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17 September 2018

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New Chief Executive Appointed To The Highland Council - Donna Manson
The Highland Council has appointed a new Chief Executive. The successful candidate is Donna Manson, currently Service Director for Children and Young People in the Scottish Borders. Mrs Manson was appointed by a senior members' appointment panel on Friday 14 September 2008 and will take up her role following the retirement of Chief Executive, Steve Barron. Donna started her career teaching in areas of deprivation and has a real passion for reducing inequalities for families. She worked in Education in Edinburgh and Fife before going into her current post with the Scottish Borders Council, where she has gained extensive experience of all Council areas and working with partners as a Corporate Director.  - - - Business Index

12 September 2018

JOHN WILLIAM 'JOCKY' SUTHERLAND, CAITHNESS FLAGSTONE ENTREPRENEUR:
b. 27.12.1949, Bower, Caithness; d. 28.08.2018, Wick, Caithness
John William 'Jocky' Sutherland, who died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 68 on 28th August, 2018 at his home in Wick, Caithness, was a charismatic self-made businessman. He will be chiefly remembered for his key role in re-launching the traditional, but near moribund 200-year-old Caithness flagstone 'pavement' industry into the modern era, from the early 1990s onwards. The tycoon's other firms will also remain prominent in a range of Far North enterprises, from entertainment to farming, house-building, providing laundry services to local hotels and an estate-agency, thanks to his sons' directorships and management. Jocky's companies introduced state-of-the-art extracting. cutting, milling and polishing equipment to once again make the natural 400 million year-old quarried, hard-stone paving product competitive in modern Scottish, UK and international market-places, capable of winning contracts regularly running into millions of pounds.   Community Index

11 September 2018

Funding Opportunity - Community Capacity & Resilience Fund Round 4 NOW open for applications
New round of grants for smaller grassroots, third sector organisations in Scotland working hard to tackle welfare reform and poverty in communities throughout Scotland.

10 September 2018

Music in Thurso - Fourth Concert Season
Thursday 20th September 2018 sees the opening of the fourth concert season of Music in Thurso, which sees world class musicians coming to Caithness to perform. Set up following the closure of Thurso Live Music Association, Music in Thurso aims to host a wide variety of classical music concerts to appeal to audiences of all ages. Concerts are held throughout the autumn and winter and are always in the same venue - Thurso West Church, starting at 19:30. The fourth season is delighted to host seven concerts over the autumn and winter months, an increase on the usual six. The price of an adult season ticket is excellent value at £55, working out a saving of £15 off the door price. Adult tickets on the door have been reduced to £10 this year to encourage as many people as possible to attend. Other ticket prices remain unchanged with under 16s free, while students (over 16) £3.

5 September 2018

Dunnet Bay Distillery's New Shop Boosts Star Quality
Dunnet Bay Distillery, the UK's most northerly mainland is distillery, has secured a highly sought-after five star rating from Visit Scotland, recognising it as one of the country's top tourist attractions. The distillery, which is located in Caithness and on the North Coast 500 route, picked up the accolade for the regular tours it hosts for visitors, which include tutored tastings of its multi award-winning spirits.

4 September 2018

East Caithness Sports Hub Next Meeting 25th September
The next hub meeting is planned for Tuesday the 25th of September 2018, 6.30-8pm in East Caithness Community Facility's dance studio. Please find the next meeting's agenda attached; the previous presentation from Katie Matthew's and the meeting notes from the last meeting. To help with planning, please can you let me know if you or a rep from your club/organisation will be attending the meeting. If you cannot attend if you could also let me know and please feel free to send me a club/organisation update. Kirsty Baird - Community Sport Hub Officer

1 September 2018

Play Bridge This Winter With St Clair Bridge Club, Wick

There will be a meeting on 6th September 2018 at 7.00pm in the Seaforth Club - Small Lounge regarding the new season of bridge playing. New members are always welcome. Anyone willing to learn to play or who already can play is invited.

21 August 2018

Trinkie Meeting - All Welcome

14 August 2018

Saving Critically Endangered birds in Bangladesh - ERI Talks
Environmental Research Institute (ERI), Thurso have two speakers, Alam Sarawar and Sayam Chowdhury who will be talking about "Saving Critically Endangered birds in Bangladesh." The presentation will be held in the ERI seminar room, Castle Street in Thurso - doors open at 5.15pm. ERI seminars are free and open to the public - light refreshments will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there. Castle Street Seminar Room, Thurso, - 5.30 pm Two half hour talks.




AED Road Show This Week In Various Halls In Caithness

8 August 2018

PROUD NESS OUT-REACH EVENT
The Highland Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Forum have organised a Proud Ness event in Inverness on 6th October 2018, which will be supported by an out-reach event in Thurso Precinct on 11th August 2018, 11am to 4pm.

8 August 2018

The Original Factory Shop In Wick Closes Sunday 12th August 2018  - Sale Starts Thursday 9th
The closure of The Original Factory Shop in Wick is the latest one to go in the county with Wick seeing the demise of the Homebase store also this week.
A closing down sale starts on Thursday 9th August 2018.




Budget Cuts Hit Caithness Voluntary Group and All Highland Third Sector
Budget cuts are now hitting the voluntary third sector in Caithness and the rest of Highland. Caithness Voluntary Group is member of the Highland Third Sector Interface (HTSI) and they have been informed of a 13% cut in funding. Caithness Voluntary Group are no different to any other organisation in the third sector facing difficult financial times. Allan Tait the Senior Development Officer at Caithness Voluntary Group said,"We are partly funded by the Scottish Government via Highland Third Sector Interface (HTSI) and partly funded by our own enterprises such as rental income. We have recently been informed by HTSI that our funding is being cut by 13% equivalent to £11,600.

30 July 2018

Caithness Heart Support Group Chairman Stands Down
A TRIBUTE was paid at the AGM of Caithness Heart Support Group, recently, to long-serving chairman Ernie Ross, standing down after nine years service. Highlighting Mr Ross's contribution, the new chairman, Noel Donaldson said: "Ernie has not always enjoyed the best of health but has always given us a one hundred percent commitment to the group and that has been greatly appreciated." However, Mr Donaldson was pleased to add that Mr Ross was not severing his connection with the group but has decided to remain as a committee member.

29 July 2018

More Wick Gala 2018 Photos From Alistair Sinclair Now On

28 July 2018

Wick Gala 2018







Halkirk Highland Games 2018

21 July 2018

Final County Show Photos Now Added







Caithness County Show 2018 - Saturday

20 July 2018

Caithness County Show 2018 - Friday Evening Preview

16 July 2018

Wick Teacher Working With Rwanda's Teachers This Summer
A Wick High School teacher is spending the summer in Rwanda delivering teacher training opportunities in the country. Caitlin Morrison, who teaches social subjects and history, is travelling to the Zaza in the Eastern Province as part of the Global Learning Partnerships (GLP) professional development programme alongside charity Inspire, Educate and Empower Rwanda.

13 July 2018

Wick oral history project has 100,000 reasons to celebrate
Wick Voices, the Wick Society's oral history section, has broken through the 100,000 barrier in terms of listener response to its collection of online recordings. That's how many individual plays there have been since the project was set up less than two years ago with the aim of preserving local voices for posterity.

  Photo Gallery of just a few things inside Wick Heritage Museum

A few items about Wick History     Castle of Old Wick mentioned in J T Calder's 'History of Caithness'

Kaitness Fowk - Poems and Stories by John Horne
Poems by Jenny Stewart         More Caithness Poetry

10 July 2018

Caithness Volunteering Summer NewsLetter

Volunteering Saltire Awards

29 June  2018

Canisbay Parent Council Fund Raising Auction - Saturday 30th June - Seaview Hotel , John O'Groats
Canisbay Primary Parent Council were looking to make improvements to the playground and last year we supported Mrs Moodie out headteacher in an application to Greencoat Stroupster Community Fund. We submitted an application which was to: Build a canopy / shelter at the school which would give 2 benefits , an outdoor classroom area and also a shelter and play area for the kids to be protected from the Caithness weather. It is the policy of the school to have the children playing outside as much as possible and this would make it a little easier. To put in a path to allow kids access to swings in the winter , when the ground is sodden they have no access to them or the slide so this will facilitate year round use. A gate to separate the swing park and the football pitch which will allow the nursery children to have a larger area to play safely making it easier for the staff to supervise. New goals and nets which have been there since 19 oatcake. The total cost of the project is circa £19k. The Stroupster windfarm fund approved a partial funding of our application to cover the cost of the main item which is the canopy. The parent council were then left to raise the remaining £7k before the grant could be realised. We had kindly received a cheque for £500 from Betsy MacCuish who is a great grandparent of 2 boys at the school - this was to be attributed to the goalposts in memory of her enjoyment of playground fun as a child growing up in rural Harris. With other fundraising events under their belt the parent council are on their way to achieving the £7k  - See the List inside of great items to bid for......

27 June  2018

Still Time To Book Highlife Highland Events for Kids This Summer

19 June  2018

Midsummer Madness is BACK!
The second Summer extravaganza of entertainment from Thurso Town Improvements Association is just about here!. We're throwing the biggest party we possibly can to celebrate how amazing our community are and we'd love for you to join us.". Tia and the team can't wait until Midsummer Madness! Tia has been working really hard this last few weeks making sure the site is ready for the North of Scotland Marquees guys to arrive and set up, plenty of space for Cafe Tempest and Castletown butchers to serve up their delicious treats and for Big Bounce Ltd to set up the Total Wipeout It's a Knockout inflatables not to mention the space for the Caithness Pro Wrestling squad. Lots of logistics for our Tia to work out!

Friday        Saturday    Sunday
Day One     Day Two     Day Three

 16 June  2018

Launch Event For Broch Rose Gin
The launch of Broch Rose gin is on Wednesday 20th June evening at the distillery tasting room of Dunnet Bat Distillery.   Book your ticket soon.








Official Opening Of The New Wick Community Campus







The official opening of the Wick Community Campus took place on a sunny Saturday 16 June 2018. Lord Lieutenant John Thurso performed the unveiling of a plaque to mark the occasion. Members of the parent council and stakeholder group attended along with local councillors Willie Mackay and Nicola Sinclair.
PHOTO GALLERY OPENING       PHOTOS - Building From The Start       PHOTOS - Inside High School

13 June  2018

Big-hearted couple donates funds raised at their Golden wedding party to local charities
Golden couple, Donnie and Jane McLean from Castletown - who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the British Legion in Thurso a few weeks ago - have kindly donated two substantial sums to local charities.

12 June  2018

Community open day to mark official opening of East Caithness Community Campus
A morning of fun and festivities for the local community will mark the official opening of the East Caithness Community Campus on Saturday 16 June 2018. Guest of honour, Lord Lieutenant of Caithness, The Right Honourable John Sinclair, Viscount Thurso of Ulbster, PC will mark the occasion by unveiling a plaque at the event which starts at 10am and runs till 12 noon.


Draught Busting Caithness and Sutherland
Free draught proofing and energy advice service is available to anyone in the Caithness & Sutherland area postcodes KW1 to KW14.

29 May 2018

Family Fun At LIDL Thurso
WHERE: Lidl Thurso, Castlegreen Rd
WHEN: Saturday 2nd June, 10am - 4pm
WHAT: Family Fun Day in the customer car park.
COST: Absolutely FREE
Children can enjoy face painting, an entertainer, giveaways and games.


Many Ranger Events Coming Up For Summer - Check Out June In Caithness
If you want to get and about in Caithness and see many thing you might miss then the Highland Ranger service offers a great numberof possibilities.  So whether you wantot see puffins, whales or learn about our bees and and plant life then an outing with peole who know will make for an interesting and informative day out. Kids outings organised by the Rangers are great fun and everyone gets plenty of fresh air and your kids wil be talking about it for hours.  Check out whats on in June and the Ranger events web page for many more across Highland.

Calling Local Artists - You Can Bid To Run Art Workshops In Wick

28 May 2018

Dry Stone Walling and Scythe Courses - Open for Booking

23 May 2018

School's Out: Booking Opens Saturday 2nd June
Highlife Highland - Summer Actvities. We hope you're enjoying choosing activities for all the family using our activity catalogue. Don't worry if you've not made your final decision yet, you can still view all the activities via the link inside!   Something for all ages from 5th June until18th August.



Archaeology Conference in Caithness 22nd to 27th June 2018
Historic Environment Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Industrial Heritage Society, and the Scottish Vernacular Buildings Working Group is pleased to host an Industrial Archaeology Conference in Caithness from 22nd June to 27th June 2018. A series of talks, tours and site visits around Caithness and Orkney will radiate from Wick. The conference allows different options, such as starting or ending with a connecting tour from and to Inverness. Please see the attached programme for more detail. Caithness offers a spectacular coastline studded with vertiginous fishing villages, harbours for herring and flagstone exports, impressively large corn mills and improvement steadings, an interesting vernacular architecture of huge sandstone slates over layers of similar horizontally-laid stone walls, a material particularly good for making pavements.

21 May 2018

Laurandy Day Centre, Wick, Winner At The Scottish Care Awards 2018
Well done to Margaret Allan and here team from Laurandy Day Care Centre in Wick for picking up the award at the Scottish Care Awards 2018 ceremony.  The Laurandy Centre has been recognised as one of the leading home care services in Scotland. The Wick-based day care service, has won the Day Service of the Year the recent Scottish Care Awards 2018. The Laurandy team received their award at a prestigious evening ceremony at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow, hosted by Michelle McManus and attended by over 300 people. The annual event celebrates the tremendous work undertaken by organisations and staff who work in Scotland's Care at Home and Housing Support sector. Service Manager Margaret Allan said:"We are all very proud at Laurandy to have won this special award..........."

19 May 2018

Duncansby Head Whale and Dolphin Watch
Two dates to join the Rangers at the Whale and Dolphin Watch.
     
    Wednesday 23rd May 3.00pm - 5.00pm
    Friday 25th May  10.00am - 12.00pm

16 May 2018

Jobs - Business News - Community News - Whats On - Arts

Exploring Life's Key Questions
Sunday 20th May - Thursday 7th June
Special Gospel Tent,Riverside, Wick

14 May 2018

NBMP Introductory Bat Detector Workshop, Wick, 25th May 2018
This introductory bat detector workshop involves an evening classroom session followed by a practical field session starting around dusk. Bat sounds are broken down into four elements in order to train people's sonic memory and aid species identification using a heterodyne bat detector in the field. The focus is on pipistrelles, noctule, serotine and Daubenton's bat as these illustrate a range of different bat sounds. The workshop will be led by Liz Ferrell.


Community Sport Hub Highland -  First Meeting In Wick 16th May  - All Welcome
Following recent community engagement on the establishment of an East Caithness Community Sport Hub, we are delighted to announce that the Hub's first meeting will be in held in Wick. Sportscotland Partnership Manager, Garry Reid will officially open the Hub's first meeting which will be chaired by Katie Matthews, Community Sports Hub Officer for the North Highlands.
On Wednesday 16th May 2018
at the East Caithness Community Facility from 6.30pm.

4 May 2018

Women For Independence Joins Battle For Caithness Women In CHAT Campaign
A Scotland wide campaigning group of women with a powerful committee who came into existence at the time of the referendum for independence have joined the fight for Caithness women over the barbaric treatment of NHS Highland now sending so many women on long journeys to give birth.  Sue Lyons one of the group's members and who used to live in Caithness has written on their web site - Accessing Maternity Services - This Is A Call To Arms .  CHAT has found a powerfull ally with women placed all over Scotland who are are involved in many spheres including Education, Business, Politics and much more. They know Scotland and they know how the system works and they are now behind the CHAT campaign.  NHS highland and the Health minister need to pay attention as the maternity issue in Caithness is growing and not fading away as they might have hoped.    CHAT Facebook

20 April 2018

Jobs - Business News - Community News - Whats On - Arts

New Chess Club Starts Today Friday 20th April
Often known as a game for the intellectually gifted, chess is the best sport to exercise the most important organ in our bodies: the brain. While Chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer made it popular in the 1950s and 1960s, the game is still widely played around the world today among participants of all ages, from the young to the elderly. The game of chess might not help you build your biceps or tone your abs, but your lifelong mental health can certainly benefit from it. And a sexy and beautiful mind is one of the best assets you can show off!

17 April 2018

Thurso Woman Volunteering On Africa Mercy Ship  - The World's Largest Floating Hospital - The Sun
Another Scot working miracles on Surgery Ships is Martha Henderson, 31, from Thurso, Caithness. She is a senior radiologic technician and hospital support service manager.   BBC Alba Episode Guide
Mercy Ships Web Site

16 April 2018

Castletown Gala EGM - Gala Needs Help!
If the Gala is to go ahead we need a committee/volunteers available to help run events.

13 April 2018

Pulteneytown People's Project Success In New Funding Award
Pulteneytown People's Project has been successful in securing £149,295 over the next 3 years from the BIG Lottery Community Led Activity. The funding will allow the organisation to continue to deliver existing activities and develop new ones within the community. Katrina MacNab CEO is delighted with the news. She said "This will allow us to develop existing classes including, amongst others, our ladies hobbies group, which is basically a friendly group who meet at our ‘Natter and Knit Club'. This particular group has grown over the last 12 months and now occupies a bigger room in the facility.

10 April 2018

Kevin Mcleod death: New 'witness' interviewed by police  - BBC

Volunteering Caithness Spring 2018 NewsLetter

9 April 2018

Come And Sing Or Play Faure's Requiem With The Caithness Orchestra
All Singers and Orchestral Musicians are warmly invited to Come and Sing or Play Faure's Requiem with The Caithness Orchestra, conducted by Susie Dingle on Saturday 14th April 2018 in The Pulteney Centre, Wick. Please come and join the Caithness Orchestra for a day (10.00am-1pm and 2-5.00pm) rehearsing Faure's Requiem (Hamelle version including violins in the orchestration).

6 April 2018

Calling All Caithness Village Halls - Can You  Check Your Contact Details
Can someone from each village hall check the contact details listed.  If changes are needed email to bill@caithness.org

Help To Make A Complaint About Health Services In Caithness
Caithness Health Action Team(CHAT) have had numerous contacts from indiviuals and families unhappy about the services they have received.  Many people are unsure how to complain and in order to assist CHAT has asked Citizens Advice to assist.

5 April 2018

Can You Help Locate The Defibrillators in Caithness
Caithness Heart Support Group and Riverbank Practice Participation Group are trying to locate all the defibrillators in Caithness to make sure they are all registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service.  If they find there are gaps they may then fund raise for more of these life saving machines.  

Defibrillators Update Locations Found As At 11 April 2018
Do you know of others in Caithness?



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