Volunteering Programme - Orkney 2025

As we get underway in the new year, our planning for supporting the Orkney Island Games continues. The event takes place from 12 – 18 July 2025 and today the organising committee has launched their Volunteer Programme. Supporting the Games through volunteering can be a very rewarding opportunity and those who are interested have been asked to register their interest at Volunteer | Orkney 2025 Island Games. We are anticipating that Council employees may have some questions around the volunteering scheme and therefore we are providing the following information.

I would like to volunteer for the Games – can I get time off in July 2025 to do this?

As the local authority we have a key role in supporting the Games, but at the same time we will also need to continue to deliver core Council services and in some areas staff will be already supporting the Games through their normal type of work.

In order to try and balance the delivery of our services with providing support to the Games we are encouraging all staff who would like to volunteer to register their interest using the link above and to also make their line manager aware that they have done so.

Once we are aware of the scale of the volunteer support from the Community as a whole, and the potential interest from OIC staff and the areas they work in, we will be able to make a decision on how best to facilitate staff to participate in the volunteer programme without compromising key critical services.

I’m likely to be a competitor or coach at the Games – will I get time off to do this?

If you are a competitor at the Games or involved with one of the sports as a coach, then there are arrangements under the existing Leave of Absence policy for time off.  Although the games are still some time off, it would be useful if you could let your manager know at this stage if you are likely to be a competitor or coach, or indeed involved in another voluntary role with a sport, as this is another factor that will need to taken into account for the Games.

I’m planning a holiday at the time of the Games – will my annual leave request be granted?

If you are looking to organise a holiday for 2025 we would encourage that, where possible, you avoid the period of the Games (12-18 July 2025) for requesting annual leave – unless of course you have something fixed and important that you can’t miss, e.g. a known family event.

Whilst we endeavour to accommodate holiday requests, at this early stage in the process managers will be unable to give approval until more is known about the support the Council needs to provide.

Having as many staff at work as possible will help release staff to volunteer as well as maintaining key Council services. We aren’t saying that leave won’t be approved – just not yet -  as we need to build a fuller picture before managers can make decisions.

If you have any queries or concerns about this please discuss this with your line manager as early as possible so your request can be noted for consideration later this year.