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It is estimated that there are over one million cases of food poisoning in the UK every year, and without attention to food hygiene, this doesn’t stop during the festive season.

To save your loved ones from a nasty bout of food poisoning over Christmas, follow these top tips to keep your festive season truly the most wonderful time of the year.

A plea from the President of the Sandwick Community Association was answered by the Council’s gritter team at the weekend – meaning around 55 over 70s from the area were able to enjoy a hot, tasty, free Christmas lunch.

President Steven Sinclair said: “The wintry weather left the car park at the Sandwick Hall a sheet of ice and it would have been too dangerous for folk to have attended at the dinner on Sunday, or for the onward delivery of meals on wheels.

Pupils from Papdale Primary School are pictured being recorded for BBC Radio Orkney’s “Radio Church” carol service - to be broadcast at 6pm tonight, Monday, evening.  

The programme also includes music from pupils at Westray Junior High, as well as a re-telling of the Christmas story with Susan Kirkbride and John Butterfield, and contributions from well known voices from people from churches around the parishes and isles.  

A young Orkney woman is intending to put the sporting community in Orkney firmly on the map thanks to becoming one of two island representatives for the first time ever on sportscotland’s Young People’s Sport Panel (cohort 6).

Sports coach and volunteer Megan Clouston, 19, from Orphir says the appointment is the highlight of her sporting achievements to date and the keen footballer has several goals in mind!

Letters are being sent to all Orkney Islands Council’s council house tenants seeking views on the rent they are charged for 2023-2024, as part of the annual consultation process.

These will also include an explanatory leaflet and survey forms to complete based on three options

Orkney may have looked like a winter wonderland recently, but the ongoing snow and icy conditions caused significant disruptions to travel, schools and nurseries.

Thankfully, these wintry blasts are relatively uncommon in Orkney, and while we know most bairns love a snow day, it can cause a major headache for some parents and carers if a school/nursery closure is required.

Our Food Team is urging local businesses and householders to check their fridges and freezers products for two trout products, recalled UK-wide by Lidl GB, as they may be contaminated with potentially harmful Listeria Monocytogenes.

The end of 2022 has proven to be an exciting chapter for Stromness Academy pupil, Magnus Groundwater, after he was named overall Fereday Prizewinner for his project into the history of the Stromness Library.

The next phase of building works at the Orkney Library and Archive is due to get underway in the new year meaning that there will be disruption to some services.

The works are due to start on Monday 9 January 2023 and expected to last between 6-8 weeks.

Much of Orkney has woken to a blanket of snow this morning, causing widespread disruption to travel and all Mainland and linked isles schools and nurseries are closed.

The gritters and ploughs have been out in force since 6am moving around the priority one routes first, before treating others as they can.