant Director of Education, Mrs Belle Drever, said: "This is an excellent report which confirms our own opinion that Papay Westray is extremely well served by its school."

Large numbers of dead seabirds have been washed ashore on beaches around Scapa Flow over the last week, according to a report from the RSPB.

Scapa Beach has been particularly badly affected, with over 200 guillemots found as well as puffins, razorbills and tysties.

Ian Dillon of the RSPB said: “Large numbers of seabirds being washed ashore like this are known as seabird 'wrecks'. They are a natural phenomenon, normally associated with stormy weather and often occur in January and February."

He added that the condition of the birds would indicate that they may have suffered a food shortage that drove them further inshore than normal.

The festive road safety campaigns continue with Orkney police announcing this week that they will targeting drink-divers throughout December.

Kirkwall Police Inspector Paul Eddington said: "Drink-driving here still seems to be higher than the national average. It is now generally regarded as being socially unacceptable, but there are still individuals out there who feel it is acceptable to do it. The message we want to put over is that it isn't."

And members of the public are being asked to tell the police of habitual drink drivers during the campaign, which runs until January 3.

"There are people out there who know of habitual drink-drivers. We need information from the public. It can be done confidentially through Crimestoppers or our own confidential line 870999," Inspector Eddington said.