Orkney is due to lead the way on a ground-breaking Scotland-wide recycling scheme next year.

It’s never too early to start making a difference to the communities we live in, but also further afield.

With this in mind, an exciting new group – Dounby RotaKids – supported by Dounby School and the Rotary Club of Orkney is now underway and recently they undertook the first RotaKids project of its kind in Orkney.

No new positive lateral flow tests have been reported and no outstanding PCR test results have been reported.

Class teachers continue to provide work online using the Seesaw tool and, in addition, pupils from the closed P4 class have been sent a pack of activities. So far, no parents of children in the P4 class have taken up the offer of childcare that was made by the school for the remainder of term.

Orkney Islands Council is launching a free training and support programme aimed at encouraging up to ten individuals to become new professional childminders, in a bid to help address childcare shortages in the county.

The closing date for 16 jobs with the Council's Early Learning and Childcare team has been extended to early January - if you love seeing peedie people learn new things and are interested in child development, read on!

Local people are being urged to help protect front line services by heeding Scottish Government advice aimed at curbing COVID-19 transmission in the community, including minimising social contacts.

Orkney Health and Care has issued a rallying call to relatives of users of the Care at Home Service appealing for their help to keep some of Orkney’s most vulnerable folk safe over the festive period.

There is a national shortage of care workers, agency staff who have been bolstering the local teams are heading home for Christmas and New Year and now, additional precautions regarding the new COVID-19 variant Omicron are likely to impact on Home Care staffing levels further.

Class teachers continue to provide work online using the Seesaw tool and, in addition, pupils from the closed P4 class have been sent a pack of activities. Given the small, but continual, increase in positive lateral flow test results among the pupils of the closed P4 class it has been decided to keep the P4 class closed for the remainder of term. This means that the P4 class will not reopen now until after the festive holiday break. However, any parents with an urgent need for childcare on Monday and Tuesday next week and who are COVID-19 free, are asked to contact the school’s Head Teacher, Mark Taylor, directly via his school glow email. Mr Taylor will respond ahead of Monday.

The Stromness Community Testing clinic is open again today until 1pm – and a drop in clinic has been organised for Kirkwall, at the Fire Station, tomorrow (Friday 17 December) from 10am-1pm. 

Simply put – Home Carer Kayleigh Swannie “loves” her job.

The 23-year-old has been a relief Home Carer covering the West Mainland since April 2017.

She’s a well kent face out west having worked with most of the teams and folk who are supported to live at home at some stage during this time.