The three day event, organised by the Orkney Bike Club, is now in its ninth year.

NorthLink's contract to operate the lifeline ferry services to Orkney and Shetland has been cut short because of the company's financial difficulties. The contract will now be retendered.

Scottish Executive Transport Minister Nicol Stephen said the decision to retender had been taken following financial difficulties faced by NorthLink Ferries, and added that future payments will be the minimum necessary to enable them to continue operating until the new contract is awarded in 2005.

The contract for ferry services to Orkney and Shetland is to be retendered as soon as possible.

Heart and stroke patients in Orkney are to benefit from investment in new services at Balfour Hospital, the Scottish Executive announced on Thursday.

Nearly £50,000 from the Coronary Heart Disease/Stroke strategy will be used for a cardiac technician, stroke awareness training and a CT scanning pilot.

Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm said: “The projects being funded are those which have been given priority by the local cardiac services and stroke managed clinical networks in each NHS board area. This process gives patients and clinicians a strong say in how these services are developed.”

Kirkwall Hotspurs midfielder, Keith Harcus, who allegedly issued threats against a referee during an 'A' league football match against Dounby last season, has been banned from the sport for an year.

The Scottish Amateur Football Association was informed of the incident through the referee’s match report in August last year.

An association disciplinary committee decided to ban the player at a meeting on Monday, after considering written submissions from the player and the referee’s match report.

Orkney Youth Development Group have announced that the Scotland national 15s football team will travel to Orkney to play against the Orkney 16s county team.

The provisional date for the fixture is Sunday, June 20, and there may be scope for another game or coaching with the Scotland party on Monday, June 21.

The development group are now seeking sponsors to help with the cost of the event.

Iain Harcus, left, receives his award

An Orcadian fisherman has received an award recognising his personal contribution to the UK's seafood industry.

Iain Harcus, the skipper of the trawler Aalskere, received the Pride in Seafood Award as part of a campaign aiming to boost the industry's image and recognise outstanding contributions by individuals or companies.

Iain said he was delighted to receive the award but modestly added that he was just one of many people working hard to promote and sustain the fishing industry.

Archive story: Orkney skipper is first in M&S
stock conservation scheme

The African visitors are all professional conservationists and are holding an Africa wetlands committee meeting on Papay.

The group were keen to see the breeding habitats for migratory birds on the isle as many of these birds spend part of the year in Africa.

A report is to be submitted to the Reporter to the Children’s Panel.

A major conservation project at the Hackness Martello Tower and battery on Hoy is now complete, with two steward appointed to help visitors and care for the site.

The 19th century structures were built to protect ships sheltering off Longhope from attacks by French and American privateers.

The battery and tower were taken into care in the 1990s and the conservation work has allowed much of the site to be opened to the public.

A volunteer scheme aiming to patrol Kirkwall's harbour area at weekends is looking for local sponsorship.

Pierwatch is a local scheme that aims to ensure the public's safety around the pier by providing a lifesaving service to people who may be under the influence of drink or drugs who end up in the water.

The proposed scheme, the idea of Tankerness resident Steve Walker, follows a number of past tragedies in the area.

There is to be no change to the structure of Orkney's football leagues.

An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Orkney Amateur Football Association was held on Monday night to decide on a possible reconstruction of the leagues.

But following last night's vote it was decided to leave the leagues as they are for another season.

Jamie Halcro-Johnston (28), the son of former OIC convener Hugh Halcro-Johnston, will seek election to the Moray constituency on the Scottish mainland.

A new procurator fiscal for the Highlands and Islands has been appointed by the Lord Advocate, Colin Boyd QC.

Mr Andrew Laing took up the position on Monday, succeeding Mr Graeme Napier, who has recently been made a sheriff.

Mr Laing, who graduated from Edinburgh University, joined the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in 1991.

Kirkwall's annual Ba' games have been named one of 50 Things to Do Before You Die by The Observer newspaper.

Listed at number nine, the newspaper suggests interested readers should "take part in the world's biggest mass football match".

It reads: "A trip to the Orkney Isles at Christmas could see you stepping out - with about 500 others - for a game that is like no other."

The Longhope lifeboat was launched on Saturday afternoon to assist a vessel drifting drifting off South Walls.

The lifeboat was launched at 12.45pm after the vessel Faith Hope had suffered impeller damage and was left drifting off Cantick Head.

The stricken vessel was towed to Burray.

Two divers were treated for suspected decompression sickness in Stromness on Saturday after surfacing too quickly.

An ambulance was waiting for the divers, who were on board the vessel Jean Elaine, and took them to the Stromness decompression chamber. One of the divers was released after receiving oxygen, the other kept in the chamber until 6pm before being discharged.

A new era for Orkney Islands Council began on Monday with the official opening of the new "East Kirk" premises in Kirkwall and the relocation of the main reception desk.

The new 'customer services reception' in the East Kirk will be the first point of call for all visitors to the OIC and offers information links to NHS Orkney, the police, Orkney Housing Association and voluntary sector organisations.

Enquiries to all council departments should now be directed to the new reception.