A young Orkney team took to the field on Saturday in Orkney Rugby Club's second Division Four national league fixture of the season.

But the lack of experience saw Orkney beaten 32-nil by the Cumnock side, who were playing at home.

With ten players under 21, and an average age of 23, club captain Glen Maclellan was pleased with his side's performance, saying they had played "outstandingly well."

An Orkney farmer has been selected to judge at next year's Royal Highland Show.

Terry Coghill, of Muce, Birsay, will judge the beef interbreed individual and team competitions at the Ingliston show, which runs from June 23 to 26, 2005.

After a week of test broadcasts, Orkney's new commercial radio station went live at 105.4FM on Saturday morning.

The lack of a link between the MV Communicator, berthed in St Margaret's Hope, and Wideford Hill meant the presenters were unable to go on air last week.

Amnesty International's sixth annual Five Barriers fun run took place on Sunday with runner Alistair Cook home first.

The 6.5 mile race began from the Commodore Motel in Holm at 2pm, crossing the four Churchill Barriers, before returning over the fourth to end at the Sands Motel in Burray.

As William's main target of the season is October's World 24 hour Championships in the Czech Republic next month he has allowed his head to rule his heart and has pulled out of Saturday's event.

Lesley MacLeod (fiddle), Fran Gray (accordion and guitar) and Hamish Bayne (concertina and whistle) have provided music for a number of years for talks by Howie Firth and have issued some of their arrangements on a CD.

The group, Three in a Bar, have played music for a variety of themes, often historical or poetic.

A report looking at Udal Law in the northern isles has been launched by the Shetland and Orkney Udal Law (SOUL) association.

The document looks at the history of Norse law in the islands, leading up to, and after they were pawned to Scotland in the fifteenth century.

The booklet is available from local bookshops, priced £3.

The North Region Board of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) held its quarterly meeting in Kirkwall on Friday.

The board advises SEPA on developing business plans for the region, implementing local initiatives for the environment, and considering applications which have major effects on the local area.

Minutes and details of board members are available at www.sepa.org.uk

The service was provided through Orkney Islands Council's Rural Transport Fund allocation from the Scottish Executive.

Alison Muir, OIC's Senior Transport Officer, said: "This service has been very popular again this summer, and I am pleased that the Council has been able to provide the funding to enable the service to be run."

A 17-year-old woman has been charged with assault and breach of the peace following an alleged disturbance in the Orkney Hotel, Kirkwall, on Wednesday night.

A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.

Kirkwall police are appealing for witnesses after an attempted break-in at Trenabies, Albert Street, Kirkwall.

A spokesman confirmed the attempt, overnight on Tuesday/Wednesday was unsuccessful and that they would like to speak to anyone who saw or heard anything.

In total, there will be ten awards. Others include team of the year, coach of the year, sports photograph of the year and an award for services to sport.

Nomination forms are available from the OIC One Stop Shop in Kirkwall and the Picky Centre. Nominations close on Monday October 18.

The future site of Kirkwall Grammar School and the Papdale Halls of Residence was again called into question at the OIC education committee meeting on Thursday.

The general consensus of opinion among councillors was that they would prefer to see a new 21st century school built at the Pickaquoy campus, while upgrading work at the school hostel is set to continue.

The projects, plus an education management system, were recommended to progress through the council's Capital Projects Appraisal Programme.

The Marine Conservation Society have highlighted the fact that no Orkney beaches have been registered for their national beach clean-up weekend later this month.

Much like Environmental Concern Orkney's Bag the Bruck work, the MCS are looking for volunteers to organise a clean-up and litter survey over the weekend of September 18-19.

For further information or to register for Beachwatch 2004 see www.adoptabeach.org.uk.

The chairman, Michael Cursiter, said the previous minimum of five shares was out of step with the times and detracted from the mart's aim of working towards a share holding of active users of the business.

There will be no dividend issued this year. Mr Cursiter said it was important to build up some reserves because of the uncertain farming future in Orkney.

There was no change to board membership.

CCTV cameras are to be fitted inside a Stromness school bus.

The reason behind the proposal remain a mystery, as officials at this week's OIC transportation committee meeting admitted they needed to know more details.

A report will be brought back to the next meeting.

Orkney is facing an obesity timebomb - with one in eight of the county's four and five year old overweight.

NHS Orkney and the OIC are taking proactive steps to prevent future problems such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, osteoarthritis and psychological problems.

But the onus remains with parents to sort out children's diets, Orkney school health co-ordinator Maureen Swannie said this week.

Shona Croy, OIC head of economic development, told the development committee members on Wednesday that 300 tonnes of cheese were stored in the garage. Additional storage space had been sought but nothing was suitable.

She recommended that a creamery extension project be added to the OIC's capital project appraisal process - meaning it would be completed in the 2007-2008 financial year.

But councillors felt something needed to be done sooner so a report will go to the policy and resources meeting for discussion by the investments sub-committee.

The elderly and vulnerable are particularly at risk, said Constable Dave Dawson, who may fall prey to "confidence tricksters and criminals".

"When leaving the house, even for a few minutes," he said, "get in the habit of locking the door and ensuring the windows are secure.

Orkney enjoys a low crime rate, and the police want to keep it that way. However, a little common sense and foresight can pay dividends, PC Dawson added.

Nearly 100 per cent of mail travelling within Orkney reaches its destination on time, it was claimed this week.

However, first class mail being sent south does not fair so well - with an 83.5 per cent success rate, according to latest figures revealed by Royal Mail.

A spokeswoman said: "At the end of the first quarter of this financial year 97.7 per cent of the mail reached its destination on time."

She said weather-related problems sometimes led to delays in getting Orkney's mail further south.

Joining EMEC are the University of Edinburgh, Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and the New and Renewable Energy Centre in Northumberland, England. Together they will form the UK Centre for Marine Renewable Energy.

The partnership aims to provide a sustained and properly equipped research, development, test and certification base to help the marine energy industry provide significant renewable energy.

The beleaguered facility, which has been in a temporary location this summer, will be dismantled and studies carried out to come up with a plan to allow all year berthing.

The OIC's transportation and Infrastructure committee have recommended that a full physical model be undertaken, with a number of options available, including alterations to the existing Kirkwall pier.

Funds are already available within the original project budget to cover the extra costs for the study work and any proposed alterations.

Archive story: Doubts that Kirkwall marina will be ready for 2004 season

A man appeared from custody at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Tuesday, charged with drinking driving.

According to a spokesman from Kirkwall police the man received an interim disqualification and is due to reappear in court on September 23.

Orkney Harbours director, Captain Nigel Mills, said a decision would be made whether to go into the wreck, or simply to allow the oil to migrate from the vessel.

The present contract with Briggs Marine Contractors Ltd and the Ministry of Defence, ceases next year when it will be re-tendered, members of the OIC's transportation committee heard on Tuesday.

Orkney Islands Council has applied for £163,000 from the Scottish Executive's bus route development grant scheme to fund the vehicles, members of Tuesday's OIC transportation committee heard.

The bus will also serve Kirkwall, doing a route around the town between each trip to Stromness.

Orkney College's new archaeological geophysics unit are out at Minehowe this week, surveying the area of what could be Orkney's earliest Mesolithic settlement.

Led by Dr Susan Ovenden, the new geophysics scans hope to clarify anomalies previously detected near a scattering of Mesolithic flints found during the excavation of the Bronze Age barrow on the Tankerness site.

Ice Energy Scotland's heating and hot water systems use "ground source heat pumps" to harness solar energy stored in the ground around homes, schools and other buildings.

Supported by Orkney Enterprise, the company has been created by heating engineer Alton Copland and renewable energy consultant Richard Land.

The pumps are being installed in two council developments - an extension to Glaitness Aurrida School in Kirkwall and a new care home in Dounby.

After years of fighting for the legalisation of medicinal cannabis, Orkney campaigner Biz Ivol finally gave up her battle for life on Sunday night.

The 56-year-old Multiple Sclerosis sufferer, from South Ronaldsay, passed away on after refusing treatment for a chest infection.

She will be buried in the Eastside Church graveyard, in South Ronaldsay, on Thursday at 2pm.

Rowena Murray (left) and Brian Murray (right) at the signing in the Stromness Hotel. (Pic: F Bradford/59 Degrees North)

The Orkney "launch" of a book on George Mackay Brown took place in Stromness on Monday night.

Interrogation of Silence, by Brian Murray and Rowena Murray, was launched at the Edinburgh International Book Fair last month, but was 'introduced'" at the event in the Stromness Hotel.

A short presentation of the book's aims and content was followed by readings from Graham Garson and Archie Bevan.

Two of the GPs have worked in Westray extensively, members of the board of NHS Orkney heard last week, and are said to be popular with the practice staff, community nursing team and population.

While giving islanders a choice of GP, the proposal also provides the doctors with protected time off, as no GP would be working more than a month at a time.

The three-year contracts will be reviewed annually.

The project aims to deliver a variety of activities to make 'more children, more active, more often'.

Garry Burton, from Stirling, has been appointed as the OIC's education department's active schools manager. Three co-ordinators have also been appointed, including two local people. Katie Foulis will join the team from her current job at the Pickaquoy Centre and Michael Swanney will return to Orkney after a spell at the Westside Leisure Centre at Aith, in Shetland.

Julie Wyatt, from North Lanarkshire, completes the team.