Latest News

Eco-travel, sustainable tourism, and cruise liner strategy are just some of the topics up for discussion at this year’s Orkney Tourism Summit, which gets underway next month.

Open to all Destination Orkney members, the free online summit will run for six evenings across a two-week period from 9 November, with a line-up of key industry speakers and a range of special training sessions on offer.

Vital connectivity services for Orkney, has been completed by Exchange Communications, one of the UK’s leading telephony and digital transformation specialists, streamlining council services and providing enhanced services for more than 22,000 residents.

Exchange Communications won the contract with Orkney Islands Council to install a future-proof new communication infrastructure for its 750 office based employees, which will help them deliver council services more effectively across the islands as services and amenities continue to increase. 

Plans to get the Nordic Sea into service on the Papay to Westray route are moving closer.

Staff recruitment has concluded, training is now underway, and this will be followed by a familiarization period on board the vessel ahead of a start date North o’ the Galt.

The first four brand new buses arrived in Orkney on Friday 15 October 2021.

The investment of £5.4 million in 34 brand new buses is a result of a contract between Orkney Islands Council and Stagecoach covering an 8-year period, from 2021 through to 2029.

The Council’s ICT team require to carry out some essential maintenance work to the network security systems on Tuesday evening (19 October).

Unfortunately, this will mean some brief outages to a number of our public websites – such as Marine Services, planning and warrant, sport and leisure, benefit applications. These brief outages will occur between 5.30pm til 8pm. We will update as soon as the works are complete and the complete system is up and running again.

Seven organisations in Orkney are to benefit from funding totalling almost £450,000 to support employment, community resilience, health and wellbeing.

Enterprises in Hoy, Eday, North Ronaldsay, Sanday and the Mainland are set to receive a collective total of £445,224.05 from the Scottish Government’s £2 million Island Communities Fund.

Age Scotland Orkney (ASO) have secured a long-term future premises within the town centre thanks to support from the Council.

ASO were able to purchase their existing office base at 46 Victoria Street in Kirkwall after receiving a loan from the OIC.

A dedicated grant supported by sportScotland to help sportspeople in Orkney with the costs of attending competitive and training opportunities has received a £3k boost from Stagecoach.

The Athlete Travel Award Scheme is a partnership between sportScotland and participating local authorities - Orkney Islands, Western Isles, Shetland Islands and Highlands Councils. It’s aimed at helping ‘elite pathway’ athletes – athletes with potential to reach elite levels of competition and performance - from the Highlands and Islands gain better access to competition and training opportunities without having to relocate from their communities.

Unfortunately, weather-related delays has meant that phase two of the resurfacing works on Ayre Mills roundabout only got underway this morning (Monday 18 October).

That means the diversions in place have now changed and these will be signed. Access to the roundabout from Ayre Mills and Grainshore Road has been closed, with signed diversions via Pickaquoy Road and Hatston Brae. Three-way traffic lights will be in place.

The Council has tasked Alfred Flett’s to start repairing and preplacing a number of the festive anchors for the catenary wires that hold the strings of lights within Kirkwall, Stromness and St Margaret’s Hope.

The works are programmed to last for up to two weeks. They will get underway tomorrow, Tuesday 19 October, in Kirkwall and there will be periods of time when Bridge Street, Albert Street and Victoria Street will be closed to traffic. We expect to complete Kirkwall this week before moving to Stromness and the ‘Hope.