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The welcoming smiles from a mother and her daughter safely settled in a quiet village in Orkney were in stark contrast to the fear etched on their faces fleeing their beloved homeland of Ukraine.

As the relentless bombing and shelling by the Russian invaders crept ever closer, Olena Katsy knew she had no choice but to leave and try to reach safety with her six-year-old daughter Athina.

Their best chance of escape was actually to take them closer to the enemy.

Orkney’s main thoroughfare turned red, white and blue as part of the HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations on Monday morning 30 May.

The Ship2Shore organised event saw around 180 children from Glaitness School march to Kirkwall harbour much to the delight of onlookers.

The Scottish Refugee Council and Scottish Government are running two information sessions for hosts and potential hosts on the 31 May and 9 June.

The sessions will provide information and guidance for hosts on the Scottish Government’s Ukraine Super Sponsor and Homes for Ukraine Schemes.

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.”