New head teacher appointed for Stromness Primary

A new head teacher has been appointed for Stromness Primary School.

Mr Stephen Miller (40) is currently assistant head teacher at Brae High School in Shetland and replaces Mrs Jean Panton, who has taken a teaching post in Alloa.

Mrs Belle Drever, OIC assistant director of education, said: "All the candidates for the post of head teacher at Stromness were of a very high calibre, but the interview panel felt Stephen had just the right combination of qualities and experience to take on this challenging role."

Jim Wallace launches Islands Forum for Sport

Deputy First Minister and Orkney MSP, Jim Wallace, launched a new sports initiative in Kirkwall which aims to bring together all Scotland's island authorities in promoting and developing sport.

It is hoped that the Islands Forum for Sport will help provide encouragement to Scotland's island communities and help integrate them with mainstream Scottish sport.

Joining Mr Wallace at the launch in the Pickaquoy Centre is Mr Ian Robson, chief executive of sportscotland.

The six local authorities involved are Orkney Islands Council, Shetland Islands Council, Highland Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Argyll and Bute and North Ayrshire Council.

Further relaxation of foot-and-mouth restrictions

Further relaxation in the livestock movement restrictions announced by the Scottish Executive, will mean that animals from the At Risk Area will shortly be able to be shipped into Orkney.

Cattle and pigs will be allowed to be moved under licence from the At Risk Area (ARA) south of the Forth/Clyde Canal to the Provisionally Free Area (PFA) which includes Orkney.

In addition, vets will no longer be required at collection centres within the PFA.

Welcoming the news, Jim Walker, president of NFU Scotland, said: "It is three weeks since the last case of foot-and-mouth in Scotland and all farmers are praying that this trend continues. In the meantime, we must all remain vigilant to ensure that we do not see a new cluster of the disease appearing in Scotland, as it so easily could."

East Church members agree to sell kirk

At a meeting to decide whether to accept a council offer to buy the East Church in Kirkwall on Wednesday, the congregation agreed to sell the church for a sum of £160,000.

The council want to convert the church into a one-stop-shop bringing together the county's housing, health and social services along with health board services under one roof.

Sea Fish Industry Authority visit Orkney

In Stromness, the board were scheduled to visit Orkney Seafresh, Orkney Seafayre, Orkney Herring as well as Orkney College's Department of Maritime Studies. They were also planning to view the shellfish processing factory run by Orkney Fishermen's Society.

Walls kirk sold for nominal sum

The property was advertised for sale by the Church of Scotland early last month, but concerns were raised by local people who had family buried in the cemetery surrounding the kirk.

A trust was formed called "Friends of St John's" and put in an offer to buy the church, so that it could continue to be used by the community. The trust have been told that their offer has been accepted and they now await legal documentation.

Isobel is top of the tops in the fashion world

Isobel Mowat, Scotland's new fashion designer of the year.

An Orcadian fashion lecturer has won a prestigious national title.

Isobel Mowat reached the top of the Scottish fashion world after clinching the sought-after title of New Fashion Designer of the Year.

The 38-year-old who comes from Longhope, but now lives in Edinburgh, emerged the winner after competing against eight other leading designers.

She was voted the winner on Thursday after two days of intensive competition in Glasgow.

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Suspected Hoy explosives destroyed by army

Bomb disposal experts travelled to Hoy on Wednesday, where they disposed of a quantity of suspected explosives that had been found in a shed.

Because the age of the explosives, thought to be of an industrial type, was not known, it was considered safer to call in experts to carry out the disposal.

Cathedral congregation await minister decision

The Orkney Presbytery had agreed previously to back the Kirk Session in their bid to advertise the post with no restriction or time limit on how long the minister might be asked to serve. But the General Assembly's parish reappraisal committee want further talks with the Kirk Session and the Presbytery about the future role of the St Magnus Cathedral minister.

It was agreed that the Moderator, Presbytery Clerk and convener of the parish resources committee should decide who will represent the Presbytery at the meeting with the national committee, who are expected to visit Orkney early in August.

2001 Marjorie Linklater award winners

The winners of the 2001 Marjorie Linklater Writing Awards 2001 were presented with their prizes at a ceremony in Stromness Academy this week.

The award was instituted in 1999 to commemorate the contribution to the literary life of the county made by Marjorie Linklater. Mrs Linklater's daughter, Kristin Linklater attended the ceremony on Tuesday, and presented the prizes.

Winner of the prose section was Candy Adamson of Stromness Academy. Highly commended was Helen Chalmers and Fiona Isbister was commended.

In the poetry section KGS pupil Alice Thomson took the honours in the poetry competition, with Gemma Pirie and Heather Aberdeen both highly commended.

Scorrabrae Inn to change hands

The Scorrabrae Inn in Orphir, currently owned by Mrs Ingrid MacLeod, is shortly to change hands.

Mrs MacLeod has been the Inn's proprietor for five years, since taking over from her parents Alan and Connie Grieve, who bought it eight years ago.

According to Mrs MacLeod, the new owner, a Ms Patricia Lie from Sutherland is to take over the Orphir pub on July 9.

Three month sentence for "last chance" man

A man given a "last chance" at Kirkwall Sheriff Court and who reoffended within a week, has been jailed for three months.

Peter Raymond Walls (36), Junction Road, Kirkwall, admitted breaching the peace at a Meadowbank address on June 8 - an address he is supposed to stay away from as a special condition of his probation.

The court heard that Walls had turned up at the address - his former partner's house - at around 1pm on Friday, June 8. Procurator fiscal Mr Roderick Urquhart explained that he had gone there to see his twin sons and dog, but had started shouting and swearing and the police were called.

Walls was sentenced to three months for breach of the peace and three months jail for breaching his probation orders, to run concurrently.

Crown Estate commissioners visit

Two Crown Estate commissioners arrived in Orkney yesterday, with the intention of meeting local fish farmers and others with an interest in the aquaculture industry.

Ian Grant and Sir Donald Curry's two-day visit will see them visit the EWOS halibut hatchery on Rousay, Orkney Salmon Company's processing plant on the Mainland and Orkney Sea Farms fish farm at Puldrite.

Scallop fishing ban extended

The ban on scallop fishing in Orkney waters has been extended because of a further build-up of naturally occurring Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins in samples taken by the Food Standards Agency.

The Agency advise that scallop fishing in Wide Firth, through Eynhallow Sound and along the west and north coast of Rousay have been banned because of a build-up of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) in recent samples.

The ban only applies to fishing for (king) scallops. No other type of commercially marketed shellfish is affected.

FoE call for continuation of Scapa Flow moratorium

They have called for the continuation of the temporary moratorium on new fish farm developments and for the introduction of a similar moratorium across Scotland, because they feel salmon production has reached its maximum capacity.

The findings are published in a new report examining the marine salmon farming industry in Scotland.

Six Orkney groups to benefit from lottery grants

Orkney Snooker Association are to receive £1,161 while Westray Sports Club will be able to buy a range of sports equipment with their £2,970 award.

South Ronaldsay Community Association received £3,909 to enhance their facilities while Dounby Chanters Practice's grant of £4,919 will allow them to purchase new pipes and drums.

Other groups benefiting are the Hamnavoe Carers and the South Ronaldsay Boys Ploughing match who have received £5,000.

Orkney teenagers selected for residential drama school

Former Stromness Academy pupil, Jim Scott (17) from Quoyloo, is taking part in the five-week course for the second year running.

Joining Jim is 16 year-old Becky Manson from Kirkwall.

Report to Procurator Fiscal after another car stolen in Kirkwall

Another car was stolen in Kirkwall at the weekend - the third in as many weeks.

A red Ford Fiesta was stolen from Victoria Street in the early hours of Sunday morning. It was later recovered near Grainshore Road, Hatston.

A police spokesman confirmed that a youth has been identified and a report has been sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Police have expressed concern over a recent spate of rubbish bin fires around Orkney.

The most recent involved a large plastic skip, which was destroyed by fire at the rear of the Stromness Swimming Pool around 2.30am on Sunday.

Stromness Fire Brigade were called out and extinguished the fire, which caused minor damage to the doors at the rear of the building.

"We are still trying to establish whether deliberate of not," a police spokesman said. "There has been a spate of fires happening in bins and this concerns me."

A South Ronaldsay man is among the hundreds of people honoured on Saturday in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Mr William Sinclair Mowatt (75), has been made an MBE in the Honours List, unveiled on Saturday by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Mr Mowatt has been a blacksmith for over 60 years and is still working out of the smithy in St Margaret's Hope.

The fourth generation of his family to be a blacksmith, Mr Mowatt said his award was "a great surprise" but that he was absolutely delighted.

Third teacher recommended for Stronsay School

Stronsay's school could get a third teacher because of the number of primary school age children on the island.

Leslie Manson, OIC's director of education, explained last week that with a total of 44 pupils, and as many as 23 in a mixed age-group class, it was being recommended that a third teacher be put into the primary department of Stronsay Junior High School.

Councillors on the education committee have also agreed to the recommendation that Shapinsay Primary School keep its second teacher, despite falling pupil numbers.

Social work complaints reduced by a third

A total of 16 complaints and representations were received by the department between April 2000-March 2001, which compares to 23 the previous year.

Of the 16 investigated 11 were not upheld, while four were upheld in part and one was upheld. Half the complaints received were to do with community care, 44 per cent children and families and the remaining of six per cent within other areas of the department.

24-hour supported housing for young people agreed in principle

Two options were put before members of the social work and housing committee on Thursday - refurbishment of a Kirkwall building, costing £97,000, or a new-building, costing £446,000. The annual running costs are an estimated £76,000.

Councillors agreed to recommend the development in principle, subject to funding being found. They also agreed to the refurbishment of a property as the preferred option.