Friday saw the culmination of the ‘16 Days of Activisim’ campaign which has been promoted here in Orkney by ORSAS and Orkney Womens Aid. 

The campaign is run anually which calls for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. As a member of the Orkney Domestic Abuse Forum, Orkney Alcohol & Drugs Partnership recognises the vital importance of such campaigns and promoting the message here in Orkney that violence against women and girls is completely unacceptable. 

Young Enterprise Orkney has been helping equip students with additional entrepreneurial skills for years.

The voluntary group has restarted following a two-year gap and is looking for volunteers from the business community to share their expertise by joining the local area team.

The P4 class at St Andrews Primary School will remain closed tomorrow, Tuesday, while the results of a number of PCR tests are awaited, and a clearer picture is known of the potential spread of the virus.

The class was shut on Monday as a precautionary measure following concerns about a rising number of positive Lateral Flow Tests. The numbers reported to the school differ from those logged online and this has, once again, highlighted the need for everyone to ensure they register their LFT results online – whether negative or positive. This will allow Public Health to begin contact tracing straight away.

The family of a young cancer warrior – Jamie Butcher (6) - have been overwhelmed by the generosity of folk in Orkney and elsewhere helping to raise money for the family and a cancer charity, Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly Clic Sargent).

They want to thank you all for the donations to their appeals, but also for the messages of support, offers of help, which is undoubtedly playing a part in carrying them through what can only be described as a nightmare since Jamie’s malignant brain tumour diagnosis in October.

Community leaders from across Orkney have issued a plea to local folk to double down on their efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 – and warned that it’s likely more restrictions will come into force in the coming week.

As the festive season approaches, Orkney Islands Council is reminding the public that bus services run differently from 23 December 2021 to 4 January inclusive 2022. 

Council Curator Ellen Pesci talks about her special links with Scapa Flow Museum, both with the historic Pumphouse where her grandfather worked and with a painting which will be installed in the redeveloped Museum by her father, renowned illustrator and artist Jim Baikie.

Orkney Islands Council is reminding motorists and bus users that road works and road closures will be in place on the main A961 (Kirkwall to St Margarets Hope road) from Monday 13 December, for five days.

Right now is an exciting time to consider a career in early learning and child care, with several positions now being advertised by Orkney Islands Council, at its settings across Mainland Orkney.

Orkney Islands Council Leader James Stockan has written to Transport Minister Graham Dey to express concerns about the lack of a Stromness to Scrabster ferry service for two weeks in early 2022.