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The time has come for us to refresh the music played down the telephone line when people are on hold with our Customer Service Centre – and ideally we want it to be music created by a resident of Argyll and Bute. While we strive not to keep anyone on hold at all, there are busy times when callers may need to wait for their call to be answered. We’d like to hear from local musicians and composers who would be interested in having their music used for this purpose. What we’re looking for is:

Work on the £14million refurbishment of Rothesay Pavilion is ramping up, with the building on track for a 2019 opening. Progress is being made on construction of a new main roof for the building, while internally main contractor CBC have installed elements of the new café and the Pavilion’s new ground floor exhibition space. Also on the ground floor, the new club and venue areas are being created. Full details on progress at the site can be found in a report presented to the Bute and Cowal Area Committee this month.

The new bin collection day calendars are being sent out to households across Argyll and Bute. There is no change to the days bins are emptied, or how often. The new calendars are to replace the existing ones, which are due to run out.

Oban High has teamed up with a secondary school from Norway to look at what can be learned from the sharing of best practice across education systems for pupils aged 16 years and over. The school’s head teacher, Peter Bain, has also been selected to lead an international project on behalf of The Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL).

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, Argyll and Bute Council, in partnership with AECOM, has looked at a number of design options to reduce flood risk.   

Argyll and Bute Council’s Policy Lead for Housing has welcomed the news that people in Scotland who want to build their own homes will now be able to apply to a £4 million self-build loan fund. The scheme is funded by the Scottish Government and was established following a successful pilot project by the Highland Small Communities Housing Trust.   Councillor Robin Currie said: “The launch of this fund is fantastic news for people living in Argyll and Bute.  

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 Argyll and Bute, 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.

Four Argyll and Bute 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 Argyll and Bute, but hats off to these groups for earning national recognition for their effort!

The Council's Youth Services Team held a successful 'hackathon' in Dunoon at the weekend which saw 41 youngsters attend from throughout Argyll and Bute.   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 Argyll and Bute.   With the help of the council's Digital Team and Craig Steele from CoderDojo, that dream became a reality.