CAITHNESS.ORG HEADLINES ARCHIVE ::  November 2009

Christmas Carol Evening For Enable
The Caithness Branch of Enable start their fund raising Christmas activities with a Carol Evening in The Royal British Legion, Thurso this Thursday, 3rd December at 7.30 p.m.  Mulled wine, Christmas Pies and Shortbread will be served at half time.  Taking part are The Occasionals with David Rosie and guests.  Admission is £4, Children £2 and compere for the evening is Branch Chairperson Willie Mackay.

Thurso's Christmas Fun Day Saturday 5th December
The traders will have their usual goodies; Caithness FM will be in the precinct and will accept new unwrapped, toys, gift make-up, vouchers etc for their annual Christmas Toy appeal. All donations are distributed in Caithness. The TTIA are having a raffle table, why not join us and make a little cash? Anyone interested in booking a place at £5 please mail info@thurso.org  or call Cairngorm windows 894956.Please provide your on table and cover. A children's train ride will be in the car park in front of Caithness Horizons. The TTIA Santa's Grotto will be in Caithness Horizons 10:30-12:30 and 2pm to 4pm.

Wick Academy 4 Brechin City 4
Wick just failed to pull off a win after leading for much of the match today at Harmsworth Park, Wick.  The Active Nation Scottish cup 3rd round tie pulled in the biggest crowd for some time for a home Academy game.  An exciting game full of fast pace and action saw a few chances missed but still had plenty of goals to keep the crowd happy.  A very enjoyable game to watch as it moved up and down the field with Academy often dominating the play with some very good moves.  A full report will be on the Wick Academy web site shortly.  Well done the Scorries.

Time change For the Big VOTE - 6.00 - 6.30pm Tuesday 24th November
STV Have changed the Time Of the Programme For People's Millions vote
Crucial Vote 24th November - You Can Help Mill Theatre Get Some Funding

THE MILL THEATRE PROJECT Have you ever queued in the rain outside Thurso’s Mill Theatre and then found an area congested by people trying to get to the Auditorium, The National Lottery People’s Millions is coming in November. plan is to build an extension to the building! So how can you help? all you need do is watch the STV programme 24th November, telephone number and call in to record your vote. 
STV have rescheduled everyone’s slots for transmission.  Instead of going out during their 5pm – 6pm magazine programme (The Hour) the People's Millions will form part of the regional news bulletins.  This means that the slot will now be between 6 & 6.30pm on Tuesday.

Wick Academy big game v Brechin next weekend
Arrangements for the game can be found at -
http://www.wick-academy.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=725&Itemid=9
Shop Window competition
http://www.wick-academy.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=726&Itemid=9

Christmas Concert & Christmas Lights Switch On - Thurso
St Peter’s & St Andrews Church & Princes Street
Friday 27th November 2009 at 6pm
Host: Bob Johnson from Caithness FM - Carol - O Come All Ye Faithful - Pentland Brass Band
Twinkle Toes Disco Dancers
Caithness Youth Band - Just the way you are (Billy Joel) & College Girl (Jim Parker)
Caithness & North Sutherland Junior Choir - Feloz Navisad – Silent Night
The Choir will lead everyone out of the church for the switching on of the
Christmas Lights and then will lead back in. The light switch on is at 6.30pm approximately
Donations would be gratefully received.
Caithness & North Sutherland Junior Choir – God rest ye
Santa will visit – Please take your own photos in the foyer
Carol – Away in a manger – Pentland Brass Band
Caithness Youth Band – Shrek 2 (Michael Brown & In the mood (Joe Gerland)
Carol – Hark the Herald – Pentland Brass Band
The TTIA would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
www.thurso.org

Johnston Prints Exhibition Extended At Caithness Horizons Due To Popular Demand
Johnston Prints currently running in Caithness Horizons, Thurso has been very well received and it has been extended "by popular request" until 6th January 2010.

Prize Bingo & Ethnic Fashion Show - Saturday 21 November 7.00pm
Back Bridge Street Club, Wick
In aid of Highland Hospice and Kharian city Hospital Blood Bank Unit
£5 per person of Bingo and charity Fashion show - £5 per person for the buffet.
To reserve seats contact Highland Hospice, Wick or Thurso - Tel 01955 604659  01847 896936
or Mrs S Akhtar 01955 605489

Crucial Vote 24th November - You Can Help Mill Theatre Get Some Funding
THE MILL THEATRE PROJECT Have you ever queued in the rain outside Thurso’s Mill Theatre and then found an area congested by people trying to get to the Auditorium, The National Lottery People’s Millions is coming in November. plan is to build an extension to the building! So how can you help? all you need do is watch the STV programme at 5.30pm on 24th November, telephone number and call in to record your vote.

Caithness.org New Server Problems Now Resolved
The DNS problems we had on moving to our new server have been resolved and we think everything is now working properly but do let us know if anyone is still having problems getting on to the web site.
Bill's email problems have also been solved and the backlog of earlier emails thought lost has now been recovered so hopefully in coming weeks some of the photos etc will appear here.  Thanks to everyone who contacted us to highlight the access problems.

Council calls on BBC Trust to broadcast Gaelic TV channel on freeview
The Highland Council is urging viewers and supporters of the BBC Alba Gaelic television channel to back them in their call to the BBC Trust for wider access to BBC Alba by making it available on freeview. Since its launch just over a year ago BBC Alba is currently only available via satellite transmission, or the BBC’s ‘iPlayer’ internet access. Despite this restricted availability, the channel’s programming has maintained a core audience of some 220,000 viewers since its launch.
BBC Trust - Trust to review BBC ALBA - Public Consultation
The BBC Trust is to carry out a review of BBC ALBA, looking at the performance of the channel since launch in 2008, and consulting on whether the channel should be made available on Freeview by removing the BBC's radio stations from the digital terrestrial TV platform (DTT) in Scotland whilst BBC ALBA was broadcasting.........
English Version
BBC ALBA is a Gaelic language television channel currently available on satellite and via BBC iPlayer. It aims to serve Gaelic speakers, those learning the language, those that might wish to learn, and those interested in the language and culture. It aims to reflect and support Gaelic culture, identity and heritage.
At the BBC Trust it’s our responsibility to get the best out of the BBC for licence fee payers. One of the ways we do this is through the Public Value Test. We used this to approve the launch of BBC ALBA last year. One of the conditions we set was that after a year of operation we should examine how well the channel is performing.  We are now beginning this review...........
The closing date is 18 January 2010.
Gaelic Version
Sgrùdadh BBC ALBA air teacsa lìn
‘S e seanal telebhisein Gàidhlig a th’ ann am BBC ALBA; tha e an-dràsta ri fhaighinn air saideal agus tro BBC iPlayer. Tha e ag amas air na leanas a fhrithealadh: luchd-labhairt na Gàidhlig, luchd-ionnsachaidh a’ chànain, an fheadhainn a dh’fhaodadh a bhith airson ionnsachadh, agus an fheadhainn aig a bheil ùidh sa chànan is sa chultar. Tha e ag amas air cultar, ionannachd is dualchas na Gàidhlig fhoillseachadh is a chuideachadh.
Aig Urras a’ BhBC tha e an urra rinne an nì as fheàrr fhaighinn bhon BhBC dha luchd-pàighidh cìs ceadach. ‘S e Deuchainn Measaidh an t-Sluaigh aon de na dòighean anns am bi sinn a’ dèanamh seo.  Chleachd sinn seo airson aonta fhaighinn gus BBC ALBA a chur air bhog an-uiridh. B’ e aon de na cùmhnantan a shuidhich sinn gun dèanadh sinn sgrùdadh air coileanadh an t-seanail ann an ceann bliadhna. Tha sinn a-nise a’ tòiseachadh an sgrùdaidh seo..................
‘S e an ceann-latha 18 Faoilleach 2010.

New Young Mothers Project for Castletown
Ormlie Community Association is expanding their Young Mothers Project into the Castletown area. One year ago OCA secured funding from a wide range of agencies including YouthLink’s Cashback for Communities, The Highland Council’s Childcare and Family Resource Partnership and Wider Role through Pentland Housing Association to begin a project for young mother’s aged between 16 – 25 year olds. The aim of the project is to help develop young mothers, through a variety of life skills which would equip them for the future, once their children reach school age. Crèche facilities are provided by the Highland Council Surestart initiative and OCA which gives the mothers freedom to explore a range of subjects with their peers................The Castletown project is being supported by Homestart Caithness and is free to any young mother from the area...........................more

Contractors Need To Re-Register For Council Contracts By 8 January 2010
The Highland Council calls on building construction and consultancy companies to register interest.
Consultants, contractors and skilled trades businesses are being advised they have until Friday 8 January next year to register an interest in working for The Highland Council on future contracts with an individual value of up to £25,000. The Council is also urging consultants to register an interest by this deadline for future consultancy work for projects of all values. The deadline is important because if companies miss it, there will be no opportunity for them to considered for Council contracts/consultancy for at least another two years. All contractors and consultants who are currently on the Council's maintained list will receive a letter from the Council's Director of Housing and Property Services, Steve Barron, notifying them that the Council will shortly be introducing framework agreements for the commissioning of contractors and consultants who wish to be involved in the construction, improvement and maintenance of Council buildings.

Crossroads 1953     Crossroads 1954
Photos sent by David Banks in Canada

Crossroads Schooldays Index

Main Caithness Schooldays Index
 

Certificated Health & Safety At Work Course
Pulteneytown People’s Project is offering a certificated 1-week course in Health and Safety at Work in conjunction with T3UK week commencing 11th January 2009. The course incorporates First Aid & Fire Safety, Manual Handling, Abrasive Wheels and Hand & Power Tool Safety. No formal entry requirements are required and the course will be free to eligible parties. Only a limited number of spaces are available and early booking is essential. For more information or to enrol please contact Sandy at Pulteneytown People’s Project on 01955 606950.

Victims of cyberbullying to receive support in the Highlands
Guidance on tackling bullying via the Internet and mobile phones is soon to be distributed to all staff in education, culture and sport establishments throughout The Highland Council's area. Councillor Bill Fernie, Chairman of the Council's Education, Culture and Sport Committee said: "Members have given their full endorsement to new Cyberbullying Guidance which was created by a multi-agency/organisation working group. I was particulary pleased to be part of the working group that led up to the new guidelines. We want everyone pupils, parents and staff to be aware of how to handle siuations that can arise from new technology. I have recommended that these new guidelines are sent to all sections of Highland council to be adapted as necessary for individual departments"

Big Lottery Will Share Out £30 Million To Communities Soon
Highlands and Islands Enterprise has carried out final checks on over 50 applications to the Big Lottery for almost £30 million from community groups across Scotland. Communities from Shetland to Dumfries, and from the Western Isles to Aberdeen, are bidding for amounts from £54,000 to over £1.5 million in the final round of funding from the 'Growing Community Assets' (GCA) fund, which will have distributed £50 million pounds when it comes to the end of its four year programme in March next year. HIE's Community Land Unit, which for the last 12 years has supported community groups achieve ownership and management of their own land and assets, has a national contract with its partners to co-ordinate, support and distribute the community assets fund for the Big Lottery.

£2 MILLION SCHOOL LEAVER PACKAGE
School Leavers are to be given extra help in training for jobs as a result of additional funding from the Scottish Government. £2 million is being made available to fund 420 new places for young school leavers to learn skills in engineering, motor vehicle, warehousing/retail, IT and administration Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced today.

PDA in Digital Imaging - FREE Course At Wick
As reported in July this year, The North Highland College (NHC) and The Wick Society formed a partnership to digitise the Johnson Collection, owned by the Wick Society. The Johnson collection is an invaluable historical photographic archive in excess of 50,000 glass-plate negatives taken by successive generations of the Johnson family between 1863 and 1976 capturing the social and industrial history of Caithness, in particular the impact of the herring fishing industry. With the assistance of funding from the Highland LEADER programme, NHC, in association with Wick Society is offering for the first time a Professional Development
Award consisting of 2 higher national units in digital imaging: Bitmap & Vector and Bitmap techniques.

Christmas Gift Sale At Castlehill Heritage - Sat 14th November - 10.00am - 3.00pm
Struggling to come up with that original Christmas gift for a friend or loved one?
Then why not come along to our pre Christmas Sale and peruse our unique selection of original Christmas gifts with a local focus. Slate and stone goods from Caithness Stone Industries. Cards, prints and paintings from local artist Helen Moore. Hand knit hats, scarves, bags, socks and Christmas ornaments from Caithness Stitch n Blether Silk scarves, driftwood art, hand felted items from Castlehill Crafts. Books and calendars from Castlehill Heritage Centre. Items lovingly crafted by North Highland Woodturners Association
Christmas cracker fun and much, much more. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee as you browse and purchase.

Fast breeder was Britain's 'man on the moon moment'
It was Britain's man-on-the-moon moment, when a decade of scientific and engineering breakthroughs culminated in the most advanced nuclear plant in the world. A workforce of 3000 had laboured around the clock for four years to build the experimental plant that would pave the way for electricity "too cheap to meter". Then, on November 14, 1959, the lifeless hulk of vessels, valves and pipes installed inside the biggest steel ball ever seen in Britain started its slow heartbeat. The moment of criticality inside the Dounreay Fast Reactor gave birth to a "caged tiger", in the words of Chapman Pincher in the Daily Express.
UKAEA History - The First Fifty    Earlier Dounreay Items

Dounreay Site Siren Will Mark Start Of One Minute Silence
"Dounreay's site alert will be sounded at 11am on Wednesday, 11th November, to enable workers to take part in a minute's silence on Remembrance Day."

Remembrance At Staxigoe

Remembrance Parade At Wick

Bill Still Has Email Problems

Bill's Has Lost His Email - Send Anything For the Web Site Again
Email for the past 18 months has all been lost including many items, photos etc.  If you sent anything before 1 November for the web site you will need to send it again.  Bill had a backlog of pet photos, school photos and other items now all lost in the ether. If you would still like the item on and it has never appeared send it again to bill@caithness.org

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