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ACADEMY gave their fans some anxious moments as they hung on to their waver-thin, first-half lead for victory and despite it being enough to see them through to their first-ever semi-finals of the Highland League Cup, the team will need a better performance if they are to get a crack at the big one. Early quarter-final pressure promised great things, heightened when a classy free kick from Sam Mackay found the net in the 27th minute. With the exception of a dangerous-looking Ian Penwright strike that went past the post, there wasn't much to write home about. The heavy pitch didn't help matters and made the match a dour struggle.    PHOTO GALLERY

Yarrrows Heritage Trust announces a photographic competition  to celebrate the work of Dr Joseph Andersoon sometimes known as the father of Archaeology who began his excavations at Yarrows 150 years ago while editor of the John O'Groat Journal.  Entries m ay be your photographs of the monuments at Yarrows and Clyth where Anderson worked or many of the many varied marks left by our ancestors on the Caithnes landscape from the Neolithic age to WW2.  Entries are to be up to a maximum of 5 photos submitted on CD. Closing date for entries is 31st July 2015

As well as the schools programme, this year there will be activities for the general public throughout the week, including: Public Launch Event: Pulteneytown Primary Academy School, Tuesday 17th March at 6.30pm Festival Patron Lord-Lieutenant for Caithness Anne Dunnett, along with Festival Chairman Professor Iain Baikie, will launch this year's Festival and present prizes to the winners of this year's Schools Design Competition which were kindly donated by Kongsberg Maritime Ltd. There will be performances by various presenters, along with "taster" workshops that were on offer to the school children throughout the festival week. Entry is FREE.   Science03 Web Site

Thrumster House ran a fund-raiser Snowdrop day with proceeds going to Yarrows Heritage Trust.  A cold blustery day did not affect the tens of thousands of snowdrops that are in full flower at the moment.  But after being fortified with a bowl of soup, scones and tea a bracing walk around the grounds showed that the snowdrops planted decades ago are in good health.  Some of the trees could be seen lying on the ground after the big storm a few weeks ago and work to clear them continues.  A few beech trees perhaps 150 years old had finally succumbed to a Caithness blast.  Soon the daffodils wil be out there also.

Captains Galley, Scrabster and Cotswold Cafe were recipients of the Sustainable Restaurant of the year awards 2015. Two very different restaurants, 700 miles apart, but who share the same outstanding commitment to sustainability, have been named joint winners of the Sustainable Restaurant of the Year award in London on 23rd February 2015). Daylesford, which operates three organic cafes in the Cotswolds and Kensington, and The Captain's Galley, Britain's most northerly mainland restaurant that strictly serves seafood in season, received their awards from Raymond Blanc, President of the Sustainable Restaurant Association.

Forget the blustery weather and pop down to Thrumsrter house for tea and cakes and take look at the huge numbersof snowdrops around the gardens.  Thrusmter house has big collection of many varieties of snowdrops.  Proceeds for the day go to the local charity Yarrows Heritage Trust.

Wedding venue specialist, AmaZing Venues is celebrating its latest win at the Scottish Wedding Awards 2015 where Ackergill Tower was awarded Wedding Venue of the Year North East. Now in its third year, The Scottish Wedding Awards is very much a celebration of local businesses. Winners are a true reflection of quality and customer service as chosen by members of the general public. "We are absolutely delighted to have won this award. We provide something a little different for couples who truly want a fairy-tale or dramatic setting for their special day and our teams work hard to ensure that the wedding of newlyweds' dreams is a reality," said Suzanne Taylor, managing director of AmaZing Venues.     History of Ackergill Tower - Photos, plans etc

Candidates aged 16 -29 are invited to apply for a 10 week course led by SSE and being delivered in conjunction with Energy and Utility Skills and the North Highland College UHI. The successful students will spend three weeks at the North Highland College UHI, where they will complete certificates in work readiness as well as a workshop and hand tool safety course. Students will spend two weeks at the SSE's training centre in Perth where they will work on their personal awareness, team working and communication skills whilst completing certificates in health and safety, working at heights and confined spaces. The final five weeks will be spent on a work placement with SSE or a subcontractor.

With only two games remaining in the Wick & District Pool League, the division two title race is hotting up with four teams still in with a chance of finishing in top spot. An inspired captains performance by Graham Harper played a key part in the Francis Street Clubs 9-3 win over top side Queens on Monday night. Wins from Stewart Steven, Brian Munro and Michael Innes helped the club side go 3-0 ahead, before a fantastic clearance by Jim Bain pulled one back for the Queens.

The PDA in Supporting Adult Literacies Learning at SCQF level 6 is intended for individuals who wish to assist with tutoring adults in numeracy and literacy. This qualification is available through our Adult Learning Team. It has been designed to be delivered with a learner-centred, participative and practical approach.

THE Highland Council Digital First Programme aims to greatly increase access to online services, enabling at least 40% of transactions to be carried out online by April 2017. The programme will also deliver £1.3 million in savings over four years. Digital First means that online services should be simple, convenient and well signposted so that customers choose digital as a first choice. With the emergence of tablet and smartphone technology and its increasing prevalence, there is an expectation that more public services will be accessible online, so that people can choose when and where they can access services at their convenience.

AN excellent range of one-bedroom and studio flats with affordable rents are available now at Caberfeidh Court in Wick. Cairn Housing Association has 36 high quality properties that are available exclusively to people over 50 years of age. As it is situated off the main road on the outskirts of town, this peaceful development is surrounded by a large private garden. For people who enjoy gardening they can join in with the planting and maintenance of the garden with help from Caberfeidh's gardener. There is also ample private parking with fantastic views over the North Sea and surrounding coastline. This first class accommodation consists of both studio and one-bedroom flats which are ideal for anyone wanting to downsize from larger homes, enabling them to be free from any worries of losing out financially as a result of the "bedroom tax".

A six month review of the Highland Council website, which was launched in 2014, reveals high satisfaction levels amongst Highland residents. The majority of people visit the website to access services or to find information on Council meetings. The website has approximately 800,000 views each month, with the most popular pages including planning, bin calendars and job vacancies, with seasonal trending towards school enrolment, recycling and winter maintenance.

As garden waste bin collections resume on 2 March residents are being urged to check their brown bins carefully for any contamination before they put them out for their first collection. Householders are reminded that plastic bags or any other plastic, glass, soil, stones and rubble must not be included and any contaminated bins will be rejected.  The garden waste bin is for grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, twigs and small branches, flowers, plants and weeds only. Notifiable weeds such as ragwort and Japanese knotweed, animal waste material and kitchen waste should not be included.

Following a successful meeting with the Lord Lyon and The Flag Institute with local community and Highland Council representatives, a competition for the design of a new flag for Caithness is launched today. Caithness Civic Leader, Councillor Gail Ross said: "This is a great chance for people to get creative and design an eye catching flag that will become the public symbol for Caithness. The flag will raise recognition and awareness of the area nation-wide, express the pride in our local community and celebrate the heritage and culture of our corner of the country. I really look forward to seeing the entries and seeing the winning design flying from a flagpole later this year." A competition pack giving full details on how to enter and useful information from the Flag Institute including guidelines and examples of good design has been produced and is available to download.