The £400,000 Playpark Renewal Fund has reopened for applications from communities striving to improve their playpark areas.

Six applications were received from eligible organisations in the county in the first round earlier this year.

The fund, created thanks to Covid-19 recovery funding and managed by the OIC Sport and Leisure service, is now open for applications until 5pm on 8 September 2023.

Orkney Islands Council has welcomed £2m from the Scottish Government to improve the energy efficiency of homes across the county, after a record response by local householders to the government’s Heat and Energy Efficiency Scotland scheme.

Since 2015-16, the HEES: ABS  (Heat and Energy Efficiency Scotland: Area Based Scheme) and similar previous initiatives have helped nearly 950 households in Orkney make their homes warmer through the installation of energy-saving improvements, primarily insulation.

As the dust settles on a fantastic 2023 Guernsey International Island Games, the baton has been handed over to Orkney for what will be the biggest single event ever to be held in the county.

This, the 20^th Games in 2025, is a chance for Orkney to showcase the islands to the 24 other member islands from across the world from the 12-18 July 2025.

For the first time ever, three athletes from Orkney were selected in one year to compete in the International Track and Field Meet, run by the Schools International Athletics Board (SIAB), last week. (14 July)

The Scottish Schools selectors had been watching the performances of the top ranked U17 athletes throughout the year, and, after Lucy Kenyon, Max Linklater and Jamie Sutherland all medalled at the Scottish Schools Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June, they were selected to compete for Scotland at SIAB.

A summing up of road works underway or soon to start in the county - for week starting Monday 24 July 2023.