Latest News

11 March 2014

New Community Index Under Construction
Send your groups latest details and information for the new pages to bill@caithness.org
Do you have a news items about your organisation - youth, church, health  etc you would like included in the new community pages now building....check your details and let us know of any changes....
Village Halls, Day Centres, Care Homes have all now been transferred to the new community section - Can committee members please check the details and let us know if any changes are required.  Send in news items, photos and updates at any time.     Old Community Index

Norlin Playgroup Want Parents Ideas
Norlin Playgroup has recently created a survey to advise people of what services Norlin are considering providing to the pre-school children in Wick and the surrounding areas. Norlin are considering providing various activities for children who are pre-school age. We are looking into providing a breakfast club for children enrolled at Norlin and also the provision of 'Kidz' Time' which would cover all kinds of messy play, story and song times, outdoor exploration (weather permitting) and lots of other activities at times to suit parents and possibly some weekend and holiday provision as well.

Call for young talented musicians
All talented young musicians attending Highland Council schools are currently being invited to apply for membership of one of the Highland Young Musicians eight regional music groups which are run as an extension to the work of the Council’s Instrumental Tuition Service. These Groups continue to perform at the highest level and are in growing demand for performances in addition to those planned in their annual rehearsal and performance calendar. Membership for all the Groups is by audition and invitation after the annual Audition Day and members are drawn from all areas of Highland. The Audition Day, which usually sees over 300 young musicians applying for places, is a vital part of the process which ensures that whilst maximum participation is encouraged, high musical standards are also maintained. This years event will be held in Inverness on Saturday 22 March and applications need to be returned by Friday 14 March.

10 March 2014

North Highland College Students Are Sporting Success
Two Gamekeeping Modern Apprentice’s from the North Highland College UHI have been collecting numerous awards for their commitment to country sports and learning. Duncan Seaton (19) and Greg Sinclair (19) are both studying their SVQ Level 2 in Game and Wildlife Management at the college on a block release basis, spending the rest of their time working on Highland estates. Duncan Seaton was named Lantra Scotland’s prestigious Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards 2013 and fellow NHC student Greg Sinclair was runner up for this award. Duncan and Greg along with their families and tutors attended Lantra Scotland’s prestigious Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards 2013.

National Juniper Day! 15 March 2014
One of Scotland’s most culturally significant species, Juniper has been lost from a quarter of areas where it was previously found. Take part in National Juniper Day to help record the health of juniper in the hills of Scotland.  Plantlife Scotland are offering a few bottle of gin to the first people to complete the survey forms.  In Caithness the Caithness Field Club has traced many juniper trees to check on how the plant is surviving in the far north.  The survey carried out in 2007 gave details of plants at  Ravenshill, Hill of Forss.

9 March 2014

Wick Academy 1 Clachnacuddin 1
Macadie's classic free kick gives Wick a share of the spoils
A COUPLE of set pieces and a handful of chances that didn't bear fruit, plus an irritating wind, combined to make the game a dour affair for the optimistic fans who turned out at Harmsworth Park, yesterday. Clach playing down field in the first period, took the lead through a Gordon Morrison penalty in the 32nd minute but the advantage was short-lived. Wick got a free kick, at the other end, a couple of minutes later and a superb strike by Man of the Match Richard Macadie, levelled things. Both sides rang the changes as the game progressed but the substitutions failed to make the difference and all-in-all, a draw was probably a fair result.   Photo Gallery

Caithness Science Festival 2014
Launch Event                                                                       Face To Face With Your  Ancestors  
               
 
Family Fun Day                                                                   Bumblebees
                  
Caithness Science Festival Web Site        

8 March 2014

Dingwall & Highland Marts - Sale 8 March 2014 - Rare & Minority breeds of Poultry & Livestock
Sold 34 cattle, 2 horses, 2 Llamas, 2 goats, 118 sheep, 554 lots of poultry, eggs and poultry equipment at their poultry, rare & traditional breeds of livestock sale.
Poultry leading prices per section Large Fowl: 3 Wheaten Maran pullets, £120; 8 Silver Laced Wyandotte chicks, and trio Barnevelder £110; 3 Barred Plymouth Rock pullets, and pair Scots Grey, £100. Ducks: Trio Black Indian Runner, and Trio Miniature Silver Appleyards, £100; Pair of Cayuga, £90; Pair Cayuga, £85. Call ducks: Pair Apricot and Trio Chocolate, £100; 2 Chocolate, £80; Pair Silver, £70. Bantams: Trio Poland, £110; Trio Black Orpington, £100; Quartet Black Orpington, Trio Black Orpington, and 3 Silver Spangled Hamburg pullets, £90. Pigeons: Pair White Garden Fantail, £28; 4 White Garden, £22; 4 White Garden, £18. Quail: 10 Japanese Coturnix, £55; 10 Japanese Coturnix, £50; 5 Japanese (twice), £30. Geese: 1 Toulouse, £75; Trio Embden, £38; 2 Embden females, £35...............
 
New care home fire safety guide - Making Scotland’s care homes even safer
Important new guidance aimed at reducing the risk of fire in Scotland’s care homes was launched on Friday 7th March 2014. The revised information is designed to assist care home owners and staff to fulfil their fire safety duties.
 
10 things you may not know about peat
Around 60 delegates from across the UK gathered in Thurso this week for the “Research on Peatlands – Looking Forward” conference hosted by the Environmental Research Institute. The welcome address was given by Rob Gibson MSP, who highlighted opportunities for the Peatlands from a new £15M Scottish Government fund.




Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership - Update

7 March 2014

Music Art Ploughing Craft Shinty Bulbs  - Check The What's On Saturday

Pop Up Shop Saturday 8th March at Former Graham Begg's Shop

Reported theft of electricity cable
Police in Caithness received a report of theft between 1000 and 1400 hours on Wednesday 05 March 2014, from the Scottish and Southern Energy windfarm site at Bettyhill.

Hairdresser Wanted for Thurso Shop
See all the vacancies HERE

Night Of The Northern Lights
Another great timelapse showing the Northern Lightsin Caithness by Maciej Winiarczyk

Mount Pleasant Nursery Open Day
Thursday 13th March 2014 fro 1pm to 2pm.

Managing Your Money At PPP
For anyone it can be a daunting task to work out what the best deals are online.  Shortly at Pultneytown People's Project a couple of evenings might just save you money.  Two sessions to help you beat the financial problems.
Money Spinners - Getting the Best Deals On-Line Monday 10th March 7.00pm
Want help with a preventative debt approach rather than dealing with actual debt.
Money Spinners - Getting the Best Deals On-Line Monday 17th March 7.00pm
Want help with switching energy providers or Better deals on Car/House/Life Insurances. Then this session is for you.

Fit's in 'e Groat - an' e' Coorier
No time to read the papers - a few of the items from the local papers from Noel Donaldson

Thurso welcomes launch of new online survey on delivery charges
Local MP John Thurso has welcomed the launch of a new online survey from Citizens Advice Scotland on unfair delivery charges. The survey is the first of its kind assessing the impact of high delivery charges on businesses in rural parts of Scotland - having previously targeted individual consumers only.

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF SCOTTISH CHILDHOOD
While adults might name the Great Wall of China, Christ the Redeemer and Machu Picchu as the Wonders of the World; new research commissioned by Persil reveals exactly what makes the children of Scotland wide-eyed with amazement, as “LEGOLAND”, “Safari” and the “Harry Potter World” are named in the top Seven Wonders of the World by six to eleven year olds.   Six short films havebeen produced using the EyeView camera created specifically for the Persil Kids Today Project to capture modern childhood through the eyes of a child. The films were also shot using a filming team with extensive experience of such projects.

New investment in Caithness battery power
HIE has supported the smooth change-over for new investors at AGM Batteries and ABSL Power Solutions, which were previously owned by US-based multinational Enersys Inc.

SEA – Arty fundraiser for Brough Bay Association and Castletown Heritage Society
We’re off of a brilliant start, with all our 170 MDF blank postcard size pieces of wood handed out or collected by locals from Caithness Horizons, St Fergus Art Gallery and Castlehill Heritage Centre in the first couple of weeks! We’re delighted with everyone’s enthusiasm to join in. Now they are getting arty and inspired by the SEA, wonderful artwork has started to be returned and I’ve been adding images to the blog as it arrives. There is quite a variety of styles. There is still plenty of time to get involved, but the sooner artwork is made and returned, the longer it will be admired on the fundraiser blog.

Housing benefit will be sanctioned
Part-time workers judged to be doing too little to find full-time work face having their benefit for housing costs sanctioned by the government for the first time under universal credit.

5 March 2014

Highland employers help 16 to 19 year olds begin employment
HIGHLAND’S employers are among those backing a national work-based qualification to help young people secure employment. Companies across Scotland are offering work placements and assessing young people to help them achieve an SQA approved ‘Certificate of Work Readiness’. Employer demand for the qualification is high, as recent figures show that more than 1000 businesses across Scotland have shown their support by providing placements.

Speakers School Council Awards
Has your school council got a project it’s really proud of? Then don’t miss out on the Speaker’s School Council Awards 2014. Tell us about a school council project that has made a difference in your school or community for a chance to visit Parliament and meet the Rt. Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons. It doesn’t matter whether your project is big or small, as long as it’s made a positive change.



Free lecture to show how archaeology can support future sustainability
A free lecture in Inverness next month will explore how archaeology can play a part in supporting environmental sustainability. Professor Jane Downes will argue that looking at how people interacted with their environments in the past can give us valuable insights into how we can influence our environments in the future. Professor Downes is head of archaeology at the University of the Highlands and Islands and director of Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology. The lecture marks the fact she was made a Professor by the university last year and is part of the organisation’s public lecture series.

Divers to probe suspected explosives found in Wick Bay - BBC
Royal Navy divers have been brought in to deal with suspected unexploded ordnance in the sea on the north side of Wick Bay in Caithness.

4 March 2014

Next Steps for Postcode Campaign Confirmed
North MSP, Rhoda Grant has met with the Chair of Thurso Community Council, Bob Earnshaw at the Pentland Hotel last Friday (28th February) to discuss how best to support the campaign to establish a new postcode for Caithness and Sutherland. Chairman Bob Earnshaw, Cllr Roger Saxon and Rhoda Grant MSP agreed that the campaign should be carried forward and that Mr Earnshaw would raise the issue at the next meeting of the Association of Caithness Community Councils, which is due to take place on Tuesday 4th March.

Connect To Your Courage - Women Can Break The Barriers
This workshop is designed to identify and break through these barriers. Tutor - Diane Nicholson Lunch is provided free of charge.





Wick & District Pool League - Week 13
The top three teams in Wick & District Pool League's Division One all recorded victories on Monday night, and are all in with a chance of winning the title with only one match remaining.





Careers Event In Tain Offers Opportunities At Skibo Castle
Skibo Careers Fair - Duthac Centre, Tain - 12th March
It is the opportunity to forge a career somewhere unique. Skills Development Scotland, the national skills body supporting the people and businesses of Scotland, is holding an exciting careers event in Duthac Centre, Tain. The Skibo Careers Fair is an opportunity to learn about the employment opportunities available at the Carnegie Club, Skibo Castle, one of the world’s finest private, residential clubs. The Careers Fair, which takes place on March 12th, is open for students and schools from 10am until 1.30pm. Others can visit from 2.30 until 6pm.  
Carnegie Club Web Site

3 March 2014

Scientific spotlight shines on Flow Country
Scientists from across the UK will converge in Caithness this week to discuss the latest findings in peatland research. Organised by North Highland College UHI’s Environmental Research Institute (ERI), the ‘Research in the Flow Country’ conference has attracted over sixty attendees. The four-day event will highlight the latest research on the role of peatlands, including their part in regulating carbon and freshwater and their value to biodiversity. Covering about 4,000 Km2, the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland is believed to be the largest area of blanket bog in the world. Its diverse habitats support a wide range of globally significant wetland and moorland species. The conference, which takes place from Tuesday 4 to Friday 7 March in Thurso, will include a field visit to the RSPB reserve at Forsinard so delegates can see peatland restoration in action.

Remote Delivery Costs - Small Business Survey
For the past three years the Scottish CAB Service has been campaigning against unfair delivery charges for online deliveries. Citizens Advice Scotland’s report ‘The Postcode Penalty’ analysed over 3,000 customer complaints and over 500 online companies, uncovering a ‘postcode penalty’ that sees some Scots having to pay an average of nearly £19 extra when buying goods online.......  Citizens Advice Scotland is keen to hear the views and experiences of small businesses who have encountered surcharges for deliveries based on location.  Go to the survey to give your business views.

Beware energy saving offers that demand upfront fees
but don’t be put off the Green Deal, says Trading Standards
Trading Standards officers with The Highland Council are warning consumers to be wary of paying upfront fees to companies claiming to be offering services connected with the Government’s “Green Deal” scheme. Problems with one particular company have highlighted the dangers of upfront fees. Sales representatives calling from Green Deal Rewards Ltd, based in Airdrie, carried out unsolicited marketing telephone calls to unsuspecting Highland householders. Sales staff from the company claimed that householders were entitled to funding for “free government home improvements” under the government’s ‘Green Deal’ scheme. A number of Highland consumers agreed to pay out a fee of £149.99 in advance, in order to obtain a survey on their home and an “Energy Performance Certificate” (or EPC). The North householders were then promised that an appointment would be made to carry out a ‘survey’. However, Trading Standards officers have since discovered that some consumers never received a visit from the company and other consumers, where a ‘survey’ had been carried on their home, are still waiting for their ‘EPC’.

Council consults on Social Enterprise Strategy for the Highlands
`Social Enterprise’ is an increasingly fundamental part of what makes the Highland tick and The Highland Council is looking for input to its strategy.  A draft Social Enterprise Strategy for the Highlands covering the years 2014-2017 has been published for consultation by the Council and all interested parties are being asked to take part and help shape the future of this sector.

2 March 2014

World Day Of Prayer - 7th March - Call To Get Involved
A letter from St Joachim's church in Wick invited member of other churches to help organise the day of prayer in Caithness.

1 March 2014

After 50 years a church of their own
Church Of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints Open A New Church In Thurso
Finally, the ‘faraway dream’ has come true, as membership has gradually grown from just a few people to over forty. Last Autumn, the president of the branch, Graham Winkle, signed a long-term lease for a building in the Thurso Business Park, just across from the BT building. To celebrate the official opening of the building, area church officials will be coming from Edinburgh in April, and the branch will host an open house on April 26 for community members to come and tour the new location. PHOTO GALLERY

New Children's Home In Wick Making Good Progress
 See from the START

Yes Caithness Public Meeting
The YES campaign in the independence referendum debate is coming to Caithness. A public meeting is to be held at the Weigh Inn, Thurso on Friday 7th March at 7.00pm. SNP Councillor Gail Ross said, "We welcome undecided voters to come for discussion as well." Speakers will include - Rob Gibson MSP Nancy Nicolson Christine Gunn Magnus Davidson



Residential Volunteering Internship - Forest to Bog Restoration Project (RSPB)
Minimum commitment: 5 days a week. 9am to 5.15pm   Duration: 3 months   Period: Between June and September.

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