Latest News

25 May 2013

New Community Section Now Under Construction
Send your groups latest details and information for the new pages to bill@caithness.org

Fit's in 'e Groat 'is Week?
A dash through the main stories in the John O'Groat Journal from Friday 24th May and if you missed it check out 'E Courier' headlines from Wednesday 22nd May.  These and many more stories in Doanalsin's Diary now in its third year and al items still there to be read.

Great Weather For Last Two Days Of the Walking Festival In Caithness
Check out some nice walks for Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th in the Caithness and Sutherland Walking Festival.




First Tidal Stream Installation Ship Being Built For Pentland Firth
New updated sketch 'renderings' of the World's first purpose-built tidal stream turbine installation ship, the planned HiFlo-4 catamaran vessel, have just been released by her designers Mojo Maritime Ltd, of Falmouth, Cornwall, one of Britain's most technologically-innovative 'green' marine energy specialist engineering companies. Its managing director Captain Richard Parkinson has told Gills Harbour Ltd's chairman that its innovative vessel is on track for being delivered from her builder's shipyard during the summer of 2015. The experienced mariner-turned-entrepreneur, who is familiar with winter sea conditions in the Pentland Firth and off the North of Scotland, has previously stated that Gills Harbour is his company's preferred Caithness base for HiFlo-4, hopefully by 2016.   Two Sketch Renderings

24 May 2013

LEADER Projects
Rural community projects across the Highlands are celebrated in The Highland LEADER Programme’s ‘Revitalising Communities in the Highlands’ booklet launched at the full Highland Council on Europe Day earlier this month. Over 90 of the 358 local projects funded by the LEADER Programme are bought to life with quotes and photographs in the booklet. Featured projects range in location and type from the Isle of Skye Energy Advice Service, to Thurso Boating Pond Play Area, to the Black Isle Heritage Memories Project.

Wick Harbour Johnson Collection Digitisation Project - A LEADER Project
The Johnston Collection is a unique photographic archive of life in and around Wick, once the capital of the herring industry in Europe. Held in trust by the Wick Society, the collection consists of over 50,000 black and white images, taken by three generations of a local photographic firm from 1863-1975. For thirty years the collection remained in the basement of the Wick Heritage Centre, inaccessible to all but the most determined researcher. Long-held ambitions to digitise the collection remained unfulfilled due to lack of resources.

Turning Wind Power Into Community Profit - A Leader Project
Following its complete renewal in 2009 Mey Village Hall is a hub of activity from sports clubs and evening classes to markets and weddings. With a ground source heat pump, the Mey Village Hall Trust was already ‘going green’. A natural next step was to install a 20Kw wind turbine. This would not only meet the rest of the hall’s energy costs but also earn income by feeding excess power into the National Grid.



Brough Community Harbour Project - A Leader Project
For many years the slipway at Brough served as the landing point for supplies to Dunnet Head lighthouse. Battered by winter storms, the slipway was increasingly at risk of collapsing. Investigating funding made the Brough Bay Association appreciate the potential for a wider heritage project. LEADER matched contributions from four partners and the Association’s own funds. The money came in the nick of time as a storm in 2010 revealed that five metres of pier stonework was hanging in mid-air.

SSAFA - Local Caithness Group To Help Armed Forces And Families
Commitment deserves commitment are the latest watchwords from SSAFA a charity set up to help serving memebrs or ex memebrs of the armed forces in the UK. Local Caithness organiser Sharon Johns from Murkle is looking for volunteers to help her provide support to local members or ex-members of the armed forces in Caithness. The history of SSAFA is the history of the men and women of Britain’s Forces and their families.

23 May 2013

Mary Ann's Cottage Open For The Summer - Well Worth A Visit
Mary Ann's will open on Saturday 1 June and will be staying open thereafter for the season until the end of September. Open 2.00 - 4.30 pm every day. Volunteer guides always needed - just come along.




Things that go Bang in the Night -  Caithness Astronomy Group
Caithness Astronomy Group are delighted to announce a free public talk by guest speaker Professor Andy Newsam.

22 May 2013

Wick & District Pool League - Bfest Pairs Competiton 2013
The Francis Street Club hosted the 3rd Annual Bfest Pairs Championships this past weekend, with players from both divisions battling it out for the last title of the Wick & District Pool League season. Seaforth Club's pairing of George Smith and Nathan Lightly won all of their group games on Saturday, playing some great pool to book their place in Sundays semi final. Greg Thompson and Gavin Simpson were also in form as they too qualified from group A. The big surprise of the group stages was the elimination of last years finalists Greg Simpson and Jordan Tait.

20 May 2013

BEN NEVIS: 24 hour challenge for charity
On the 25th May local adventurers will climb the UK’s biggest mountain in a challenge to raise money for local charities.  Phil, Annie and Scott would like to thank anyone who is generous enough to give any amount to their causes, every pound pledged will help spur them on with 24 hours of climbing ahead of them they will appreciate your help!
See the links to their three local charities inside.

19 May 2013

Scenes From Last Game Of The Season For The Scorries


Wick Academy 4 Deveronvale 1 - Could the Scorries fly to the top next season?
Match Report - Noel Donaldson  Saturday 18th May 2013 Harmsworth Park, Wick
WICK Academy ended their season in style securing third position in the league table after dismissing Deveronvale 4-1. The high fliers notched up a number of other, statistical, records, not least of being unbeaten at home. Jamie Pickles completed a unique hat-trick taking the man-of-the match award for the third consecutive match. Player of the Year was Alan Farquhar. And there was every justification at presentation time for suggesting that the Scorries were well placed to go all the way, next season. Tributes were paid to the squad and manager and assistant, Barry Wilson and Richard Hughes, the staff and the club’s army of loyal supporters. A delighted crowd of about 500 saw Academy take the lead through Gary Weir in the opening minutes at Harmsworth Park, Sam Mackay and Davie Allan making it a mountain to climb for the visitors, before the break. Vale took the first step soon after the restart, Graeme Watt netting but Allan saw to it that there was never going to be a Banffshire resurgence, by completing his double and Wick’s foursome.  PHOTOS

18 May 2013

Daffodils Still Flowering Despite The Cold Spring
Spring has been late this year or did we just  miss it.  Nevertheless the daffodils have been putting on a good display around the county and perhaps lasting longer due to the cold weather.





Fire-fighting Exercise At Wick Airport
The fire-fighters at Wick airport regularly practice putting out fires on aeroplanes and these photos show them at work.





Come And Try Golf At Reay
Wedesday nights 22nd May, 29th May, 5th June at 6.00pm.  Free lessons from a PGA coach.  New member get a 20% reduction in fees for the fisrt year if you decide to join the club.




And Then He took Up Golf...............
Does this little song from the 1920's ring a bell with any golfers or golf widows out there.  Frank Crumit has golf down to a tee.   Still it's good healthy activity so go for it.

17 May 2013

The Running Man Joe Mbu Made It To John O'Groats Today

Joe Mbu who has been running and walking from Landsend to John O'Groats via Braemar made to the end of the road today after 50 days.  He got a little closer to his goal to raise funds for the hospital in Nigeria that his grandfather built many years ago.  Joe is well know rugby player having played for some of the top teams in England. Children from Canisbay primary school were there to greet him and run the last few hundred metres to the end of the road.  There a few people made donations to his cause.  Today Joe also saw one of the largest donations when £1300 in one donation came in via the web.   More about the fund raising can be seen HERE

16 May 2013

Joe Mbu - The Running Man - First African To Run From Landsend to John O'Groats
Joe is running from Landsend to John O'Groats in 50 days to raise money for a hospital in Nigeria. He has been going it alone with no back-up team and getting people to put him up along the way. Bill Fernie met up with him on Wednesday on his way home from inverness and invited him to stay a couple of nights when he arrived in Caithness. He walked through Wick today to Reiss and will continue so that he arrives on Friday 17th May at about 4.00pm. Bill will be there to get photos along with many other local people to wish him well.


Dramatic restoration of this iconic hotel nears completion
Natural Retreats is delighted to announce that its revolutionary new concept in the self-catering industry, The Inn at John O’Groats, is on course to open mid-August 2013 and is now taking bookings. The restoration of the iconic former John O’Groats Hotel is part of Natural Retreats’ multi-million pound regeneration of this stunningly picturesque natural wilderness in Caithness in the North of Scotland. Originally built in 1875, the iconic former hotel in John O’Groats has been carefully restored over the past two years and has had a new Norse style extension added which provides a dramatic splash of colour against the coastal landscape. Courtesy of Interior Design agency NoChintz, who are also responsible for the recent revamp at Natural Retreats’ flagship site in the Yorkshire Dales and the current lodges at John O’Groats, the interior will combine high quality old and new styling in keeping with the marriage of the historic former hotel and the eye catching new extension.

Food for Thought - New Education Fund For Schools To Apply For Announced
Scottish schools will be providing more food education for pupils thanks to a £1 million fund launched by Scottish government.. Supporting the aims of Curriculum for Excellence, the Food for Thought Education Fund will help pupils learn about all aspects of food. The fund will encourage teachers to develop projects inspired by the extensive programme of major events planned for 2014 which includes the Year of Homecoming, the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup, creating a legacy for young people for years to come.   Link to funding information at bottom of this article inside.

Wildlife Model Making - Saturday 25th May 11.00am - 1.00pm
Calling all you budding artists! Come along to the Seadrift Centre at Dunnet Bay and have fun creating another wildlife model to be added to our display as part of Biodiversity Week. Last year it was a basking shark - who knows what it could be in 2013? Booking essential. All children must be accompanied .
What's On Section Growing Fast With Caithness Events For The Summer
This item is just one of over 450 entries currently in the Caithness.org What's On section.  We know there are many more entries to go in for this summer so get them in soon for maximum coverage and remember it's FREE.   Enter your event using the Submission Form   Hundreds of look ups every day.
Our What's On events cascade over many pages on the web site and into our Caithness.org Facebook pages for even more coverage.

Gills Harbour Planning For Pentland Firth Energy
Some indicative Pentland Firth energy sketches relating to Gills Bay/Gills Harbour, Caithness, KW1 4YB. The sketches have been drafted for Gills Harbour Ltd by Mark Fresson, a senior architect at Archial Ltd's North of Scotland office in Inverness and kindly donated to community-owned Gills company. Archial is a Toronto, Canada-based multi-national practice, with branches/associate-ships throughout the English-speaking world.  The first sketch shows the location of the potentially hazardous tide-races in the Pentland Firth and the sites of sea-bed leases granted by the Crown Estate, for the purpose of generating electricity using recently-developed 'horizontal hydro' turbines. The places on the Firth's sea-surface where white-water breaks daily year-round on the appropriate 12.5 hour tide-cycle, are shown. The map shows the seabed leases in relation to the (often violent) tide-races, with the ports of Gills, Scrabster and Lyness marked , with Wick off the map c. 14 miles S of Duncansby Head. The second drawing (broadly) shows Pentland Ferries Ltd's planned 60 metre extension to the main Gills Harbour's main deep-water breakwater/berth.

 15 May 2013

Latest Photos From Wick Council Offices Demolition
  From the beginning start HERE

Gaelic Classes take off in Caithness
A series of new Gaelic classes have taken off in Caithness and attendances are much higher than expected. The new purpose made course for beginners and intermediate learners of the language in the county has been well supported in Wick since it started in the Pulteney Centre at the end of March with 19 registered attendees. The course is about to start at the North Highland College UHI in Thurso next Wednesday 22nd May at 7.15pm registration for anyone who is interested in learning the language in the north end of the county.

Natural Explorer Wildlife Boat Trips Every Day At John O'Groats - check the What's On
Regular trips are available throughout the day, weather permitting.

Caithness Horizons Museums at Night Event
On Friday 17th May from 7 – 8.30pm as part of the Museums at Night celebrations Caithness Horizons is hosting the Inaugural Meeting of the Caithness Horizons Great Guild of Museologists. Museology is the study of Museums.

14 May 2013

Revised proposals for £30m Spittal Hill Wind Farm
Revised proposals have been announced this week for a £30 million wind farm development at Spittal Hill, just over 2km north east of the village of Spittal in Caithness. Comprising up to 8 turbines, with an installed capacity of up to 24 megawatts (MW), the proposals have been brought forward by Spittal Hill Windfarm Ltd, owned by Statkraft and a group of Highland based shareholders. These are considerably revised proposals from a previous larger scheme of 30-turbines which had a total installed capacity of 75MW.

joembutherunningman Will Soon Be In Caithness - Can You Help?
Message Received at Caithness.org About Joe Mbu who is walking and running for a special charity in Nigeria. "He has been running since Good Friday 29th March and as he has insisted on doing this without a support team, I am sad he could finish this alone - so... I am looking to recruit some running and rugby fans to run with him the last 4 miles from Freswick to John O'Groats!!! Please please please could you give Joe a warm Caithness welcome and run or cycle with him to end end"

13 May 2013

Caithness engineering firm MTDS placed in administration - BBC
A specialist engineering firm in Caithness has been placed in administration. Mowat Technical and Design Services (MTDS) employs 26 staff and offers a range of services including surveying and fabrication work.

Police Appeal-Incident in Glamis Road and Henrietta Street 11th May 2013
A woman is reported to have been assaulted between 2300 hours and 0000 hours on Saturday 11th May in a lane between Glamis Road and Henrietta Street in Wick. Police are keen to trace a man who is described as being of stocky build, wearing a white or light-coloured top and jeans who was seen in the area. Also Police are keen to speak to the driver of a small black car, who may have information that could assist with the inquiry. Anyone with information is urged to contact Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

12 May 2013

Annette, please get in touch !
Someone wants to contact you in the forum

Wick Academy 4 Strathspey Thistle 0
Reporter and Photographer Noel Donaldson
Tribute to Academy stalwart following shock passing. THE game was tinged with sadness, a minute's silence being observed for the sudden passing of David Sinclair. The Academy stalwart, from Staxigoe, who had attended the midweek clash with Nairn County and was well pleased with the 1-0 outcome, took ill on Friday and was admitted to Caithness General Hospital. The 64-year-old appeared to be recovering and was sitting up reading a paper but, sadly, took another turn. The game went ahead as David would have wished and he doubtless would have relished the action and the final score.     Photo  Gallery - 24 Photos        Wick Academy web site

Investment Sought For Small Scale Cinema Chain - The Herald
This story highlights Rob Arthur who restarted Thurso cinema and his plans to try other places in the future. By bringing the latest digital technology into thuro he has transformed the cinema for audiences in Caithness. Adding live shows from London transmitted into the theatre is a huge added bonus in entertainment for the arts in the county.
Check out what's showing this week at Thurso Cinerma

Wick's Old Council Offices Begin To Come Down - Video
You have seen the photos now here is the movie in full colour.






Fit's in 'e Groat Last Friday
Noel Donald'son's fast run through the mains stories from the local paper.

11 May 2013

Caithness Rugby Club Final Push For Funds
The funding for the clubhouse continues to go well and we have been successful in receiving every grant we have gone for. Our target for the club's own contribution of £96,160 is also getting there. The current shortfall is £10,623 so the final push is on to get the remainder.

10 May 2013

Caithness Composer's First Performance by International Duo
North Highland Connections announces a concert to be given in the West Church, Thurso, on Saturday, 1st June, by one of the world's leading clarinet virtuosi, Michael Collins. He will be accompanied by the pianist, Michael McHale. The concert will feature music by Weber; Brahms; Debussy: and Poulenc. For the local audience there will be special interest in an opportunity to hear the premiere of 'Four Nocturnes' by the composer, pianist and teacher, Robert Fields, who lives at Brough, near Dunnet. Robert is a familiar figure in Caithness musical circles, and his many friends and admirers will eagerly look forward to hearing his work performed by these international artistes.

Home Visiting Volunteers – Home-Start Caithness
Are you a parent? Could you be a good role model for parents who are struggling with their young children? Do you have a couple of hours a week to spare? If so, we would love to hear from you!
What’s in it for you?... *Training & Development.  *Being part of a team. Our volunteers regularly talk about the value of having a peer group of like minded people. *Confidence. Seeing the impact that your help can have on other’s lives is incredibly rewarding and the ‘feel good factor’ of giving something back should not be underestimated........read more

Highland first time buyers to benefit from Council-backed mortgage guarantee scheme
First time homebuyers within The Highland Council area are set to benefit from the introduction of a mortgage guarantee scheme, using the Local Authority Mortgage Scheme model already successfully launched by a number of English councils. The scheme aims to support up to 33 new homebuyers in the current year in getting on to the property ladder.

Wick Council Offices - DEMOLITION gets under way at Wick Council offices
Work got under way today (Friday 10TH mAY 2013) on the demolition of The Highland Council’s Caithness HQ at Market Place, Wick in readiness for an £8 million redevelopment of the town centre site as modern Council office accommodation. The Council has awarded a contract to Morgan Sindall to carry out the redevelopment of Market Place. Their sub-contractors, Munros have removed windows and fittings in recent weeks and began the demolition of the building in earnest today. The new building, together with a refurbished Stafford Place Buildings, will accommodate 140 Council staff currently based in a number of offices in Wick. The new building will be built on three floors to the front and two floors at the rear. When the new Council offices open, staff presently based at High Street (Social Work) and Rhind House (Education Culture and Sport) will move there. The project is due for completion early in 2015. Eighty staff, including those at Wick Service Point, have relocated to Government Buildings, Girnigoe Street while the new offices are built at Market Place.   Council Offices Demolition from the start.

Missed The Last Few Days Items - Over 12 Years Indexed - Front Page Archive >

 

Caithness.Org on Facebook