It’s that time of year again, when we move into the summer opening hours for the Household Waste and Recycling Centres.

From Monday 1 May the opening hours will be:

Hatston – Monday closed. Tuesday-Friday 11am-6.45pm. Saturday and Sunday 9.30am-4.45pm

Hoy is set to enjoy a visit by champion cyclist and Olympian Sir Chris Hoy this weekend (29 April).

The Council is advising of changes to public transport and to Scapa Flow Museum opening times as a result of the ‘Hoy on Hoy’ events this Saturday (29 April 2023).

There’s still time to get your application in for the Council’s Cost of Living £200 grant before the closing date of Sunday 30 April.

The Council’s Service Manager (Improvement and Performance), William Moore, said: “We are delighted to have had 2,500 households in Orkney benefit from the payment, meaning half a million pounds of additional money potentially circulating within the local economy.

“We have received some wonderful feedback from grateful families who shared their stories publicly.

Unpaid carers in Orkney are being encouraged to attend a unique event in the county during May that will look at the key challenges they face on a daily basis – and, crucially, the support available to them and those they care for.

The Orkney Carers’ Conference at the Pickaquoy Centre on Thursday 18 May is believed to be the first of its kind in Scotland, and possibly the UK, and will place the needs and challenges of community heroes providing vital, voluntary care for others in Orkney, front and centre. The invite to attend is for people who look after a friend, neighbour or relative, young carers, and those working with unpaid carers.