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People in Campbeltown are being invited to have their say on design proposals that have been developed to help minimise the risk of flooding in the town. Since the previous public consultation event in February 2018, ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Council, in partnership with AECOM, has looked at a number of design options to reduce flood risk.   

The deadline for applications to the PGDE STEM Teacher Induction Programme has been extended until Wednesday 26th September. Also, applicants who don’t possess a 2:1 honours degree will be considered for entry depending on their previous experience and knowledge and understanding.   This 18 month scheme is a great opportunity to study to become a teacher in ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº, whilst spending substantial time in class under the guidance of a mentor.

Islay High School’s Head Teacher Stephen Harrison finished third overall in Sunday’s 2018 Islay Marathon. The marathon is held annually in memory of Menzies MacAffer, a former pupil of the school who went on to serve with distinction in the Royal Marines and was a keen marathon runner, but whose life was tragically cut short. As well as keen runner Mr Harrison, fellow staff members Ms Mackenzie, Ms MacGregor, Ms Priestly, Ms Gibson and Ms Roberts also ran the marathon, as part of two teams.

The Council's Youth Services Team held a successful 'hackathon' in Dunoon at the weekend which saw 41 youngsters attend from throughout ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº.   The idea for the hackathon came from Rhona McCracken, one of the Year of Young People Ambassadors, who had the dream of bringing digital coding to ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº.   With the help of the council's Digital Team and Craig Steele from CoderDojo, that dream became a reality.  

Four ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº projects scooped prizes at the 2018 Beautiful Scotland Awards, organised by environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful. Of course, we are blessed with amazing beauty spots and remarkable views all over ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº, but hats off to these groups for earning national recognition for their effort!

Councillors on the Environment, Development and Infrastructure committee agreed on 6 September 2018 that we need a waste strategy for ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº that meets government regulations, finds ways of exploring commercial opportunities from waste, and encourages and supports closer working with third sector organisations and businesses. Top priority will be preventing waste in the first place, followed by re-use, recycling and recovery. The last resort will be waste going to disposal.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust Local Grants and Digital Development programme, which provides funding for projects bringing civilian and armed forces communities together, will be open for applications until 30 September. In line with the guidance for applicants, if you would like feedback on your application first, you can send it to the ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Local Covenant Partnership for consideration at its next meeting on 14 September.

ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Council has welcomed figures released this week which show that the number of young people in the area who are on the path to sustainable employment is well above the national average. Participation measure figures, released by Skills Development Scotland, show that 94.2% of young people in ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº aged between 16 and 19 are currently in employment, education or training – the national average being 91.8%. This means ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº is in the top 8 of 32 local authority areas.

A voluntary group is making the seafront at Kirn more welcoming and comfortable for the community and visitors thanks to the enthusiasm of local volunteers, organisations and funding from the council’s Sustainable Community Initiative Fund. EnviroKirn Action Group was founded in 2001 and is now a charity. It funds its project work through an annual appeal and sourcing grants.

ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº was represented at an international conference in America earlier this month, when the Council’s Head of Education for Lifelong Learning and Support/Chief Education Officer flew to Montana to attend the International Symposium for Innovation in Rural Education (ISFIRE). Anne Paterson funded the trip herself and made the 8,000 mile round journey to take part in the conference, which this year focussed on Communities and Partnerships: Strengthening Rural Education.