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Ahead of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, Pippa caught up with partners involved in the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) programme in ����ֱ�� and Bute, which plays a key role in delivering the .  Here in conversation with Pippa are Scott McKinnon (DYW Regional Lead, ����ֱ�� and Bute), Susan MacRae (Area Team Leader, Skills Development Scotland), Alana-Kathryn Mathers (Apprenticeships Support Officer, University of the Highlands and Islands, ����ֱ��) and Yvonne Love from ����ֱ�� Holidays, one of the largest private employers in ����ֱ�� and Bute.

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Listen again to Pippa in conversation with Jane Fowler (Head of Customer Support Services) and Carolyn Cairns (Human Resources and Operational Development Manager) to talk through these principles, in the first of a series of podcasts on the Change Programme, first published in August 2022.

Keep a lookout for more podcasts on the Change Programme and how we are getting on with delivering it over the months ahead.

Last year I created a podcast which provided an insight into how we do this, and due to the high level of public interest in how we make decisions on money, I have edited the podcast to make it relevant to this year and hope this provides listeners a sense of the determination of the Council to make the best decisions possible. 

The Council is meeting 23 February to debate and agree the budget for the next financial year, and the short introductory report and recommendations serve as a summary if you wish to read the proposal here.  

For further independent information on how local government is funded in Scotland, you can read . 

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A small trip to Oban led to a love of travel, which led to the creation of a travel blog, then a Covid tracker, then an MBE, then attending the Queen’s funeral! Hear about this crazy domino effect in the conversation between Pippa and John Frace, aka the Travelling Tabby, which was recorded prior to the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Subsequently, John had the honour of being invited to attend the Queen’s funeral in London, along with around 200 others who were included in Her Majesty's birthday honours this year.

2022 has been a particularly bad year for Avian Flu and, as we head towards the winter, listen in here to Pippa in conversation with Alan Morrison (Regulatory Services and Building Standards Manager) and David Kerr (Senior Animal Health and Welfare Officer), recorded earlier in the Autumn, about preparing for the new bird flu season and how everyone can help to limit the spread of the virus amongst our poultry and wild bird populations.

As of midday on 17th October 2022, an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) came into force once again in Scotland, England and Wales, and places a mandatory duty on poultry keepers (commercial and domestic) to adhere to strict biosecurity controls.  These are designed to minimise the risk of the virus spreading from the wild bird community to domestic and farmed poultry.  More information and updates for poultry keepers, landowners and members of the public can be found on the Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) webpage

Mid ����ֱ�� Community Enterprises Limited (MACEL) recently “took the plunge” by embarking on a major upgrade of the Mid ����ֱ�� Community Pool (MACPool) in Lochgilphead, and the new facilities include a café, soft play area and additional rooms for health and wellbeing activities. The MACPool Activity Hub is open again for business and here Pippa chats with current and former MACEL Board Chairs, John Gurr and Kim Ritchie respectively, and MACPool Manager Fiona MacAlpine, about what the facilities have to offer all year round.

Join Pippa in conversation with Jodie Hoey, a Science teacher from Oban High School, who was selected to represent Scotland in the 2022 Commonwealth Powerlifting Federation Championships in New Zealand, having only taken up the sport during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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