Latest News

Orkney residents – including young people aged 16 and above - are being urged to use their vote on Thursday 5 May as the county heads to the polls to elect its new Council for the next five years.

The Council’s Interim Chief Executive, John Mundell, is Returning Officer for the Scottish Local Government Elections in Orkney – meaning he holds responsibility for ensuring the election and this Friday’s (6 May) count is one that everyone can have confidence in:

“Our elections team will put in place all the correct procedures and checks to ensure you can carry out your vote efficiently and in privacy, and have it counted.

A private ceremony in the Council Chamber yesterday marked International Workers Memorial Day.

Staff within the Council’s Building Standards department have been playing their part in helping raise some funds towards the creation of The Peedie Retreat – a holiday home for residents affected by cancer and Multiple Sclerosis.

Anna and Reuben Johnston are behind the plans and are raising funds to create a retreat at Inganess beach.

The bairns have returned to the classroom following the Easter break and now it’s the turn of the wider Papdale Primary School community!

The doors will be open once more and anyone with links to the school – whether a parent, carer, or relative of a pupil – is being invited to come along for a social event with a twist.

Papdale Primary School Head Teacher, Wendy Bowen, and Papdale Parent Council have joined forces in a bid to arrange a friendly get together for the  whole school community to meet up once more.

The search for a new Chief Executive to lead Orkney Islands Council gets underway this week.

The Recycling Centre at Cursiter Quarry in Finstown will be closed at 1pm today (Thursday 28 April) to allow for a clean-up operation after various types of inappropriate waste was dumped there.

A number of residual waste items have been placed into the recycling skips with additional furniture, building materials and other waste scattered on the site. This will require replacement of skips and staff to be diverted from other service areas in order to clear the site ready for reopening. It is anticipated the site will not re-open until Tuesday 3 May.

Roadworks Update

There will be some bus services affected especially during the Pickaquoy Road closure which have been discussed with Stagecoach. Please contact the company directly on (01856) 870555 for any changes that may affect you.

Have a lovely weekend when it comes and take care of everyone on our roads.

Resurfacing works on the A965 (main Kirkwall to Stromness Road) junction with Old Finstown Road are now in the final stages and expected to be completed by polling day.

Contractors are expected to be laying surfacing materials on Tuesday next week (3 May), with line marking being the last bit of works before re-opening fully on Wednesday 4 May, ready for polling day on Thursday 5 May.

Following the success of the recent Talk PANTS! online workshops for registered childminders, homeschoolers and professionals, new dates have been announced for parental sessions.

Support the NSPCC campaign and sign up to a virtual parent workshop to learn about the materials and resources that can help shape simple conversations with your children with the help of a friendly, fun dinosaur called Pantosaurus. It’s specially created, with engaging and age-appropriate messages to help keep them safe from abuse.

Living on an outer island and having a young baby were no barrier to Nicole Ross pursuing her dream of a career in care.

For Nicole, 28, from Stronsay, was able to sign up to a free six-week Introduction to a Career in Social Care course thanks to an online learning option with Orkney College UHI.

The completion date of Friday 29 April is fast approaching, and Nicole is encouraging others to sign up.