A major side effect of Covid was that it exacerbated problems of remoteness and distance from services for fragile parts of the country.
But it also injected a new sense of community into many areas, with people working together in creative ways to overcome challenges.
No more so than in Orkney, where the coordinated response of community organisations tackled issues from food poverty to isolation and will continue as a positive legacy of lockdown.
Projects such as vouchers to ensure islanders could buy affordable food, and the delivery of library books to vulnerable and shielding residents, proved popular and successful.
‘A legacy which will continue to change lives’
They have also now helped Orkney Islands Council be recognised in a national award scheme.
The council was the only Scottish local authority to win one of the 21 categories from over 700 entries at the recent local government LGC Awards.
Judges said: “Working in, with and for communities during Covid and beyond made an immediate difference on a daily basis despite the unrivalled geographical challenges they faced.
“Innovative, creative, willing to lead, supporting each other and creating a legacy which will continue to change lives on the (Orkney) mainland and islands forever.
“All this while being the smallest council in Scotland. An example of local government at its very best.”
When the pandemic started to grip, Community Resilience Groups (CRGs) were set up with 20 community councils and regular online meetings allowed rapid feedback on specific challenges.
This included food and fuel shortages and obtaining feed for livestock as well as information about Covid.
When lockdown eased the CRGs asked to continue meetings as they found them so valuable.
Food voucher scheme
They identified many people, particularly in the outer isles, were facing hardships due to movement restrictions and reduced ferry and flight services.
Those in outlying areas could not travel to supermarkets on the Orkney mainland and local shops could not compete with supermarket prices or the increased demand.
In response, the council set up and funded a food voucher scheme.
Fridges and freezers from island schools, closed during lockdown, were moved to shops to store the increased volume of food.
This supported islanders with grocery costs and the lifeline local shops which were facing considerable Covid changes to their operations.
More than 200 food parcels were also handed out to vulnerable people in Orkney every week at the height of the pandemic.
Improved communications helped highlight cases to social care teams, including people isolated from family and services.
Arrangements were made to have boxes of library books delivered from mainland Orkney to island residents.
Another initiative saw the council’s community learning and development team distribute activity packs to pupils around Orkney.
In its submission to the awards the council said: “Community engagement is at the heart of the council’s wider objectives and strategy, particularly in respect of community empowerment.
“This was very much heightened during the early stages of the pandemic.
“It was vital communities could feed back on how service delivery was working or could be improved/adapted.”
Working together for the common good
Interim chief executive John Mundell said the award is testament to the empathy and determination of its officers to work with communities during the pandemic to protect, inform and reassure.
“It also reflects a willingness and selflessness of many in our community – through community councils, development trusts and others – to step up to the plate and work with us on the pandemic response on behalf of their communities, while still juggling their own personal pressures.”
Council leader James Stockan added: “The pandemic really has brought home the importance of community and of working together for the common good.”