Ad Hoc's Bob Ross and Cathy Matthews pictured during rehearsals of the winning play September in the Rain.

The Ad Hoc Players won this year's Scottish Community Drama Association Orkney competition with September in the Rain. The play, written by John Godber, was directed by Bob Ross.

Second was another production by the Ad Hoc Players,Old Saybrook, a Woody Allen play directed by Vivia Leslie and Joyce Moore.

Graham Garson, the director of Bouncers for the Stromness Drama Club collected the prize for third and that play was judged best youth production by adjudicator Russell Whiteley.

Work has begun on the final phase of improvements at the Kirkwall Hotel.

The final phase of an ambitious five-year project to transform one of Orkney’s landmark hotels began last week.  

With a tight timescale of some six weeks, Kirkwall Hotel owner, Debbie Low, says they are aiming to reopen the first week in April, with a refurbished ground floor, in time for the 2007 visitor season.

Regulars of Kirkwall’s fire-damaged Bothy bar will be pleased to know that it is set to reopen early this summer.

Work is progressing well, according to the Albert Hotel owner, Dawn Flett, who said regulars could look forward to a bar which will be very similar to the original layout.

The corner building facing on to Junction Road is being tidied up as part of the ongoing work.

The hotel was badly damaged by a chimney fire in October, 2005.

An Orkney trawler is to benefit as part of a £2.3 million Scottish Executive funding package to improve and modernise fisheries and aquaculture businesses around Scotland.

Arkh Angel (Kirkwall) Ltd is to received £11,562 to refurbish and insulate the fish hold.

NHS Orkney's Medical Director, Dr Rosaleen Beattie, has resigned from her post.

Dr Beattie is currently on secondment from the health board to the Chief Medical Officer's department within the Scottish Executive Health Department.

The scene at the tanker FR8 Venture in November, taken by the crew of the Stornoway coastguard rescue helicopter

The Hoy-based GP involved in the attempted rescue of three injured crewmen from a tanker in the Pentland Firth last year has received a bravery award from the RNLI.

Dr Christine Bradshaw, 49, will receive the bronze medal for gallantry at an award ceremony in London in May.

In ten-metre high seas and winds of 60mph, the locum doctor was airlifted from the Longhope Lifeboat on to the FR8 Venture where she stabilised a severely injured crewman. Two others suffered fatal injuries after a freak wave struck the tanker.

The lifeboat coxswain Kevin Kirkpatrick and the volunteer crew are also to receive a framed letter of thanks from the RNLI chairman.

Islands councillors have agreed to put the old chairs from St Magnus Cathedral up for auction - although only 200 will initially be offered to the public.

Members of the OIC's cathedral sub-commitee agreed on Thursday that 200 of the 690 chairs, which are being replaced, be sold, via a silent auction, to interested members of the public.

A limit of 20 chairs per bid will be imposed.

The proceeds from the sale would go towards future work on the cathedral.

A memorial plaque to Samuel Laing of Papdale is to be installed in St Magnus Cathedral – beside the memorial to his brother, Malcolm Laing.

Members of the OIC’s St Magnus Cathedral sub-committee approved the installation of the memorial “to a man who is strongly linked to the preservation of St Magnus Cathedral, as well as being an Orcadian noted for his many other achievements”.

Samuel Laing, who died in 1868, was a provost of Kirkwall and led a campaign against plans to close the cathedral rather than renovate it.

NHS Orkney has appointed John Rodwell to the post of NHS Orkney Community Health Partnership (CHP) General Manager.

He will take up the post with immediate effect.

An Edinburgh MP has hit out at the air discount scheme in the Scottish islands.

Mark Lazarowicz, Labour member for Edinburgh North and Leith, criticised the scheme, which allows for a 40 per cent reduction in air fares for Orkney residents.

Liberal Democrat Prospective Scottish Parliamentary Candidate for Orkney, Liam McArthur, commented: “It is obvious that central belt Labour politicians have absolutely no understanding of, nor concern for the economic and social realities of living in remoter parts of Scotland, such as Orkney."

The Crown Estate has confirmed its interest in potentially investing in the Scapa Flow container hub project.

A spokeswoman said on Wednesday: “The Crown Estate has been involved in early exploratory discussion with Orkney Islands Council to understand the potential for an international transhipment hub at Lyness.

“It is currently unclear whether such a development represents a suitable investment proposition for us.”

Kettletoft in Sanday is one of a nine rural areas in Scotland to be offered the chance to connect to a public sewerage system for the first time.

A Scottish Water spokesman said: “Connecting people in rural locations to the public waste water system, or installing a new treatment works, can be extremely expensive but the view that we share with SEPA is that these locations deserve the investment.

VisitOrkney has launched its 2007 Best Kept Beach award.

To nominate a beach visit www.visitorkney.com or complete a nomination form available from the Kirkwall or Stromness Tourist Information Centres.

At the same time, people can identify a specific beach, or area, in Orkney that is in need of a clean up. This information will be passed on to the ‘Bag the Bruck’ organisers.

The winning beach will be announced at the annual ‘Bag the Bruck’ weekend – April 21/22.

Motorists in Orkney are being warned that anyone caught using a mobile phone while driving will now face a £60 fine and three penalty points on their licence.

Kirkwall Sergeant Jim Pryde said: "As part of officer's routine patrols, they will be watching out for any contravention of this offence and dealing with the matter appropriately.

The fine has risen by £30, and this is the first time people will face penalty points.

A new pricing scheme has been introduced to benefit regular users of the Stromness-Kirkwall 91 bus service.

From March 5, the OIC has introduced the Saver7 ticket as a pilot scheme. The ticket costs £15 and can be used as many times as necessary on the 91 bus for seven consecutive days.

Orkney Coaches are also offering a special introductory offer on the Saver7 ticket, half price Saver7 tickets for one week only – from March 5 to 11 inclusive.

Anyone planning a business development or expansion has until March 31 to take advantage of several assistance schemes from the Orkney Islands Council. 

The following low-use schemes are to be discontinued from April 1:

• Farm improvements
• Lime subsidy
• Mainland tourist accommodation
• Small business expansions
• Aquaculture

Anyone who thinks their business plans might fit into one of these schemes should contact the Council’s Economic Development section – email: economic.development@orkney.gov.uk

Hoy GP Dr Tony Trickett has been named as the new Lord-Lieutenant of Orkney.

Dr Trickett’s appointment follows the retirement of George Marwick, who previously held the post.

Dr Trickett, 67, moved to Orkney in 1973 where he has had a long association with the Longhope Lifeboat. He was made a Deputy Lieutenant in 1999 and Vice Lord-Lieutenant in 2005.

Transportation chairman Councillor Bob Sclater told today’s meeting of the full council that North Ronaldsay will have an improved ferry service in 2008.

He was speaking after Councillor Keith Johnson spoke out over councillors’ refusal to introduce a second weekly summer sailing.

Councillor Johnson said: “North Ronaldsay is a very small island and I think we are struggling as a council to know whether we are going to support North Ronaldsay or whether we are going to let it die.

Two South Ronaldsay teenagers appeared from custody at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Monday, charged with road traffic offences.

One 16-year-old is charged with taking a car and motorcycle without the owner’s consent, while a second is charged with riding in the vehicles knowing they were taken without the owner’s consent. They are both charged with driving without insurance or a licence.

The case was continued until March 7 and both released on bail, with special conditions imposed.

This year's Stromness Shopping Week Queen and attendants have been selected at Stromness Academy.

The 2007 Shopping Week Queen and attendants are pictured right.

Police have expressed disappointment at motorists who continue to flout the law by speeding and driving unlicensed vehicles.

Kirkwall Sergeant Bob Christie explained that an on-going road safety campaign has led to a number of drivers being reported to the procurator fiscal for alleged speeding offences.

He added that a number of driver were found to be in untaxed vehicles.

Representatives from organisations across Orkney involved in criminal justice and youth justice services met in Kirkwall recently to discuss working together to reduce offending.

Ten groups met to explore possibilities for enhanced formal, and informal, partnership working. They identified several areas for potential development.

These included: alcohol and driver education materials for young people, improved services for young people who misuse alcohol, support in accommodation for young people living alone and integration of support to those affected by domestic abuse.

Kirkwall’s Cavern Youth Club will be hosting band nights again this year – starting Saturday, March 10.

Following the success of the ‘Nothing But Green Lights’ CD last year, the Cavern will also be offering young people the opportunity to contribute an original song for a second CD for release this year. Each band participating in the CD project will be given a three-hour slot at a local recording studio to record their composition.

Any young band interested in playing at the Cavern, contributing to the CD or borrowing equipment should contact Walter Gorman at the OIC on 873535.

Six schools in Orkney will benefit from significant Scottish Executive funding to help transform the learning opportunities of their pupils.

The county’s two secondary schools and four junior high schools will receive at least £100,000 per annum over the next three years after being designated ‘Schools of Ambition’ – one of the Scottish Executive’s flagship education projects.

Kirkwall Grammar School, Stromness Academy and the junior high schools in Westray, Stronsay, Sanday and Hoy join 20 other secondary school projects in Scotland.

The new funding will enable schools to coordinate higher levels of partnership working and to benefit from expert consultancy and advice.

People in Orkney are keeping fit and getting active according to figures from Audit Scotland.

More than 100,000 visits were made to swimming pools across the county, placing Orkney second in Scotland for the number of visits per 1,000 of the population.

Visits to pools in Stronsay, Westray, North Walls and Sanday accounted for 11% of the total users.

Orkney was also placed third in Scotland for the number of visits per 1,000 of the population to indoor leisure facilities – an increase on figures released in 2005. In total, more than 180,000 visits were made to indoor leisure facilities.