A summary of road works underway in the county or soon to start:

Orkney fashion designer, Kirsteen Stewart, is bringing her expertise and experience in the creative industries to a new part-time role as project manager for Creative Orkney.

Kirsteen’s key focus will be on supporting and boosting the membership of Creative Orkney, which draws together traditional and contemporary professional craft makers from throughout the islands.

The project manager’s post was previously held by Edgar Balfour, who is now focusing solely on his work with Orkney Food and Drink.

Year after year we are named one of the best and happiest places to live in the country thanks to our wonderful lifestyle, rich heritage, landscapes, beaches, wildlife, a thriving food and drink sector, world leading energy innovation and community spirit like no other.

So, whether you are already here or looking to make a move - could you be part of Orkney Islands Council’s journey to make a real difference in our communities? Come and Join Us to find out!

We have an exciting and challenging leadership role available - Head of Children, Families and Justice Services and Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO), which covers health and social care Children and Families Services alongside the CSWO role.

Orkney Harbour Authority (OHA) has announced the launch of the Doon the Coast 2023 photography competition.

The contest - which showcases the best photography of life in Orkney by budding local photographers - started in 2022 but is set to be bigger than ever in 2023, with new categories introduced, a weekly ‘Pics of the week’ to be showcased in The Orcadian, and great prizes up for grabs for the winners.

Orkney’s first ever Carers Conference - also believed to be the first of its kind in Scotland - has been enthusiastically received by unpaid carers in the county, with many saying the conference was both informative and reassuring. 

A set of dowsing rods and the fantastic archaeological surroundings at Brodgar were the inspiration behind an art exhibition to take place at Orkney Museum this summer.

Local artist Samantha Gray is presenting her works under the title ‘Dowsing at Brodgar’ from June to September in Room 1 at the museum on Broad Street in Kirkwall. It was particularly important to Samantha to display her work there, partly due to her inspiration, and also as she is a Visitor Assistant at the museum during the summer.

An application will come forward to Orkney Islands Council’s Planning Committee this next week for changes to the A961 road between Kirkwall and St Mary's in Holm.

The application will allow for a right hand turn lane for potential future use of the Deepdale area as a deep water quay facility, similar to the one that serves Hatston Pier from Grainshore Road in Kirkwall

Any future deep water quay and the access road down to the site would be the subject of separate planning applications.

Council Leader James Stockan has described the recent Islands Forum meeting as ‘incredibly useful’ - highlighting in particular his discussions with Michael Gove - Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities  -  around potential funding streams for Orkney’s internal ferry service.

Representatives of ten island groups attended the forum in the Isle of Wight last week.

This was the second meeting of the forum – with the inaugural meeting having taken place in Orkney in September last year.

Transport Scotland’s Mobility and Scrappage Fund is open to new applications from eligible households in Orkney.

Administered by Energy Saving Trust, up to £3,000 is available to eligible applicants for the disposal of their older vehicles and to encourage the switch towards active or shared travel options.

Applicants will receive a £2,000 grant upon the disposal of their vehicle at a SEPA authorised treatment facility and provision of a verifiable Certificate of Destruction. Orkney Aggregates are named as the local contact.

Applications are open for the first free numeracy course in Orkney to be delivered by The Learning Link through Multiply – a new programme aimed at transforming the lives of adults by improving numeracy skills.

The Numeracy National 4 course starts on Monday 12 June at The Learning Link, 2 St Rognvald Street, Kirkwall, and runs over eight sessions until 31 July on Mondays from 12.30pm-2.30pm.