Isles shopping support to continue

Orkney Islands Council is to extend a food funding scheme that supports residents in the isles.

The scheme was launched last month, with each isles resident allocated a £5-per-week voucher to spend in a shop in their island over a four-week period.

Set up in response to the Covid-19 crisis, the fund is administered with support from isles community councils and will now be extended for a further four weeks.

Vouchers for the next four-week period are due to be posted to residents later this week. For those isles without shops, residents will receive a direct payment instead.

“Our aim is to recognise the vital role isles shops play at the heart of their communities – and to provide some support for the residents they serve,” said James Stockan, Council Leader and Councillor for Stromness and the South Isles.

“There’s been positive feedback from many folk in the isles over recent weeks and I hope this extension to the scheme will be welcomed.”

The cost of the vouchers over the eight-weeks period will be approximately £105,000, which will slightly exceed the £99,000 Food Fund funding allocation the Council received from the Scottish Government.