Wick
Amateur Swimmers At Thurso Mini Meet
Thirty
seven members of Wick Amateur Swimming Club competed
recently in the Thurso Mini Meet. This meet is for 8-12 year olds.
The 8-9 years girls section had Eve Watt, Lana Klimas, Abbie Bruce,
Iona Fleming, Aiva Harper, Kirsty Robertson and Amy Williamson swimming
for Wick. All the girls swam well, some swimming for the first time
competitively. Many picked up PB's and Aiva Harper won silver in the
25m Breaststroke.
The 8-9 yrs boys section had Drew Mathieson, William Mackay, Jack
Crowe, Ian Cook, Sam Bullen and Mark Beveridge swimming for Wick. Again
there were first time competitors and several PB's. Drew Mathieson
picked up two golds in the 25m freestyle and backstroke and a silver in
Backstroke, he also won his section overall which is a fantastic
achievement. Ian Cook won two bronze medals in the 25m freestyle and
backstroke and Sam Bullen made it a trio of medal winners........more
Highland
Culture Fund Now Open For Grant Applications
The Highland Culture Fund aims to promote the Highlands as
a
great place to live and visit by showcasing the unique and special
nature of Highland culture past, present and future. In recognition of
the significant contribution that the cultural sector makes to the
continued economic and social prosperity of the area, The Highland
Council has established a one-off grant fund of £100,000 to provide
financial assistance to projects that support the on-going promotion of
the Highlands and enhance the area’s programme of events, festivals and
cultural activity. Grants of up to 50% of eligible costs and up to a
maximum of £5,000 are available (although it is anticipated most awards
will be significantly less than the maximum amount). The closing date
for applications is 31st July 2013.
Caithness
Rugby Club - Summer Camps - Get Signed up Get signed up for Junior rugby summer camps - open to boys
and girls. 15th - 19th July
10.00 – 11.30am P4-P5 12.00 – 1.30pm P6-P7
2.00 – 3.30pm S1-S2
All players who attend the camp will
receive a free Caithness Rugby Club
T-shirt.
Summer
Drink/Drug Driving Initiative Drivers in the Highlands and Islands are being urged not
to spoil the party this summer by getting behind the wheel after
drinking alcohol or taking drugs.
Tomorrow sees the beginning of a four week campaign focusing on drink
and drug driving across Scotland.
For the Highlands and Islands this is one of the busiest periods on the
roads with additional tourist season traffic, events and festivals.
Road Policing Inspector for the Highland and Islands Division of Police
Scotland, Neil Lumsden, said:"During last summer's campaign in the
Highlands and Islands, 20 people were detected during a two week
campaign.
30
May
2013
Seafood Study - You Can Help By Completing a Few
Questions Online Top
quality produce from the Moray Firth and North Sea graces tables around
the world, yet much of the seafood eaten in Scotland is imported. How
can we increase the amount of locally-landed seafood to buy and enjoy
here in north Scotland, reduce the miles “from net to plate” and help
support our local industry and fishing communities?
The East Grampian Coastal Partnership and the Moray Firth Partnership
are conducting studies on ways to increase availability and demand for
high-quality, locally-landed seafood.
We would now appreciate input from across the different sectors to help
identify the next steps and any specific actions that could be included
within a longer-term initiative.
The next stage will be a public meeting in June to create a joint
strategy that will link and add value to existing initiatives,
identifying and developing the best approach for each area. There is
still time to contribute to the surveys online General public
questionnaire
- https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BKDK5LH Catering/ food service
sector
- https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NDSW2YD
Open4Business
Caithness Meet the Buyer Event
- Thursday 13th June Caithness Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with SSE,
invites
you to attend this free Meet the Buyer Event on Thursday 13th June at
Mackays Hotel, Wick from 09.00 - 17.00.
The day will cover a wide range of presentations from SSE
Open4Business, SSE Renewables, SSE Transmission, Achilles and SSE’s
Tier 1 contractors.
It will also include 1-2-1 sessions with SSE and Achilles, which will
run from 2pm. Please indicate below if you would like to book a
session.
Council
welcomes start of new cruise ship season in Caithness
Highland
Council has welcomed a successful start to the
2013 cruise ship programme at Scrabster, following the visit on Friday
24th May 2013 of the Adonia, carrying nearly 700 passengers and over
350 crew.This was just the first of 10 cruise ships coming to
Scrabster
this year, bringing potentially over 3,500 visitors, who hopefully will
return to Caithness after seeing what the area has to offer.
The next cruise liner to visit Caithness will be the Amadea which will
berth at Scrabster Harbour on Saturday 8th June.
Get Out and See Caithness With The Council Rangers - Events
all summer - Click Posters for full details Wick's
Wonderful Wild Flower Workshop - 16th June
These Ranger events are only a few of over 600 entries in our
fast growing What's On May
- - June
- - July
- - August
Caithness.org What's On section gets hundreds of look-ups every day so
get your event listed as soon as you can. Just use
the online form - simples - and its FREE for as long as
you want for as many entries as you like.
26
May
2013
Highland
youth participation has voice in planning of public services
Members
of the Highland Council’s Adult and Children Services Committee
heard that young people’s participation is making a positive
difference in the planning and provision of children’s services in The
Highland Council, Police Scotland Highland and Islands Division, and
NHS Highland.
Ainya Taylor, Highland Youth Convener, and Highland Youth Voice
members, Sannies Macleod from Wick, Bee Nicolson from Inverness and
Finlay Allmond from Nairn gave a presentation on how Youth
Participation is helping service providers to improve services and how
it also helps them, as young people, develop.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
8 May
2013
District
Heating Network Expanding and Ready For New Customers
The
district heating scheme in Wick is being expanded. Ignis is to supply
heat to the Wick Assembly Rooms, which is the largest public
performance venue north of Inverness. When the installation works are
completed later this month, the Assembly Rooms will be heated by
renewable energy, and its existing oil fired boiler will be switched
off.
Craig Ibbetson, Director of Ignis Wick Ltd said “We are delighted that
the Assembly Rooms are to be supplied by the district heating. This new
customer means that we can commission a new supply pipe that runs from
the end of Barrogill St in Pulteneytown to Sinclair Terrace. People
will notice some works going on in Barrogill Street during this time.
This new phase of expansion coincides with Ignis seeking to add more
new customers to the network where our pipes are already nearby.
Hayley's
powerful essay hailed a winner by law firm
BETTYHILL
pupil Hayley Blackman has won a prestigious essay competition run by a
firm of Caithness solicitors.
Open to all S4, S5 and S6 pupils in the county and North Sutherland,
the competition, organised by Wick
solicitors BBM,
was aimed at encouraging local youngsters by fostering their writing
skills.
The essay subject was based on a relevant subject of energy policy
stemming from a view expressed by Thomas Edison, the American
businessman and inventor, in 1931. He stated: “I’d put my money on the
sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we won’t have to
wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”
7 May
2013
Entries
Now Being Taken For 172nd Caithness County Show
At Riverside & Westerseat GroundsWick
on Friday 19 & Saturday 20 July 2013
Volunteer Information Day - Thursday 9th May 2013
A volunteer information day is being held by Caithness
Voluntary Group on Thursday
9th May 2013 in Harpers Club, Back Bridge Street, Wick from 12.00 noon
until 4.00pm.
If you would like information about local groups where you can
volunteer or offer services to your community then get along to see
what is being done in the area.
Dunnet Sculptures Meeting - Tuesday 7th May
- Time is 7.30pm Another meeting to discuss the sculpture plans for Dunnet
will be held on Tuesday 7th May at 7.30pm
(Not 7.00pm as previously notified) in Dunnet Hall. Stuart Black,
Director of Planning from Highland Council, will attend the meeting to
discuss the Community Arts Project. Not just a meeting about the
sculptures as the last one was.
The
Battle Of Altimarlach The
Battle of Altimarlach - 13 July 1680
By Malcolm Caithness 2010 marked the 330th anniversary of the Battle of
Altimarlach, near
Wick, and as part of our International Clan Gathering that year, the
Sinclairs visited the site of the battle to commemorate the event. An
account of the battle can be found on the web HERE
and this is the story as we were told it. The background to the dispute
is that George 5th Earl of Caithness dissipated a large part of his
inheritance before he died in 1643 and that left considerable problems
for his great grandson George 6th Earl of Caithness, who inherited from
him, and who wished to maintain the lavish lifestyle of his
predecessors.
Caithness History
ItemsCaithness
Field Club Articles
Wick
& District Pool League - Captain's Cup
The
Sinclair Bay Hotel hosted the 2013 Captain's Cup tournament this past
Saturday in what turned out to be an exciting tournament with some
great pool played by all participants. The star of the opening rounds
was Sinclair Bay's Milky Ronaldson, who knocked out two former Captains
Cup winners on his way to booking a semi final spot. He defeated Crown1
player Colin Banks 3-1 before beating Martin Hill in the quarter finals
by the same scoreline. Greg Thomson was impressive early in the day as
he knocked out Perry Campbell and Gavin Simpson thanks to two 3-0 wins.
He would meet Ronaldson in the semi final.
Bfest Pairs Pool Championships The 3rd Annual Bfest Pairs Championships takes place on
the weekend of the 18th/19th of May in the Francis Street Club. Each
team may enter up to three pairs for this event. Please contact the
league secretary on 07450 993155 to enter or for more information.
6 May
2013
More Photos From Highland Historical Commercial Vehicles Road Run 49
- 60 Start of the GalleryHERE
Over
300 Events Listed In The Caithness.org Whats On - Get Your Event In Did
you know the coverage for events listed also flow into the
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the
dates. Its FREE and effective as so many people now check our
What's On. Events are listed for each month and appear on our
main front page and many other places across our web sites. Submit
you event HERE - its FREE
so get listing. Thrumster
Nursery Shoe Box Collection The
children of Thrumster Nursery took part in collecting shoe
boxes for the Caithness shoe box appeal a few months ago. They managed
to collect a grand total of sixteen boxes which will be distributed to
the elderly in the county. They would like to say a big thank you to
everyone who donated and helped to make this possible.
5 May
2013
More Photos From Highland Historical Commercial Vehicles Road Run
37
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To see the full gallery Start
Here
Wick Academy 4
Huntly 0 Huntly
no match for Academy's four play
- Report by Noel Donaldson
THE goals, all four without reply, were compensation for a
game that won’t rate as one of Harmsworth Park's most memorable.
Huntly huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow Academy’s defence down and
the odd chances that came the visitors’ way, failed to pay dividends.
The Scorries always looked dangerous in attack and but for a bit of
composure in front of goal and some favourable decisions from the ref,
could have grabbed a couple more.
Points made prizes, and the saying is never more important than when
you’re in the home straight of the Highland League race, and chasing
for a respectable and improved table finish. The win puts the Scorries
in fourth place, a point behind Nairn County whom they could leap-frog
with a repeat performance on Wednesday night, an additional incentive
being keeping that home record intact.
Photo GalleryWick Academy Web Site Wanted:
Scotland's best nature photos - SNH Photo Competition 2013
The above photos are the winners from the 2012 competition to whet your
appetite. To celebrate Scotland’s amazing wildlife and countryside
during the Year of Natural Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is
launching a free photo contest.
As part of Scotland’s Nature Festival, SNH is encouraging Scots to
enjoy nature by capturing their favourite natural places and wildlife.
The seventh annual Nature Photography Competition is open to both
amateur and professional photographers. Keen photographers have plenty
of time to get snapping, with a deadline of August 1 to get their
photos to SNH.
First prize is a one-to-one tutorial with one of Scotland’s leading
professional nature photographers, Lorne Gill; second prize is a Nikon
D3200 digital SLR camera with 18-55mm VR lens kit, tripod and carry
case; and third prize is a Pentax X5 Bridge Camera with tripod and
carry case.
This contest is part of Scotland’s Nature Festival, which includes
events across Scotland taking place from May 18-26.
The
Winners Gallery
Trophies
and Titles For Wick and District Pool League
Ryan
Cook's Blackstairs "2" side won their first ever Wick &
District Pool League title on Monday night after defeating Camps "2"
6-2 to win the 2013 Rockwater Shield final.
An impressive team performance from the Blackstairs team ended Camps2's
hopes of a fourth straight league & cup double. Scottish
Tarmac Championship Round 2
The
second round of the Scottish Championship was held at Ingliston
Fairground on the 27th April. The event consists of 42 stage miles over
8 stages with the surface being all tarmac; the weather on the Saturday
was cold but sunny. The Hamilton Optimum Training Kadett driven by Bill
and navigated by Sara Hamilton was seeded 33rd out 65 competitors.
Earlier this year Bill and Sara had competed at round 1 Knockhill
Racetrack unfortunately at this very wet event the Kadett hit a tyre
wall damaging the rear of the car, they managed to finish the event but
this was the first event since the repair so it was with a bit of
trepidation that they tackled stages 1 and 2 but by the end of stage 2
they had moved up to 9th overall.
More Photos From Highland Historical Commercial Vehicles Road Run 13
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4 May
2013
Highland
Historic Commercial Vehicles Road Run 2013 At Thurso This year the Highland Historic Road Run came
north from Alness to Thurso via Lairg and Tongue. Almost
40 vehicles made the trip.
They will all leave Thurso riverside car park on
Sunday morning about 10.00am if you want to see them. More
photos will be on here tomorrow.
The road run was supported by Charles
Stewart & Sons Builders, Golspie
Live Drama As It Happens At Thurso Cinema Via The Screen 16th
May The National Theatre Presents "This House" Now you can see drama via the screen as it happens in
theatres at Thurso cinema. "This House"
A new play by James Graham
It’s 1974 and the corridors of Westminster ring with the sound of
infighting and backbiting as Britain’s political parties battle to
change the future of the nation. Biting and energetic, This
House has enjoyed two National Theatre sell-out runs.
National Theatre Live is the National Theatre's groundbreaking project
to broadcast the best of British theatre live from the London stage to
cinemas across the UK and around the world.
See it at Thurso using the latest technology. Now Top Drama
Is On Your Doorstep.
Coming productions Live Via Thurso cinema The Audience with Helen Mirren - Thursday 13th June
Othello with Adrian Lester - Thursday 26th September
Dunnet Sculptures Meeting - Tuesday 7th May Another meeting to discuss the sculpture plans for Dunnet
will be held
on
Tuesday 7th May at 7.00pm in Dunnet Hall. Stuart Black,
Director
of Planning from Highland Council, will attend the meeting to discuss
the Community Arts Project.
Books
For Genealogy By Gordon Johnson When it comes to deciding what books would be useful for
researching your family history, the basic problem is that the original
records are not in books which you can buy. All the original source
materials are held in archives and libraries all over Scotland.
So where do books come in?
The
launch of the Caithness Lymphoedema Support Group
Tuesday 14th May, 7 pm – 9 pm, North Highland Cancer
Information and Support Centre, 5a High Street, Thurso.
Do you live with lymphoedema? Do you know someone who does?
The NHS Highland Lymphoedema Project is proud to launch a new group in
Caithness for people who are living with lymphoedema. This group is
open to all people who have lymphoedema, regardless of its cause.
Family and friends are also welcome.
Independent
Candidate Gillian Coghill Wins Easily In Landward Caithness Bi-election Ex-councillor
Robert Coghill (Independent) was one of the first to congratulate
Gillian Goghill (Independent) who won the bi-election for the Landward
Caithness ward. Mrs
Gillian Coghill from Halkirk will join the Independent Group
on the Council.
Mrs Coghill from Halkirk was one of four candidates, who contested the
vacancy, created by the retiral of Robert Coghill in February.
She joins
Councillors David Bremner (Independent), Willie Mackay (Independent)
and Alex MacLeod (Independent Nationalist) in representing Landward
Caithness Ward.
Votes Breakdown
David Baron LAB 417
- Gillian Coghill IND 1317
- Hanna Midema SNP 525
- Barbara Watson CON 203
Turnout
28.85% Total
Votes Cast 2479 Rejected Votes 17 Total Valid Votes
2462 2012
Landward Caithness Result
Barbara
Watson (Con) Candidate In Landward Caithness bi-election Letter
from Barbara Watson
Dear Voters,
I am standing for Landward Caithness because I believe in building
vibrant rural communities with employment and opportunities for young
folk and appropriate services for older people. I would work to ensure
support for local community groups and SMEs and promote diversification
in land-based enterprise. I think it is important to keep local schools
open where possible so that children may be educated in their own
communities and because a school may serve as a focus for events and
activities.
