Caithness.org News Bulletins 2003

November 2003 News Index

Front Page Archives

INTRODUCTION
Overall, the number of people unemployed in Caithness and Sutherland rose from 705 last month to 738. This compares to 790 in the same period last year.

The revised unemployment rates in the Sutherland, Wick and Thurso 'Travel to Work Areas' respectively are as follows: 3.9% (3.4%), 3.6% (3.6%) and 2.4% (2.4%).

SKILLSEEKERS
468 people are currently on Skillseekers, 457 of whom are employed status trainees. There were a total of 18 Level III vocational qualifications achieved, 11 of which were in traditional skills such as Carpentry & Joinery and Engineering. The remaining 7 were in less traditional apprenticeships, such as Management and Customer Service.

MODERN APPRENTICESHIPS
Including 14 new starts, there are currently 404 Modern Apprentices in training, 98 of whom are over the age of 25.

Among the 12 Apprenticeships achieved this month were Management Level III VQs for Cheryl McAffer and Jacqueline Mackenzie, both from Dornoch.

TRAINING FOR WORK
There are currently 49 participants on Training for Work. 8 candidates achieved their European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) qualifications, while Steven Fraser from Golspie achieved a Managing Safety qualification. There were also 9 Positive Outcomes, with participants going into employment following their time on the programme.

NEW DEAL
37 participants started on Gateway, while a further 34 people went into a variety of employment and training options.

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
There were a total of 9 approvals, including assistance of £694.50 for Alan McCosh, Bettyhill, which will enable him to undertake Telescopic Forklift & Industrial Forklift training.

FINANCE FOR BUSINESS
Norscot Ltd, Bower has been awarded assistance of up to £18,300 towards the costs of purchasing specialist equipment which will enable them to manufacture a range of UPVC products.

The Caledonian Curry Company, Bonar Bridge, has received assistance of £1,800 towards the purchase of equipment, which will increase their capacity to produce sauces and relishes, while ‘Planet Boo’, Tongue has been awarded assistance of up to £2,000 towards the purchase of specialist screen-printing equipment.

ENVIRONMENTAL RENEWAL GRANTS
Albyn Housing Society Ltd has been awarded a grant of up to £12,270 towards rock removal and upfill in Lochinver.

HIE STARTS
Kevin Imlach, Thurso, has started trading as ‘Kev’s Fencing’. As the business name suggests, he will erect and repair all types of fences, including deer fencing, plus dry stone dykes.

Robert Donn, Castletown, in partnership with his son Malcolm, has established ‘FIRST in Caithness’. They will provide a full fire equipment inspection and maintenance service which includes checking that fire alarms, fire extinguishers and emergency lighting are in working order. At present nearly all fire equipment inspection and maintenance is carried out by national companies and there are no locally based businesses which offer this service.

Also assisted were Marion McCoustra, Thurso, who is setting up a childminding business operating from her home in Thurso, while Isobel Patience, Rhiconich, will provide a remote document transcription service, principally for the legal profession, via her new business, ‘Web Type’.

HIE INNOVATION SUPPORT SCHEME
The businesses who received assistance were: Reid’s Bakery, Thurso; Kiarie Ltd, Wick; E & M Engineering, Thurso; St Clair Hotel, Thurso; Joanne Karr; and, Sutherland Hardwood Services.

Lochshell Engineering has been awarded £312.50 towards a computerised accounts course, while Graham Begg Ltd has been awarded £245.00 towards sales/management training.

SPECIAL PROJECTS
Highland Loch Ness Group, an industry led marketing consortium of 31 tourism businesses in the Highlands of Scotland, has been awarded assistance of up to £4,000 towards chartering the “Lord of the Glens” ship for the World Travel Market (WTM) in London. The “Lord of the Glens” is a luxury passenger ship and will be used as a floating exhibit for the Highlands.

E-BUSINESS SUPPORT SCHEME
Paperworks, Thurso; Mini Motivators, Dunnet; and Caledonia Sport Horses, Bonar Bridge were all assisted with the cost of website developments.

FEASABILITY & CONSULTANCY
Loch Eriboll Pier Users Association has been awarded a grant of up to £2,800 towards a feasibility and consultancy study.

Community ASSISTANCE Grants
Assistance of £7,500 will help Sutherland Partnership to continue its successful East Sutherland Rural Transport Scheme which provides a key service to communities in the area.

Spinningdale Ladies Committee are to receive up to £650 towards investigating the potential for saving what may be seen as a lifeline rural post office/shop in the village. This award will help them to engage consultants to consider what local alternatives might be possible.

The Xmas Lights Committee’s of both Wick and Dunnet have received assistance for their festive displays, while Brora Playgroup and Caithness Agriculture Society have both received assistance towards the purchase of equipment.

Dunbeath Preservation Trust received approval of £800 towards a weekend celebrating the life & work of renowned author Neil M Gunn on the anniversary of his birth in Dunbeath. It featured lectures, walks, music and the launch of a Neil Gunn reading group. A reprint of one of Gunn’s novels was also launched at the event.

Highland Council Ranger Service are to receive up to £1,250 which will enable the development and launch of “Wild Encounters 2004”, a week of wildlife watching opportunities in Sutherland and Caithness during May 2004, while the Association of Highlands & Islands Heritage Societies are to receive £1,930 towards holding its annual conference at Carbisdale Castle in Sutherland, bringing members from across the Highlands and Islands.

The remaining approvals, which also attracted CED funding (as outlined below) were for: Caithness Voluntary Group; Voluntary Groups East Sutherland; Wick Heritage Society; North Sutherland Community Development Forum; Pulteneytown Peoples’ Project, Wick; Far North Sub-aqua, Wick; and Skerray Historical Association.

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Tongue, Melness & Skerray Community Council are to receive £4,935 towards the re-development of a bridge on the footpath between Tongue village and Castle Varrich, which is one of the most popular on the north coast, while Culag Community Woodland Trust is to receive up to £7,321 towards the cost of creating a car-parking area at the start of the way-marked path into Little Assynt Estate, Lochinver.

Assistance of £4,660 for Durness Development Group will enable the group to progress its key “Mackay Country” signage strategy by erecting welcome signs at the main entrance/ exit points of project area, while assistance of £540 will help Bettyhill, Strathnaver & Altnaharra Community Council to erect an information panel at a key viewpoint on the main north coast road to the east of Bettyhill which will offer information and simple interpretation of the local landscape, as well as offering information on the stunning views of distant mountains to the west and south.

Voluntary Groups East Sutherland is to receive £2,334 towards the cost of publishing the results of an innovative project undertaken with New Futures Sutherland entitled “Life’s Journeys”. The project aimed to help New Futures clients to express themselves through art, literature and photography as a means of raising their confidence, self awareness and personal development as well as learning new skills. Caithness Voluntary Group received approval of assistance towards purchasing equipment for their new office premises in Pulteneytown, Wick. The office will provide a base for a number of local Voluntary Organisations, as well as meeting and training space.

Raffin & Stoer Grazings Committee are to receive up to £2,390 which will enable them to co-ordinate the creation of a local development plan for the townships of Raffin & Stoer. This will be implemented under the wider banner of the Whole Estate Plan developed for North Assynt Estate.

Assistance of £500 will enable Wick Heritage Society to engage a curator for a short piece of work to help co-ordinate the Society’s large collection of local artefacts, while funding of £545 will allow Skerray Historical Association to undertake training in information technology and archiving skills.

Far North Sub-aqua, Wick, is to receive £1,934 towards an innovative project to train local young people in underwater photography techniques. These skills will immediately be used to enhance work being done through the “Past, Present & Future” arts project taking place in Pulteneytown.

The remaining approvals were for the North Sutherland Community Development Forum, towards the cost of staging of a seminar in Borgie on access to funding, while the Pulteneytown People’s Project are to be assisted with the cost of representatives attending a conference on fundraising issues.

APPROVALS FOR NOVEMBER 2003
The following are funds approved during the month ending 30th November 2003. Please note that the sums relate to approvals, not payments. While finance may be approved, for a business investment for example, it does not guarantee that the developments will go ahead. The approval simply shows that CASE funds have been made available, but they will not be released until evidence is received that the project or activity has gone ahead.