Orkney’s Canadian First Nations visitors will only get as far as Glasgow airport unless more money can be found.

The Scottish Arts Council has granted £10,000 towards the visit this coming autumn, but the shortfall is at the Canadian end.

Kim Foden, secretary of the Saskatchewan First Nations Coming Home committee, said the visitors had exhausted their fundraising possibilities but had raised only enough to get them to Glasgow.

She is about to embark on a fundraising campaign to get the money to bring them the rest of the way.

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Archive Story: Magic meeting with Cree cousins

Stromness was reverberating to the sound of jazz this weekend, after the annual jazz festival kicked off in the Stromness Hotel last night.

Organised by owner of the hotel, Douglas Smith, the annual festival has become a firm fixture in the county’s calendar since its debut in 1997.

This year’s line up included Bill Salmond’s Louisiana Ragtime Band, The Orkney School Swing Band and The Diplomats of Jazz.

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The OIC are to implement a revised ferry timetable between Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre to allow an Egilsay resident to attend school full time in Rousay.

Jordan Basford is the only pupil at the Egilsay school and is currently educated on Rousay only three days a week because the ferry doesn¹t run in line with school start and finish times.

A council spokesman confirmed that a revised timetable had been drawn up, which, if approved by the islanders, would be put in place.

Archive story: Boat owner needed for unique Egilsay service

The first three finalists for the Battle of the Bands competition were selected after the first heat last night.

Bigg Muff, Immunition and Peter's Finger now go through to the final of the competition, which is sponsored by The Orcadian, on Thursday, May 6.

Seven local bands took to the stage in Kirkwall last night, each playing a 20 minute set before judges decided on the three winners.

The next heat takes place next Thursday, April 29.

A former Hoy special constable was jailed for four months at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Valerie Heddle (35) from Longhope had admitted giving false information to police on two occasions in order to secure a conviction against another Hoy resident involved in an incident with her brother-in-law, Stuart Heddle, last year.

The court heard that Mrs Heddle had concocted a scheme with Stuart Heddle in which they both claimed that she had been present at the incident in 2002.

Co-accused Stuart Heddle was ordered to complete 250 hours of community service.

Mr Wallace was opening a debate on Renewable Energy in the Scottish Parliament yesterday and stressed the importance of marine energy sources

He said: "On marine technology, we have committed more than £2 million towards the establishment of a wave device test centre off the coast of Orkney, which will play a major role in enabling the many device designs that have been developed to prove their worth."

Of the 35 registered childminders in Orkney , all but two are on the Mainland. The bureaucracy involved in registering is highlighted as a significant factor in dissuading potential childminders from registering.

Mr Wallace said: "I would encourage anyone in Orkney who has previously been put off registering as a childminder by the application process to reconsider their position."

He added: "Only by individual Orcadians deciding to register, will the shortage in registered childminders be solved."

Margaret Gardiner - pictured in 1980 - the founder of the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness.

The founder of the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness - one of the most prestigious galleries in the UK - celebrated her 100th birthday on Thursday, April 22.

Margaret Gardiner, OBE, instigated the creation of the Pier Arts Centre early in her eight decade, donating her collection of artwork to Orkney in return for the pleasure of time spent at her home in Rousay.

With great determination and energy she led the fundraising to buy and remodel the buildings as the Pier Arts Centre.

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Almost a fifth of Orkney's reserve funds will pay for the decommissioning of the Flotta oil terminal - when the time comes.

The total fund - set up to sustain the local economy when the oil boom fades - now stands at £182 million.

The fund's value was highlighted in the national press recently in a report by the Audit Scotland into what was perceived to be the high level of reserves held by some councils.

But it emerged this week that the report was criticising councils who were holding back local authority funds and keeping them in reserve.

Combustion Energy and Steam Specialists Ltd (CESS) is the first Orkney firm to win the Queen's Award for Enterprise - the UK's most prestigious awards for business performance.

The announcement comes on the Queen's personal birthday, 21 April, and owner Mike Craigie plans to attend the winners' celebration in London tomorrow.

A formal award ceremony is due to take place in Stromness in May.

The Pentland Firth ferry Hamnavoe is to be taken out of service for structural repairs.

NorthLink have confirmed that an underwater investigations have identified hairline fissures on the A-frame structures which support the propellor shafts. These require further inspection and repair but the work can only be carried out in dry-dock..

The company are in talks with CalMac as well as searching the charter market to secure a vessel to cover the dry-dock period.

Meanwhile, NorthLink stress that there are no safety issues and the vessel is fit to continue sailing.

Chartered architects and surveyors, Pentarq, have been named as UK Construction Consultant/Surveyor of the Year at the Building magazine annual awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Directors Ian Sloan, John Stockan and Leslie Burgher made the trip south accompanied by Charlie Kemp of Orkney Builders Contractors Ltd and Sally Inkster of Orkney Housing Association.

With members of the global travel industry descending upon Aberdeen for the two-day show, NorthLink will showcase its ships and the Northern Isles during trips to both island groups.

At the exhibition's close, more than 50 tourism delegates - variously tour operators, travel agents and press - will board MV Hrossey and set sail for the Northern Isles on a trip that will give them a taste of what visitors to the islands can expect.

The council had requested £1 million, but says the award is a helpful interim start to addressing the Council's fuller request.

Orkney MSP Jim Wallace has agreed to pursue the request for extra funding with the relevant ministers to increase the interim settlement in the current year.

Another car has been damaged crossing the second Churchill Barrier and the driver taken to Balfour Hospital with minor injuries.

The barrier was closed by the authorities around noon on Monday after strong south-easterly winds and a high tide led to safety fears. But one driver attempted a crossing regardless and was struck by a wave which shattered the windscreen and damaged the roof and bodywork of her car.

Police are reminding all motorists they should not attempt to cross the barriers if there is any doubt about the safety of the conditions.

Sanday school is one of five Scottish schools to have won cash awards through the Barclays New Futures sponsorship scheme.

With the £5,000 award, Sanday pupils will create a community environmental resource, building on an already successful tree planting project on the school grounds.

Trees and plants will be planted in a special one-day event with the help of community volunteers. Students will help design, build and install other amenities, including environmental art, wildlife information boards and a weather station and remote camera monitoring of bird boxes will be installed.

Hoteliers from all over the Scotland will be attending this event that celebrates the country's hospitality industry. These will be the largest awards ceremony dedicated entirely to the Scottish hotel industry and the first to use online voting.

The Creel is one of five finalists in the Scottish Restaurant with Rooms of the Year category.

The Rev Kathryn Galloway, leader of the Iona Community, is to speak in Orkney this weekend.

She will address a lunchtime gathering in the St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall on Saturday, and the following day she will preach in Westray and Papa Westray.

The Iona Community, which was founded by Rev Dr George MacLeod in 1938, was responsible for the restoration of the living quarters of the holy island of Iona in the Hebrides.

The Statsraad Lehmkuhl in Kirkwall on Monday

Despite the weather, the arrival of the Norwegian sail training ship earlier this week Statsraad Lehmkuhl in Kirkwall is a sure sign that summer is on the way.

The three-masted vessel is a regular visitor to Orkney throughout the summer months and her arrival marks the start of the 2004 liner season - although the first passenger liner is only due on May 3.

The Statsraad Lehmkuhl is expected to be in the county at least monthly over the summer.

Police are "alarmed and disappointed" that the message is still not getting through to drink drivers after three were charged over the weekend.

All the arrests were made in Kirkwall and ranged from Friday afternoon to the early hours of Sunday morning.

Reports have been submitted to the procurator fiscal, with the motorist due to appear in court on Wednesday.

A report is being submitted to the procurator fiscal following an incident on the NorthLink ferry Hrossey on Sunday night.

Kirkwall police met the vessel as she docked at Hatston pier at 11pm and a 28-year-old man was apprehended and charged with breach of the peace and assault.

Ingrid Rosie

Over £4,800 was raised for charity at the weekend's fundraising events in memory of the late Ingrid Rosie.

Her fiancé, Marc Boal of John Street, Stromness, pent the past few months organising a fundraising weekend for the Lavender Trust - a charity specifically for women under 30 years old with breast cancer.

Ingrid was only 25 when she died in November last year after a 12-month battle against breast cancer.

Archive story: Fundraising weekend in memory of Ingrid

Orkney Rugby Club's First XV's place in division four of the national league looks secure after they beat St Andrews University 33-14 in their play-off game this afternoon.

Watched by hundreds of supporters, Orkney's league experience showed, particularly in the first half which ended with a 26-7 scoreline.

But playing against a strong wind in the first half had its effect on Orkney and by the second half players were beginning to tire as the younger St Andrews squad tried to fight back.