Sailing ship pays first visit of year next week

This year the vessel is also taking part in the "Cutty Sark" Tall Ships race from Sandefjord, Norway, with the first leg to Antwerp in Belgium between June 29 and July 5.

Walking hotline launched for Highlands and Islands

Walkingwild, the initiative promoting the Highlands and Islands as a walking destination, launched a dedicated phone line yesterday for information on walks accessible during the foot-and-mouth crisis.

The phone line - 0870 902 75 85 - will be manned from 10am to 8pm daily.

Skara Brae village re-opens to public

That the 5,000-year-old village of Skara Brae re-opened to visitors yesterday.

Historic Scotland confirmed on Thursday that following discussions with local landowners, final foot-and-mouth precautionary measures were being put in place and the site would be accessible to the public from Friday.

The visitor centre re-opened on Monday but until now the village itself had remained out-of-bounds.

For more details on the status of other Historic Scotland properties in Orkney, click here.

Orkney to host Iron Age conference

Entitled "Sea Change - Orkney and Northern Europe in the Late Iron Age 300-800AD, the conference has been organised by Orkney Heritage Society and Orkney College and aims to present a variety of opinions and views about Iron Age Orkney and Northern Europe.

The conference takes place over four days (September 6-10) and includes study tours, lectures, storytelling and demonstrations.

For more details or a programme, contact Kate Towsey at kate.towsey@talk21.com

Lack of public consultation on airport terminal criticised by councillor

Speaking at Thursday's transportation committee meeting Councillor Roderick McLeod said he felt it was a "bit of a shame" there had been no opportunity for the public to comment on the new terminal plans, remarking: "It has been handled in a very secretive way, and I think that is unfortunate."

Transportation committee chairman, Councillor Stephen Hagan, explained that the Tourist Board were represented on the Kirkwall Airport Consultative Committee, along with two council officials. He added that the committee were at least being given to the chance to discuss what would be included in the visitor gateway element of the new terminal building.

Single vehicle accident on outskirts of Kirkwall

A motorist received treatment in the early hours of Thursday morning after a single vehicle accident on the outskirts of Kirkwall.

According to police, the driver was travelling into Kirkwall on the Holm Road this morning when his car caught the verge at Hillhead around 1am. The vehicle went into a spin and struck a section of dyke.

The driver received a knock to the head and was taken to Balfour Hospital for treatment and then discharged. A report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

A German footwear company who have several firms set up throughout Britain have agreed to pay for the leather used to make ba's for Kirkwall's Ba' game for five years.

Brevitt Rieker have agreed to pay for the leather which is supplied by English shoe company Clayton of Chesterfield - worth approximately £2,000 over the five year period.

Full story >

One of the two new Flotta oil terminal managers has spoken of the challenges faced to guide operations and encourage new business after a period of uncertainty during Talisman Energy's takeover of the terminal and associated oil fields last year.

Canadian Mr Terry Buchy and Mr Tom McMillan assumed joint responsibility for Flotta on March 21.

Full story >

Porter praised for averting Kirkwall Hotel fire

The quick actions of the Kirkwall Hotel's night porter were praised by the police this week after he averted a potentially damaging fire.

Around 6am on Wednesday morning a deep fryer caught fire in the hotel's kitchen explained Police Inspector Paul Eddington.

"The night porter covered the fire with a fire blanket and wet towels which was the right thing to do," he said, "The fire was extinguished prior to the arrival of the fire units by his quick actions."

Lottery cash for archers

Kirkwall Archers Club have been awarded a grant of £4,966 from the sportscotland Awards For All lottery fund.

The money has been given towards the cost of archery equipment, training courses and publicity costs.

Secretary, Annabel Eltome, said that she was delighted at getting the Lottery money, which would mean that the club could take archery classes out to the isles.

Receiver of Wreck issues amnesty reminder

The Receiver of Wreck has issued a reminder to divers that the Wreck Amnesty ends on April 24.

Because it is illegal to keep anything from a shipwreck without advising the Receiver of Wreck, an amnesty was declared that allowed people to report previously unreported finds without being penalised.

Veronica Robbins, Receiver of Wreck, said: "The amnesty has been a great success so far, and we have had lots of positive feedback."

"The material reported ranges from the obligatory porthole to cannon and shot, several pieces of eight and a Charles I gold coin." she added.

No firm commitment on Invergordon route but Council "hopeful"

Although no firm commitment was given at the meeting, officials were asked to come back with recommendations to their Ministers by the end of this week.

The OIC have promised up to £50,000 to go towards an emergency package to maintain the Kirkwall-Invergordon service as a means of shipping animals out of Orkney during the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Local relief as livestock import ban continues

The anticipated lifting of restrictions on livestock movements within foot-and-mouth free parts of the country now seems unlikely to happen until next month at the earliest.

The situation was due to be reviewed on April 16 but due to continued outbreaks in the Scottish Borders, the review will now not take place until May 1.

The need for licences to cover livestock movements within the islands was removed on Saturday but news that the countrywide lifting of restrictions was likely next week caused widespread alarm in Orkney, with the fear the infected beasts could be brought into the country.

More details >

Tourist attraction efforts continue - situation update

A relaxation in livestock movement rules during the current foot-and-mouth crisis is no cause for complacency, according to Orkney Islands Council, who say that efforts to keep the disease out of Orkney greater than ever.

But while necessary restrictions are in place at some of Orkney's most popular attractions, efforts continue to try and ensure visitors can enjoy these sites, staying within guidelines issued to keep Orkney foot-and-mouth free.

For full story and the latest information for visitors on sites open, click here.

Margaret Curran, Deputy Minister for Social Justice, is to visit Orkney next week where she will take part in a turf cutting ceremony to launch the second phase of the Kiln Corner development in Kirkwall.

The Minister will also be meeting with representatives of Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Housing Association.

Orkney's Quality Food and Drink trade exhibition set for May

Coinciding with this year's launch of the "Taste of Orkney" promotion, OQFD members have decided to hold an exhibition that will bring the entire range of Orkney's food and drink products together in one place for viewing and tasting by the catering, retail and wholesale trades.

It is hoped that the event will also provide a much clearer understanding of how the various products can be obtained by local businesses as well as those that will be visiting the exhibition from south.

Kirkwall Hotel back on the market

The Kirkwall Hotel is back on the market, along with two other properties belonging to the current owners.

No asking price has been given for the hotel, which the sellers say has excellent advance bookings.

Colin and Debbie Low took over the hotel early last year, from the previous owner, Mrs Anjo Casey, who had run the hotel since 1996.

Kirkwall issues lowest fines in country - report highlights differences in sentencing

Figures released by the Scottish Executive show that Kirkwall Sheriff Court issue the lowest fines in the country - the average fine of £180 being almost half that issued in Shetland.

Other statistics show large differences in sentencing between courts throughout the country - a fact that has prompted calls for sentencing guidelines to be drawn up to iron out the inconsistencies.

The average jail term for drink driving in Orkney, for example, is shown to be two weeks, compared to six months in Haddington, East Lothian.

First Farmers' Market of the year cancelled

The market was due to take place on Saturday, April 28.

But the association have said that they were planning to have a market on the last Saturday of May and every month thereafter until October, unless there was a dramatic worsening of the foot-and-mouth situation.

The Scottish Executive should consider reducing road tax for vehicles in the Scottish Islands, says a Parliamentary report published on Monday..

This, claims the report, would be the most effective way of helping to offset fuel prices in rural areas.

The Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee's report also makes recommendations on a number of other options, including a reduction of fuel excise duty or VAT.

Click here for full details.

Somerfield contract sees Orkney Ice Cream go on sale nationwide

The Somerfield stores have been selling the company's half-litre round ice cream tubs for around two weeks.

Production of the ice cream is already on the up at the creamery, with two additional staff having been taken on to keep up with demand, and Mr Bichan has hopes of employing more people in the summer.

Stenness folk "amazed and delighted" at Millennium window

Artist Shona McInnes was commissioned to produce the commemorative window and was in Orkney at the weekend to show a scale drawing the window at a fund-raising event in Stenness on Sunday.

Regarding the design, Shona explained: "The brief I was given was quite loose. It was really to be a celebration of the parish of Stenness over the last century and includes things like working the land; archaeology; famous people, including those who left the community and have gone on to work abroad; also a lot of the lore and legend of the parish.

She hopes the window will be finished by the end of the summer.

Driver flown to Aberdeen following Holm Road crash

A woman was flown to Aberdeen on Sunday following a one-vehicle road accident on the Holm Road.

A female passenger and two children escaped unhurt when the Renault Laguna car left the Holm road at Glenorkney around 4pm. The car collided with, and damaged, 30 metres of drystone dyke.

Inspector Paul Eddington said: "At the time of the accident there was no reports of any injuries. After the driver had gone home, we think she started to feel unwell and went to the hospital. She attended at Balfour Hospital and thereafter was moved to Aberdeen."

Councillors agree provisional terms of East Kirk purchase

If the go ahead is given, officials will report on the cost of providing the information technology (IT) and office requirements within the converted building to the June meeting of the social work and housing committee and subsequent full council meeting.

Orkney Rugby Club were triumphant in their last league match of the season on Saturday, beating Mackie FPs 23-19.

The Orkney team travelled down to Stonehaven for the fixture, and included seven players experiencing their first game in the First XV.

Executive move to speed up subsidy payments

The Scottish Executive have moved to speed up payment of subsidies under the new Less Favoured Area (LFA) support system.

In all, nearly £100 million will have been paid to farmers and livestock producers by the end of last week

Minister for Environment and Rural Development, Mr Ross Finnie, said: "I am all too aware of the pressures, financial and otherwise, that producers face at the moment, and I am sure that they will welcome this substantial cash boost to their income flows at this difficult time."

Skara Brae visitor centre to reopen but without access to village

Inside one of the Skara Brae houses

The Skara Brae visitor centre reopened on Monday, although the Neolithic village itself remains out-of-bounds.

The attraction was closed at the start of the foot-and-mouth crisis and re-opens following a risk assessment carried out by Historic Scotland.

However, a spokesman for Historic Scotland said on Friday that although the interpretation centre, replica house and Skaill House will re-open, the remains of the actual village will remain off-limits. She added that discussions are continuing to see if it can be safely accessed.

Despite some problems regarding access to the Unstan cairn, Historic Scotland have also confirmed that the site is definitely open.

• See also: Ring of Brodgar re-opens for visitors
• Comeback Code launched but risk assessments will decide when Orkney's renowned attractions reopen

NorthLink reassures P&O staff over jobs

NorthLink have given an assurance that it wants to hire P&O staff when it takes over the Northern Isles ferry routes in October 2002.

NorthLink chief executive, Mr John Horton, said: "Seafaring staff are currently employed and covered by employment contracts by P & O Scottish Ferries. We also recognise the importance of ensuring that the existing services can continue to operate.

"I do, though, want to allay any fears that there might be regarding seafarers currently employed by P & O. We do want them to come to us as of October 1, 2002 and discussions continue as to the best manner in which this can be achieved."