A campaign by local people fought against the application for a pharmacy, claiming it would threaten Dounby GP Surgery.

]]> These car parks are located adjacent to the old Scarth Centre and the Police Station respectively.

In addition, new ticket machines have now been installed in the existing pay-and-display car parks in Kirkwall and Stromness.

Team Leader (Roads Support) Kenny Roy said: "The new ticket machines are very user friendly, and there are clear step-by-step instructions on each machine.

"Remember to make sure you display your parking ticket clearly - put it inside your vehicle on your dashboard so that the car park attendants can read the ticket through your windscreen."

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]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> Not listening

At Advocacy Orkney, we meet many people who say this, they are trying to get their point of view across but they feel others just aren't listening. This could be because of disability, age (young or old), unemployment, drug or alcohol dependency, or they may be vulnerable due to some other circumstances such as illness, dementia or dependent on carers.
]]> Greeks, geeks and lightbulb moments

"Eureka!" shouted Archimedes, jumping out the bath and running down the street stark naked. Or so the legend goes. Having been troubled for some time with the knotty problem of calculating the volume of irregular objects, the great Greek got out of the tub one day and noticed, as he did so, that the water level had dropped by an amount exactly equal to the volume of himself that had been under it. Had he been a Scot he would probably have shouted "Jings, crivens and help ma bob" but instead, having the good luck to be born in the land of ouzo and kebabs, he let fly with "I've found it!" - or "Eureka!" as they put it then.
]]> Moving hoose

We were driving back to Kirkwall after an Orkney Norway Friendship Association meeting in Stromness. In the back of the car were a Norwegian visitor and a Stromness wife whom we said we'd drop off home on the way. "Me hoose is second last on the right," she told us. There was a surprised squawk from our Norwegian friend. "She said hus." "Of course she did," we replied, "house is English not Orcadian."]]>
However, tickets are on sale for the grand final, which will be held at the Pickaquoy Centre on Saturday, March 27. The show will feature the top three acts from each of the heats, plus one wildcard entry. There will also be music from Liberty Unplugged and the Stronsay Silver Darlings.

Tickets for the final cost £6 each and are available from the CLAN shop and Bruces Stores on Victoria Street, Kirkwall. Doors open at 6.45pm for a 7.30pm start.]]> Normal 0 0 1 49 284 2 1 348 11.0

ORKNEY Health and Care Shadow Board confirmed today, Thursday, that a formal agreement to fund the new health and social care residential facilities at St Margaret's Hope and Kirkwall has now been signed off.

This commits Orkney Islands Council and NHS Orkney to the joint funding of both buildings and the cost of staffing the facilities once complete.

FULL STORY IN ORKNEY TODAY NEXT WEEK