Latest News

More young people than ever in Orkney are now able to access the Togetherall online mental health community website for free.

The Council has commissioned an expansion of the 24/7 online peer to peer mental health community to enable young people, from the age of 16-31, to be able to access the digital platform for free.

For the past year it was available at no cost to 16-19-year-olds in the county. During that period around 40 young people from Orkney took self-assessments using Togetherall and raised issues including depression, social fear, anxiety, loss or trauma, obsessive or compulsive tendencies, concern about eating, phobias, concern about drinking or drugs, self-esteem and problems sleeping.

This year 11 local athletes are benefiting from the sportscotland Athlete Travel Award Scheme (ATAS). The Scheme is an ongoing partnership between sportscotland and the participating local authorities in Highlands & Islands - Orkney Islands, Western Isles, Shetland Islands and Highlands Councils.

Orkney Islands Council are extremely grateful to also have a partnership with Stagecoach which allows us to enhance and extend our programme in Orkney.

It’s official - the warm welcome at St Magnus Cathedral is the best in Scotland!

The Cathedral was shortlisted in the National Church Awards hosted by the National Churches Trust, and yesterday (24 October) won the “Open for Visitors” (Scotland) Award 2022 at a ceremony in Mercers’ Hall in London hosted by Hugh Dennis.

Bus passengers are being reminded of reduced timetable on Sundays in winter on the X1 (Stromness-Kirkwall-St Margarets Hope) route. Services 2 (Houton) and 6 (Tingwall) Sunday timetables have also changed to coincide with the winter ferry timetable now in operation.

With school pupils returning to school after the October holidays, we're reminding all road users to take extra care.

Orkney's brand new tug - Freyja of Scapa - is due to arrive in Orkney tomorrow (Saturday 22 October).

Three gyms run by the Council are being completely revamped with brand new fitness equipment, new flooring and a repaint, all fully funded thanks a successful application to the Scottish Government’s Islands Infrastructure Fund.
 

Members of the public are being reminded that they should not weigh their green or grey bins down with stones or heavy objects when they are awaiting collection

There are a number of roadworks happening on Orkney’s roads over the coming week.  Details as follows.

Councillors at today's meeting of Orkney Islands Council's Education, Leisure and Housing Committee have recommended that a bid should be submitted to the Scottish Government for funding towards new or improved school buildings in Orkney.

The preferred option was to further explore investment into a new additional support for learning centre for children and young people in Orkney - at an estimated cost of £40m, with a further estimated £16m sought from the Scottish Government.

The bid, to the Scottish Government's Learning Estates Improvement Programme, follows on from the Council's Learning Estates Strategy - which sets out a vision for improving the Council's school, leisure and culture buildings.