NorthLink change Hatston arrival and departure times

NorthLink have brought forward their Hatston arrival and departure times on the through services to Aberdeen and Shetland.

The ferries are now scheduled to arrive at Hatston at 11pm. departing again at 11.45pm.

Check-in facilities will now open at 9.30pm, with the last check-in for passengers travelling with cars being 11.15pm.

Orkney's weather put paid to any good views of Saturday morning's annular eclipse, with a blanket of slow moving cloud and mist covering most of the islands.

Around the time of maximum eclipse, 4.46am, thick mist in some areas made viewing the sky impossible, thus blocking out the view of the rare astronomical phenomenon.

Around 500 people had travelled to Orkney hoping for a glimpse of the eclipse.

Duke opens renovated Sandwick kirk

The refurbished St Peter’s Kirk near the Bay of Skaill in Sandwick was officially opened by the Duke of Gloucester on Saturday.

He performed the ceremony in his capacity as patron of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) who are in Orkney for their AGM.

As part of their visit, the group held a seminar in Stromness on the subject of ritual landscapes. Among the papers presented was one from Orkney College archaeologist, Jane Downes.

Cameron remains fourth favourite to win Big Brother

After the first eviction from the Big Brother house last night, Orcadian housemate Cameron Stout remains in the top four tipped to win the £70,000 prize.

Nush is at the top of the national betting forecast today at 7/2, with Irishman Ray a close second favourite at 4/1. Scott is at 6/1, with the odds on Cameron at 8/1.

On the Big Brother website visitors have rated Cameron the third most popular housemate, echoing the text messages from female admirers displayed during the show.

Click here for the official Big Brother Website

St Magnus Festival sponsorships awards

Three sponsorship partnerships for the 2002 St Magnus Festival were among 60 Scottish arts projects and sponsors waiting to hear if they have won anything at Friday night's 16th annual Arts & Business Scottish Awards.

Talisman Energy, who won Best Festival Sponsorship in 2002, John Jolly and Loganair were shortlisted.

Direct flights between Orkney and Norway are due resume on Sunday, with 16 secondary pupils from Stronsay and North Walls Junior High Schools being the first group booking from Orkney to take advantage of the summer service.

The service operated by Loganair, using a Saab 340 aircraft, leaves Kirkwall at 12.10pm and takes one-and-a-half hours to fly directly to Bergen. The return journey arrives back at 3.40pm.

Return fares are £189 inclusive, with children aged between two and 15 travelling for £109.

Bullying 'crisis' sparks action calls

Bullying has reached crisis level in schools across Orkney, according to angry parents who claim their children are being deeply affected by the attacks.

One mother says the situation is worse than that encountered at some inner city schools and has vowed to leave the county if education department officials do not act.

Ritual Landscapes tickets on sale

A seminar on the subject of "Ritual Landscapes" was held in Stromness on Saturday.

The event, was run as part of ICOMOS-UK's (The International Council on Monuments and Sites) summer meeting, this year being held in Orkney.

The seminar was open to all and took place at the Stromness Academy from 9.30 to 4.30pm. Tickets cost £30.

Click here for programme details

DJ vows to return

Superstar DJ Judge Jules has said he will "definitely" return to Orkney, after last week's opening night performance at Kirkwall's Fusion nightclub.

Judge Jules told The Orcadian on Wednesday: "I really enjoyed myself and the attendance, which must have been nearly five per cent of the Orcadian population, was remarkable."

"The atmosphere was up there with the more cosmopolitan cities of Britain".

Inquiry report delivers verdict on Local Plan

The findings of a public inquiry into Local Plan - the OIC document outlining their planning policies for the next five years - have now been published.

The inquiry considered plan objections, the majority of which related to housing sites in Kirkwall and Stromness.

The most significant objections centred on Scottish Natural Heritage's objections to proposed Stromness housing sites. Although the reporter accepted the OIC's argument, he recommended the deletion of a site at Brownstown, together with the reduction in size of another site at Hillside Road. To compensate, the inclusion of a second site at Hillside Road and another at Netherton Road was also suggested.

The full report is available from the OIC website

Scallop harvesting banned in Flow

The Food Standards Agency has placed a ban on harvesting scallops in Scapa Flow (view map).

The ban is because of high levels of Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) toxins detected in the area.

Cumming and Spence to close

One of Kirkwall's oldest grocery stores, Cumming and Spence, is closing in three months time.

The shop, part of the Scarth Orkney business, was put on the market in December 2002 but has failed to attract a buyer.

Now redundancy notices have been given to the staff and the shop will close on August 31.

Councillors' expenses published

The 21 councillors cost the taxpayer £412,198.16 in allowances and expenses in 2002/2003 - an increase of £16,531.87 (4.18 per cent) over 2001/2002.

At the top of the table, with payments totalling £37,753, is former convener Hugh Halcro Johnston. He is followed on £29,588 by vice-convener Jim Sinclair and former Firth councillor Eoin Scott on £27,480.

Archive story: Six per cent rise in councillors' expenses (May 2002)

Man in court over child pornography related charges

Martin Howe (48), of Kirkwall, appeared in private last week and was committed for further examination. He made no plea or declaration and was released on bail.

Orkney's procurator fiscal has said she is unable to release further details.

Lottery grant to Blide Trust

Orkney's Blide Trust have received a lottery grant of £281,000 to redevelop their centre in Kirkwall.

The current building, in Kirkwall's Victoria Street, will be renovated and expanded so it can be fully utilised as a drop-in centre for people with mental health problems.

Kirkwall pier fall incident

A man was taken to Balfour Hospital on Monday after falling from Kirkwall Pier.

The man, Mr Kenny Laird, was working on the pier when he fell around 15 feet onto the deck of a boat below.

A police spokesman said this morning that the man is not believed to be seriously hurt.

It was alright on the night - director sums up 21st Orkney Folk Festival

Bruce McGregor from Blazin' Fiddles in action at the weekend (www.orkneyphotographic.co.uk)

For the past four days venues across Orkney pulsed with music as the 21st annual Orkney Folk Festival entertained audiences from morning until well into the night.

Festival director, Johnny Mowat judged the event to have been "an extremely good festival" in particular this year's international act, Shikisa, a five-piece African band, mixing traditional dances, chants and drumming.

But despite problems ranging from lost equipment to a lack of accommodation, Johnny stressed: "It has been well worth the effort everyone has made."

Odds tumble as BB viewers warm to Cameron

After his first weekend in the Big Brother house, Orcadian housemate Cameron Stout has defied the critics who said he'd be the first to be evicted from the reality television show.

According to one national bookmaker, the odds of Cameron taking the £70,000 cash prize had fallen from 12-1 on Friday to 7-1 on Monday.

It has also been reported that more money has been bet on the 32-year-old fish trader than any other contestant.

For more information, visit the official Big Brother website.
Archive story: Cameron in Big Brother house

Flooding in West Mainland after torrential rain

The emergency services were out on Saturday after torrential rain caused flooding in the West Mainland.

Stromness parish was one of the areas hit after hours of constant heavy rain raised water levels in burns and rainwater ran from the hills.

Inquiries are continuing today after a substantial petrol spill at the Highland Fuels oil depot at Scapa on Friday morning.

An oil tanker was discharging petrol from Scapa Pier to the underground storage tanks at the depot when the leak occurred.

It is understood that around 2,000 litres of petrol was spilled and the road was closed off by police as a precaution and Kirkwall Fire Brigade attended.

2001