Ale connoisseurs attend beer festival

The ninth Orkney Beer Festival was held in Stromness at the weekend.

The festival, which saw 23 different types of cask-conditioned real ales from breweries all over the UK available, ran from Friday evening until Sunday.

Among the beers on show were local ales Dark Island, Red MacGregor, Northern Light, Ravel Ale and Skullsplitter.

£1 million worth of models on show

Members of the Orkney Model Club are gathering this weekend for their largest ever display of models and radio-controlled vehicles.

Around 40 collectors from across Scotland will be displaying their models, which have an estimated total value of £1 million.

The event begins in the Pickaquoy Centre at 10am today, with all proceeds going to local charities.

Biodiversity officer moves on

After five years, Orkney’s community biodiversity officer, Rachael Bain, is leaving Orkney for pastures new.

As the first ever biodiversity officer in Scotland, Miss Bain paved the way for other officers – creating numerous community action plans, plus the Orkney-wide Local Biodiversity Plan.

She takes up the post of conservation manager in County Down, Northern Ireland, next week.

Island representatives notable by absence

None of Scotland’s island authorities will be represented at the next sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament this weekend.

Neither Orkney, Shetland nor the Western Isles currently have Scottish Youth Parliament representatives.

Around 200 members of the Parliament will assemble at the Scottish Parliament debating chamber in Edinburgh on Saturday and Sunday.

Second vessel for Pentland Ferries

MV Claymore - Pentland Ferries' new vessel. Click here for larger picture.

Pentland Ferries have secured a second ferry to support the Pentalina B on the St Margaret's Hope-Gills Bay ro-ro route.

The new boat, the former CalMac ferry Claymore will allow the company to offer six round trips a day next summer.

Managing director of Pentland Ferries, Mr Andrew Banks, told The Orcadian he expected to take delivery of the ship in the first week of September, after which she will be in dry dock for a refit.

Temporary Stromness linkspan in operation

The temporary ferry linkspan in Stromness came into operation on Thursday morning.

The unit will be used for car ferry traffic to allow the installation of a new permanent linkspan at the Stromness ferry terminal.

Eday surgery privacy provided by radio

Eday residents have hit out at a lack of privacy in their doctor’s surgery - claiming confidentiality is an issue because of non-existent soundproofing.

Community council chairman, Neville Judd, explained that a radio is used to create background noise so consultations are not overheard in the waiting room.

The community council have written to NHS Orkney criticising the “antiquated and uncomfortable” surgery, which, they claimed, was lacking in modern equipment.

Wreck amnesty sees porthole donated to museum

The porthole was removed from the sunken light cruiser Brummer by visiting divers 17 years ago.

Two of the original dive party personally returned the porthole, which will be put on display at the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre in Lyness. It was decided to donate it to the museum following last year’s Wreck Amnesty.

Archive story: MCA announce wreck amnesty

September visit for Moderator

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Dr Finlay Macdonald, will pay a ten-day visit to Orkney next month.

Arriving on September 14, Rev Macdonald will perform a number of religious duties, including officially opening the new King Street Halls and preaching at Stromness Church before leaving on September 23.

Albert Street pedestrianisation back on the agenda

The pedestrianisation of Kirkwall’s Albert Street was raised again on Tuesday at the meeting of Orkney Islands Council's roads committee.

Councillors discussed creating a “gateway” on Albert Street, close to the Laing Street junction, using flower beds or street furniture to mark the beginning of the pedestrianised area.

They also recommended a complete ban on traffic in the area each day between 11am and 3pm.

Director disappointed but "lessons will be learned"

NorthLink's commercial director has expressed his disappointment that Viking Island Holidays has failed.

Gareth Crichton said: “It is a great shame. You can’t lose sight of the fact that an awful lot of time and energy and a significant chunk of money has been spent on trying to get the project up and running, but we are no further forward."

"Lessons will be learned from this," he said, adding:"We’ll have to work fast to make effective inroads on the potential business lost in the past year though.”

Dounby stripped of Reid Cup after SAFA hearing

Dounby have been stripped of this year's Reid Cup after an investigation by the Scottish Amateur Football Association (SAFA).

At the appeal hearing in Glasgow on Monday, SAFA upheld the Orkney Amateur Football Association's decision to withdraw the cup after player "registration irregularities" came to light.

Dounby beat Thorfinn 5-1 in the Reid Cup final on July 26.

Viking Island venture folds

Viking Island Holidays, the joint marketing initiative aimed at encouraging more tourists to the Northern Isles, has folded without one package being sold.

A statement issued on Monday by partners NorthLink and Orkney and Shetland tourist boards blamed the lack of agreement over the structure of the operating company for the project's failure.

Orkney Tourist Board chief executive, Barbara Foulkes, commented: “It is always disappointing when initiatives of this kind don’t work, but the hurdles proved insurmountable. There was also disquiet from our membership which can’t be ignored.”

Archive stories: Joint Northern Isles tourism venture unveiled in London
Joint venture aims for £2 million tourism boost
Tourist board hold on to holiday package cash

Transfer regulations don't apply say NorthLink

NorthLink have said that employment transfer regulations will not apply to staff joining them from P&O Scottish Ferries.

They say that having taken legal advice, and following consultations with union representatives and staff, they do not believe the TUPE regulations apply to P&O employees when they are taken on by NorthLink from October 1.

Instead, NorthLink say that they will offer employment on the same terms and conditions currently enjoyed with P&O.

Archive story: Executive wash their hands of ferry staff transfer uncertainty

Report to fiscal after Sanday van leaves road

A report is being submitted to the procurator fiscal after a single vehicle road accident in Sanday on Monday morning.

Kirkwall Police received a call around 1.45am from a man who didn't know his location but claimed that his van was teetering over the edge of a "cliff".

The van was later found to have left the road at the Whalgeo quarry, where it had come to rest on a steep slope. The driver was unhurt.

German family buy Orkney island

The Holm of Huip - an uninhabited island off Stronsay - has been bought by a German family who have no plans to develop the 62-acre island.

The businessman and his wife hope to holiday on the Holm – which cost them £73,000 and comes complete with prehistoric sites and a loch – every year with their son.

“We read about it in a newspaper in Germany, were sent some brochures and decided to buy it. We saw other islands all over the world, but none as interesting as the Holm sounded,” the couple said.

Pentland Ferries seek second vessel for Firth route

Pentland Ferries are seeking a second ferry for their St Margaret’s Hope/Gills Bay ro-ro service with the Pentalina B.

Managing director of Pentland Ferries, Mr Andrew Banks said that he was also closer to securing certification to run a year-round passenger service.

Mr Banks also claimed that his service would have capacity to carry the bulk of cattle sold through the mart during the peak selling period over the next few months.