News

Lochdonhead Primary School has received gold accreditation in UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting School programme. UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. The Rights Respecting Schools Award is awarded to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children’s’ rights and encouraging adults, children and young people to respect the rights of others in school.

Argyll and Bute Council has given the go-ahead for a ballot to extend the Business Improvement District (BID) in Oban for another five years. A BID is an area in which businesses invest and work together, to improve the trading environment for businesses, their customers and visitors. BIDs can only exist if there is support from a clear majority of local businesses in a vote. The proposal for the ballot follows BID4Oban completing its second term with a number of objectives delivered for the town’s economy over the past ten years.

The drive to grow the population of Argyll and Bute’s island communities has been boosted with the award of new support from the council’s Strategic Housing Fund. Councillors have approved additional funding of £90k for six affordable houses on Ulva, to be delivered by the North West Mull Community Woodland Company (NWMCWC). This investment supports the council’s work to attract people and skills to Argyll and Bute, and reverse its population decline.

Argyll and Bute Council’s schools catering service has received The Soil Associations’ Bronze Food for Life Served Here Award for the 10th year in a row. Not only that, this year’s accreditation also includes meal provision for the area’s early years settings, meaning that even more young people are able to benefit from healthy, sustainable school meals.

Pupils and staff in schools across Argyll and Bute will break up for their summer holidays this week. Thanking them for their hard work and wishing them a happy, restful summer, the council's Policy Lead for Education, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly, said: “I would like to wish our schools staff, early years practitioners, and children and young people a very happy, well-deserved summer break. “The last 12 months have seen our schools finally return to some normality after what was a very turbulent and uncertain time during the pandemic.

From bee keeping and radio broadcasting, to games design and travel and tourism, Oban High School is leading the way when it comes to curriculum choices by offering pupils a variety of almost 100 different subjects, including more than 30 highers.

Bin collections are moving back to a 3-weekly green bin collection, and a 2 weekly recycling collection: From the week beginning 22 June If you live in Dunoon and Cowal, Mid Argyll, Tarbert, Oban and Lorn, Coll, Colonsay, Tiree, Lismore and Helensburgh and Lomond, your normal schedule for general waste and blue bins will restart during the week beginning 22 June. You will be able to check what date your bins go out for your area from 19 June. From week beginning 29 June

Huge congratulations to Small Isles Primary School on Jura on achieving its sixth Eco-Schools Green Flag Award. This is a great time to remind you that Small Isles Primary and Rosneath Primary are still appealing to members of the public to vote for them in The Keep Scotland Beautiful Pocket Garden competition at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6HM2PGM

Pupils in remote parts of Argyll and Bute could soon have their school meals delivered by drone. In a UK first, Argyll and Bute Council is teaming up with leading drone specialists Skyports to trial the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in delivering school meals. Flying from Oban Airport, the trial involves delivering meals freshly prepared in Park Primary School in Oban to Lochnell Primary, which is 1.5km away.

Councillors have approved nearly £600,000 investment in projects aimed at revitalising town centres across the area. Funding comes from the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment (PBI) Programme, and Crown Estates Fund. Projects include: