North
Highland Young Engineers Success North
Highland Young Engineers design, build and race electric cars in the
Greenpower Challenge www.greenpower.co.uk Greenpower was started 14
years ago in Southern England but was only introduced to Scotland four
years ago, in that short time NHYE have firmly established themselves
as the dominant Scottish team and are now widely acknowledged as being
one of the top teams anywhere in the UK; at the recent National Final
held at Goodwood one of our cars finished in 3rd position.
The initial perception people have of Greenpower is of the cars being
little more than a few bicycle parts thrown together, in reality they
are amongst the most efficient vehicles to be found anywhere in the
world with teams using high tech composites for light but strong
construction, onboard computers to manage power consumption and
Computational Fluid Dynamics to design the most aerodynamic shape; the
top cars can exceed 40mph with just half a horsepower.
28 October 2012
UK
Pro Surf Competition - Part Of The Wave North Festival This
Weekend The cold wet weather did not deter about 80 competitors
at the UK Pro Surf competition yesterday. A beach angling
competition ran all day at the nearby Thurso beach. Skate
boarders and BMX bikers were also out. Music and film shows and
crafts. The festival continues today Sunday.
23 October 2012
Wave North Festival The Wave North Festival returns to Thurso from 25th
-
28th October this time in conjunction with the UK Pro Surf Tour. A
wide
programme of events is planned along with the pro surfing and junior
surfing competitions being held at Thurso East and on Thurso Beach.
From live music with top rated Edinburgh based band We Were Promised
Jetpacks, Fife based Fatherson and local band Running with Scissors in
Skinandis nightclub on Friday 26th October to a pop up art
exhibition,
surfing lessons, craft activities for the kids and an amazing temporary
skate and bmx park being erected at Thurso Harbour with demos by pros
and tuition available to local kids. The festival for the first time
will be held outdoors and based at Thurso Harbour on the Saturday and
Sunday with live music, outdoor film screenings and entertainment for
all. FREE BUSES Saturday and Sunday
are available to take those out with Thurso to the
festival and entry is free of charge. Route 1: Dunbeath War Memorial
(0850hrs) – Latheron Post Office (0858hrs) Lybster Portland Arms
(0905hrs) – Wick (0932hrs) – Haster (0937hrs) - Watten Post Office
(0947hrs) – Halkirk Shop, Sinclair Street (1000hrs) – (via Glengolly) -
Thurso Harbour (1015hrs)
Route 2: Reiss Crossroads
(0910hrs) – Sinclair Bay Hotel, Keiss
(0920hrs) - Canisbay Village Hall (0938hrs) - Britannia Hall, Dunnet
(0954hrs) - Castletown Drill Hall (1000hrs) - Thurso Harbour (1015hrs)
Both routes depart Thurso Harbour at 1630hrs each day.
North
Of Scotland Cup - Wick Academy 1 Nairn County 2
Report and Photos - Noel Donaldson There were great expectations for Academy as the game
kicked off at neutral Grant Street
Park, Inverness, in glorious autumn sunshine, before a crowd of 1,300,
the majority of whom were Scorrie supporters. Their hopes were dealt a
blow when County got off to the perfect start, in the opening minutes,
Robbie Duncanson finding the net at his second attempt, before the
opposition had time to settle.
It rocked Wick, who were unlucky not to get something for their efforts
after they rallied, in a game in which both keepers were on form. The
Scorries kept up the pressure in the second half and got the
all-important equaliser from a goal-mouth ruck which ended with the
ball being headed into their opponents' net, credit going to Craig
Shearer.
However, Nairn made it 2-1 in the first period of extra time, courtesy
of John Cameron,
extinguishing Wick's cup hopes.
Well
Known Wick Shop In River Street Challenging The Recession - Driftwood A change of name and more stock than ever is another sign
that Wick shops are not content to lie down to the recession.
Driftwood is the new name of the store run by A & W Geddes in River
Street near Mackays Hotel in Wick. Lots of new stock and promises
of Christmas offers coming soon will make it a must see for shoppers
looking for gifts in coming weeks.
Poundstretcher
Opening In Wick on Friday 26th October 2012 The new Poundstretcher store is opening
in Wick on Friday 26th October. Refurbuishment is almost completed and
goods willbe arriving shortly to fill the store.
The store is sited in the premises of the former Haldanes store at the
car park, riverside in Wick.
Made
In Caithness Stocking Up For Christmas The craft and gift shop in Wick that
stocks a wide range of hand made items is gearing up for
Christmas. Pop in to see another business in Wick challenging the
gloom and doom about the end of High Streets. They have a range of
goods including Oil, Acrylic and Water colour paintings, Photographs,
Cards, Wall hangings, Wood carving, Woodturning, Jewellery, Various
Knitted Products, Cashmere and Felted Scarves, Hand turned pens, wooden
toys, Pottery. Glass, and much, much more. Many items are one off
exclusive items. - Spend it in Caithness
Highland
Council Sale of Redundant Properties The Highland Council is seeking offers
for the sale of surplus Council buildings. This includes a village
hall, a former care home, a former school, an office building, a
workshop garage and a house.
9 October 2012
Camster
Wind Turbines Moving From Wick Harbour
E.ON's Camster wind farm is in the process of receiving
the delivery of 25 Vestas V80 2MW wind turbines. They began to arrive
at Wick Harbour at the weekend and are now being transported by road in
small convoys. Further boats will be arriving with more turbines in the
next few days.
Construction at the site began November 2011 and turbines are due for
delivery to the site from Monday 8 October.
The wind farm is situated between Lybster and Watten and is capable of
generating up to 50MW of electricity, enough power for up to 35,000
homes and is currently planned to be generating clean, green
electricity by June 2013......more
4 October 2012
Bill
Sees Tiniest Geocache on Forth and Clyde Canal Walk With Geocaching about to take off in Caithness and other
northern places with the launch of the "Haggis Trail" of geocaches. Over
1000 new caches have been hidden for people to find.Last
week Bill saw one of the smallest around on a walk along part of the
Forth and Clyde Canal. The
caches come in all sizes and shapes but are usually containers with
things inside and often have notebooks for people to sign and
leave messages about their visit. It is great hobby that
is growing worldwide and now the north including Caithness will have
manynew
ones for anyone to find if they know how. The Haggis Trail has
about 1200 miles and around 3500 caches already in place. To
find out more about geocaching go to www.geocaching.comThe
new trail will have launch in Wick on Friday
at the Nethercliffe hotel at 7.00pm for anyone who wants to find
out more from local experts.It
is great way to get out and see the countryside and kids as well as
adults can take part as some walks are very short and caches are in
many different places from the easy to hard to get to.
A second meeting will take place on Saturday at the Norseman Hotel
7.00pm for experienced geocache people to exchange their stories.
3 October 2012
Restored
Crane Was Once At Wick Harbour 1880 - 1925 A hand-cranked crane built by Bowser
and Cameron of Glasgow in 1859 has been restored and put back on
display in Hopeman Harbour, Morayshire. The crane was first used in
preparing cargo at ports on the Clyde, and then in 1880 it was
purchased by the Wick Harbour Board for use in the Herring fishing
industry, before being moved to Hopeman Harbour around 1925.For the
next 50 years it was used for a variety of lifting duties until it was
pensioned off. It then remained on display as a historic artefact.
Finally during Hopeman's 200th anniversary celebrations in 2005 it was
decided to renovate the crane. The restored crane is back in place
overlooking Hopeman Harbour, note the variable counterweight.
What's On At
The
Pictures - Pulteney Cinema In Wick Offers A Choice of Films In Coming
Weeks Check out Whats Showing at The Pultney
Centre in Wick over coming weks. Tiered seating and a great new
sound system make for great viewing of the films on offer. An
amazing �2 only per ticket and take your own sweeties and you will not
find a cheaper place to see films almost anywhere.So
why not take the family - it won't break the bank in Wick.
Check out - Spooky Buddies, Snow White and The Huntsman,
Puss in Boots, Rock of Ages, Brave, Men in Black 3, The Lorax, Fast
Girls, Top Cat, The Amazing Spiderman, Arthur Christmas, New Years Eve.
Living
Wage For Council Employees By April Next Year The lowest paid employees of The Highland Council will
benefit from the introduction of a �7.20 an hour wage from April next
year. The national UK minimum wage from 1st October is �6.16 per
hour.
Members of the Council's Finance, Housing and Resources Committee today
agreed to introduce the Scottish Living Wage by applying a living wage
supplement to all employees currently paid less than �7.20 per hour to
bring them up to �7.20 per hour from 1 April 2013.........The cost of
introducing the living wage for the Council is estimated at �322k per
annum. This includes pension and National Insurance costs.
"Fit's
in 'e Coorier" Today From Doanalsin's Diary Nuclear Police Unhappy At Dounreay - The
Haggis Highway Geocaching Trail To Caithness New
Wolfburn Distillery - New Health Partnership - Artist
Gets Queens
Diploma - John Swinney In Thurso Modern Apprenticeships - Thrumster
Railway Station as Heritage Venue -
Newtonhill Community Woodland Got
an idea for Dunnet sculptures?
Artists invited to create and install two
HIGHLAND Council’s Planning and Development Service is
looking for artists to create and install two sculptures at locations
in the Dunnet area of Caithness.
As part of a wider environmental improvement project, the Council is
inviting expressions of interest from artists for the design and
fabrication of interpretive sculptural artworks for a site by the
Seadrift Centre on Dunnet Bay and the Easter Head viewpoint at Dunnet
Head in Caithness.
The Dunnet Bay commission is for a gateway artwork to emphasise the
dune path linking the parking area to the shore. This piece of artwork
is expected to relate to the Wild Coastal Trail and the local history
of the area.
The Dunnet Head commission is for artwork to be located 400m from
Dunnet Head Lighthouse on a site on the skyline which is approached by
foot. This work will relate to the WWII Radar installations in the area
and the maritime navigation of the waters of the Pentland Firth.
2 October 2012
Highland
mums urged to use free milk, fruit and veg scheme Some mums and mums-to-be in the
Highlands are missing out on a "fantastic" scheme which gives them free
milk, fruit and vegetables.
Healthy Start is a UK Government initiative to improve the health of
pregnant women and families on benefits and tax credits.
Those eligible get vouchers which can be exchanged for liquid cows'
milk, infant formula and fresh and frozen fruit and veg. Free vitamins
for pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children eligible for
the scheme are also available.
Vouchers valued at �3.10 are payable to pregnant women eligible for the
scheme and to some mums with children under four, while those eligible
with children in their first year can get �6.20 vouchers.
Wick
Woodland With Community Spirit
The
new Newtonhill Croft Woodland established by the Forestry Commission
for Scotland on the outskirts of Wick is coming together with help from
the local community who have played a vital role in shaping the new
site. Several projects have recently reached completion and have
enhanced the woodland site for enjoyment by the local community.
The Highland Council Countryside Rangers have supported projects with
the Friends of Newtonhill to provide some useful facilities at the new
community woodland.
Scottish
Water Launches Water Efficiency Videos
Scottish Water has launched three new
water efficiency videos to raise awareness of water use around the home
by our customers.
Water is a precious resource and a lot of energy is used by Scottish
Water to treat and then pump it to homes. Although we are fortunate to
have considerable stocks of water in reservoirs across Scotland it is
always wise to save it where we can in the interest of the environment.
