Latest News

Knocking on a door, knowing that the news you are about to share is going to shatter lives, has been a reality on too many occasions for former police officer and recently re-elected Orkney Councillor, David Dawson.

Besides having investigated fatal road crashes in his earlier career, for the last ten years of his police service, he worked as a family liaison officer, with cases ranging from air crashes, drugs deaths, murder and fatal road crashes - not all in Orkney he points out.

One hundred and fifteen Council employees are hoping to raise thousands of pounds for a cancer charity by taking part in a distance challenge.

Individuals and teams will walk, run, cycle, swim, skateboard or horseride their way to cover 229 miles/368km – the length of priority one roads in Orkney looked after by the Council’s roads team – over a six -week period beginning on Monday 27 June.

Emergency services in Orkney will be dealing with a mock road crash on Kirkwall’s Broad Street on Saturday 2 July as part of driving home a hard-hitting road safety message.

Although this scenario will be staged for the public to come along and witness a “casualty” being removed from a damaged vehicle, the scene and the onward ramifications is all too familiar for some.

Orkney’s Area Commander, Chief Inspector Ali Garrow said: “One of the first facts established is if the accident could have been averted. Ninety per cent of all accidents are human error and the most common age for people to be killed is males aged from their late teens to early 20s. Lives lost much too soon, and families and friends left devastated forever.

Orkney-born Sergeant David Miller is based in Dingwall with the Highland and Islands Road Policing Unit so he has witnessed many horrific – and tragically preventable – deaths on the country’s roads.

“I don’t keep a count of the number of serious and fatal collisions I have attended but that total would be well into 3 figures. Every single collision is unique, whether that be in respect of the circumstances surrounding it or the physical and emotional damage it leaves behind.

“The striking thing for me is that anybody could be involved in a fatal or serious collision during their day to day lives, it doesn’t discriminate. Unfortunately, I’ve dealt with fatalities of all ages, including young children, with people from all types of background. 

March 4, 1999 – the day began just like any other.

Laura Torrance was a happy, bubbly 16-year-old with the world at her feet as she set off for school in East Kilbride that Thursday morning.

Little did Laura know that later that evening she would make a life-changing decision by getting into a car with a newly passed driver.

John McKenna was a young trainee fire fighter when he witnessed his first fatal road traffic incident – made all the more difficult as the victim was someone he knew.

John is Station Commander with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service here in Orkney and has attended numerous serious incidents during his 32 years’ service, sadly many of these have involved the loss of life.

He said: “One incident stands out more than the others for me, not only was it the first fatal road traffic incident I attended but the victim was someone who I knew. I was a trainee retained firefighter at the time in a small village community in central Scotland and I was part of a crew who attended a collision between a car and a motorcycle only a few hundred metres from the fire station.

Despite the passage of time, Paramedic Team Leader Ewan Hoggan isn’t ashamed to admit being overcome with emotion when recalling one life-changing call out.

Thinking of that day – and the young life lost through the actions of another – can still reduce Ewan to near tears.

With 20 years’ service, Ewan is currently on secondment in Orkney from his usual Falkirk base.

Orkney Islands Council is reminding local artists of a unique opportunity to create a COVID memorial in close collaboration with the Orkney community, as part of the national ‘Remembering Together’ programme.

Orkney Islands Council has launched a consultation on its proposed licensing scheme for short term lets.

Community councils across Orkney could all receive a community benefit payment from Orkney’s Community Wind Farm Project if the project does ahead - after Councillors agreed the basics of a location-specific community benefit scheme at last week’s Policy and Resources Committee meeting.