The film documenting a man's attempt to swim across the Pentland Firth was shown on television on Sunday.

Crossing Hell's Mouth, a Meerkat Films production, documented Frank Chalmers' efforts over 60 minutes.

Having successfully swum the English Channel, Dundee-born Frank spent more than a year preparing for the tough challenge.

His efforts filled the back page of The Orcadian in September last year.

Orkney Venus, the earliest representation of a human figure ever found in Scotland, is going on temporary display at Edinburgh Castle.

Children will be given free entry to the castle for the duration of the exhibition from October 19 to November 1.

The exhibition will allow visitors to get a close-up view of the tiny 5,000-year-old female carving.

The object, found this summer during the Historic Scotland excavation at the Links of Noltland, in Westray, will then tour other venues, before returning to Orkney, where it will go on temporary display in the Westray Heritage Centre.

A special general meeting of Orkney Islands Council on Wednesday agreed contracts for the provision of local bus and school transport services for a five year period, starting in the New Year.

The new contracts, which include transport for 21 schools throughout Orkney, were originally due to start this October, but have been postponed until January 6, to give contractors sufficient time to undertake the necessary Enhanced Disclosure Scotland checks and licensing arrangements.

The Council's existing contracts have been extended to provide services until the new contracts are in place.

A house in Lynn Park, Kirkwall, was broken into sometime between 10am and 7pm on Wednesday.

Anyone who has any information, or may have witnessed something is asked to contact PC Fudge at Kirkwall police station, on 872241.

Kirkwall Fire Brigade and the police were called to a house fire in Slater Street at 11.05am on Tuesday morning.

Northern Constabulary have now confirmed that the elderly woman, who was being treated in Balfour Hospital, Kirkwall, following the fire has died as a result of her injuries.

No further details will be released until next of kin have been informed.

Youth unemployment is on the rise in Orkney, according to official Government statistics.

Figures for August, 2009, show that there were 40 people, aged between 18-24, claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance in the county, compared with 20 in August, 2008.

In Shetland, the numbers rose from 20 to 60 during the same period.

The figures have been analysed by the Scottish Trades Union Congress and shows that the number of young people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance has risen by 75 per cent on average across Scotland since 2007.

The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, at a remembrance ceremony, on board HMS Penzance, on Wednesday morning.

The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, visited Orkney on Wednesday. In the morning she attend a memorial service, and laid a wreath, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Royal Oak.

This was followed by a reception at the Royal British Legion in Kirkwall, given by the Orkney Royal Oak Association.

The Princess Royal also visited the Orkney Carers Centre, to see first hand the work being done in conjunction with the Princess Royal Trust for Carers.

Following this, she formally opened the indoor training facility at Orkney Golf Club, before visiting the European Marine Energy Centre test site at Stromness in the afternoon.

Flybe franchise carrier Loganair has announced a number of developments for services to and from Orkney, following a heated public meeting in the county in August.

The airline say they have listened to public feedback and is improving flight schedules between Kirkwall and Aberdeen from March, 2010.

The new timetable will offer departures from Kirkwall at 7.50am, 10.30am or 2.20pm (depending on the day and time of the season) and 5pm. There will be return flights from Aberdeen at 9.10am, 3.40pm and 6.20pm each weekday.

Loganair will also be offering additional weekend services to and from Aberdeen, with two flights each day on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer season.

Visitor numbers to Orkney attractions held their own over the summer period, according to statistics from VisitScotland.

Figures released this week reveal that attractions throughout the islands as a whole were visited by nearly 400,000 people in 2009.

VisitScotland also revealed that, during August alone, figures were up four per cent on last year.

VisitScotland’s islands manager, Barbara Foulkes, said: “These attractions are a crucial part of our tourism industry, attracting visitors from Scotland, the rest of the UK and around the word. Whether it’s historic sites or museums, archaeology or culture, Orkney offers some of the best sites in the world.”

A newly-formed group, made up of marinas in Orkney, Shetland, Wick and Inverness, has secured £9,000 funding from the VisitScotland growth fund.

Sail North Scotland Marinas Association will use the award to raise awareness of the Viking Trail, the route linking north Scotland to Scandinavia and to create a new website and to recruit a project manager.

Association chairman, Brian Kynoch, said: “All four locations have had an excellent year, despite the world economic downturn. With the new facilities at Wick and Inverness coming on line this year, coupled with the now well established Orkney and Shetland marinas, we see Sail North Scotland and the Viking Trail as a huge marketing opportunity.”

Sometime between August and September this year, several attempts were made to gain access to a large industrial-sized shed which is situated in the north of Eday.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Kirkwall police on 872241.

A vehicle was damaged while parked and unattended in the Ayre Hotel, Kirkwall, car park sometime between 11.30pm on Saturday and 2.30am the following morning.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact Kirkwall police station.

A 29-year-old woman appeared from custody on an attempted murder charge at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Monday afternoon.

Susan Denise Welsh, of Kirkwall, made no plea or declaration. She was remanded in custody and is due to appear again later this month.

Welsh appeared following an incident within a premises at Spence’s Square, Kirkwall.

Sometime between 6pm last Friday and 8.30am on Saturday, a vehicle left the road at the sheds near to the entrance to Kirkwall Airport, damaging approximately six feet of wooden fencing.

The driver failed to report the damage.

The driver of the vehicle, or anyone with any information regarding the incident is requested to contact Kirkwall police station.

Outside the Trading Post in St Margaret's Hope, at about 11am on Friday, October 9, a tractor towing a large piece of machinery struck and damaged a parked Renault Scenic and failed to stop to report the damage.

Anyone with any information regarding the incident is requested to contact Kirkwall police on 872241.

Sometime last week, a wooden bench in Tankerness House Gardens was vandalised by someone using silver spay paint.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Kirkwall police.

As part of plans to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the battleship HMS Royal Oak, there was a parade and service in Kirkwall on Sunday.

HMS Royal Oak was struck by a German U-boat on October 14, 1939. Of her ship’s company, of more than 1,200 men, 833 perished.

To mark the anniversary, a number of visitors are in the county, including 108 family members, Royal Oak survivors Kenneth Toop, Bert Pocock and Norman Thackeray, plus HMS Bangor and HMS Penzance.

Taking part in the parade were members of the sea cadets, the army cadets, the pipe band and family members of those lost, along with the three surviving men.