The conference is being organized by The Caithness Partnership and The Dounreay Stakeholder Group with help and support from HIE Caithness & Sutherland, North Highland College, and UKAEA. It will be held at North Highland College and will start at 9.30am. The organizing committee has put together a series of workshops from which delegates can choose followed by a full session to share feedback. The conference which will last all day has also attracted several specialist speakers to address specific regeneration issues. Invitations are being sent to all stakeholders and representatives of all interested groups and communities. In addition a number of places are being advertised to the general public and a full attendance is expected.

10 July 07
Partnership Announces Inward Investment Appointment
Roy Kirk has been appointed to the post of inward investment manager by the Caithness Regeneration Partnership. The role has been created to assist Caithness and North Sutherland's economy through the effects of the Dounreay nuclear plant's run-down. Mr Kirk was selected by a panel made up of the three lead agencies in the partnership, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Highland Council and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). He will become a HIE employee. He takes on the post from his current position with Scottish Development International - the Scottish Executive's inward investment and trade promotion arm. The Caithness appointment is part of an action plan agreed by the partners and will be complemented by a further co-ordinator post together with administrative assistance.

19 March 07
Caithness Community Plan
Document prepared in consultation with many groups and individuals across Caithness.  Suggestions can be sent to Anna McConnell

14 February 07
New Caithness Arts Forum
The Caithness Partnership was asked to facilitate the setting up of a Caithness Arts Forum following the Caithness Arts seminar on “The Value of the Arts to Caithness” in December 2006 had concluded that a local forum is required where agency, business and voluntary representatives could come together with equal status and discuss issues relating to the arts in the county.  In turn this should enable the Arts sector to participate fully in the community planning agenda in Caithness.

25 January 07
Caithness Partnership Wants Local People To Have A Say In Planning Local Services During 2007
An innovative new training scheme to improve people’s understanding of the Scottish Standards of Community Engagement is just one of a series of events that will be held across Caithness in 2007 as part of a national programme sponsored by the Carnegie UK Trust to investigate new ways of getting people living in rural areas involved in community planning..........see how you can get involved by email or in person

19 January 07
Caithness Transport Forum - New Section

19 January 07
Caithness Transport Forum Disappointed With HITRANS Strategy Document As Caithness Issues Ignored
Community leaders in Caithness have expressed their dismay that the county’s transport problems have been virtually disregarded in the recent draft Regional Transport Strategy.

The draft Transport Strategy for the Highlands & Islands prepared by HITRANS was discussed by the Caithness Transport Forum at a recent meeting and members were angry that Caithness had been overlooked.  Chairman of the Forum, Councillor John Green, said:” Despite earlier submissions made to HITRANS highlighting the transport issues in the far north, many that need to be dealt with urgently, it is very disappointing to see that Caithness has been almost totally ignored in this version of the Regional Transport Strategy.  Even the A99, which the AA lists as one of the most dangerous roads in the UK, barely gets a mention.  So far there is no obvious attempt to look to the county’s future requirements in this document suggesting a lack of input from the north.”

14 November 06
Caithness Community Awards 2006 Nomination Form
Is there someone in your community that you think should get recognition  for what they do?  then maybe you should nominate them for this award.

9 November 06
The November eBulletin
Inside this issue:
Wellbeing Alliance Partners rethink community planning
2 more of Scotland’s most deprived areas identified in Caithness
Caithness Community Council Elections
HIE Annual Report 2005-2006
Highland Council Beyond 2007
DEFRA response to CoRWM recommendations
Waterwatch Scotland
Implications of new fire safety law
NDA Socio-economic policy consultation
SEPA’s new flood map
Funding and Awards
· Caithness & Sutherland pilot Small Grants Scheme
· Big Lottery Fund in Scotland
· BBC Breathing Spaces
· Scotland unLTD
· The National eWell-Being Awards
Events
· Aspen event
· EU Funding and Scotland’s Economic Regeneration and Development: the Future
· An Agenda for Regeneration in Scotland
· Sharing the Celtic Experience: different approaches to community planning
· World Class Scottish Projects
· Sustainable communities? Decommissioning and the future of Sellafield and Dounreay
· Business and biodiversity
· Scotland’s changing NHS: the Kerr report 18 months on

5 July 06
The July 2006 eBulletin
Included in this issue of the Caithness Partnership eBulletin that may be useful to individuals and organisations in the county and beyond.
A Strategy for Caithness & North Sutherland
A Review of Community Planning
Highland Council Beyond 2007
Start-a-business
The Scottish Consumer Council,
The Highland Tourism Awards
SCVO and the Carnegie Commission for Rural Community Development
SEPA Update
Envirowise - FastTrack Visits
The Waste Minimisation Initiative
Reducing Scotlands Ecological Footprint
Highland Energy Forum
Enquiry into Energy Issues in Scotland
Funding
· Futurebuilders Learning Fund
· Loan Action Scotland
· Healthy Highland 2007
Training
· Strategic Campaigning Training
Events
· Getting from A to B – Scotland’s Trasnport Infrastructure

13 October 05
Pulteneytown People Pick Up Tools For Prospective Employment In Retail Developments
A new fund aimed at assisting regeneration of the Pulteneytown area of Wick will help see fifteen local people trained over the next three months (October to December) in the 'Principles of Retail'.  A ten week course has been set up by North Highland College with Scottish Executive Community Regeneration Funding, and targeted primarily at unemployed people living in the Pulteneytown area of Wick. Having completed the course, the students will be better equipped to gain work in the new retail developments coming to Wick - Argos, Homebase and Tesco. The course is also being supported by Jobcentre Plus.

11 July 05
The Caithness Partnership has recently appointed a co-ordinator.  More information and details about the work of the partnership will be posted here in due course.

Contact
Anna MacConnell
Co-ordinator
Caithness Partnership Limited
50a High Street
WICK KW1 4BS
Tel: 01955-606483