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Working together to build a stronger future for all

Local construction firm, Orkney Builders, joined forces with pupils at Glaitness Primary School recently to deliver practical, hands-on workshops to bring building and engineering to life for some of our young students.

With a building site for the nursery expansion right outside the classroom, P4 teacher, Paige Archibald, considered how to turn this from a potentially noisy distraction to a vehicle for engaging STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teaching and learning experiences.

Thanks to collaborative working with Colin Nisbet, Orkney’s Education Support Officer for STEM, and Callum Murdoch, Orkney Builders Contracts Manager, sector-led and class input workshops were held at the school.

New ticket machines offering payment by card for the first time have been installed in Council pay-and-display car parks.

A public artwork celebrating much-loved Orkney writer George Mackay Brown will be installed in his native hometown Stromness, in a community garden dedicated to his remembrance.

Church Road in Stromness will be closed from today, Friday 25 March, from the cobbled section down near Victoria street, to Franklin Road, for much needed resurfacing work.

There will be closures at Garson and Hatston Recycling Centre this weekend due to operational reasons

Major road works are underway on Church Road in Stromness, the main road in Harray and Finstown, and on Grainshore Road in Hatston.

The Council would like to thank everyone in Orkney who has generously offered support to Ukrainian refugees.

The level of hospitality and kindness locally has been outstanding and now officers have begun to work their way through all the offers of assistance, particularly in relation to the recent OIC appeal for available private sector properties. There’s still time to contact the Council if you are a registered landlord and can offer assistance or if you have registered to take part in the UK Government scheme.

North Walls and Eday Schools will remain closed for the rest of this week due to COVID, with the aim of reopening on Monday 28 March.

Remote learning continues to be provided to pupils at home and parents are being kept informed on a daily basis.

Road works in central Stromness will move to South End from Monday 28 March, meaning access to Mayburn Court will be from the Hellihole Road / Alfred Street junction end.

From a very young age, we talk to our children about topics that make them aware of safety, such as crossing the road and dealing with strangers. This is relatively simple. But when it comes to sexual abuse, it can feel like a daunting prospect. We may feel worried about destroying their innocence or frightening them, as well as desperately hoping our child will never be at risk of such harm.

But the sad reality is that some children are victims of sexual abuse. Last year, Police Scotland recorded more than 5,000 sexual offences committed against children under the age of 16. So, it is vital, that children know that if anyone should ever attempt to abuse them, they would understand that what was happening was wrong, was not their fault and that they should tell a trusted adult. Yet it can be difficult to know how to get this message across to children in a way that is not scary and is appropriate for their age.