I was able to enjoy the sunny weather last week with a visit to MAKI Pups, Mid Argyll’s first fully outdoor nursery.
Argyll and The Isles Coast and Countryside Trust run the nursery set within the walled garden and woodlands around Kilmory. It provides a fantastic environment for Early Learning Childcare.
I had a lot of fun meeting staff and it was great to see the children making the most of their outdoor learning – what an inspiring place to learn. Plans are currently underway to build a hobbit house and I can’t wait to go back and visit.
Find out more about MAKI Pups and their early learning activities in this week’s podcast. Join me as I chat with Erin Kennedy, Nursery Manager and Janitor Murdo McDonald, who has a family connection with the Kilmory gardens.
You can listen to the podcast on the council website.
A warm welcome
We have recently been joined by two new members of staff within the HSCP senior team:
Head of Finance and Transformation
James Gow joined the organisation in August and comes to the HSCP from a senior finance post with the Government of Jersey. He brings a wealth of experience from this role and from working in the public sector in Scotland.
Head of Children, Families and Justice
David Gibson started in post on 1 September. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the sector, most recently as the Head of Children’s Services and Chief Social Work Officer at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
I hope you’ll join me in welcoming James and David, who I’m sure will make a valuable contribution to Argyll and Bute.
Our Modern Workspace – good housekeeping reminder
Part of preparing our offices for hybrid/home working will involve clearing our office contents, personal items and making arrangements for how we store record and files online.
We are asking teams to go in and clean desks, remove any items and tidy up work areas.
Please arrange with your line manager in the first instance to come in to the office. Line managers can then contact the Site and/or Premises Manager for the building to arrange access.
It is important we know who is coming into buildings and that current guidelines are being followed.
Our design teams are currently visiting our buildings to familiarise themselves with layouts and gather more information.
Have a lovely weekend.
Pippa