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Daily Update Community
Groups Benefit From Caithness And North Sutherland Fund
Grants
The CNSFund has committed over
£79k to community groups in Caithness & North Sutherland in its
recent grant rounds. Funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, a
wide range of community-led projects throughout the Dounreay travel to
work area are to benefit from the grant support.
Grants have been awarded to Strathnaver Museum - Farr North Community Development Trust, - Advocacy Highland,
Wick Gala Committee - Reay Golf Club - Farr High School Parent Council
This year everything is available online. All you need to is book your
FREE places. Community Index
28 January 2021
Public
Invited To Have Their Say On
Wick Pulteneytown Conservation Area Appraisal And Conservation Area
Management Plan
Members
of the public are invited to view and comment upon the recently created
draft Wick Pulteneytown Conservation Area Appraisal and Conservation
Area Management Plan. Pulteneytown remains a unique area of
considerable architectural and historic interest. It is Thomas
Telford's (1757-1834) only fully executed town plan for the British
Fisheries Society, and its most successful investment; in the 19th
century it was the largest herring fishing port in Europe. Today, the
integrity of the original plan and built form of Pulteneytown remains
largely in place. The design of the 19th century Inner and Outer
Harbours is still intact.
Membership
Of Caithness Voluntary Group Free In 2021
Caithness Voluntary Group has
been around for many years helping many
groups and individuals with help and assistance on a range of projects
and pointing the way to funding and many other sources of assistance.
Funders like to see high levels
of local community support for places they fund. Previously a
smal fee was charged to join but now your group can join FREE.
26 January 2021
Funding
Opportunity Reminder From Caithness Voluntary Group
Beatrice Partnership Fund has
reopened for the final time. The fund supports projects that are based
in the East Coast of Caithness and Sutherland plus the following
Community Council areas in Rosshire, Edderton, Tain, Inver and Tarbat.
The closing date for the fund
is Wednesday 28th April 2021 at 12 noon. You can apply for funding from
£10,000 - £50,000.
25 January 2021
Exciting
new development needs local support - please!
St
John's Pool Bird Reserve near Dunnet is a unique visitor attraction in
the north of Scotland.
With over 200 bird species recorded since 1989, and the largest tern
colony in Caithness, it is a spectacular summer experience for anyone
interested in nature.
But it needs your help to develop into an even more impressive haven
for birds - and for people to enjoy. We just need to show the funding
bodies that there is genuine community support.
If you would like to see the SJP 2020 Project succeed (see below) -
please write a letter or email to smith57ja@gmail.com by 31 January
2021, highlighting the reasons..more
18 January 2021
Support
For Taxi And Private Hire Drivers
New fund to support taxi and
private hire drivers affected by the pandemic will launch this week.
Local authorities will directly
approach an estimated 38,000 private
hire and taxi drivers inviting them to claim a £1,500 grant to assist
with fixed costs, boosting the support from other funding for loss of
income available through the Scottish and UK Governments.
A
new total of £57 million has been allocated by the Scottish Government
- three times more than the allocation announced in December.
Councils will start contacting eligible drivers this week to brief them
on their potential entitlement and ask them to provide supporting
information and bank account details. They do not need to apply, or
contact the local authority.
Inverness
Castle - Update Statutory applications lodged
today with The Highland Council signal progress in the planned
transformation for Inverness Castle to become a tourism gateway for the
Highlands. The applications are for:
Listed building consent
Building warrant approval.
The applications, submitted by project architects LDN Architects, are
in preparation for the main building works contract. This contract will
be subject to a tender process beginning in spring of 2021. More
architect pictures of how the castle will look
Regulator
Appoints
Manager To Charity Wick Academy Development Fund As
Part Of Decade-long Inquiry
The
Scottish regulator has appointed a manager to take over a charity as
part of a decade-long inquiry to ensure its trustees do not part with
its property without consent.
The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator opened an inquiry into
Wick Academy Development Fund in September 2010 after concerns were
raised about its public benefit, and a failure to make use of its
accumulated funds.
On
Thursday 21st January Caithness councillors will consider a report
"Wick Pulteneytown Conservation Area Appraisal and Conservation Area
Management Plan" and agree a public consultation that will lay out the
potential for the area in coming years.
The report has two highly detailed appendices. They both contain many
photos and Appendix One also outlines the history of the conservation
area and details many facts about individual buildings.
Caithness
Horizons To
Be Relaunched As The North Coast Visitor Centre
The Caithness Committee of
Highland council will next week a paper covering the present position
of the former Caithness Horizons that closed when it ran into financial
difficulties. The facility closed in February 2019 having operated
since 2008.
The building is owned by the The Highland Council, and THC retains
responsibility for the collections housed therein.
The HLH marketing team will
ensure that the community are kept appraised of developments through
social media and other channels as the facility prepares for
relaunching as the North Coast Visitor Centre.
Caithnes A to Z
7 January 2021
New
UK Government Covid
Testing Site Opens In Wick At Riverside
The
UK Government has today, Thursday 7 January, opened a new walk-through
coronavirus testing centre at Riverside Car Park in Wick (KW1 4EA). The
centre is easily accessible for people without a car.
The test centre is part of the largest network of diagnostic testing
facilities created in British history. In Scotland, this comprises of
six drive through sites, 23 walk-through sites, 23 mobile units, plus
the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab which is working round the clock to process
samples.
Coronavirus
Covid-19 - Stay At Home Guidance
To
minimise the risk of spreading the virus, you must stay at home as much
as possible. By law, in a level 4 area, you can only leave your home
(or garden) for an essential purpose.
Retired
Surgeon Pradip Datta Publishes His Memoirs The Naked Mountain Lands
- This is the unique story of an Indian surgeon, describing
the challenges he faced, whilst achieving his life-long ambition of
higher surgical qualifications in the UK. He worked as a Consultant
General Surgeon in Wick in the Scottish Highlands, where he still
lives. It was here that he established a postgraduate surgical course
for which he was awarded the MBE.
After retirement he was struck down by a stroke, details of which are
described. He subsequently completed this book. The story of a
consultant's life, peppered with anecdotes and interesting facts in
medicine in the far north of Scotland.
1 January 2021
Happy New Year To Everyone From Caithness.org
16 December 2020
Caithness
Health Action Group (CHAT) Petition on Maternity Discussed Today At The
Scottish Parliament A
petition sent by Caithness Health Action Group (CHAT) was disucssed to
day the Petitions Committee of the Scottish Parliament. Rhoda
Grant MSP opened the debate and local MSP Gail Ross was amongst the
speakers. Maria Aitken's petition appeared before the Public Petitions
Committee and called on "the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish
Government to ask all relevant health boards to review their maternity
model to ensure that it meets the needs of remote and rural
communities".
The committee heard that the decision to change the status of Caithness
maternity unit from an obstetric unit to a midwife unit in 2016 was
made on the basis of safety. Mothers and/or babies who are assessed as
needing obstetric or neonatal care are transferred to Raigmore
Hospital.
See the petitions and
link to the debate inside.
23 November 2020
Expressions
Of Interest Invited For New Highland Coastal Communities Fund
Caithness Awarded - £409,652 The Council is
inviting communities to come forward with expressions of interest for
projects that, if successful, could receive a share of funding aimed at
supporting coastal communities throughout Highland.
The Highland Coastal Communities Fund has been set up by the Council
following an allocation of over £3 million from the Scottish Government
of Crown Estates revenue funding. Most of the funding (£2.6m) is to be
devolved to Area Committees with a strategic fund of 15% being retained
for Highland wide projects.
The eligibility criteria for deciding which projects go forward for
consideration and the decision on how much funding is available to each
geographic area has been calculated in line with same formula used by
the Scottish Government to allocate the funding across Scotland.
19 November 2020
New
Guide "Worrying About Money" Highlights Help Available
A
new useful guide has been produced to provide people across the
Highlands with information and advice on the financial and other
support that is available to them.
The Highland Council, along with NHS Highland Public Health,
Independent Food Aid Network and the Trussell Trust, have brought a
wide range of relevant financial advice and support with contact
details together in a user-friendly format aimed at people who are
struggling to make ends meet.
The Worrying About Money? guide covers information for people waiting
for claims to be assessed as well as those already receiving benefits.
Topics including advice on what to do if anyone finds themselves having
a sudden loss of income or if their statutory sick pay does not cover
their living expenses. There is also information on how to apply to the
Scottish Welfare Fund, maximising income and benefit advice, debt
advice and how to challenge a decision.
Caithness
Health Action Team Petition To Scottish Parliament on Maternity
Services - Sign HERE Earlier
this year CHAT had planned to hold another march and public meetings ut
the pandemic halted any action like that. To make sure the
ongoing issues connected to maternity in Caithness are not forgotten
and
to highlight more of the data that continues to be brought forward by
families a petition has been laid at the Scottish Parliament.
Chairman
of CHAT Bill Fernie and Vice-chairman Ron Gunn will meet with the new
chief executive of NHS Highland Pam Dudek on 12th November to discuss a
range of issues
including maternity.
No
Thurso Community Fireworks Display this year
The
Rotary Club of Thurso is sad to announce that we are unable to present
a public Fireworks Display this year, due to Coronavirus. Like all
other events in our calendar which have been lost to the virus, our
annual Fireworks Event will be greatly missed.
As an alternative to the Fireworks, Thurso Rotary are inviting the
public to participate in our Create a Scarecrow Guy Competition, which
runs until 5th November. There are cash prizes for the best entries and
Thurso Rotary will donate an additional £100 to the charity of the
winner's choice.
22 October 2020
Scottish
Urban Legends: 50 Myths And True Stories
Caithness
residents have shared their scariest paranormal experiences in a new
book released this week by former Wick High School pupil Aaron Mullins,
which has gone straight into a top 100 bestsellers list on Amazon.
Scottish Urban Legends: 50 Myths and True Stories features legendary
stories that reveal Scotland's mysterious past. It also contains
exclusive personal tales from Caithness residents, their stories
published for the very first time, including a haunted Wick primary
school and a scary premonition.
This new release follows on from the success of his bestselling
Caithness-inspired book, Mysteries and Misadventures: Tales from the
Highlands.
Caithness is represented in the new book with a pretty gruesome tale
about Adam Melrose, a former bishop of Caithness, based in Halkirk,
back when Caithness was still part of the Jarldom of Orkney, which
belonged to the Kingdom of Norway.
Lyth
Arts Centre Look To The Future Following Funding Award
Worries over the financial
outlook for Lyth Arts Centre (LAC) have been eased for the time being
after the venue was awarded £97,000 in Scottish Government funding.
The sum - from the Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund - represents the
full figure requested by co-directors Charlotte Mountford and Tom
Barnes, who say the money secures LAC's short-term future up to the end
of March next year.
They acknowledge there is still much uncertainty in the performing arts
sector as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but say they will
remain "agile, flexible and optimistic".
The Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund, which is run through Creative
Scotland and has a total budget of £12.5 million, seeks to bridge the
financial gap for venues until they have a clearer idea of their
reopening plans and income projections.
Welcoming the £97,000 package in a statement on the LAC website,
Charlotte and Tom said: "It is the figure we calculated which would
enable us to remain solvent, avoid redundancies, and continue some form
of creative output while we are closed up to March 31, 2021 (a date
defined by the fund).
21 October 2020
Posties
To Collect As Well As Deliver The Mail On The Door
Royal Mail announces one of the
biggest shake-ups to the daily delivery since the launch of the postbox
in 1852.
Royal Mail has launched a parcel pick-up service across the UK in a
shake-up of the daily round.
The new service - Parcel Collect - means postmen and postwomen will now
be able to collect parcels as well as deliver them on their daily
round. It is one of the biggest changes to the daily delivery since the
launch of the postbox in 1852.
As well as offering even higher levels of convenience, the move means
that online sellers and online shoppers will no longer need to leave
the comfort of their home if they want to mail or return a pre-paid
item by post.
Under the ground-breaking initiative, postmen and postwomen will
collect a parcel from the customer's door or nominated safe place for
72p per parcel, in addition to postage costs. Parcel Collect is also
available for pre-paid return items at a cost of 60p per item.
20 October 2020
More
Funding For Those Who Need It Most
A
£30 million package of
funding is being made available to local authorities to support people
facing financial hardship as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19),
including money to provide free school meals over the school holidays.
Local authorities will be given flexibility to use £20 million,
previously held in reserve for the Scottish Welfare Fund, to support
people in their communities.
Free School Meals For Winter Breaks and Over Next Easter.
Financial support to tackle food insecurity or to meet fuel costs, or
boosting local funding for Discretionary Housing Payments.
Remembrance
Sunday And Armistice Day - No Gatherings This Year In Highland
Remembrance Sunday and
Armistice Day will be commemorated across Highland but in different
ways than usual because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Following the latest Scottish Government guidance on commemorative
events, Highland Council will not be organising any parades, events or
services taking place on Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2020 or
Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November 2020.
Donate direct this year to
Poppy Scotland web site
18 October 2020
Castletown
Heritage Society Moving On Youtube
Technology is changing how we
all work and play and Castletown Heritage
Society like many other groups held its AGM last Thursday on Zoom.
The group are not sitting idly by as things change and have decided to
present more about their area on Youtube. Neil Buchan has launched the
first video to show the area around Castltown and the Heritage Museum.
Other films will follow in the future.
15 October 2020
Third
Sector Master Classes - Free
HTSI are very excited to bring
you a series of Monday Masterclasses, training centred around
supporting community groups.
Set up a new group recently? Working to support your community? Want an
update on current best practice in supporting community groups?
Then HTSI's FREE Monday masterclasses are for you!
Julie at Caithness Voluntary Group is doing two of these classes that
are open to everyone in the Highlands and are free. The Third sector
has played a vital part in supporting their communities this year and
this is an opportunity to ensure organisations are up to date with
current best practice.
Seven FREE sessions covering...
Spirit Of The Highlands - Autobiography - Call For Stories
This
"Spirit:Autobiography" will be an authentic insight into life in the
Highlands today, and the heritage that has shaped this unique region,
in the words of people from across the Highlands.
We're looking for stories behind the headlines of history, stories
about people you might hear at a ceilidh.
And we want to hear stories of communities too, large and small - the
local events that shaped it, or how global events have affected it;
about its singing sands or Viking graffiti - the things that give it a
distinctive fingerprint.
ScottishPower
Renewables (SPR) invites you to participate in its Public Consultation
on the draft proposals for the Hollandmey Renewable Energy Development
(Hollandmey RED).
SPR is proposing to develop Hollandmey RED, situated approximately 8 km
south-west of John o'Groats and 16 km east of Thurso within the
north-eastern part of the Caithness area of the Highlands.
The proposed Development is anticipated to consist of
approximately 10 wind turbines with tip heights of up to 149.9 m. The
deployment of other renewable technologies within the Site is also
being proposed, including battery storage and solar photovoltaic (solar
PV) generation.
30 September 2020
Wick
High Street Devastation Continues - TSB To Close Wick Branch TSB
has today announced it will close 164 branches as the Bank continues to
implement its three-year strategy announced in November 2019.
73 Branches of TSB in
Scotland will close including the one at Wick. The
wrting has been on the wall for bank closures for sometime
but
the pandemic has made more people sign up for online banking.
- currently 4000 per
day opting to go online for bank services.
24 September 2020
UK Businesses And Cybersecurity: A Troubled Relationship
Security
company Carbon Black released a report
showing that 88% of UK businesses suffered from a data breach during a
12-month period. It also revealed the average number of breaches per
organization: 3.67.
Remember any size of business can be attacked.
Along with
backing up all your systems and data every day in case you computer or
laptop falls over consideration of cibersecurity might be a long-term
lifesaver for your business if any of it is online even if you only use
the same computer to store or send invoices and for emails.
Think about it then get safe.
One
of the north
Highlands' most iconic hotels is celebrating 65 years as an independent
family business this September.
Mackays Hotel on Union Street in Wick has been a leading accommodation
provider and a cornerstone of local community life in Caithness for
over six decades since being purchased by the first family member in
1955, Murray Lamont's maternal grandmother.
A
Minimum Income Standard for Remote and Rural Scotland - Volunteer
Participants Wanted
The Scottish Government have
commissioned research to help create a better understanding of the
needs and costs experienced by people who live in rural and remote
areas of Scotland. This research initiative is called Minimum Income
Standard for Remote and Rural Scotland and updates similar work which
was commissioned in 2012 by Highlands and islands Enterprise and
partner organisations.
The project has now begun recruiting in Wick and surrounding villages,
for participants from a variety of backgrounds and age groups. The
research will be conducted by the Centre for Research is Social Policy
(CRSP) team at the University of Loughborough working alongside two
Highland based researchers.
Participation in this important study will help our understanding of
the cost of living in rural Scotland.
All participants who attend our
focus groups will receive a £50
voucher from a selection of options to
say thank you for your time.
15 September 2020
Miller
Academy And Victoria Walk In Thurso Benefit From Caithness
Community Payback
Despite restrictions
during COVID-19, the Caithness Community Payback Team have been working
throughout the County ensuring that clients sentenced to carry out
unpaid work by Wick Sheriff Court have been paying back the Community.
Following a three month closure and COVID-19 restrictions greatly
reducing the number of clients that can be facilitated daily by the
Community Payback Team - work has continued to benefit Caithness
Community organisations.
Miller Academy in Thurso has taken receipt of five refurbished
children's benches which were repaired and re-painted in bright Rainbow
colours.
Contract
For World's Deepest Nuclear Clean-up Awarded At Dounreay
Dounreay has awarded a major
contract as the world's deepest nuclear clean-up job gets underway.
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL), on behalf of the Nuclear
Decommissioning Authority, awarded the £7.5 million contract for
"advanced transition works" at the 65 metre deep shaft and silo to
Nuvia and its partner Graham Construction, through the site's
decommissioning framework following a competitive tendering process.
Nuvia is an international nuclear engineering, project management,
products and services contractor.
The work will include the rerouting of existing services as well as
minor construction and demolition works, preparing the 2 waste
facilities to be emptied of legacy higher activity waste.
New
Signs For John O'Groat Trail
The
John o' Groats Brewery has provided signs to mark the start/finish of
the John o' Groats Trail just outside the brewery location near the
harbour in the village.
The John o' Groats Trail is a charitable project to develop a coastal
trail in Caithness and Sutherland with additional links in Easter Ross
to connect to Inverness, allowing a continuous trail walk to or from as
far away as Land's End.
Thurso
And Wick High School Students Gain For Local Groups
Secondary
students have raised vital funds and awareness for charities in their
communities addressing a range of social issues.
Through The Wood Foundation's Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI),
young people from throughout the country represented causes they cared
about in a bid to secure their school's grant.
Mental health charities, health support services, and organisations
supporting people living in poverty were the top three issues to
receive more than £600,000 of funding this academic year.
16 High schools were successful in Highland gaing £3000 each for their
chosen charity.
From
Sustrans - In a
series of engagement activities and events last year, the local
community told us what changes they wanted to see in the High Street to
make it attractive, accessible and welcoming to people, as well as
highlighting Wick’s cultural heritage. We’ve used this feedback to come
up with design proposals and are giving you the opportunity to view,
comment and shape these initial proposals. These draft designs are now
available to view outside Caithness House as well as on our project
website.
Read
more and register for online webinars
20 August 2020
High
Life Highland Is Ready To Welcome Customers Back To Pools And Gyms
High
Life Highland have expressed delight at today's announcement from the
First Minister that gyms and swimming pools can reopen from Monday 31st
August 2020.
Steve Walsh Chief Executive of High life Highland said, "I am
absolutely delighted with the news that we are able to welcome our
customers back earlier than we had first thought. We have been working
incredibly hard behind the scenes in preparation for September and I am
pleased to be able to confirm that we are ready and raring to go from Monday 31st August."
Wick
Paths Group Return
To Work On The Coghill Bridges - Saturday 15th August
Wick Paths Group will be
returning to work on upgrading the Coghill Bridges at Wick Riverside
this weekend - Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th August and the bridge will
be closed to the public both days to enable the work to proceed
safely.......................To coincide with the bridge
work there will be a litter pick of both sides of the river - Highland
Council are providing refuse sacks and will remove the full sacks.
Members of the public are invited to join with the Paths Group, the
Wick Riverside Volunteers and members of Pulteneytown Parish Church for
this community event - meet at 10.00am on Saturday either at the
Riverside play park or beside the Boating Shed but remember the Coghill
Bridge will be closed!
6 August 2020
Green
Health Packs To Benefit Environment And Boost Wellbeing Across
Caithness
Green
Health Packs have been bagged and are being distributed to community
groups in a project that will bring environmental benefits across
Caithness while also boosting people's wellbeing.
Caithness Voluntary Group has assembled 450 packs with help from
volunteers and staff at Pulteneytown People's Project in Wick, while
Caithness Rural Transport has helped get them distributed.
The purpose of the packs is to provide enjoyment, release some creative
talents and encourage people to discover new hobbies in the outdoors.
Spotted
At Scrabster Harbour Today - A Ship Flying The Union
Jack Flag Upside Down German registered chemical
Tanker “Antares” alongside at Scrabster Harbour today.
The vessel is in theory committing “Lèse-Majesté" (to do wrong to
majesty) by flying the Union Flag upside down. An easy
mistake to make if you do not know your flags. In
1950 there was an attempt to have the regulations changed so that
British merchant ships would be allowed to fly the Union Jack as a
jack. One point made in favour of the change was that some foreign
merchant ships flew the Union Jack as a courtesy flag, without any
action being taken against them, whilst a British merchant ship that
flew a Union Jack at the yard would be made to remove it. In
considering the matter a survey was made of the foreign ships in the
Port of London. Fifty percent flew no courtesy flag, forty percent flew
the Red Ensign, and ten percent flew the Union Jack.
David Prothero, 17 October 2000
Coghill
Bridges Temporary Closures If you regularly walk over the
Coghill bridges at Wick river check the temporary closure dates.
Upgrading work will
commence on Saturday 1st Augustand runs over two weekends.
10 July 2020
Why
it's better to give to a food bank now than three months ago
Food
banks in the UK
reported that demand had tripled in March this year as the coronavirus
lockdown threw millions out of work. Many food banks faced an urgent
need for money to buy extra food and launched appeals through
crowdfunding websites.
The public response was impressive, with a massive surge in support.
Nearly a million people volunteered to help the NHS and local support
centres.
Later, public backing for footballer Mark Rashford's appeal also forced
the government to reverse its decision not to continue funding free
meals for the nation's poorest children over the summer holidays.
This surge in generosity has led to hope that the pandemic signals a
transition to a kinder and more humane society after the pandemic. To
find out whether that might be the case, we developed a piece of data
scraping software to chart the generosity of the public in response to
appeals by food banks. We looked at how much was being donated during
the pandemic to see if the goodwill was sustained.
Eighty
Five artists have taken up the invite from the Society of
Caithness Artists to join their on-line exhibition this year.
The exhibition will run from 1st July until 31st July 2020 and
there are three hundred and fifty nine images to scroll though. The
exhibition is divided into two main sections, with the 3D and
sculptural section showing three images of each work.
Most works are for saleby contacting the artist.
3 July 2020
Northland
Creative Glass Takes Unique Film Festival Online After Covid
Cancellation
Scotland's
arts links with Japan are being supported by over £100,000 from a
partnership between British Council Scotland and Creative Scotland.
Following an open call for proposals, which drew 24 responses from
individuals and organisations working across the Scottish arts
sector, North Lands Creative was selected to receive a share
of the funding. The successful bid covers several art forms including
glass, film and cross-disciplinary practices.
UK in Japan is a major bilateral campaign that started in September
2019 at the same time as the Rugby World Cup. It will be extended into
2021 with the culmination of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The British Council will lead on cultural activities in Japan, bringing
in work from across the UK in collaboration with a range of partners.
At the same time the Japanese government will lead on reciprocal
activity in the UK.
Highly
motivated by the encouragement of the whole glass community, North
Lands Creative team has decided to rebound in the face of the adversity
caused by COVID-19 and the postponement of our event at the Toyama
Glass Art Museum in Japan and launch the inaugural edition of the
Glass, Meet the Future festival online.