Watertight excuses

Stirling University is anticipating a new addition to the list of genuine reasons for student assignments being late: "marooned on St Kilda". Its Western Isles campus in Stornoway has just enrolled three nursing and midwifery students, who spend part of their summer as sole providers of health care for the residents.

The islands, 50 miles west of the nurses' winter base in Benbecula, can be surprisingly busy in summer with scientists studying the flora and fauna, military contingents and intrepid sailors. But Atlantic storms can pose a problem, making visits to the Stornoway campus impossible.