The smallest school in Orkney has appointed its first Junior Road Safety Officer (JRSO). 

Gavin Woodbridge, a P6 pupil, will help to promote road safety issues within North Ronaldsay Primary School and the local community.

Gavin’s main responsibility will be to keep the school’s road safety noticeboard up to date for the school’s five pupils.

A warrant to arrest a fraudster was issued on Thursday after he failed to appear at Kirkwall Sheriff court.

Peter Henry Todd, 25, whose address was given as The Flat, St Olaf’s Wynd, Kirkwall, had previously admitted writing out 20 cheques from an overdrawn account, amounting to more than £2,300.

He was also due to be sentenced for another case against him, in which he texted sexually abusive messages to a woman.

A Kirkwall teenager was sentenced to seven months in prison at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Daniel Scott McBeth, of Warrenfield Drive, Kirkwall, had admitted driving a car at Kirkwall Airport without the consent of the owner, without insurance, while disqualified and while on bail.

The 17-year-old also admitted having a loaded air pistol at the airport in January, damaging a bus shelter.

Fellow accused Stephen Lennie Grant Crawford, 19, of Skaill Road, Kirkwall, admitted driving a car without the consent of the owner and driving while disqualified and without insurance.

Sheriff Graeme Napier ordered Crawford to complete 180 hours community service.

A 36-year-old civil engineer from Yorkshire was jailed for five years on Wednesday, for repeatedly raping a woman on a dive boat in Stromness.

At the Edinburgh High Court, Lord Emslie told Robert Wilson, of Cottingley, Bradford, that he had subjected his 23-year-old victim to a “prolonged ordeal” - the attack occurred while Wilson was visiting the county in September, 2006.

Jewson’s in Orkney has won the company’s in-house large branch of the year award for the second year running.

The award was presented to general manager, Brian Kynoch, at the Jewson annual conference in Harrogate recently.

While last year’s award covered Scotland, this year Wales was also included.

Mr Kynoch said: “This is a tremendous achievement for the team in Orkney. To win two years in a row while competing against a larger number of branches is remarkable. Obviously our loyal customer base deserve a big thank you for helping us pull this off and we look forward to being in contention this year again.”

Orkney is to receive £51,000 over the next three years to help strengthen support for carers.

The Scottish Government has made an additional £9 million available to NHS Boards across Scotland to bolster the implementation of Carer Information Strategies.

Carers will benefit from greater awareness and recognition of their role, improved provision of information and available support, with more access to training to help them cope with their caring role.

NHS Orkney’s sexual health and wellbeing clinic in Kirkwall’s Victoria Street, will temporarily close its doors at the end of February.

The clinic was set up and funded for three years as a pilot project by the Scottish Government. Dr Anne Nicolson, who has led the project, comes to the end of her contract in March and the clinic’s current premises do not meet all its clinical needs.

A formal evaluation of the service is being prepared which will include a review of how the service should best be organised and delivered in the future. It is hoped the clinic will reopen within a few months.

Support Training has been awarded £74,718 from the National Lottery for a project to offering broadcasting work experience to local young people.

The project will renovate a youth internet café in Kirkwall, from where a radio programme will be broadcast. Forty young people, aged 14-25, will be involved at all levels in researching, producing and presenting the show.

A public meeting is being held in Kirkwall next month to gauge interest in setting up an Orkney branch of the National Deaf Children's Society (NCDS).

Spearheading the campaign is Belle Maxwell-Jones.

“The NCDS is there to support any children with hearing problems, but as far we can see there’s no branch in Orkney, or Shetland,” she explained.

The meeting takes place in the St Magnus Centre at 2pm on March 1. For further information, email annabellemj@aol.com.

The Kirkwall to Stromness road was closed for a time on Monday afternoon following a single vehicle road accident near the golf course.

Two fire engines, police and ambulance attended the scene, where a car had left the road, rolled and collided with a wall.

According to police, the female driver, the only occupant of the car, was transferred to Balfour Hospital, where she received treatment.

Two 17-year-old youths were warned they could face a custodial sentence after committing a string of offences at the weekend.

Appearing from custody at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Monday, Daniel Scott, Kirklands Road, Kirkwall, admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance on February 16. Sam Harcus Lennie, Inganess Road, Kirkwall, admitted aiding and abetting Scott to commit the offences.

Sentence was deferred on the pair until March 19 for social inquiry reports.

Sentence has been deferred on a motorist who admitted drink driving, speeding and crashing a car.

Kevin Mackenzie, 29, of Holm, appeared from custody at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Monday afternoon.

He admitted driving on various roads in Kirkwall, on Saturday, with a reading of 113mcg in 100ml of breath and colliding with a fence and driving into a field at Quanterness.

Orkney has been highlighted in a national brochure on Scottish ports.

‘Ports in Scotland – Delivering Value’ has been produced by the British Ports Association’s Scottish Ports Committee, which represents port interests in Scotland.

Pupils at Glaitness Primary School are set to benefit from safer roads while walking to school, with the installation of a new zebra crossing on Glaitness Road, Kirkwall.

It officially came into operation on Friday. The road work is the latest addition of features added around the school - a 20mph speed limit applies at times when the children are going to and from school, or are outside at break times.

The crossing has been introduced following concerns from parents about their children crossing a busy road on their way to school.

Orkney Islands Council helped pay for the crossing, following a £108,000 funding package from the Scottish government to go towards a number of school projects.

Northern Constabulary officers in Shetland have seized class A drugs with an estimated street value of £100,000 - one of the largest ever seizures of drugs in Shetland and underlines the force¹s commitment to tackling the illegal drugs trade.

The seizure included substances suspected to be heroin and cocaine. Paul Guy Thompson, 45, from Lerwick and Desiree Madia Hassan, 44, also from Lerwick, appeared on petition in private at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday, in connection with allegations they were concerned in the supply of illegal drugs.

Both made no plea or declaration and were committed for further examination. Thompson was released on bail and Hassan was remanded in custody.

Scotland¹s chief nurse, Paul Martin, was in the county on Friday, outlining priorities for nursing in the 21st century.

He was the guest speaker at a development workshop at the Pickaquoy Centre, looking at the role of nurses.

Also present was Mike Sabin, nursing officer with the Scottish Government health department. spoke about modernising nursing careers. The event was being attended by health staff from NHS Orkney.

Prior to the sea trout and salmon fishing season opening on February 25, police in Orkney have issued a warning that anyone fishing for sea trout or salmon on a Sunday could, if convicted, face a fine of up to £2,500.

They are protected by a weekly close time, making it a criminal offence to fish for them on a Sunday. It is also illegal to sell or purchase any salmon or sea trout caught by rod and line.

More details are available from Kirkwall police, or from Orkney Trout Fishing Association.