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“From our house to yours” took on an extra special meaning when the grandson of a former resident of Smiddybrae House gifted a handmade birdhouse in her memory for other residents to enjoy.

Mark Waters says his late Granny Smith or “Lily” was well looked after by the staff at the Dounby residential care facility and it was his way of giving something back to say thank you.

Orkney Ferries’ crews and office staff have been thanked for their “calm, reassuring and professional” response to the grounding of the Varagen ferry on Friday evening.

Orkney Ferries Chair, Councillor Melissa Thomson, said the public response to the incident had been overwhelmingly positive from those who were on board.

The 3km protection zone around the avian flu infected premises in Tankerness has been lifted as of 14 November, Scottish Ministers have confirmed.

This follows the completion of preliminary cleansing and disinfection, and mandatory surveillance requirements. The 10km surveillance zone in the same area remains in place.

Education officials in Orkney are continuing to discuss the potential impact on schools and nurseries if the planned national teachers’ strike action over pay goes ahead on Thursday 24 November.

Further detailed information is required before confirmation can be given as to which settings will be closed, however, it is likely that there will be significant disruption. Parents and carers are advised to seek alternative provision for their children on 24 November.

Glaitness School is opening its doors this week for the launch of a Net Zero project working with Herriot -Watt University.

Glaitness School’s parent community, alongside Elected Members, and the local media are invited to the school on Wednesday 16 November, at 2.15pm for a 2.25pm start to hear from the school’s own Net Zero Heroes, staff and members of the Island Centre for Net Zero project work focusing on “School Run to Net Zero - Getting to School the Glaitness Way".

Dounby’s RotaKids have received their charter certificate to officially confirm their formation as a group.

Alistair Risk from the Rotary Club of East Sutherland travelled to the county to make the presentation.

Dounby RotaKids is supported by Dounby School and the Rotary Club of Orkney.

Dounby Head Teacher, Islean Gibson, said: “Our RotaKids team work so diligently to serve their school and their wider community, as a whole school community, we just could not be more proud of their hard work and determination, alongside the invaluable support from the Orkney Rotary Club members who give up their time to share their skills and knowledge with our pupils. This is an amazing partnership that continues to go from strength to strength.”

The group began in Orkney when pupils from Dounby decided they wanted to re-engage with the community following a challenging period during the pandemic.

The activities undertaken by the RotaKids not only make a difference but, importantly, are fun. The projects can range from fundraising for charity to improving the environment to helping vulnerable folk here and abroad. Examples include – beach cleans and litter picks, tree planning and weeding gardens, tea parties and entertainment for the elderly, filling shoeboxes for refugee children, collecting books for less fortunate children, cake stalls and coffee mornings, to name but a few.

There’s also a knock-on benefit of growing self-confidence and self-esteem at what can be a key stage in a young person’s development.

Chair of the Council’s Education, Housing and Leisure Committee, Councillor Gwenda Shearer, commended both the schoolchildren and the local Rotarians for the ongoing sterling effort.

“Congratulation to the Dounby RotaKids on this formal recognition. Not only is this breaking down any generational barriers but it  brings an exciting and practical approach to supporting the citizenship element of the national curriculum. By doing so, children enjoy a boost to their confidence and self-esteem at a key age and develop and understanding of how their actions can impact on others.”

Whatever the weather next September, Orkney is guaranteed a ray of golden sunshine for at least a few days, as the stunning art and science installation SUN comes to St Magnus Cathedral.

Hosted by the Orkney International Science Festival (OISF), the 6m diameter inflatable sphere will be suspended inside the Cathedral crossing. It will be lit up from within, and the projected images shown will be based on data taken from NASA’s recordings of solar activity. A gentle soundscape and some mist effects will complete the spectacle.

The thrill of never quite knowing what great archaeological find may quite literally be unearthed next is certainly going to be missed by Julie Gibson, who recently retired as Orkney Islands Archaeologist.

It’s a role Julie has held since the late 1990s, but she has now passed the mantle on to Paul Sharman, whose archaeological links with Orkney stretch back to the 1980s when as a fledgling archaeology student, he first got a glimpse of the treasures to be found all over the island.

The high performing Building Standards Service in Orkney has, once again, been reappointed as building standards verifier in Orkney for a further six years.

The Council was notified of the news by letter from the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights, Patrick Harvie MSP who commended the service for its “continuous improvement and wider commitment across the authority”.

Orkney’s Local Emergency Coordination Group (OLECG) is encouraging local householders to take some time now to ensure they’ve got all they need to hand if there are power cuts over the winter months.