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����ֱ�� has agreed on eight distinct projects, across the area, that will benefit from an allocation of £1,242,000 from the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Fund. The decision was taken at the meeting of full council on 27 June 2019. The projects identified to receive the funding are:

����ֱ�� agreed at its June meeting to provide additional funding to Kintyre Recycling Ltd (KRL) and Fyne Futures. This will enable the companies to continue to deliver kerbside recycling services in South Kintyre and Bute until their contracts come to a natural end in March 2020. KRL will receive around £32, 662, while Fyne Futures has been allocated £37,500.

����ֱ�� reaffirmed its commitment to tackling child poverty when members approved a draft Child Poverty Action Plan at 27 June's full council. The plan sets out what steps the council will take to tackle and raise awareness of child poverty and its intended outcomes. 

Council Modern Apprentice, Ashleigh Connor, has just passed her “blue light” training to allow her to drive Campbeltown’s fire engines in emergency situations. Twenty-year-old Ashleigh has been a retained firefighter for two years. As the crew was short of drivers, and Ashleigh as an apprentice HGV mechanic already held a Class 2 Licence, she decided to go for it. Training involved a week-long intensive course in Glasgow, comprising classroom and on-road work. Studies covered hazard awareness, motorway driving and understanding different types of roads.

Education staff from across ����ֱ�� and Bute recently attended a special awards ceremony in Inveraray to receive their SQA Professional Development Award (PDA) in Education Support. Louise Lawson, ����ֱ��’s Manager for Inclusion and Equality, presented the certificates on behalf of the council to 18 classroom and additional support needs assistants before congratulating the candidates on their hard work and commitment.

����ֱ�� is inviting people to have their say on the area’s housing needs. Over the next few months a survey will be carried out to give people the opportunity to help shape future planning for housing in ����ֱ�� and Bute, and help the council meet their current and future needs. The survey will be conducted by an independent company called Research Resource, on the council’s behalf.

A group of young people were treated to a VIP tour of Dunoon Primary School’s new East Wing, after winning a hard-fought competition. Primary seven pupils from schools across Cowal, recently attended Dunoon Grammar School for their induction into the secondary school. As part of this, the children took part in a STEM showcase event (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

In order to ensure public safety, a decision has been made to close Duchess Wood in Helensburgh until further notice. Part of the on-going management and maintenance of Duchess Wood includes undertaking a survey of the condition of the woodland. Unfortunately, the most recent survey has highlighted a number of safety issues which need to be addressed, including urgent remedial works to trees.

A group of pupils from Dunoon Grammar School are celebrating the news that they have won an Apps for Good Employability Skills Award for innovation – beating off stiff competition from across the UK. The 2019 Apps for Good Employability Skills prizes is sponsored by Capgemini and celebrates young technology creators aged 10 to 18 who have come up with a great idea for a product that makes the world a better place.

Three pupils from Dunoon Grammar School recently got the chance to work behind the scenes at STV’s the state-of-the-art studios in Glasgow. Blair McColm, Kane Lock and Dominic Rafferty visited the studios as part of their preparations for the Youth Philanthropy Initiative’s (YPI) national event, which takes place in Perth Concert Hall later this month.