New health care premises for Kirkwall

The two GP practices operating from Kirkwall's Health Centre are looking at relocating to a proposed new healthcare centre.

Scapa Medical Group and Skerryvore practice intend to hold a public meeting to inform patients about the plans once they have more detailed information.

The practices, together with NHS Orkney, started work on the planning and development of the "Primary Care Centre" earlier this year.

Sichel in Switzerland for first 24-hour race of season

William Sichel

Sanday-based runner William Sichel tackles his first 24-hour race of the season today, competing in the Basle International 24-hour Road Race in Switzerland.

The field will be headed by the current world number one, Valmir Nunes of Brazil, who has a personal best fro the event of 170.1 miles.

This will be William's first 24-hour race since setting a new world record in Kirkwall last year.

Convener ousted after 22 years on council

Ian MacDonald (right) pictured with Hugh Halcro-Johnston after the OIC election count. (www.orkneyphotographic.co.uk)

The former convener of Orkney Islands Council, Hugh Halcro-Johnston, has failed to keep his council seat for the Scapa/Kirkwall south-west ward.

In the OIC elections Mr Halcro-Johnston lost out to Ian MacDonald by 25 votes.

Mr Halcro-Johnston has been a member of Orkney Islands Council since 1981, and Convener since 1994.

Click here for full election results

Election shake-up for Orkney Islands Council

Only five sitting councillors in the contested wards are returning to the Orkney Islands Council, with four losing their seats to new challengers.

The returning councillors are: Cyril Annal, Jim Foubister, Roderick Mcleod, Ann Sutherland and John Hamilton.

Former councillors John Brown, Hugh Halcro-Johnston, Eoin Scott and Fred Groundwater failed to win another term.

Click here for full election results

Wallace re-elected with much reduced majority

Jim Wallace celebrates with wife Rosie and election agent Ruth Williams. (www.orkneyphotographic.co.uk)

The standing member, Jim Wallace, was re-elected to the Scottish Parliament this week, but with a much reduced majority of 1,745 compared to 4,610 in the 1999 election.

The declaration of the result of the Orkney constituency election for a Scottish Parliament member was made by returning officer, Alistair Buchan, just after 2.30am on Friday.

The turnout at 52.1 per cent was down by 5.8 per cent on 1999.

Click here for full results

Wallace pledges to support Orkney interests

Orkney's returning MSP has pledged his continuing support to the people of Orkney.

In his acceptance speech earlier this morning, Orkney MSP Jim Wallace said he would "do his utmost to serve all his constituents and to support the interests of Orkney."

A Deerness field is one of the best places in Orkney to witness this month's solar eclipse, according to a group of experts who will be descending on the county.

And they say people from all over the world are travelling to Orkney in the hope of catching a glimpse of the annular eclipse on May 31.

The last annular eclipse in Britain was on April 8, 1921, and if you miss out this time, there will not be another visible one in Scotland for 90 years.

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Skara Brae venue for launch of young archaeologists club

An Orkney branch of the Young Archaeologists' Club is being launched at Skara Brae later this month.

The group follows the considerable interest expressed by young people at the Neolithic Conference in September 2001 and will be launched on Sunday, May 11, from 2pm until 4.30pm.

Parents and others interested in finding out more about the YAC or willing to help develop the group are welcome to contact Kathleen Ireland or come along on the day.

Orkney goes to the polls

The 37 polling stations were open for business until 10pm. As well as the battle to become Orkney's MSP, 12 out of the 21 council wards in Orkney were being contested.

The Orkney Islands Council election results are expected this afternoon around 3.30pm.

Wallace's helicopter crashes

The helicopter used by Liberal Democrat leader Jim Wallace on the final stages of his election tour on Wednesday, crashed less than three hours after Mr Wallace disembarked.

The helicopter, with three people on board, is believed to have struck a power line, which damaged the tail rotor, and sent it spiralling into a hillside near Pathhead, Midlothian.

The three people are not believed to be seriously injured.

Balfour Hospital's St Ninian ward and the Graham House nurses' home could be the first to fall victim to NHS Orkney's cost cutting measures.

The health board are looking to replace the ward and staff accommodation with a multi-purpose facility and patient hotel. However, NHS Orkney say that this is only one of several cash saving options being investigated.

The organisation have to borrow £200,000 from the Scottish Executive to balance their books this year, and make savings of £3 million over the next five years to remain within budget.

COSLA president urges voters to polls

"Councils form an important tier of government in Scotland - the tier which is closest to the people," he said on Wednesday.

"Councils deliver vital services 365 days of the year and tomorrow voters will be given the chance to elect the councillors who will be in charge of those services. It is vital that they turnout and do this."

Historic weaponry bound for museum

Several weapons handed in to the police during April's amnesty look set to end up in the Orkney Museum - as antiques first used in the Boer War and World War Two.

But the remainder will be destroyed following the month long amnesty, which ended on Wednesday.

Inspector David Miller warned that the government have plans to introduce tougher penalties for possession of illegal firearms and urged anyone holding unregistered firearms to get rid of them now.

Flotta GP post remains vacant

Flotta might have to share a GP - if NHS Orkney can't attract a doctor to the island.

The post of Flotta GP has been advertised but, although there had been eight expressions of interest, no applications have been received. Locums have been running the practice since the death of Dr George Drever in January.

The post is being advertised again but if there is still no response, NHS Orkney say that other alternatives will have to be explored. These include providing cover from one of the Mainland practices.

NorthLink confirm call centre move plans

Welcoming the move to the Kiln Corner office complex, NorthLink's Gareth Crichton said the current situation - with staff divided between three different locations - is far from ideal.

He added that the company would retain a 'strong presence in Stromness', with ten employees involved in the check-in and route management remaining in the the Stromness terminal.

Udal Law pressure group established

The group's steering committee was set up after a meeting in Shetland at the weekend.

Under Udal Law, the foreshore as far as the lowest spring ebb belongs to the person whose land adjoins it. But more importantly to Shetland and Orkney, say SOUL, is that under Udal Law the seabed belongs to the islands as far as the continental shelf to the West and to the Norwegian trench to the east.

Stromness concerns about NorthLink call centre relocation

Members at Monday night's meeting felt that such a move would signal NorthLink going back on their commitment to have their headquarters and main operations in Stromness.

The community council are laying out their concerns in writing to NorthLink, Orkney Enterprise, OIC and Orkney's MSP.

Has Wideford excavation revealed site of Orkney's oldest settlement?

Some of the post-holes that make up one of the timber structures. A shallow scoop near the centre of the picture is the remains of a hearth.

The evidence of Orkney's only wooden prehistoric structures found so far are returning to the earth, as a three-week excavation at the foot of Wideford Hill draws to a close.

The dig, led by Dr Colin Richards of Manchester University, revealed post-holes marking the position of wooden circular structures. Around 6,000-years-old, these hint at the site being the earliest settlement found in Orkney to date.

"This is all very interesting and all very early," said Dr Richards,"It's almost certainly going to produce some of the earliest dates we've got in the islands."

One day visit for top Tory

In the run up to this week's Scottish Parliament elections, Ms Lait was lending support to Orkney's Conservative candidate Christopher Zawadski.

Road race trial continues in Aberdeen

Pedestrian Robert Banks (16), who was attending college in Fraserburgh, died in hospital in April last year.

Christopher Stalker and Alexander Freeman have denied the charges against them.

Ward admissions suspended after bug outbreak

An NHS Orkney and OIC investigation has taken place, a spokesman saying appropriate control measures had been put in place.

He added that only a small number of patients are affected and people would continue to be admitted to other Balfour Hospital wards operating normally.

2001