Scottish Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson admitted on Thursday that the Scottish Government did not make or seek any assessment of the impact on Orkney of car parking charges at Kirkwall Airport before giving Highlands and Islands Airports (HIAL) consent to impose them.

Commenting on the admission, Orkney MSP, Liam McArthur, has demanded that the Government now tell HIAL to suspend the proposal until a proper consultation and an impact assessment have been carried out.

The Minister's admission comes in a reply to a parliamentary question tabled by Liam McArthur.

As well as admitting that the Government had not made an assessment of the charges' impact, the Transport minister that “Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd consulted interested parties prior to taking the decision to introduce car parking charges.”

Islands councillors have backed recommendations that £320,000 should be allocated to the community planning partnership in the next financial year.

The money, gifted to Orkney Islands Council from the Scottish Government’s Fairer Scotland Fund, will be put towards a host of projects throughout the community.

The former ring-fenced cash is normally granted directly to the partnership, but was this year included in the council’s general block grant.

Members also heard that £25,000 from the Fairer Scotland Fund, alongside £20,000 from NHS Orkney, is to be used to set up a permanent community planning officer to co-ordinate the service.

This year’s Christmas Day boys’ ba’, made by Sigurd Gibson, and due to go on display at Northvet, is to be thrown up by Annie Monkman.

Winner of the 1984 Christmas Day mens’ ba’, Doonie Brian Anderson, will throw up the mens’ ba’ - to go on show in Nimms window, in Albert Street.

This year’s ba’ was made by George Drever, along with the New Years Day boys’ ba’, which is to be thrown up by Maggi Leonard, after it has been on display at Stevenson’s, Newsagents.

The New years Day men’s ba’ is to be thrown up by Doonie Davy Johnston, who won his ba’ in 1985. The ba’, made by Edgar Gibson, will be on display at Sutherland’s, in Victoria Street.

Stromness schoolchildren took on star status on Thursday, when they performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially launch the town’s £260,000 new look Co-operative food store.

Pupils from Stromness Primary School were presented with a donation of £200, for school funds, by store manager, John Phillips, to mark the occasion.

Mr Phillips said: “As a community retailer it is appropriate that we involve the community in our special events and we are delighted our local school is playing a central role in the relaunch of our store.”

The store will feature the Co-operative group’s new brand identity which aims to highlight its commitment to supporting local communities and ethical trading policies.

An Orcadian soldier helped raise £10,000 for charity Help for Heroes (H4H) - by taking to the turf at Wembley!

Major John Rendall was a member of the squad of soldiers from across the country invited to take part in the match against a celebrity select last week.

Stars, including boxer Joe Calzaghe, Sky football pundit Chris Kamara, and comics Lee Mack and Dave Gorman, were among the celebrities who graced the pitch - and helped net more than £10,000 for H4H.

The match, which ended in a 2-2 draw, was sponsored by The Sun, The FA, and Ladbrokes.

Stromness Young Enterprise group, ALVIS, have decided to take over from the Stromness Boys Brigade in running the Christmas post in Stromness.

The bins were distributed around Stromness on Tuesday and can be found in the Stromness Cafe Bar, Stromness Co-op, Argo’s, and Rae’s paper shop.

Delivery costs 20p per card and cards can be put in the bins up until Friday, December 18.

Delivery is within Stromness town only.

A Kirkwall business woman, who runs Solveig Health and Beauty, has been shortlisted for Skills Development Scotland’s Modern Apprentice of the Year award.

Amanda Mainland spent two years studying for her Modern Apprenticeship in beauty therapy at Thurso’s North Highland College.

Aged 22, she already owns the Kirkwall salon and has encouraged two of her own employees to do a Modern Apprenticeship. 

She will find out whether she has won at a ceremony at the Radisson Hotel in Glasgow on Wednesday, December 9.

Staff at Highland Park distillery are being offered voluntary redundancy, as part of efforts to re-balance production in response to the current economic recession.

Five staff, three from the production and two from the warehousing teams, are set to go, after The Edrington Group, who own the Orkney distillery, reviewed its future malt whisky production needs.

The company is proposing to concentrate production at its three core distilleries – Highland Park, The Macallan and Glenrothes.

More than 50 per cent of people in Orkney are now registered with an NHS dentist, according to figures published by NHS Scotland.

The latest statistics show that 71 per cent of children and 48 per cent of adults are now registered - compared with 27 per cent and 19 per cent in 2004, respectively.

Chief administrative dental officer for NHS Orkney, Moya Nelson, said: “I am delighted that all our hard work and long term recruitment plans are beginning to take effect.”

The Atlantis Resources Corp is to test the world’s biggest tidal turbine in the waters off Orkney next year, in preparation for Scotland’s plan to use ocean energy for half a million homes by 2020.

Tom Cornelius, chief executive officer at Atlantis, said the company was investing about £15 million to build and test the turbine, which has rotors which are 18 metres in diameter - the height of a five-storey building.

The AK-1000 turbine, which has a capacity of 1 megawatt will be deployed at the European Marine Energy Centre test site.

Two Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade units from Stromness were called to a fire at a house in Harray on Monday afternoon.

The blaze in the single storey dwelling caused 25 per cent damage in the bedroom, and the remainder of the property sustained 100 per cent smoke damage.

Fire crews used four breathing apparatus sets and two hose-reel jets to extinguish the flames.

The call came in at 1.13pm, with the fire brought under control at 1.55pm.

Xodus Group, an energy consultancy, has been shortlisted as finalist in the Scottish Green Energy Awards 2009.

Vying for the best business achievement award, Xodus Group has been named a finalist in recognition of rapid growth and its expansion into the marine renewables sector – primarily through the company’s Orkney division, Xodus AURORA.

The Scottish Green Energy Awards 2009 celebrate the success of Scotland’s renewable energy industry.

The Scottish Green Energy Awards 2009 ceremony will be held on Thursday, December 3 in Edinburgh where the winners will be announced.

Kirkwall Post Office will be opening earlier than normal on some days in December, in order to help customers meet their postal needs during the busy run up to Christmas.

The early opening times will allow those who start work at 9am to get their posting done before they go to work.

The Post Office will be opening at 8.30am on:

• Monday December 7.
• Tuesday December 8.
• Monday December 14.
• Tuesday December 15.
• Monday December 21.

The Post Office will also be open between 8.30am and 12.30pm on Thursday, December 24.

Stromness lifeboat was launched at 1.40 pm on Saturday to go to the assistance of the local creel boat Shalimar, with three people on board. The Shalimar reported experiencing mechanical difficulties.

After arriving on the scene, the Stromness lifeboat took the boat under tow and arrived back in Stromness Harbour at 2.:50 pm.

OIC’s director of education and leisure services, Leslie Manson, has been appointed president of the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland.

The organisation represents Scotland’s councils at a professional level on issues affecting education nationwide.

Mr Manson was congratulated personally on his appointment by cabinet secretary for education and lifelong learning MSP Fiona Hyslop.

OIC’s Chief Executive Alistair Buchan said: “It is pleasing to see an officer from Orkney, Scotland’s smallest council, appointed to such a pivotal role in the education community, and it builds on the contributions OIC is making across local government."

An exhibition of felt hats and wall hangings by pupils throughout Orkney opened at the Orkney Museum on Saturday.

Forming this year’s Christmas exhibition, Hats Off displays the work of pupils from Kirkwall Grammar School, Stromness Academy and Pierowall Junior High School, in a show of felt work.

The work is the result of an arts residency with textile artist Christina Sargent, and created by Orkney Islands Council’s cultural co-ordinators Tanya McGill and Pam Beasant.

Hats Off runs from Saturday, November 28, until December 24.