Ness Battery opens to the public

The Ness Battery in Stromness opened its doors to the public on Sunday for the first time since the facility was bought by the OIC.

Ness Battery dates partly from World War One and partly from World War Two, and was used to defend the Hoy Sound entrance to Scapa Flow from enemy ships.

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Talking newspaper to benefit from St Magnus concert

Birsay's St Magnus Church hosted the Mayfield Singers on Sunday to raise money for the talking newspaper.

The choir gave a programme of words and music, with donations going to the organisation, which provides people with weekly recordings The Orcadian newspaper.

Around 50 volunteers produce and dispatch up to 140 tapes each week, mostly throughout Orkney.

Free viewing of Cathedral upper floors

Cathedral visitors have been able to pay a small fee to access guided tours of the upper floors and the tower since Easter 2002, and this has proved to be a great success.

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Healthy eating on the Picky Centre menu

Centre manager, Mr Kieran Henderson – who accepted that some of the options on the children’s menu at the centre were high in fat – said they are now working with Orkney Island Council’s Environmental Services department to push healthy eating.

Highland Park replaces champagne in Hrossey naming ceremony

A bottle of Highland Park whisky replaced the customary champagne at the naming ceremony of MV Hrossey in Kirkwall on Saturday.

A NorthLink spokesman said: "NorthLink felt it fitting that the new vessel be blessed by a product of the distillery which overlooks her home port."

Jim Wallace MSP was the guest speaker at the ceremony, during which the Hrossey was officially named by Kirsten Kelday from Kirkwall.

Orkney chocolates launched

The handmade Belgian chocolates are available from Kirkwall confectioners Nimms, after being previewed at last weekend's annual Taste of Orkney Food Festival.

Norse Island Ferries confirm Orkney service

No details of a timetable or price structure for Norse Island’s Orkney link is available yet. That is expected to be released next week.

The announcement follows a feasibility study by the new company into the viability of adding a call in Orkney to their six-day-a-week service between Shetland and Aberdeen.

Orkney gets its annual dose of the blues

A weekend of rhythm and blues kicked off in Stromness on Friday with the start of Orkney Blues 2002.

The annual festival, which featured ten acts and over 30 events, including workshops, pub session and concerts, ran until Sunday.

False alarm over suspected grenade

A bomb disposal squad were in Orkney on Thursday to deal with what was suspected to be an old hand-grenade. But on closer examination the object turned out to be an old brass bell.

The item was uncovered in a load of soil at a house in East Hill, Kirkwall on Tuesday night.

Sanday man's bravery medal presented to Orkney Museum

Polish Cross of Valour

A medal won by a Sanday man during World War Two was presented to the Orkney Museum on Thursday.

The medal, the Polish Cross of Valour, was won by John Cromarty from Stove in Sanday, who helped rescue 500 Polish soldiers from the besieged city of Nantes in France in 1940.

Mr Cromarty was captain of the cargo ship SS Bramwell, later renamed SS Glendinning, and rescued the troops by taking them safely through mined waters, while under attack from artillery and enemy bombs.

Claymore service to start on October 1

Pentland Ferries are set to bring their second ferry, Claymore, into service on the short sea route on October 1 – the same day NorthLink take over the Northern Isles ferry routes.

Managing director Mr Andrew Banks told The Orcadian this week that he expected the former CalMac ferry to arrive in Orkney at the weekend.

Fire Brigade strike contingency plans

The fire brigade are looking into contingency plans for Orkney should a fireman’s strike be called, it has been reported this week.

Highlands and Islands Firemaster, Mr Brian Murray, stressed that although strike action is not a foregone conclusion, the brigade were working on contingency plans for the Highlands and Islands.

He said that they were looking closely at cover for Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, which offered the brigade huge logistical problems.

Planning application lodged for Sanday wind turbines

An application for planning permission to construct four wind turbines in Sanday has been submitted to Orkney Islands Council.

Based in Suffolk, England, Spurness Wind Energy Ltd want to erect the turbines on the Gump of Spurness, near the Sanday ferry terminal. These, they say, could generate enough electricity to supply 7,000 local households.

They add that the project could create more than £500,000 worth of contract work for local and regional companies during the construction phase alone.

P&O donate collection to museums

P&O Scottish Ferries may bid farewell this month, but they leave behind them a solid legacy of their 135 years serving the islands.

The company have bequeathed their entire art collection to the museums of Orkney and Shetland – and to the Aberdeen Maritime Museum.

Presentations will be made to the curator of Stromness Museum during the “Farewell to the Isles” reception in Stromness on September 30.

Drug related offences double in a year

Crimes and offences involving drugs in Orkney have more than doubled over a one year period.

A total of 23 crimes were recorded from April 2000 to March 2001, but 47 crimes were recorded between April 2001 and March 2002.

Expressing his concern at the rise, Inspector David Miller said he felt this may actually be reflecting the increased levels of drug enforcement in the county.

NorthLink ships sail in

Buses await NorthLink's first passengers into Orkney

Over 80 tour operators and travel journalists were the first passengers to step off NorthLink’s Hjaltland in Orkney when she docked in Kirkwall on Wednesday morning.

Arriving from Shetland, they are guests on NorthLink’s inaugural cruise to the Northern Isles and will be given a tour of sites on the Mainland. Meanwhile, Saturday will see the Hjaltland’s sister ship Hrossey named at a ceremony at Kirkwall pier.

The names Hjaltland and Hrossey come from the Old Norse names for Shetland and the Orkney Mainland respectively.

Councillors postpone new Burray school

Orkney Islands councillors agreed on Tuesday to postpone the building a new school in Burray and instead to bring forward the creation of a community school in Rousay.

The vote came at the end of a lengthy, and at times confused, debate about funding the council’s three-year capital programme.

A motion by social work and housing chairman, Councillor Keith Johnson, for the scheme to build a care home in the Linked South Isles to take priority over a new school for Rousay failed to get a seconder.

Lighthouse Board proposals are "desperately sad" - convener

The Northern Lighthouse Board proposals to close their Stromness depot were described on Tuesday as “desperately sad” by the convener of Orkney Islands Council.

Councillor Hugh Halcro-Johnston said that in view of the long historical links, the OIC should do everything they could to oppose “this awful centralisation of services.”

The policy and resources committee agreed to write to the commissioners and management of the NLB supporting the retention of the Stromness depot, and also to invite key consultees to visit and see the facility's importance to the local economy.

Urgent meeting sought with walkway designers

Community councillors in Stromness want an urgent meeting with the new ferry terminal walkway designers to ensure the final plan is in line with what had been agreed by people in Stromness.

Concern was expressed at Monday night’s meeting of Stromness Community Council that the layout of the temporary access to the ferry terminal was not what had been discussed previously.

Archive stories: Stromness folk concede defeat over
disputed ferry walkway plans
Councillors accept walkway plans despite Stromness objections
Petition after Stromness folk declare walkway "unacceptable"
Revised design welcomed but more walkway discussions needed says Brown

Community Council join fight to save Stromness lighthouse depot

Stromness Community Council are to write to the chief executive of the Northern Lighthouse Board asking him to justify the possible closure of their Stromness depot.

The NLB have indicated that the depot could close because it is not up to the same standard as in Oban, where £4.25 million has been spent upgrading the facility.

The community council also plan to send letters to individual NLB commissioners asking them to reconsider what appeared to be an “operational decision” taken by the chief executive.

The Scapa Dental Centre in Kirkwall has been dealt a further blow this week with the departure of one of their dentists to Orkney Health Board.

Major Malcolm Hamilton’s shift to a salaried post will see 2,500 patients de-registered and no longer entitled to NHS treatments at the Scapa clinic. Click here for more details.

Archive story: NHS Orkney field calls as Scapa
Dental Centre ditch 500 patients

Plans unveiled for major wind project

Fairwind (Orkney) Ltd aim to create up to four wind farms in the county in a venture likely to cost more than £40 million.

Fairwind's Orkney-based directors, Dennis Gowland, Richard Land and Ivan Craigie, believe the project is of sufficient scale to justify the creation of a new sub-sea power cable linking the county to the Scottish mainland.

The Taste of Orkney Food "Oscars" were presented on Saturday night at a Gala Dinner in Kirkwall.

Best retailer went to Stromness butcher E. Flett, while Grimbister Farm Cheese scooped the Best Supplier award.

Best light lunch went to Kirkwall's The Mustard Seed with Best Breakfast going to Miller's House, Stromness. Best Evening Meal award went to The Foveran, St Ola.

Ironman Mark in World Championships

Mark, the senior assistant manager at the Pickaquoy Centre, faced a 2.4-mile open water swim (160 lengths) in the Mediterranean, a 90-mile cycle and a 20-mile run in Nice.

He was selected by the British Triathlon Association after the Ibiza Ironman event last August.

Brew and wine competition gets Taste of Orkney festival off to good start

The annual celebration of Orkney food and drink, got under way on Friday night, with the judging of the home brew and wine competition in the Stromness Hotel.

The winners were: Wine (traditional): 1 Alexander Rosie; 2 D Stevenson; 3 Wilfred Wylie.
Wine (kit): 1 Andrina Wick; 2 Wilfred Wylie; 3 Norma Garriock.
Beer (traditional): 1 Irene Keldie; Beer (kit) 1 Stevie Wick.

Orkney Ferries have appointed a new Ferry Services Manager following interviews held on Friday.

Alasdair Henderson (51) was previously employed as a commercial director with a central Scotland media information firm.

He has also held senior positions with a number of major Scottish companies including Scottish Citylink Coaches, Applied Distribution plc and John Brown Engineering Ltd.