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Moving to Orkney with his family for a “unique role in a unique location” demonstrates the commitment that Orkney Islands Council’s new Chief Executive is making to the community that he is now serving.

Fife-born Oliver Reid comes to the county with 30 years’ experience of local authority working and says there’s no other place that he would rather be to begin the next chapter of his career and leading an organisation for the first time.

Orkney Islands Council is issuing a final call for people with relatives buried in the county’s cemeteries to check whether memorials important to them have been identified as dangerous and in need of repair.

The Scottish international netballer, who competed in the 2022 Commonwealth games, pipped Squash player Finlay Scott and fellow commonwealth games competitor, Taylah Paterson to the post. Taylah didn’t go home empty handed though, she received the award for Performance of the Year.

A roundup of works underway or soon to start around Orkney, for the week starting Monday 30 January 2023.

Orkney’s visual arts and craft makers community is being reminded the closing date for the current round of VACMA grants is 7 February.

Orkney athletes will once again able to apply for funds soon to help support them with travel costs, thanks to an ongoing partnership between sportscotland

A Council cost of living crisis funding scheme for eligible households is open for applications from today (Wednesday 25 January).

It is anticipated that up to around 8,550 households across Orkney – out of a total of around 11,000 – could benefit from the award of £200 per home. The grant award is limited to one payment per household.

Papdale Primary School is playing host to a second Wellbeing and Learning Fair next month, building on from the success of the first event in 2022.

On Thursday 2 February, the school doors will be open from 2.30pm-6.30pm for parents, carers and relatives of pupils to come along – not only a chance to meet one another and staff, but also to hear from a number of agencies who will be present to offer up practical support and assistance.

A Third Sector cost-of-living crisis fund opens for applications from today (Tuesday 24 January) in a bid to help organisations meet rising operational costs being faced now.

The Third Sector Cost of Living Crisis Fund is administered by Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO) and funded via the Council through their allocation from the Scottish Government’s Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund.

Third Sector organisations in Orkney have been reporting difficulties with covering their rising operational costs. While they are facing these increasing financial pressures, these organisations are also seeing more people coming to them for support.

Orkney Islands Council has appointed a new Head of Service for Neighbourhood Services.

The appointment of Lorna Richardson is part of a refresh of the Council’s corporate management structure, coming as the organisation strives to improve its performance, deliver on its ambitious priorities and improve confidence in the organisation across staff, partner organisations and the public. Lorna will be responsible for the delivery of critical frontline services such as waste and recycling, roads, burial grounds, engineering and flood management.