VAO are keen to hear from others who may be able to assist in various supportive roles or anyone who has specialist skills which could be beneficial to refugees from Ukraine or Afghanistan.   

Please get in touch if you are:

• Ukrainian, Russian or Afghanistan. 
• Have lived or worked in Ukraine, Russia or Afghanistan or nearby regions. 
• Can speak Ukrainian, Russian, Dari, Pashto or similar languages. 

Eleven local athletes have been awarded with a special grant supported by Orkney Islands Council, sportscotland and Stagecoach to help sportspeople across the Highlands and Islands access competition and training opportunities.

The Athlete Travel Award Scheme, now in its fifth year after a pause due to COVID-19, is a partnership between sportscotland and the participating local authorities in Scotland - Orkney Islands, Western Isles, Shetland Islands and Highland Councils.

There's been a lot of questions on social media today about the registration of 'honesty boxes' with our Environmental Health Team - here's a bit of clarification on some of the points being raised.

Changes to waste and recycling services over the period celebrating Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee:

Following a report of alleged near miss between a vehicle and a park user on the new roadway running through Bignold Park , Orkney Islands Council is appealing to drivers using the roadway to be mindful of the safety of all users and to drive more slowly.

Orkney arts enthusiasts will be treated to a degree show of the highest calibre, when final year BA Fine Art students at Orkney College show their works in June - the first degree show to be attended by the public in three years.

Residents of Dounby are being urged to submit ideas and visions for development in their community, as part of ongoing work to create a ‘place plan’ to capture future ambitions for the village and surrounding area.

Flagstone repairs will be taking place over four days next week in central Stromness.

The Council is reminding the public there will be road closures and traffic changes in central Stromness next week in relation to the Folk Festival, starting Thursday 26 May and carrying through to Sunday evening (29 May).

Census staff have carried out more than 1 million doorstep visits in the drive to support households to complete their census, according to new figures from National Records of Scotland (NRS).