Torvhaug calendar unveiled

On Thursday night, the launch of the Hidden Assets the, so called, nearly naked calendar, in the Torvhaug Inn, Kirkwall, which included a charity auction and raffle, was packed out.

The auction, alone, raised £1,300 - two signed calendars, which were part of the auction, raised a total of £160 between them. All the proceeds will be going to the charities MS Orkney and Macmillan Orkney.

Jane Harcus one the organisers of the event and 'Miss January' in the calendar, said: “It all went amazingly well. We were quite happy with it because we had a good crowd in.”

A new Orkney CD - Skalded - by Orcadians Andy Cant and Phil Anderson was launched on Thursday night, in the St Magnus Centre.

The new CD features a mixture of original songs, including the award winning www.kennethlouise which won the Ronnie Aim Memorial Trophy for an original song this year.

A CCTV camera trial is under way in Kirkwall town centre after three wireless cameras were installed last weekend.

The equipment has been leased, and will cost £9,000 for the three month trial. The cameras will be monitored at Kirkwall police station.

The Orcadian conducted an online poll earlier this year, when almost 400 people logged on to vote, with 85 per cent voting in favour of the cameras.

Huge price paid at Carcass competition

Prices could be set to rise in a Hertfordshire butcher’s shop after last night’s carcass competition and auction at Orkney Meat.

Leo Hayden, of G. Pickett Butchers in Ware, paid £15 per kilo for the winning lamb carcass, bred by Dave Hurst of Strathore, Shapinsay.

The winning beef animal and overall champion was from Mark Cockram of Fersness Farms, Eday. Thorfinn Craigie, of E. R. & T. Craigie, wholesale butchers, Tankerness, paid £4.50 a kilo for the carcass.

A helicopter pilot with more than 20 years flying experience told a fatal accident inquiry that safety had been improved after one of his colleagues died in a crash.

The inquiry began two weeks ago into the accident that killed Captain Anthony Taylor.

Captain Callum Falconer, 44, told the inquiry yesterday: “There is increased safety now with more people working, more frequently. On the ground we have a marshaller and a hook up man who both have radios. We also have another two people on the ground to receive or help with preparation.”

A Sanday cottage advertised for sale on the Internet failed to sell.

The butt-and-ben style building received four bids on the Ebay auction site, starting at £20,000 and going up to £22,300, but this did not meet the reserve by the time the auction finished on Monday.

The online advertisement said the cottage offered a unique chance to get away from the stress of city life. The building is in need of renovation.

Ten metres of the sea wall at Scapa, St Ola, was damaged when a car hit it on Tuesday night.

Kirkwall police said a Rover car hit the wall at the junction of New Scapa Road and the Scapa Shore Road about 10pm.

No-one was injured in the crash and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.

Orkney Tourist Board members will see a five per cent rise in fees, after the increase was given the go ahead at OTB’s annual general meeting on Tuesday night.

The increase will see the cost of membership for a large business rise from the current £310 per year to £325, while providers of tent pitches will see their membership fee increased from £1.70 to £1.80.

NorthLink Ferries is finalising arrangements to charter the freight vessel mv Clare as a replacement for the St Rognvald, which makes her final sailing under NorthLink’s flag on Thursday.

The St Rognvald was chartered by NorthLink in June to complement the freight carrying service already provided by MV Hascosay.

The St Rognvald has recently been sold by owners Gulf Offshore and is to operate a route in the Middle East for her new owners.

Two people have been rescued from a lift in Stromness after being trapped.

Stromness Fire Brigade received a call that residents at St Peter’s House were stuck in a lift at the residential home around 8pm on Monday night. They manually opened the doors freeing the resident and the staff member involved 20 minutes later.

A council spokesman said: “The lift is under warranty and appropriate checks and maintenance will be carried out immediately. The are two lifts at St Peter’s House and the second one is in use.”

Police are keeping an eye out for anyone using a mobile phone while driving.

Officers were on duty at the Kirkwall harbour area on Monday, looking for people who may have been contravening the new law which bans the use of a phone while driving a car.

Inspector David Miller of Kirkwall Police Station said: “Officers were out with the radio at the harbour, but they did not catch anyone. However, it is the same as anywhere else in Scotland, it will be enforced, so do not use mobile phones while driving.”

Nursery strike action hits two schools

Two of Orkney's biggest primary schools are being affected by a week-long strike action this week as nursery nurses step up their campaign for better pay and conditions.

Papdale Primary School in Kirkwall and Stromness Primary School will see nursery teachers on strike until Friday.

A fifth of all nursery nurses across Scotland are taking part in the selective industrial action.

Shellfish ban lifted

The ban on taking scallops from the area immediately west of Westray has been lifted.

The ban had been imposed because tests showed the scallops might be affected by the toxin which causes amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans.

The banned area included part of the shoreline in the west and south of Westray and the sea area designated Box 2 on the map.

Amnesic shellfish poisoning can cause symptoms ranging from stomach upsets to dizziness, seizures, paralysis, permanent short-term memory loss (hence the name) and even death.

Safe sex message for World AIDS Day

Kara Leslie, NHS Orkney's sexual health officer explained that between April and September Scotland saw 141 new cases of HIV.

She added: "For this reason it is dangerous not only to associate HIV with already stigmatized groups such as gay men and drug users. The safe sex message applies to all of us."

Maeshowe cameras beam solstice across the Web

Maeshowe

As the light from the last dying rays of the setting sun strikes the back wall of the 5,000-year-old structure's main chamber, three cameras will be capturing the images and broadcasting them live across the World Wide Web.

The broadcasts at www.maeshowe.co.uk are scheduled to run until February, 2004.

2001