A number of community celebration events are due to take place in Orkney next week to mark Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

“Community Councils give the people who have boots on the ground within their community – and who really understand the issues that affect those communities – a voice.”

Over 70 new jobs are due to be created at Orkney Islands Council over the next year.  This figure includes 13 additional trainee or apprenticeship jobs, representing a significant investment by the local authority in employment opportunities for young people looking to remain, live and work in Orkney.

A crew of young adventurers from Papay and North Ronaldsay recently set sail for a training day on board the Swan, a 120-year-old fishing vessel.

The Shetland former herring boat was given new life in the 1990s as a sail training and charter vessel.

Earlier this month, the Swan offered sail training days for pupils in Papay, North Ronaldsay, Sanday and Westray.

The Council’s Animal Welfare team is reiterating national advice for members of the public to not handle dead wild birds, following a confirmed case of Avian Bird Flu in a Skua found in St Mary’s, Holm.

“With a sense of despair – people have asked ‘what can you do?’. I’m a firm believer that there is always something you can do in almost any difficult situation.”

Those are the words of Orkney’s Les Cowan expressing his thoughts on the conflict in Ukraine.

“We cannot stop the war, but we are not helpless to deal with the aftermath,” he continued. “This is the time for people to step up to the mark.

The Council can confirm that the first refugees from Ukraine arrived in Orkney this month through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

The Council’s Head of Community Learning, Leisure and Housing, Frances Troup, said: “The household concerned is being hosted by a family on Mainland Orkney and it’s important that they are given the time and privacy required to be allowed to settle in as best they can.

“We have been in touch with the host to see how we can provide support and we are following that through.”

Orkney Islands Council is making it easier for households to replace their damaged bins, with the introduction of a ‘QR code’ which takes householders straight to an online order form.

Update on road works already underway or starting next week (week starting 23 May), including on Pickaquoy Road in Kirkwall which will also affect public bus services:

An Orkney couple are opening their home and hearts to Ukrainian refugees.

Gill and Mark Tennant, who live in the West Mainland, have offered two bedrooms within their home to those fleeing the conflict.

They have also been in touch with Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO) to offer volunteering support in whatever way may be required.