League leaders crush Orkney in away fixture

Orkney Rugby Club fell to league leaders Hawick YM on Saturday, Orkney's first National League Division Four fixture of 2004.

The Borders' team beat Orkney 39-0.

First turf cut for new Pony club riding centre

A new era in the history of the Orkney Pony Club began on Saturday, with the first turf being cut for their new indoor riding centre.

The club's old building at the Market Stance was demolished on Thursday morning to make way for the new £400,000 centre. A good proportion of the costs was raised by members, with additional funding from the National Lottery and the OIC's Millennium Fund among others.

The new centre, which will allow members to ride all year, is expected to be ready by June 2004.

Young farmers get ploughing match season under way

The county's first ploughing match of the year took place in St Ola on Saturday.

The Orkney District Association of Young Farmers' Clubs annual ploughing match was scheduled to begin at Caldale farm at 9am.

Library promotion helps computer users choose reading matter

Print Options is the first ever national promotion to involve all Scottish library authorities and was launched by Rhona Brankin MSP last year. The promotion aims to tempt the library's computer users to borrow from a wide range of contemporary paperback fiction.

A website has been set up (www.print-options.net) to help PC users find out more about the library service and how to join.

Helicopter pilot's death could have been avoided says sheriff

The death of a helicopter pilot after a crash at the Brough of Birsay in May 2002 could have been avoided, according to Sheriff Colin Scott Mackenzie.

Sheriff Scott Mackenzie’s determination was published on Thursday following the Fatal Accident Inquiry at Kirkwall Sheriff Court in December.

Describing Captain Anthony Taylor as a pilot of “considerable flying experience”, the sheriff said that had he been given or knew the accurate weight of the cargo his helicopter was carrying, he might have refused to take it.

Archive Story: Body of pilot recovered after Brough of Birsay helicopter crash

Cash grant secures islands study

An American research project into the history of Westray and Papay is to go ahead after the academics leading the project secured enough cash to fund the scheme for the next three years.

Eight students from Pennsylvania State University will arrive in the county at the end of May and spend the next eight weeks investigating the two islands' history and the changes in population over the past several centuries.

The project was given the green light after the US National Science Foundation agreed to grant $192,000 over the next three years.

Executive cash to improve classroom behaviour

Orkney Islands Council is to receive £15,000 from the Scottish Executive to improve discipline in the county's schools.

The cash, part of a nationwide scheme, will allow teachers to be trained as "behaviour co-ordinators". They in turn will help their colleagues take practical steps to intervene early to improve classroom behaviour.

The staged intervention scheme has been piloted by East Ayrshire Council, who will co-ordinate future training.

'Bleak' future if reforms go ahead

A desolate island landscape without cattle, schools or tourists is the picture of future life in the county painted by Orkney Islands Council if farm reforms go ahead.

In its submission on the reform of the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the council says the proposals could lead to a drop in cattle numbers, followed by the disappearance of jobs, businesses, schools and health services, especially in the outer isles.

The council believes the reforms could be a catastrophe and the effect on employment in the isles would be devastating.

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Carmichael highlights North Isles problem with fisheries deal

Alistair Carmichael MP

Following last month's European fisheries agreement, Orkney MP Alistair Carmichael today called on Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw to take action so Orkney's fishermen are not forced to catch immature inshore haddock rather than mature stocks in traditional fishing grounds.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Carmichael asked whether anything could be done before the regulations are finalised to ensure this did not happen.

After the exchange Mr Carmichael said: "I shall pursue this with him in a way which I hope will be complimentary to the work being done by Tavish Scott and Ross Finnie in Edinburgh."

New life for Orkneyinga Saga

Delegates from Shetland, Faroe, Iceland, Greenland, Canada and Norway will be gathering in Orkney later this month as part of a EU project to develop cultural tourism using the Icelandic Sagas.

From January 22 -27, Orkney Heritage will host the 34 visitors, who will be discussing their projects and visiting Norse sites in Orkney. During this time there will be talks on the Orkneyinga Saga as well as music, storytelling and a play based on the saga performed by local schoolchildren.

In December 2005 Orkney Heritage plan to publish a children's version of the Orkneyinga Saga; a book setting the context for the sagas and their relevance to Orkney sites and an academic publication on aspects of the sagas.

Alert after object found on Scapa beach

The discovery of an unidentified rusty cylinder washed up on the beach at Scapa led to a full scale alert on Wednesday night.

A Coastguard search team located the object around 8pm on Wednesday night and confirmed it was merely a disused tank.

February start date for Marine Energy Test Centre?

The Pelamis wave energy generator, which was due to be set up in Stromness last month, looks unlikely to be installed until the end of February.

Nicknamed "sea-snake", the generator will be installed at Billia Croo in Stromness and is expected to be ready for trials within a month.

Thereafter it will be installed in Orkney, marking the start of commercial work at the Stromness Marine Energy Test Centre.

East Kirk roof reverts to original nineteenth century design

An old view of the East Kirk from Dundas Crescent, showing the original roof of the church. (Picture: Orkney Photographic Archives)

The church, currently being converted into Orkney Island Council's one-stop shop, now has a line of three air-conditioning towers which match the building's original roof vent towers.

The building is listed, which means the external fabric should not be altered and the remedial works had to reflect the original building as far as possible.

The towers were made by Hamnavoe Engineering and were installed just before Christmas break by the main project contractors, O'Brien construction.

See also: The East Kirk - A historic review

No decision says NHS Orkney after newspaper highlights Balfour cuts

But responding to the article, NHS Orkney stressed that no decision has been taken to close the hospital or move any services to the Scottish mainland.

The story claims that hospital wards across Scotland are to be shut, as emphasis centres on opening a handful of specialist centres in the cities. Balfour Hospital is one of 24 it says face drastic cutbacks or outright closure - prompted by an "acute shortage of medical staff".

Sentence deferred on Eday fraud "mastermind"

Sentence has been postponed again on an Eday resident, described by the judge as a "criminal mastermind" behind a £3.5 million debt collection fraud.

42-year-old David McHugh of South Park, Eday, pleaded guilty to two charges of conspiring to defraud last year and was to be sentenced in September.

But Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday that reports requested by McHugh's defence team were still not available so sentence was deferred until February 9, when confiscation proceedings against the eight fraudsters involved are due to begin.

McHugh was bailed to an address in Liverpool.

Archive story: Eday resident narrowly misses jail in national fraud case

St Ola assault witnesses required

A 34-year-old man was assaulted within the front bar of Kirkwall’s St Ola Hotel on Saturday night, according to police.

He was taken to Kirkwall’s Balfour Hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Witnesses to the assault, at about 11.30pm, are asked to contact Kirkwall Police Station on 872241.

Power problems hit North Ronaldsay

North Ronaldsay was without power on Monday, after a series of electricity problems over the weekend affected households across the county.

Electricity was restored to the islanders on Monday afternoon.

There were also faults in Westray, Sanday and Harray on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively which resulted in short interruptions to the supplies.

Police seek man in connection with Kirkwall vandalism

Kirkwall police are keen to trace a young man in connection with vandalism in Kirkwall on New Year’s Day.

Two parked vehicles were damaged in Junction Road and Pickaquoy Road at about 1am. Police want to speak to a young male, described as having short dark hair, wearing a long sleeved dark top.

Anyone with information is asked to call 872241.

Orkney sweetshop for Moxey?

The lads may be off to Cuba, but Orkney still merited a mention in an episode of the hit television series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet on Sunday night.

Jimmy Nail, who plays Geordie-bricklayer Oz, referred to the county in the first episode of the fourth series.

He told his Liverpudlian pal Moxey that he would "end up running a sweet shop in the Orkneys" if he went through with his idea of joining a witness protection programme.

Earl Sigurd unlikely to return to service until March

Orkney Ferries is still operating to the refit timetable with the Earl Sigurd still expected to be out of service for another three months.

Ferry services manager Alasdair Henderson said the ferry, which blew an engine before Christmas, is unlikely to be back in service before March at the earliest.

Mr Henderson added that it was important that the Earl Sigurd was operational by the beginning of April - otherwise Orkney Ferries might have to look into chartering a vessel to cover the route.

Dismay at drink driver figures

Kirkwall Police have expressed dismay after another motorist charged on Sunday brought this year's festive drink drive campaign total to 13.

The Northern Constabulary area saw a dramatic increase in the number of drink drivers caught, with Orkney's total making up about 14 per cent.

The New Year's Day Men's Ba' reaches Mackinson's corner.

The New Year's Men's Ba' went up, with the ba' going to Gordon Mulraine from Kirkwall.

Although there were occasions that it looked like the Doonies could move the pack towards their goal, once the pack reached Junction Road, the slow but steady progress towards Mackinson's Corner began.

The ba' finally touched the goal at 4.55pm.

Billy Jolly donated and threw up the Men's Ba’. Billy won a ba’ for the Doonies on New Year’s Day 1979.