·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp

Pupils in remote parts of ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp could soon have their school meals delivered by drone. In a UK first, ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp 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:

The latest round of funding from the council’s Strategic Events and Festivals Fund is set to boost the return of a host of popular events across ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp.   The council awarded seven major events and festivals a total of £29,800 from the fund, which was set up to support organisers in growing their events and attracting more visitors to ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp.   Councillors approved funding for the following events:   Oban Winter Festival (£5,000)  Sea Change Powering Women in Film 2022 (£4,000) 

British actor and screenwriter Dame Emma Thompson has sent a heartfelt message to pupils and staff at Dunoon Grammar, congratulating them on reaching the final 10 of The T4 Education World’s Best Schools Award for Community Collaboration. In a personal video to the school, Dame Emma described the news as ‘amazing’ and said she had everything crossed for the final.

Dunoon Grammar is in the running to become the World’s Best School after reaching the final 10 of The T4 Education World’s Best Schools Award for Community Collaboration. Head Teacher David Mitchell made the announcement at a special ceremony in the school this morning (Thursday) as delighted pupils, staff and guests raised the roof in celebration.

Dunoon Grammar School is the winner of the Gaelic Education Award at this year’s Scottish Education Awards held in Glasgow today (Wednesday). The award recognises early learning and childcare settings and schools that have developed a positive culture of continuous improvement in relation to Gaelic Medium and Gaelic Learner Education.

·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp Council is progressing a programme of regeneration projects to help communities and businesses recover from the impact of the pandemic.   Ongoing place based investment and regeneration is helping with the economic recovery with signs that employment levels are improving across the area.   The regeneration and investment initiatives include:  

A new visitor map board and community noticeboard will add to the transformation of Lochgilphead’s Front Green thanks to a £13,000 local charity donation.  The Lochgilphead Phoenix Project, supported by the Co-op Local Community Fund, is providing new community signage to help welcome visitors to the area and promote local community events. The funding is helping to create a purpose made map board, providing information about the town centre and wider area. The map will encourage visitors to explore attractions and support local businesses.

Protecting ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp’s stunning scenery and further enhancing its visitor appeal is the aim of a new range of tourism measures unveiled this week.   In response to concerns about the impact of irresponsible visitor behaviour, councillors have approved additional investment and a range of measures. They include:  

Ambitious plans for multi-million pound investment in improving and maintaining ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp’s roads, bridges and marine infrastructure and supporting day-to-day services for residents have been outlined to councillors.   At its meeting today (Thursday 2 June) the Environment, Development and Infrastructure (EDI) Committee considered progress on a wide-ranging programme of initiatives, funded by the council and partners.   Included in a range of roads and infrastructure developments for 2022/23 are: