An ornately carved Neolithic stone, found in Westray in 1981, is to return to the island.

After more than 25 years in the Orkney Museum, the Westray Stone will be exhibited in Westray’s new heritage centre, which is within a mile of where part of the stone was found during routine quarrying work.

The stone was once part of a Neolithic chambered cairn which is thought to have been destroyed in prehistory.

Harry Garland, Orkney Islands Council’s director of community social services, has been offered a position as director of social Work, health and housing at South Ayrshire Council.

Mr Garland joined the OIC in August, 1999, from Highland Council, and is Scotland’s longest serving Social Work Director.

Alistair Buchan, OIC chief executive said: “Harry has played a key role in the development of the council over the last eight years.  He has demonstrated a strong commitment to the improvement of services in Orkney and this has been rewarded with two excellent inspection reports.  He will be greatly missed and I wish him all the best for his future.”

Seventy-five Viking descendants arrived in the county on Thursday afternoon to discover Orkney’s Scandinavian heritage.

Organised by Highland Park, the group took part in what is believed to be the highest-ever whisky tasting while flying at 30,000 feet across the North Sea en route to Orkney.

Northern Isles MP, Alistair Carmichael, has resigned as the Liberal Democrat’s shadow spokesman on Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

Mr Carmichael quit over the Lisbon Treaty referendum. He defied his party’s leadership to vote for a Commons amendment calling for a referendum.

He said: “For a front bench spokesman to defy his party’s whip is a serious situation and one which I have not taken lightly.

“Although I do not on this issue agree with my party leader, I remain supportive of his leadership and look forward to continuing to work with him to advance our party’s cause, even if this is not to be from the front bench.”

Appearing at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Wednesday, the case against Donald Sutherland, of Roma, Holm, has been continued without plea until March 19.

Sutherland allegedly had a reading of 79mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, while working as a professional seaman onboard the pilot boat Scapa Pioneer on February 28. The legal limit is 35mcg.

The Kirkwall lifeboat was launched on Wednesday to transfer a patient from Eday to the Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall.

According to an RNLI spokesman, the patient required an intravenous drip and could not use public transport. In gale force winds, the lifeboat left Kirkwall at 3.55pm, arriving in Eday at 4.34pm.

The OIC has submitted a revised outline business plan to the Scottish Government to secure £50 million funding for new schools, swimming pool and a hostel.

The business case sets out the proposals for the provision of four new council facilities in the county: 

• new Kirkwall Grammar School to be built on the existing site;
• new Stromness Primary School in the vicinity of the town’s lorry park;
• new halls of residence adjacent to the Kirkwall Grammar School;
• a new swimming pool constructed at the Pickaquoy Centre. Councillors would like to see a six-lane competition pool with moveable floor and leisure enhancements, including a teaching and training pool with beach area.

The chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, Kevin Doran, will be in Orkney next week to discuss concerns about the air ambulance service.

A two-day schedule over Monday and Tuesday will see him visiting island representatives on Westray and Papa Westray to discuss specific incidents and concerns.

On Monday afternoon, he will attend a meeting attended by the OIC convener, Liam McArthur MSP and NHS Orkney's chief executive, Iain Crozier.

On Tuesday, he will meet with NHS Orkney’s board, followed by a meeting with Mr Crozier, NHS Orkney medical director, Dr Peter Baxter, and transport representatives from the council and the SAS.

Anyone interested in services for children and young people in Orkney now has the opportunity to voice their opinion on Orkney’s Integrated Children’s Services Plan 2008-2009.

The plan produced by Orkney Islands Council and NHS Orkney, as well as their partners, provides an evaluation of the full range of services available for children and young people and identifies key priorities for improvement. 

Copies of the draft are being circulated to community councils, voluntary organisations, parent councils and community groups for discussion and comment.

Copies of the plan are available from the council offices or can be downloaded in from the OIC’s website, www.orkney.gov.uk .

Orkney has been placed second in a survey measuring community spirit - beaten to top spot by the Western Isles.

The study, by economists at consultancy DTZ, was based on whether residents in each of the 32 local authorities in Scotland thought people from different backgrounds got on well together in their particular region.

The predicted percentage of people responding positively to the question was used as a measure of social cohesiveness, or a sense of belonging to their community.

Eighteen Orkney residents will be presented with an honorary award by the RNLI in recognition of their outstanding support to the charity.

The awards will be presented at the Institution's annual meeting at Perth Concert hall on Thursday, June 12.

Among the recipients will be Firoz Zoha, who runs the Indian Garden restaurant in Kirkwall. He will be presented with a scroll of thanks for his role in organising a charity night at the restaurant which raised over £1,170.

The next round of NorthLink's community sponsorship programme begins on April 1, when a further investment of £50,000 in free and discounted travel fares will be made available.

The initiative is designed to support individuals, local charities, community and sporting groups and athletes in Orkney and Shetland plus groups and individuals travelling from the Scottish mainland for events in the Northern Isles.

Recipients are chosen on a six-monthly basis and, for the period which gets under way next month, applications should be made now.

Application forms can be secured from the company by calling the marketing department on 01856 885500 or by emailing info@northlinkferries.co.uk.

Four rural post offices in Orkney face the axe as the Post Office begins a six-week consultation on the proposed closure of 19 branches in the Northern and Western Isles.

The consultation began on Tuesday, with the Burray, Harray, Rendall and Swannay post offices among the 19 branches in the Northern and Western Isles facing closure.

Citing the announcement as bad news, Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael added: “Where communities want to campaign to save their post offices we must act quickly and we must assemble the best possible case.  I shall do all I can to help any community that wants to challenge these decisions.”

Orkney Islands Council’s longest serving director, Jeremy Baster, is to retire at the end of September, this year.

He first joined the chief executive's department in 1980 as economist, giving advice on the use of the council’s reserve fund. Mr Baster was made director of economic development in 1986, and has held three different directorship titles since then.

OIC chief executive, Alistair Buchan, said: “During his many years with the council, Jeremy has played several key roles in the development of OIC and its services.

“He will be greatly missed as a valued and experienced member of our management team and as director of a large and ever-changing area.”

VisitOrkney is to relocate next week, from the current premises on Kirkwall's Broad Street to the town's new Travel Centre.

The tourist office will be closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week, and VisitOrkney officials hope that business will resume as normal in the new premises by Friday, March 14.

From then, VisitOrkney's new address will be The Travel Centre, West Castle Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1GU, while telephone, fax and email addresses will remain the same.

Scottish Water has confirmed that a number of major projects are to begin in the county in the next few months.

The information was part of a report outlining progress being made with its 2010 Vision for Orkney - a £15 million programme of improvements throughout the islands providing more reliable supplies of clearer, fresher drinking water, protecting the environment and enabling development.

Two males were issued with on-the-spot fines after an altercation in Kirkwall on Saturday evening.

The pair, who were fighting in St Olaf’s Place, were taken into custody around 9pm on Saturday but later released and issued with antisocial behaviour fixed penalty notices.

A Kirkwall Grammar School teacher is to take over as national president of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS).

David Drever, right, is currently the EIS national vice-president and will take over as president in June.

A well-attended Annual General Meeting of Orkney EIS, on Saturday, expressed "delight" at Mr Drever’s election.

Jim Lawson, EIS local secretary, commented: "David Drever's election as president of the largest teacher's union in Scotland gives Orkney a seat at the top table. He will have an important role in meeting and negotiating with all the major stakeholders in Scottish education.

“I know it is a challenge he will relish and I am confident it will pay dividends for Orkney schools." 

Ending months of speculation, the Scottish Co-operative has confirmed it has bought Dounby Stores for an undisclosed sum. All 17 staff will transfer their employment to the consumer-owned retailer.

The store has been owned by David and Yvonne Harrold since 1996.

It will remain closed for two days after transferring ownership on Sunday, and will re-open as a Scottish Co-operative food store on Wednesday. The store will undergo a major refit later in the year.

A community planning event looking at the future growth of Kirkwall takes place this week.

Running in the Kirkwall Community Centre on March 4 and 5, the event is being run by Land Use Consultants who have been commissioned by the OIC to undertake an Urban Design Development Framework for the town.

There will be information on the findings of the project to date available, and the public will be able to speak to the team, fill in questionnaires and contribute ideas on maps and plans of Kirkwall.

The gathered information will be used in a framework for development over the next ten years, which will include strategies for public spaces and building design, and opportunities for growth.

Sustainable Futures was the theme of this week’s Youth Conference in Kirkwall.

The event, on Wednesday in the Pickaquoy Centre gave young people in the county a chance to have their say on topical issues.