A year of organisation cames to fruition when the Sandwick Young Farmers Club celebrated its 70th birthday.

The club, the oldest in Orkney, held a dinner and dance at the Sandwick Hall on Friday.

Former members came from across the world to mark the occasion. They included Dale Hewston, now living in Malaysia, who was treasurer in the 1960s, and Alice Adamson (nee Harvey), from Canada.

A new beer from the Orkney Brewery was launched in Edinburgh at the weekend.

Dark Island Reserve was launched at the Edinburgh Speciality and Fine Food Fair, which took place on Sunday and Monday, May 13 and 14.

Described as a ‘whisky beer’, Dark Island Reserve is matured in hogshead previously used to age malt whisky.

Top table tennis coaches were in Orkney at the weekend to help Orkney’s Island Games squad hone their skills.

There were three intensive sessions taking place at Kirkwall Grammar School from Friday to Sunday night.

Ross Donaldson said: “It is a great honour to have so many distinguished players coming up at the weekend. We have five guests from south, including a former British Commonwealth champion, Ryan Jenkins.”

Orkney motorists are being warned to slow down as part of a police rural road awareness weekend.

High visibility patrols were out on the county’s roads at the weekend targeting speeders, dangerous drivers and other road traffic offences such as non-wearing of seatbelts and the use of mobile phones while driving. They were, a spokesman said, paying particular attention to young drivers.

NHS Orkney has publicly thanked the “professional conduct and consistent support” shown by the staff team at the Rousay surgery.

There has been a period of uncertainty for the practice and residents with the suspension, reinstatement and recent departure of Dr Garry Mearns, from his post as resident GP on the island.

A celebratory evening was held in the St Magnus Centre on Thursday to mark the launch of the 2007/8 Craft Trail brochure.

Maintained by the Orkney Craft Industries Association, the Craft Trail guides visitors and locals alike round the workshops and studios of many of the county’s leadings artisans.

Loganair has introduced an online check-in service for Kirkwall airport.

Once a passenger has made their booking on BA.com they can go back online within 24 hours of departure to check in, choose their seat and print a boarding pass.

Over £70,000 worth of grants were approved by HIE Orkney last month.

Included in the £71,646 total for April was £52,000 to allow the Orkney Tourism Group to employ a project officer and £1,200 toward the establishment of a personal training service based in Kirkwall.

Mr David Tullock was elected to Orkney Islands Council at stage two of the preference vote calculations, not stage seven as reported in The Orcadian.

Representatives from the Maritime Curators’ Group arrived in Orkney on Thursday for their biannual meeting.

Representatives from all the UK’s major maritime museums will attending their meeting tomorrow, and travel to some of Orkney’s famous sites, including Stromness Museum, the Italian Chapel and the Churchill Barriers.

Scientists from Oxford University are looking for more blood samples from Orkney.

Professor Walter Bodmer and colleagues already have some Orcadian samples but are looking for more.

The blood will help scientists study genetic differences, known as genetic variation. Some of this variation contributes to inherited differences in susceptibility to many common diseases, such as cancer and heart disease.

‘People of the British Isles’ is seeking volunteers over 18 years old to donate blood samples. The volunteers’ grandparents must have been born in the same rural area within a 30-40 mile radius.

For more information, or to
register, see www.peopleofthebritishisles.org

Northern Isles MP, Alistair Carmichael, has called on the Scotland Office to consider an independent inquiry into the Scottish Parliament elections once the Electoral Commission has completed its review.

Mr Carmichael said: “Last week’s election shambles must never be repeated. Latest estimates suggest that almost 150,000 votes were rejected. That equates to seven per cent of all votes cast.”

The confusion of the new election system and the number of spoilt ballots caused major delays for counts across Scotland, resulting in what some have described as "election night chaos".

The Pickaquoy Centre arena is to host a charity gig next month to raise funds for the Orkney branch of Save the Children as well as other nominated local causes. 

‘The Big Sexy Charity Gig 2007’, on June 2, will feature secondary school pupils from Stromness Academy and Kirkwall Grammar School performing non-stop music as 11 bands entertain the crowds of all ages on two stages.  A music scout from Sony Music will be watching the local talent to offer advice and encouragement to the bands.

Orkney hairdresser Caroline Casey has shown she is already a cut above the rest.

She has beaten off stiff competition from hundreds of others throughout Scotland to be selected to go forward to the prestigious Wella Trend Vision 07 awards in Glasgow next Monday.

Caroline, of Kirkwall¹s Hair Studio, is one of only 30 chosen to battle it out for a place in the UK final in October. The winner then goes on to the international event in Barcelona.

A refuse collection with a difference begins later this summer - when local entrepreneur Glenn Miller starts picking up old tyres from Orkney’s garages.

Using technology imported from the United States, he plans to turn old tyres into one tonne blocks with a multitude of uses – such as building coastal defences, road foundations and retaining walls around silage pits.

Operating as Orkney Recycling Services, Mr Miller plans to offer garages either a weekly or monthly pick-up service.

HIE Orkney provided a £7,750 grant to support the project. Mr Miller has also applied to Orkney Islands Council for funding.

A photo archive charting three decades of Orkney life is to be preserved for posterity using the latest computer equipment.

Charles Tait has captured the people, the wildlife and the landscapes of Orkney on film since 1977.

He estimates he has around 200,000 images in his photo library, an irreplaceable resource and the foundation for the business he runs from his St Ola studio.

With funding support worth £4,100 from HIE Orkney, Mr Tait is investing in the equipment he needs to make top quality copies of the original slides.

Major work to improve the water main and sewer along Kirkwall’s Junction Road began on Wednesday.

Motorists are being warned to expect disruption along the road with traffic management systems expected to be in place until the end of the year.  

Police inquiries are continuing into the theft of a Mini Metro car from an address in the Glaitness area of Kirkwall.

The royal blue vehicle has a registration mark of M198 PRS.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 872241.

Witnesses are being sought after two machines parked in a yard at Inganess suffered "substantial damage".

The incident occurred some time between 4pm on Saturday and 10am on Monday morning.

Kirkwall police can be contacted on 872241.