T-Rex the hooded seal found in Wales

The four month-old hooded seal pup, nicknamed T-Rex because of its tenacity, turned up in Wales - 3,000 miles away from its home in Greenland.

Terry Leadbetter from the Welsh Marine Life Rescue Centre said: "The pup definitely needs to gain more weight if it is to be transported to Orkney and released, but it's very reluctant to accept the dead fish we're trying to give it. We're also having problems arranging transportation that can hold the kennel the seal would be held in."

If the seal is released into Orkney waters it is hoped it will either make its way back to Greenland or be accepted by local seals.

Mr and Mrs MacFadyen at Buckingham Palace yesterday. (Picture: RNLI: Derek King)

Mr MacFadyen was among 41 lifeboatmen, station personnel, fundraisers and RNLI staff, their spouses and children, chosen to attend in recognition of their long and devoted service.

Mr MacFadyen joined the RNLI as a reserve mechanic in 1967 until he became the Longhope Lifeboat mechanic in 1971. He was appointed coxswain in 1994.

Wrigley Sisters join Scottish musical extravaganza

Orkney's musical twins, the Wrigley Sisters, are among the Scottish artists performing at a concert celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the Greentrax record label.

Jennifer and Hazel will be joined by artists such as Ceolbeg, Alasdair Fraser and macAlias at a showcase concert on October 27 in Edinburgh.

Police won't comment on cannabis chocolate case

Biz Ivol at home in Herston, South Ronaldsay (Picture Orkney Photographic)

Police have declined to comment on whether an investigation has begun into claims by Orkney MS sufferer Mrs Biz Ivol that she sends packages of cannabis chocolate to fellow users around the UK.

However CID in Kirkwall have asked to speak to The Orcadian reporter Miss Lorraine Shearer, who broke the story in an exclusive interview with Mrs Ivol.

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Food standards report is misleading - OIC official

As reported on The Orcadian website last Friday afternoon, more than 50 catering premises in Orkney failed a food hygiene inspection last year, according to a report published last week.

However, the figures released by the Food Standards Agency Scotland have been described as being misleading, by Mr Tony Marsh from the OIC environmental health department.

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Kirkwall lawyer to retire after 33 years

The firm of Helen M. Nicolson is being transferred to, and will be continued by, Miss Nicolson's nephew, solicitor Mr Eddie Nicolson from August 1.

Mr Nicolson said: "I am looking forward to the challenge ahead and intend to expand and improve the range of services currently on offer."

"I would also like to pay tribute to Helen's unstinting service over a period of 33 years and wish her a long and well earned retirement" he added.

Funding Advisory Service reaches £1 million milestone

In the three and a half years since it was set up, the service has been advising local voluntary groups about funding sources and how to apply successfully.

The project advisors, Mrs Karen Thomson and Mrs Barbara Robertson, work only part-time and their efforts have now surpassed all expectation by reaching the £1 million mark.

Diver treated at Stromness hyperbaric chamber

A diver was taken to the hyperbaric chamber in Stromness earlier this week after developing symptoms of the "bends" during a dive in Scapa Flow.

The man, in his mid-30s, was taken to Houton by the dive boat, John L, around 10.45am on Monday. He was transferred by ambulance to the chamber and discharged early in the afternoon.

Loganair confirm takeover of Aberdeen-Kirkwall route

Loganair officially announced this week that they are taking over the British Airways franchise route between Aberdeen and Kirkwall on September 15.

Expressing his delight at the acquisition of the service, Jim Cameron, Loganair's chief executive said: "It is our intention to maintain the current level of service while looking at development opportunities for the future."

The company say they will use a 34-seat Saab 340B, a more powerful version of the aircraft that has normally been used on the route.

Two Orkney businesses benefit from European Fisheries grant payout

The Orkney Salmon Company have received £180,400 towards the cost of expanding their processing operation in their factory at Hatston, while skipper of the fishing boat Aalskere, Iain Harcus, has been given a grant of £1,760 to assist with improvements to the vessel.

The grants are part of a £5.5 million aid package to the fishing industry announced in Peterhead on Tuesday by Scottish Fisheries Minister Rhona Brankin.

Work progresses but music venue plans remain under wraps

Club owner Neil Stevenson said that he is keeping the plans under wraps for a full impact when the Ayre Road venue opens in May next year.

"The current situation with the club is that we have had the internal drawings back now. It has taken quite a while to finalise. The next stage of work will hopefully start late August," he said.

New series of booklets aims to revive folktales for young Orcadians

The Fiddler and the Trow

The first of six booklets of traditional Orkney folktales to be published by Orkney Heritage over the next five years, is now in the shops.

The Fiddler and the Trow is a retelling by Tom Muir of an old Orkney folktale about a fiddler and his adventures when he goes into the mound at Dingieshowe to play for the trows.

Illustrated by Wyre artist Bridget Woodford, the booklet is available from local bookshops priced £4.95.

Advocate speaks out on local drug issues

Mr Boyd said he could not comment on individual cases - in response to the widespread national speculation surrounding Orkney MS sufferer Biz Ivol, who admitted recently to sending out packages of cannabis chocolate to fellow users.

But he did say: "Scotland faces a huge change in the growth of drug use, particularly hard drugs. Orkney is relatively free from this problem though clearly, as recent cases have shown, there are problems with Ecstasy."

Mr Boyd (48), who lives Edinburgh, was on his first visit to Orkney since he was appointed Lord Advocate in February, last year.

Councillor stands against Christmas bonus cuts

A local councillor has pledged to stand against plans to cut pensioners' Christmas bonuses, after an increase in Shetland will see bonuses reach £262 - nine times the level paid in Orkney.

Kirkwall Councillor Bob Sclater said he has been a lone voice in trying to increase Orkney's bonus, which he feels is embarrassing in comparison to that paid in Shetland.

"It is a terrible lot less than Shetland and we agree that Shetland has an awful lot more money in their coffers than us, but they don't have nine times more money. I cannot see the reason we cannot give some more money to pensioners. Our funds grew by £9 million last financial year."

Orcadian link to halibut farming venture

Two Orkney men are linked with an invention that could place Orkney at the forefront of halibut farming.

A team from Napier University in Edinburgh has spent almost a year developing an automated fish feeding system originally designed by Mr Andrew Leslie of Kirkwall and trialled at the sea cages in Weddell Sound, Burray, belonging to local fish farmer, Mr Magnus Spence.

It is hoped that a private company can be set up in Orkney to manufacture and promote the halibut feeding system, and Napier University are looking to identify potential investment partners.

The Napier University team will give a presentation at Orkney Enterprise offices in Kirkwall on Tuesday, August 28.

Stromness has been chosen as a test site for wave power in Scotland.

Hailed as the best location because of the strong tidal currents, better onshore backup as well as the availability of sheltered waters for construction, Stromness was selected from a shortlist of four other Scottish sites.

With the Scottish Executive and Highlands and Islands Enterprise providing £400,000 to get the project under way, it is hoped the centre will be operational next year.

Police are concerned about the number of diesel spillages on the A9 – the same stretch of road where an Orkney man was killed last Monday.

The warning is believed to have been issued by Wick police as a result of another road accident in the area recently.

The police say a number of spillages have been reported over the past week between Dornoch and Wick, making the road slippery and a hazard to all vehicles.

The police warning serves as a timely reminder for people travelling to and from Orkney on the A9 to drive carefully and keep watch for spills.

Orkney Tourist Board have clinched their first full on-line booking - one year after setting up.

Staff say the first full on-line booking through the website was made by a couple from South Queensferry who are visiting Orkney this week.

Since then, two others have been made to the Royal Hotel in Kirkwall.

Local establishments fall foul of Food Standards Agency

Almost one fifth of the catering premises inspected in Orkney last year were found to be infringing statutory hygiene regulations, according to figures published by the Food Standards Agency Scotland.

Fifty-one of the 251 sites inspected by the agency in 2000 were found to be breaching regulations. Of these, more than half are reported as being restaurants and other caterers.

Almost half a million pounds has been awarded to two community projects in Orkney.

A grant of almost £300,000 has been made to the Harray Community Association for an extension to their existing hall, and £197,620 has been awarded to Kirkwall's East Church to upgrade the fabric and the facilities of the kirk.

The grants have been made through the Community Fund (formerly the National Lottery Charities Board).

Preliminary work on Kirkwall's new multi-million pound ferry terminal got under way last week, with workmen on site beginning to clear the area for the access roads.

Construction work on the road is expected to start shortly.

With the new NorthLink ferry contract coming into operation in October 2002, the construction of the new Hatston terminal - to handle the Aberdeen/Orkney ferry - will have to work to a tight timetable.