The newly-formed Maternity Services Liaison Committee invited interested parties to its first meeting at the St Magnus Centre on Monday April 2.

NHS Orkney’s Maternity Services staff are hoping to attract a broad level of interest to the new committee – from mums and dads old and new, to grandparents  or representatives of toddler groups.

New measures to protect common seals have come into force.

The Conservation of Seals (Scotland) Order 2007 extends the current close season to the whole year in Orkney.

Islands councillors have approved a number of across-the-board savings in OIC services – the resultant cash then being redirected to prioritised areas such as elderly care, transport and housing.

A special general meeting of Orkney Islands Council on Thursday afternoon considered a number of proposals for savings of at least £1 million.

Among the measures put forward is the suspension of the community council road scheme budget, which would free up £40,000, and a freeze on filling a number of staff vacancies.

Throughout, members stressed that the savings proposals aimed to minimise job losses and, if possible, avoid the need for any compulsory redundancies.

The Orkney care pressure group have cautiously welcomed the news that additional funding of £443,000 is to go towards elderly care in the county.

Ernie Donaldson said this morning: “At least there is movement now, and it is thanks to the people of Orkney, and the petition which was handed to the council. Very little support came from the councillors themselves.”

The funding will allow the Scarvataing facility to remain open, enabling the fourth wing at Smiddybrae House in Dounby to open, freeing up much-needed care home places. Additional staff will also be recruited for St Rognvald House.

Despite fears of duplication with VisitOrkney, islands councillors have given their backing to providing funding to allow the Orkney Tourism Group to employ a full-time project officer.

If approved by full council, the post will be equally funded by the OIC and HIE – each partner contributing £52,000 over three years. The OIC's share will come from the strategic reserve fund.

Members of the development committee heard on Thursday that the role of the project officer is to extend the tourism season in Orkney and develop enhanced visitor facilities.

Ninety per cent of parents of pupils at Orkney's biggest primary school are in favour of a ban on sweets on the premises.

Papdale Primary School surveyed parents earlier this term in a bid to gauge support for implementing the ban on unhealthy snacks.

Within the school¹s latest newsletter, it states: "in light of the survey results, we are hoping that parents will support us by ensuring that children do not arrive at school with sweets or other unhealthy snacks."

Scottish Conservatives leader Annabel Goldie visited the county this week.

She attended a dinner with party members and friends at the Orkney Hotel on Thursday evening, before a full day of engagements supporting Helen Gardiner, the party’s candidate in the forthcoming election.

In a bid to resolve parking problems at the Hatston Pier while NorthLink vessels are in dock, island councillors have recommended installing portable crowd control barriers at a cost of £8,000.

Pedestrianisation plans for Kirkwall’s Albert Street have taken a step forward, with islands councillors recommending the introduction of new measures to limit vehicular access.

A retractable barrier will enforce the pedestrianisation of the street, between Laing Street and Castle Street, with all motorists – except emergency services - excluded between 11am and 3pm.

Councillors have also recommended that immediate attention should be given to increasing parking spaces suitable for the disabled.

The recommendations were among several relating to the preferred traffic management proposals for Kirkwall and discussed at Tuesday’s transportation committee meeting.

Former OIC convener Edwin Eunson died, at the age of 89, at his home in Inverness on Tuesday.

Mr Eunson succeeded Mr George Marwick as OIC convener in 1978, holding the post until he stood down in 1990.  He was first elected to Kirkwall Town Council in November 1947.

Mr Eunson was born in Glaitness Road, where he lived until moving to Inverness in 1994.  His funeral was held in Inverness.

Scottish Water has announced that it will will be investing at least £9 million in Orkney over the next few years.

Communities are being promised further improvements in drinking water, improved waste water treatment and extra capacity to cater for the demand for new housing.

The overspent Dial-A-Bus service was given a reprieve by islands councillors on Tuesday.

Council officials had tried to reduce the number of free trips for the elderly on the concessionary travel scheme in an attempt to stay within budget.

But councillors voted seven to three in favour of deferring a decision to allow discussions with Dial-A-Bus and to investigate whether additional Scottish Executive cash, recently received by the transportation committee, could be used to help.

Liam McArthur will be formally adopted as the Orkney Liberal Democrats' candidate in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election at a meeting in Sanday next month.

This is thought to be the first time that an adoption meeting for any parliamentary candidate, from any party, in Orkney has been held off the Mainland.

The meeting takes place in the Sanday school on April 2.

The St Magnus Festival has a new feature this year – a “portable” venue known as a Spiegeltent to be set up in the centre of Kirkwall.

Spiegeltents are hand-crafted pavilions which were used throughout Europe as travelling dance halls and bars in the early part of the 20th century. 

The main show will be Oiseau Rouge, a night of live entertainment featuring an international line-up of circus, cabaret, comedy and burlesque performers. Daytime events will include family shows by the Lempen Puppet Theatre.

From April 1, 20mph speed limits will be enforced at the Dounby and Orphir schools.

This follows the introduction of 20mph safe zones around Kirkwall Grammar School, Stromness Academy and the Papdale, Glaitness and Stromness primary schools in February last year.

Members of the OIC transportation committee approved the two new safe zones on Tuesday.

Islands councillors have given their backing to plans to increase the deck space on the ferry MV Graemsay.

Members of the OIC's transportation committee heard on Tuesdsay that the addition of a 4.5m hull section will nearly double the ferry's available deck space.

A report will be submitted to the policy and resources committee asking that the £220,000 project be included in the OIC’s Capital Programme.

Fire appliances from Kirkwall, Stromness and St Margaret’s Hope were called to a fire in Tankerness on Monday.

An off-duty firefighter alerted the emergency services about 2.30pm after spotting the fire in a property on the Newark road.

At least one of the Norrie Wood antiques will be heading back to Orkney after last Friday’s auction in Edinburgh.

A 19th century longcase clock has been secured by the Orkney Museum for £3,100.

Kirkwall police are appealing for information following two separate road accidents at the weekend.

The first, about 11.30am on Saturday morning, saw a female pedestrian “clipped” by a vehicle on the pedestrian crossing by W. R. Tullock’s garage on Junction Road.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a vehicle struck a lamppost, left Berstane Road and ended up in a field.

The scene at Whitehall in Stronsay. (Picture: Robbie Rendall)

Orkney was getting back to normal on Monday after a weekend of gales.

Recording equipment at Burgar Hill recorded the windiest peried at 4am on Sunday morning with the highest one-minute average speed of 101.8mph. Burray recorded a one-minute average of 90.4mph.

Junction Road was closed for a time during the early hours of Sunday morning while debris from the roof of partially-built travel centre, was cleared. Meanwhile, the Churchill Barriers were shut from 6am to 11am on Sunday.

The antiques collection of the late Norrie Wood, of Graemeshall, Holm, sold for almost £224,000 at auction in Edinburgh on Friday.

The OIC is changing the way a number of its home care services are provided.

From March 26, the services will be provided based on locality with a Stromness office (Tel 850770) covering the West Mainland, Flotta, Graemsay and inner north isles. A Kirkwall office (872106) will cover East Mainland residents, linked south isles, Shapinsay and North Isles.

Loganair has launched a new deal aimed at groups flying to and from Orkney.

Until October 30, passengers travelling in groups of ten or more will receive two free places on flights between Orkney, Shetland, Inverness and Aberdeen.

It is only available through travel agents or by emailing groups@loganair.co.uk and has to be booked by April 30.