News

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 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.  

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!

Councillors on the Environment, Development and Infrastructure committee agreed on 6 September 2018 that we need a waste strategy for Argyll and Bute 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 Argyll and Bute Local Covenant Partnership for consideration at its next meeting on 14 September.

Argyll and Bute 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 Argyll and Bute aged between 16 and 19 are currently in employment, education or training – the national average being 91.8%. This means Argyll and Bute 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.

Argyll and Bute 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.

The council’s Argyll Islands Strategic Group has welcomed a pilot initiative that will see five Scottish Government employees volunteering as ‘Island Liaison Partners’ to improve the Scottish Government’s understanding of the specific challenges facing Argyll and Bute’s islands. The role of the Island Liaison Partners will be to build knowledge, understanding and relationships with communities and local partners on the islands. Specific objectives will be to:

The case for Argyll and Bute’s Rural Growth Deal has had a further boost following the latest ‘very positive’ discussions with the UK Government.  Argyll and Bute Council leader, Councillor Aileen Morton, met with David Mundell, Secretary of State for Scotland, in Lochgilphead on Tuesday, August 28.  Mr Mundell had travelled to Argyll and Bute for the latest in the council’s series of high-level meetings with both the Scottish and UK governments, making the case for additional investment in the area.