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“City status for Oban would create opportunities for growth across Argyll and Bute. Competing for the title, with other places across the UK, is about showcasing that this is a great place to live, work and invest. It’s about attracting the people, skills and investment the area needs for long-term success. I would encourage everyone to get involved in helping Oban, and Argyll and Bute, win.” Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, Councillor Robin Currie, highlighted the importance of community feedback, following today’s decision by Council to bid for city status for Oban in 2022.

Dunoon Grammar will take to the global stage once again when staff and pupils deliver a virtual seminar at this year’s World Education Week. After becoming the first Scottish school to deliver a session at the prestigious worldwide education showpiece last year, the school has again been invited to present an hour-long workshop to showcase their innovative approaches to community learning during the Covid pandemic.

Roadworks are planned to resurface and strengthen the B8024 from the junction with the C23, at the Tarbert Golf Club, northwards towards the A83 junction near Stonefield Castle. This project will start on the 11 October and is expected to take eight weeks. The road will be closed, from the golf course junction northwards to the A83 junction near Stonefield, while the work is being carried out to make sure it can be done as safely and efficiently as possible. Signage will be in place to indicate the closure.

The new blue bin recycling service for Kintyre and Gigha will start from 4 October. The new service is designed to make it more convenient for people in Kintyre to recycle. It will be sustainable in the long-term as new government legislation for waste disposal and recycling comes into place. The new dates for scheduled uplifts are on the council website: Kintyre (argyll-bute.gov.uk).  They can also be downloaded and printed out as calendars.

Pupils and staff at Dunoon Grammar are celebrating the news that the school has become Scotland’s first ever Digital Schoolhouse. As a Digital Schoolhouse (DSH), Dunoon Grammar, together with Nintendo UK, will use play-based learning to engage the next generation of learners and teachers with the computing science curriculum. The Digital Schoolhouse initiative is delivered by the UK games industry’s trade body Ukie and is backed by the creative digital industries and government. Sponsors include digital heavyweights including PlayStation®, SEGA, Ubisoft and Outright Games.

“We have to be ambitious for Argyll and Bute. We have to consider all opportunities to grow our economy.” These were the words of the Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, Councillor Robin Currie, in advance of a Council meeting which will consider bidding for city status for Oban.

Schools, voluntary organisations, charities and businesses from across Argyll and Bute will come together next month to host Argyll and Bute Council's first ever Education Climate Summit. The event will take place via an online platform on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 October – a week before COP 26 – and will see a range of key speakers joining forces to raise awareness about a variety of climate change issues.

A free lime mortar course is taking place at Hermitage Park Helensburgh from 28 September to 1 October. The course, delivered by the Scottish Lime Centre Trust, is open to anyone with an interest in traditional skills, building conservation or maintaining their property.   Lime mortar is more sympathetic to older buildings than cement based mortar. It is breathable and flexible with a lower carbon footprint than modern cement mortars.  

A new gift card is coming soon, designed to help ongoing Covid recovery for businesses and encourage local spending. Recipients of the Argyll and Bute (loves local) gift card will be able to enjoy a range of fantastic local products, services and experiences on offer from across the area. They include:

Argyll and Bute really is a great place to live, learn and work - maybe that’s why almost 25% of the current teaching staff at Dunoon Grammar are former pupils who left the area to train and seek employment, only to find themselves returning to their hometown to take up positions at the school.