Latest News

Are you entitled to free ferry travel through the Older and Disabled or 16-18 year old national concessionary schemes?

Do you receive paper ferry vouchers providing you with 2 free return trips from Orkney to the mainland? 

Marking Young Carer’s Action Day, teenage carers in Orkney are being urged to check if they are eligible for a payment worth nearly £360 annually.

Young Carer Grant is a Scottish Government benefit available to young people aged between 16 and 18 who are caring for someone who receives a disability benefit for an average of 16 hours a week.

Shapinsay residents are reminded wheelie bin collections start next Wednesday, 22 March.

We have been asked to share that the Orkney Library & Archive has been selected as one of the first in Scotland to host a ‘Lend and Mend Hub’, as part of a trailblazing pilot project helping to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

Managed by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), Orkney Library & Archive will build on its current offering to introduce a ‘Lend and Mend Hub’, giving the community free access to repair, reuse, rent and upcycle everyday items, to help keep items in use for longer, rather than them being thrown away.

Orkney’s school catering team has achieved the Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) award for a fourth year in a row. 

Soil Association Scotland, who run the Food for Life Scotland programme, says that by choosing to serve more responsibly sourced and ethical ingredients, the team in the county are part of a growing movement of caterers committed to serving food that is good for the climate, nature and young people’s health.

We thought it may be helpful to provide some background information on school meals

What do you charge for school meals?

At present we charge £2.70 for a two-course meal in primary schools and £2.80 in secondary schools. This is to rise in 2023/24 to £2.80 and £3 respectively.

Orkney Islands Council’s Marine Services and Transportation team have added two compact electric vehicles to their roads fleet. 

A Royal newcomer is to join the family of trees within the gardens of Tankerness House later this month.

The rowan sapling at just a few metres high will be surrounded and protected by the other well-established varieties within the Kirkwall community space because this is a very important tree.

Duncan Ross is looking for volunteers to help launch a local Andy’s Man Club

Orcadian social care worker Duncan Ross has been on his own mental health journey and knows first-hand the importance of starting a conversation thanks to the support he received from the charity Andy’s Man Club.

Members of the EIS, Scotland’s biggest teaching union, have voted overwhelmingly to accept the current pay offer proposed by local authority employers and the Scottish Government.

In an online ballot that closed today (Friday 10 March), 90% of those voting opted to accept the pay offer. Turnout in the ballot was 82%. The EIS represents over 80% of Scotland’s teachers at all grades and in all sectors of education.