'Cinderella' no more for Health Promotion

Members of NHS Orkney board have agreed to give the department support and direction, after representative Mary Anne Crook told a board meeting that health promotion staff felt they were “working in a vacuum”.

It was agreed that health promotion be given more guidance on which areas to focus on – rather than be left trying to “do it all”.

August website figures continue to climb

Visitor numbers to The Orcadian Online website continue to grow, with record figures in August 2002.

There were 43,803 visits in August (averaging 1,413 a day) - an increase of almost 25 per cent since December 2001.

August saw 79,382 pages viewed - just over 2,500 a day.

Click here for full site statistics summary
Archive story: Record breaking May for The Orcadian Online

Higher uptake for free school meals

The uptake of free school meals in Orkney has doubled over the last three years, according to director of education, Mr Leslie Manson.

Mr Manson told members of the OIC education committee that 16 per cent of pupils now take free school meals, compared with eight per cent, three years ago.

This he explained, was due both to an increase in the number of people entitled to free school meals, and a higher uptake among those who can have them already.

Festive airing for MP's pantomime

A pantomime penned by Orkney MP Alistair Carmichael is to be performed by a local drama club this festive season.

Kirkwall Arts Club will perform Aladdin at Orkney Arts Theatre from December 6 to 14 – one of four plays by Orkney’s MP.

Mr Carmichael said he was delighted that Kirkwall Arts Club were using his play. However, it is clear where he got his inspiration for script writing – politics – the greatest pantomime of all.

Hamnavoe could lie idle for six months

NorthLink chief executive, Bill Davidson.

Orkney looks set to end up with a second rate ferry service for six months from October with the Pentland Firth route being run by a charter vessel while the brand new ferry lies idle – or the service being shelved in favour of a Stromness to Aberdeen service.

The “dreadful” situation was outlined this week by NorthLink chief executive Mr Bill Davidson who expressed bitter disappointment at the role of Scrabster Harbour Trust in the whole saga.

Click here for the full story

School bus overtaking bye-law fails to get councillors’ backing

A bye-law, aimed at ensuring child safety when getting on and off school buses, failed to get enough support from councillors this week.

A move by OIC convenor Councillor Hugh Halcro-Johnston to create a bye-law, stopping cars passing stationary school buses, narrowly missed out at a meeting of Orkney Islands Council education committee, on Wednesday.

Councillors decided by seven votes to six, to accede to police and council officials’ advice not to go ahead with a bye-law preventing.

Crew sickness forces Thorfinn to cancel

Orkney Ferries were forced to cancel Wednesday morning’s sailing to Sanday because sickness had caused a crew shortage on the Earl Thorfinn.

Orkney Ferries were unable to find sufficient numbers to cover for those off ill.

Captain Nigel Mills, acting operations director at Orkney Ferries, said: “We are hoping that this is a bit of blip. Apparently, we have been close to having a problem with staff shortages due to sickness in the past but never had to cancel a sailing until now.”

Damage concerns raised over Groattie Hoose relocation

The idea of relocating Kirkwall’s Groattie Hoose, off Garden Street, has run into another problem.

Kirkwall Community Council have previously agreed to move the structure to a more prominent location in Tankerness House Gardens.

Although a plan has been produced to move the Groattie Hoose, the exact location within the gardens has still to be identified and there is now some concern if it will be physically possible to shift the structure without permanently damaging it.

Archive story: Community Council put funds towards
relocating Groattie Hoose

College director reveals Geophysics Institute plans

Orkney College are planning a new Geophysics Institute to support their Archaeology and Agronomy departments.

Agronomy Institute director Dr John French told a Science Festival audience that the college had received funding for a new Geophysics Institute from Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The Institute are also bidding for financial support from Orkney Islands Council and Europe.

The college have been supported in their application by Channel Four’s Time Team geophysicist, Mr John Gater.

See also: Time Team man's deeper look at Minehowe mystery

The development of a travel centre in Kirkwall is to focus on two possible sites – the bus station and Castle Street.

Three sites were up for discussion at Tuesday's Orkney Islands Council transportation and infrastructure committee, but a proposal to look at Shore Street next to the Orkney Ferries building was rejected.

NorthLink have published new freight rates and a revised schedule for their proposed freight and livestock service.

They plan to use the freight vessel Hascosay between Orkney and Aberdeen on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, but taking into account the sailings of the Hrossey there will be a freight service from Kirkwall to Aberdeen every weekday.

Click here for more details, including revised rates

Dry run for temporary St Ola replacement

Picture: www.orkneyphotographic.co.uk

The ferry Hebridean Isles is pictured during berthing tests carried out in Stromness on Monday.

The vessel will be used by NorthLink on the Stromness-Scrabster route until the permanent ferry, Hamnavoe, is ready.

Up to five Orkney Enterprise jobs at risk

Orkney Enterprise (OE) have been asked to shed four to five jobs as part of cutbacks that will see 100 jobs lost in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network.

Chief executive of OE, Ken Grant, said on Monday: “It is never going to be easy to accept staff cuts when we have such a committed and dedicated workforce.”

The enterprise company have been given until the end of the month to make a case for retaining as many jobs as possible in a review of the office’s workload.

Day long event focuses on environmental issues

It was Environment Day in Orkney on Monday, with a day long event in Kirkwall aimed at raising awareness of environmental issues in the county.

As part of the 2002 Science Festival, the event focused on climate change, its causes, impacts and solutions.

See www.orkneyenvironmentday.co.uk for more details.

Oil removal a 'major success'

Work on removing oil from the wrecked World War Two warship Royal Oak has been a major success this year, according to a report before Islands' councillors this week.

More than 400 cubic metres of oil had been removed by August 18, compared to a total of 169.8 cubic metres last year.

The operation in Scapa Flow is being carried out by the Ministry of Defence.

Archive story: Navy team begin Royal Oak work
Navy to reveal Royal Oak plan ‘within weeks’
Royal Oak Leak
Relief as Royal Oak work begins at last

Orkney, in red, in their new home strip in the game against Allan Glen's.

Orkney Rugby Club were defeated on Saturday, in the first game of their National League Division Four campaign.

Orkney lost 21-11 at the hands of Allan Glen’s on Saturday afternoon.

The Glasgow side clawed themselves back into the game at Pickaquoy after Orkney had taken an 11-5 lead in the first half with a try and two penalties to a pushover try from the visitors.

Ten people from Orkney will soon see their chosen quotations appear on giant hoardings surrounding the new Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh.

Readers of The Orcadian entered the Scottish Parliament's Voices of Scotland competition to select a quotation that best captures the essence of Scotland.

Their chosen quotations will appear alongside thousands chosen by newspaper readers from across Scotland.

Food Standards Agency officials to visit

Food Standards Agency officials are due to visit Orkney on Friday to discuss proposed changes to the marketing and testing of king scallops from areas affected by Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning.

The possibility of introducing the tiered system of testing was first raised with the agency two years ago.

The FSA requires the most toxic parts of the scallop to be removed, allowing only the parts below the statutory toxin level to be marketed.

The 12th Orkney Science Festival was opened on Friday morning by Professor Robert Cormack, director and chief executive of the University of the Highlands and Islands.

The extended, eight-day festival has attracted participants from throughout the UK and overseas. International contributors come from Australia, Zimbabwe, Slovenia and Denmark.

Click here for full programme details