Hoy's annual half marathon continues to go from strength to strength, with a record entry this year that saw some would-be participants having to be turned away.

Over 130 people took part in this year's full half-marathon while 50 youngsters were expected to take part in the quarter marathon.

Men's winner was Adam Ward in 1 hr 18 mins 15 secs, with Sylvia Murray being the womans' winner in 1.37.42.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a road accident closed the Holm Road on Saturday afternoon.

Emergency services attended the scene after a Peugeot car struck a wall and left the road just after 4pm on Saturday. The three occupants of the vehicle were transferred to Balfour Hospital but they are not believed to have been seriously injured.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kirkwall Police on 872241.

The Kirkwall City Pipe Band won the grade four competition at the British championships in Turriff at the weekend.

The championships are the band's first full competition in nine years and featured up to 120 bands from all over the United Kingdom.

There was a double defeat on Saturday for Orkney's junior and senior football inter-county squads in their games against Caithness.

The juniors were beaten 5-1 in the Corinthian Cup while the Seniors fell 6-1 in the Archer Shield game.

Councillor Roderick McLeod was speaking after members of the OIC education committee were told of a positive best value review for the facility. The report stated that there was "a high degree of stakeholder satisfaction with the service provided by the college" but also highlighted a £135,000 funding deficit in 2002/03.

Councillor McLeod said the service "is dogged by financial problems that are not of its own making" and that the OIC could be doing more to help out.

A man is due to appear in Kirkwall Sheriff Court next Wednesday charged with drink driving.

The 36-year-old was stopped by police on Bignold Park Road in Kirkwall on Thursday afternoon following a complaint from a member of the public.

UNISON regional officer Michael MacNeil said: "We know that NHS Orkney is expected to make cuts in budget of around 10 per cent and nearly everyone knows that this cannot be achieved without fundamental changes. It is really unlikely that these changes are going to be seen as a good thing by people living on the islands."

UNISON has pledged to campaign against any proposals from NHS Orkney that may have a negative impact on health services.

Orkney's nursery nurses are the only ones in the country yet to reach an agreement with their local authority.

This follows nursery nurses in the Scottish Borders accepting a pay deal on Thursday.

But although the pay dispute is outstanding, Orkney's nursery nurses remain working while the negotiations continue.

Local stakeholders gathered at the airport to mark the official commissioning of the airport's new Instrument Landing System as well as an expanded engineering base and new fire training ground at Kirkwall

Station manager Tommy Tullock said: "The ILS has already enabled flights to land that would previously have been diverted or cancelled. This project, delivered in partnership with the council and local enterprise company, has brought real benefits to all the passengers who travel to and from the airport."

A small, “but dramatic”, explosion left 30 customers in Kirkwall without power on Wednesday night.

Kirkwall Fire Brigade and six engineers went to Buttquoy Place at 11.15pm to fix the fault in a low voltage pillar.

Orkney’s operations manager, Mark Rough, explained: “We had about 30 customers off for around three hours. There were quite a few flashes and bangs.

The fault affected customers in the Buttquoy area and Victoria Lane and Street.

Islands councillors have backed proposals to amalgamate Glaitness Primary School with the adjacent Aurrida complex.

On Thursday, OIC education committee members approved recommendations to "discontinue" Glaitness Aurrida School, and establish a new combined school.

OIC assistant director of education, children's services, Elaine Grieve, told councillors that parents of pupils at both schools were overall in favour of the move, which will see the head teacher of Glaitness Primary School assume responsibility for the combined school.

A report is due to come before the education committee to decide on a new name for the school.

Polling stations across Orkney opened on Thursday to allow people to cast their vote in the European Parliament elections.

The elections will determine the seven Members of the European Parliament (MEP) who will represent Scotland in Brussels.

But although there are almost 15,000 eligible voters in the county, based on the 1999 elections, fewer than 4,000 were expected to exercise their right to vote.

GMB Scotland, the largest union representing local government workers in the country, are to consult OIC staff over a 5.98 per cent pay rise.

The offer is over a two year period and will see over 1,500 OIC members of staff receive a 2.95 per cent increase in pay from April 2004 following by a further increase of 2.95 per cent from April 2005.

A GMB spokesman said: "We are consulting our members on this offer over the next few weeks. It is the Trade Union's view that this is the best deal that can be achieved through negotiations."

Orkney MP Alistair Carmichael has criticised the Government for failing to tackle the high petrol prices in rural areas. Orkney's fuel prices now at an all time high, ranging from 90.4 to 97 pence per litre for unleaded petrol.

Mr Carmichael called for a reduction in the rate of fuel duty to alleviate the price increases but was informed in the House of Commons on Tuesday that this was "an inappropriate and impractical solution".

Describing the response as "breathtaking in its complacency", Mr Carmichael said: "The Government should be embarrassed to admit that they are not capable of administering a scheme which is accepted as routine in countries like Greece and Portugal."

The project showcased the different cultural aspects of living and studying in Scotland. The Orcadian pupils, from the Evie, North Ronaldsay and Flotta schools, all focused on their different journeys to Secondary school - by bus, plane and boat.

Filmmaker Gavin Lockhart worked with each school for a week, with pupils filmed at various sites such as the Ring of Brodgar, working alongside sculptor Frances Pelly and flying and sailing to school.

They are currently working closely with island community associations to find out what courses people would like to do, and when and where these should be held.

Anyone interested in becoming a tutor should contact Community Education, on 873535, for further details.

Since its launch in January, fruit sales in Papdale Stores have increased by more than 50 per cent.

Lynne Henderson, senior dietitian who co-ordinated the project said: "This was the first time Orkney had applied for this grant money and the success of the project has exceeded all our expectations. We set out to make fruit more appealing and cheaper for residents and so encourage people to eat the recommended five portions a day of fruit and vegetables."

A website to promote Scapa Flow as a world class port was given the go ahead at OIC's transportation and infrastructure committee on Tuesday. They were told that the port needs to be promoted more,

Currently Scapa Flow is Orkney’s key asset for maritime industry and provides a safe port for the oil industry in the North Sea and Atlantic Frontier and a place for the container transhipment port project.

It also provides a safe anchorage for ship-to-ship oil transfers which could expand because of increased Russian oil production in the north.

Orkney Islands Harbours remains one of the top ports in the UK.

More than 14 million tonnes of cargo passed though Orkney’s harbours in 2003, mostly attributed to oil related cargoes in Scapa Flow.

Although there is a significant drop in the tonnage handled, Orkney Harbours is actively seeking new business and have recently seen a number of large ship to ship transfers, which will add substantially to the overall tonnage figures for 2004.

Two men are to be reported for possession of “personal amounts” of controlled drugs as a result of intelligence-led policing.

Constable Peter Allan commented: “At 11.15pm on Friday, two men were searched in relation to misuse of drugs, having arrived at Kirkwall from Shetland.

“They are both to be reported for possession of personal amounts of controlled drugs,” he added.

The restoration of St Peter's Kirk in Sandwick has been awarded a diploma in Europe's top awards for architectural heritage, the Europa Nostra Awards.

The diploma for building restoration was awarded to only three UK projects.

The award was presented at a ceremony in Munich on Friday, attended by Victoria Collison Owen, director of the Scottish Redundant Churches Trust, which owns the building, and Leslie Burgher, project architect from the Kirkwall based firm of architects, Pentarq.

Teachers in Orkney will have greater opportunities to refresh and enhance their skills thanks to a £67,000 award from the Scottish Executive.

The money, part of £13.5m being distributed nationwide is to ensure that teachers have access to a wide range of events, courses and meetings.

Orkney Islands Council have also introduced a comprehensive information communication technology programme designed to improve teachers' skills and suggest ways of using them in the classroom.