St Magnus Festival tickets selling fast

Those seeking to tickets for this year's St Magnus Festival should act fast as performances are selling fast.

On Friday, eight of the 27 performances planned for this year's festival were already sold out, including both performances of the Dunedin Consort in the Italian Chapel and the HMS Pinafore festival chorus performance.

Orkney celebrates Norway Day

The Tog in Albert Street on Friday.

Orkney celebrated its Norse links on Friday, with the annual Norwegian Constitution Day events.

As well as the traditional procession, or tog, through the streets of Kirkwall this afternoon, there were events outside the Cathedral..

Earlier flowers were placed on Norwegian war graves at St Olaf’s Cemetery and also in graveyards in Lyness and Westray.

MP hits out at Post Office changes

Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael hit out at post office closures and proposals to deregulate letter post.

In a House of Commons speech he said the closures "struck at the heart" of island communities.

On the deregulation proposals he added: "I can see great advantage of competition in attractive areas such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and other towns, but I cannot envisage much competition to deliver mail to Papa Westray, Graemsay or Papa Stour."

Orkney woman runner-up in learning awards

Yvonne Bryan from Grimbister, Firth has been presented with a runners-up award in the Grampian Television's Adult Learners' Awards for 2002.

Yvonne studied a SVQ Level I in construction wood machining and was presented with her award on Thursday at a a presentation ceremony in the Hilton Hotel, Coylumbridge.

Wallace seeks quick solution to shellfish harvesting problem

Orkney MSP, Mr Jim Wallace, has written the Food Standards Agency (FSA), backing Orkney Islands Council actions to restore the classification of shellfish harvesting areas in Orkney.

A number of sites were declassified by the FSA despite efforts by the council's environmental health department to address the problem.

In his letter Mr Wallace seeks assurances that the FSA are co-operating with the OIC's efforts to reclassify the most important sites.

Archive story: Shellfish industry in crisis after
Food Standards Agency declassification

Farmers meet IACS deadline

Almost all farmers in Orkney eligible for European subsidies have sent in their IACS claim forms to the Rural Affairs Department.

Around 750 claims had been received by the Wednesday deadline for submitting their completed forms.

Orkney Islands Council have confirmed that the manager of the Camoran children's home in Kirkwall resigned from his job.

Nacha o' Mairthini tendered his resignation last month after a period of sick leave.

Meeting to plan for Stromness' future

A public meeting in Stromness next week will discuss the town partnership scheme - a joint project to promote the needs of the town.

Stromness Community Council chairman, Mr Ian Johnstone, said areas for development and economic regeneration had been explored, with objectives now set, adding: "The public’s response will help us judge what the next steps will be in terms of our planning for the future.”

The meeting, on Tuesday, May 21, is at 8pm in Stromness Community Centre.

Radio day at Kirkwall Grammar School

Local amateur radio enthusiasts are to set up a station within the school, giving pupils the opportunity to contact other radio users across the world.

Former chairman withdraws from representing council on tourist board

Former Orkney Tourist Board chairman, Captain Bob Sclater, has withdrawn completely from representing Orkney Islands Council on the board.

Councillor Sclater made it clear this week that he wanted to step down when the OIC were appointing three members to serve on the tourist board.

The new representatives are Councillor Mac Petrie, Councillor Sinclair Scott and Councillor Bryan Taylor.

P&O to continue shipping livestock until cassette system in place

The Scottish Executive have confirmed the contingency plans in place for the transportation of livestock this autumn.

P&O Scottish Ferries are to continue providing the livestock service, to allow continuity of the service until NorthLink starts shipping livestock using their cassette system from November 1.

Committee chairmen re-elected unopposed after reorganisation

All councillors who were chairmen of OIC committees were re-elected unopposed on Tuesday, following the reorganisation of the committees.

The only exception was when it came to decide who would chair the new direct services board, which replaces the former contract services committee.

Click here for reorganised committee names and chairmen
Full details in this week's The Orcadian

Cross-bearing visitor arrives in Orkney

Arthur Blessit as he passed Quanterness on Tuesday afternoon.

An unusually Biblical sight was witnessed on Orkney’s roads on Tuesday, when a man carrying a 12 foot long cross was spotted walking from Stromness to Kirkwall.

Arthur Blessitt (61), from Fort Myers in Florida, arrived in Stromness at 8am on Tuesday morning, and immediately began his trek to Kirkwall.

He has been carrying the wooden cross on foot around the world since 1969, explaining that he was carrying it “for Jesus”. He left for Shetland at the weekend.

Hull impact thought to be responsible for Scapa tanker spill

The crack in the tanker's hull under examination.

Initial investigations into the cause of Monday's oil spill from a tanker in Scapa Flow indicate it was due to an impact on the hull before the vessel arrived in Orkney.

The Norwegian-registered Prospect was taking on crude on Monday morning when oil began to seep through a crack in the hull.

Although full investigations have yet to be completed, an OIC spokesman said that a hull impact was one of the possibilities currently under investigation.

Nightclub named but opening delayed

The rear of Fusion, Kirkwall's newly-named nightclub project, as viewed from Burnmouth Road.

The name of Kirkwall's new nightclub was announced this week, along with news that the opening has been delayed until spring 2003.

The main area of the Ayre Road club is called Fusion, with the second, smaller venue on the first-floor christened Firelounge.

Kirkwall businessman Neil Stevenson says on the club's official website: "It is disappointing that we will not be open this summer but in the long term, for a number of reasons, the new opening date is the best way forward."

Construction work starts on new turbine

One of the turbine blades en route to Burgar Hill on Monday (Pic: Orkney Photographic)

The segments for NEC Micon's new wind turbine on Burgar Hill were transported out to Evie yesterday, following a route through Harray, Dounby and Birsay.

The tower bottom section and the blades were delivered on Monday with the second section and rotor assembly expected to be erected Tuesday.

Once the turbine has been erected, it will take several days of tests before the machine is formally commissioned and producing electricity.

Oil spill emergency in Flow

Orkney’s oil spill contingency plan was put into action on Monday morning when a tanker loading oil at the Flotta terminal sprang a leak and spilled a quantity of crude into Scapa Flow.

The incident happened at 7.15am, when the tanker Prospect was taking on oil. According to an OIC spokesman a crack appeared in her hull, with the amount of oil escaping estimated at one barrel.

The Orkney Harbours emergency vessel Scapa Lass was launched and a boom was deployed at the scene, he added.

Medal success for Orkney Athletics Club

Winter training has paid off for a group of Orkney athletes, who took home an impressive haul of medals from the weekend's North District athletics championships in Inverness.

The ten Orkney Athletic Club athletes returned home with nine gold, nine silver and three bronze medals.

Car leaves road at Scapa junction

A report is being submitted to the Procurator Fiscal after a car left the road at the New Scapa Road - Holm Branch Road junction in Kirkwall on Sunday.

The Rover 200 car was heading towards Scapa around 3.50pm when it collided with a fence and a dyke and rolled into a field by the road.

The driver was detained in hospital overnight. The passenger was released yesterday following treatment to minor injuries.

Rugby victory sees promotion for Orkney

Orkney player Neil Mccartney is pictured celebrating Orkney's win with John Deerness (Pic: Orkney Photographic)

A home victory on Saturday means Orkney Rugby Club have earned promotion to Division Four of the BT National League.

Orkney beat Strathaven 19-13 at Pickaquoy in front of an ecstatic crowd of around 350 spectators.

Doubts over fibre-optic link

Doubts on the future of a proposed fibre-optic link between Shetland, Orkney and the Scottish mainland have been raised, because two oil companies have not committed themselves to using the link.

Lack of commitment from BP Amoco and Shell has meant that there is now little prospect of laying the cable this year.