Scottish
Roads Weather Problems Bulletin Board
Click for Winter Emergency Numbers, Road Information etc
COUNCIL COMMITTED TO
RETAINING SOCIAL WORKERS IN HIGHLAND
An information day is being held in Inverness on Friday 4th February,
which aims to attract people into, and further develop the careers of
those already in, Social Work employment in the Highlands. People
who are already working in social work are invited to attend and those
with relevant degrees in psychology or social services who may have taken
a career break to raise families or might consider re-training in social
work are welcome. Anyone interested can drop in at Hedgefield Management
Centre, Culduthel Road in Inverness, at any time between 11am to 2pm on
Friday 4th February.
Calling Highland Craft Makers - Exhibition
Opportunity
Craft makers are wanted to participate in an exhibition, particularly in
jewellery, basket making, casting (metal, glass) and stone.
GIBSON HITS OUT AT 'IRRESPONSIBLE LAND OWNERS'
Highlands and Islands MSP Rob Gibson has
welcomed the constructive and collaborative approach of the participants
in the Responsible Deer Management consultation where the aim is to
produce a framework on how to deal with Scotland's burgeoning deer
population. Following the passage of the Nature
conservation Act last summer Mr Gibson who has worked closely with
Non-Governmental Organizations, responsible estate owners and with
colleagues in the Environment and Rural Development Committee in this
consultation says that real and sustainable progress is being made..."Any
reasonable estate owner who looks at the findings and progress of the deer
management proposals contained in the motion lodged for debate in
Parliament cannot help but be impressed by its approach. This why it is
galling to read such nightmarish myths and lurid fantasies that are
currently being pedalled by those who really should know better."
COUNCIL TO SEEK EXECUTIVE
FUNDING FOR STORM REPAIRS
The Highland Council is to seek support from the Scottish Executive to
repair storm and flood damage to property, roads, bridges, car parks and
harbours caused by the severe weather experienced on 11/12 January.
The Council is required to meet the first �500,000 of the repair bill but,
once a full assessment is made of the damage, it will apply to the
Scottish Executive for 85% funding towards the cost of emergency repairs.
Members of the Transport Environmental and Community Services were told
that the storm damage was extensive, especially in the West Highlands,
most notably in Skye and Lochalsh, Wester Ross and Lochaber. Flooding
occurred at Caol, Inverness and Thurso, while there was damage to harbours
at Gairloch, Kinlochbervie and Uig.
COUNCIL DECIDE NOT TO
BID FOR TRUNK ROAD CONTRACT
Highland Councillors have decided not to bid for the contract for the
management and maintenance of the North West Trunk Road Network, which is
being renewed by the Scottish Executive in April next year. Members
of the Transport Environmental and Community Services Committee concluded
that the Council ran too high a risk of making a significant annual loss
on the five-year contract and that they should instead seek
sub-contracting work from the successful consortium.
HIGHLAND MSP WRITES TO TRANSPORT
MINISTER OVER ROADS CONTRACT
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Maureen Macmillan has written to
Transport Minister Nicol Stephen over the contract for trunk road
maintenance and winter road clearance, which is due to go out for tender
in April, 2006. Mrs Macmillan commented, "Since taking
over trunk road maintenance in 2001 the operations of BEAR Scotland in the
Highlands has attracted repeated criticism, regarding both the quality of
winter road clearance and summer maintenance of verges and roundabouts. I
believe all Highland MSPs have received repeated complaints regarding BEAR
and I have, over the duration of their contract, met several times with
both BEAR's staff and Executive officials to try and resolve matters. It
is obvious that all of the problems surrounding BEAR's operations relate
to the terms of the original contract and what the company was
specifically contracted to do or not to do.
Caithness Based Writers Publish New
Book For Tsunami Aid
Caithness
writers have combined to have published a wee book called "The Ballad of
Hercules Mackenzie and other Stories" which is selling for �3 will all
profits going to the Tsunami Disaster Fund. The group though small is very
successful and most of the contributors are either published and/or
competition winners. The content of the booklet is mostly
very light with a great deal of humour and we are getting very positive
feedback from purchasers so readers can have a delightful read and help a
very worthy cause. There is a foreword by John Thurso.
Highland Included In
Rural Priority Areas List
Twenty parts of Scotland have been designated Rural Services Priority
Areas (RSPA) after the identification of disadvantage in service
provision, access to services and subsequently opportunities. The
status will enable government, local authorities and other agencies to
focus improvements in services in the most disadvantaged rural
communities, aiming to find innovative solutions to providing, for
example, health care, training or childcare services.
New Procurator Fiscal And
Depute Start On Monday 31 January In Wick
Mr Alasdair MacDonald has been appointed by the Lord Advocate Colin Boyd
QC to the post of Procurator Fiscal for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter
Ross. Mr MacDonald will take up his post on the 31 January 2005. Mr
MacDonald will retain his commission for Tain and Dornoch where he is
currently District Procurator Fiscal and will be supported at Wick by a
newly appointed Depute Fiscal, Mrs Christine Ball, who will also take up
post on 31 January 2005.
Helping Square A Debt - Charity Slave
Raises Amazing Amount In A Few Hours
The 2003 festive season is one UKAEA, Dounreay employee,
Ishbel Mcdonald, will not forget. After a series of tests it was
confirmed that she was suffering from lung cancer. �However I was
told it was treatable provided I had my left lung removed,� said
non-smoker Ishbel. �It was a big decision to take, but because I had
always kept myself fit, I had to go for it.� In the event the
operation was a complete success, Ishbel received the all-clear, and is
now back hale and hearty processing accounts in UKAEA�s finance department
in Naver House, Thurso.
council secures funding for caithness and sutherland women�s aid
A service to provide support and refuge for
women affected by domestic abuse received a vital assurance of funding
from The Highland Council�s Housing and Social Work Committee today. Caithness and Sutherland
Women�s Aid currently provides an Outreach service giving support to women
suffering from domestic abuse but it has also worked with the Highland
Council and Pentland Housing Association to set up a refuge which can
assist women with children and single women who become homeless as a
result of domestic abuse. Today the service received an assurance of
�127,000 funding from the Highland Council which will ensure that this
vital service to the community can be established and the purpose built
refuge opened for use.
council secures funding for caithness and
sutherland women�s aid
A service to provide support and refuge for
women affected by domestic abuse received a vital assurance of funding
from The Highland Council�s Housing and Social Work Committee today.
Caithness and Sutherland Women�s Aid currently provides an Outreach
service giving support to women suffering from domestic abuse but it has
also worked with the Highland Council and Pentland Housing Association to
set up a refuge which can assist women with children and single women who
become homeless as a result of domestic abuse. Today the service received
an assurance of �127,000 funding from the Highland Council which will
ensure that this vital service to the community can be established and the
purpose built refuge opened for use.
COUNCIL CLOSE FUNDING
GAP ON WICK ALL WEATHER PITCH PROJECT
The funding of a long-awaited floodlit all weather pitch within the
grounds of Wick High School was secured today (Thursday) following a plea
by Caithness members attending The Highland Council's Education Culture
and Sport Committee. Meeting in Inverness today (Thursday 20 January
2005), the Committee unanimously accepted the Caithness arguments for an
additional allocation of �345,000 on top of the previously agreed �525,000
towards the cost of the project and allows
work to start in the new financial year.
Skills Grants Available
People in Caithness and Sutherland who aren't
working or who work part time and want to move into full time employment
are being encouraged by Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE) to take
up an individual skills development grant. CASE offers help, advice and funding -
up to �750 a year depending on circumstances - to people who can't find
work or who are working part-time and want to improve their job prospects.
Funding support ranges from 25 per cent of costs for non certificated
courses to 75 per cent of costs for certificated courses. Donna Booth, a development manager with
CASE, said: "Re-establishing workplace skills and knowledge is key to
finding a job. At CASE, we recognise that if you have been out of the job
market for some time, you need a hand to get going again. Our funding
support for people preparing for work is flexible and takes account of
individual circumstances.
Caithness Editor Wins Feature Writer Award
Editor of the John O'Groat Journal/Caithness Courier, Alan Hendry, is
Feature Writer of the Year. His reporter Ally McGilvray was highly
commended in the Young Journalist of the Year category.
13 TO 25 YEAR OLDS SHOULD GET
MUMPS JAGS
A Highland doctor is encouraging 13-25 year olds who have not been
immunised against Mumps to attend their GP to be immunised. This advice
comes as the numbers of cases of mumps are on the increase nationally,
although the increases in the Highlands are not as high an increase as in
Scotland as a whole. Dr Geoff Cramp, Locum Consultant in Public
Health, said: "In 2004 in the Highland Health Board area, there were 66
cases of Mumps notified to Public Health. 36 of these have been confirmed
by laboratory testing and 30 are unconfirmed cases. This is in contrast to
2003 when there were 9 notified cases of mumps in Highland, only 2 of
which were confirmed. There is therefore a 7.5-fold increase in the number
of notified cases and an 18-fold increase in the number of confirmed cases
in Highland. This is less than in Scotland as a whole where there has been
an 19-fold increase in notified cases and a 35-fold increase in the number
of confirmed cases."
Caithness.org
Launches Flower Patch Web Site
Well known
Wick flower shop The Flower Patch now has its own web site to make it
easier to contact staff get few ideas. Phone them or email them it
couldn't be easier to get flowers for any special occasion.
Wick River Overflows At Car Park
These
latest photographs in show the Wick river overflowing into the car park
at high tide today. Sandbags were being delivered by council staff
to businesses and premises in the area but it was thought that the water
level would subside before it reached them. Sandbags will be in
place tonight just in case there is another surge tonight.
Storms Lash Caithness And The Whole Of Highlands & Islands
Castletown Harbour Sees Very High Water
Scrabster Harbour Flooded As Gales Combine With Rising Tide
Scrabster
was another port hit with flooding as the rising tide combined with the
high winds to drive the water onto the piers and buildings around the
harbour area. High tide tonight will be watched closely by the
harbour staff and businesses in the harbour. No boats were damaged
due to the hard work of people at the harbour. No reports of
property damage as sandbags were out fast.
Transport Delays In The North
Travelling was taking longer today as a number of bridges such as
the Dornoch and Kessock were closed for a period early. No trains
were running north of Perth and with the Forth and Tay Bridges closed
anyone trying to get north faced serious delays. Fallen trees have
caused further delays on many roads. Most flights and ferries were
cancelled today.
Harrow Harbour Sees Waves Crashing Over Pier
A
boat at Harrow Harbour looks as if it was lucky to be on the inside of
the Harbour Pier and not outside it as waves crashed over the top of the
pier today.
A Closer Look At The Thurso River Flooding
More Views Of Stormy Weather From Thurso
More
pictures from Thurso of the stormy scenes and Thurso river in flood.
These latest in are from Allan Lannon recently retired as head of Miller
Academy primary school. Digital pictures are flowing round
everyone's email and we have received one set three times as folk pass
them round. Thanks to all who have sent items in and anyone is
welcome to add to the gallery by sending pictures to
[email protected]
Wick Christmas Tree Snaps As Gales Continue In The North
The
wind although lessening still has some force left in it as seen by the
snapped trunk of the Wick Christmas tree in Market Square . The
tree which was slightly listing from the battering overnight finally
succumbed this morning.
Thurso River Flooding As Seen From A Janet Street Window
Flooding
can clearly be seen in these pictures taken from Janet Street looking
over to Millbank Road in Thurso. The fire Station and squash
courts had water coming in and there could be damage to the courts if
water got into the flooring. Further down the river the British
Legion and business premises along the street were flooded into the
buildings.
Thurso Takes Full Force Of High Winds and High Tide
Thurso
was hit hard by the gales last night and early this morning with the
High tide being a particularly severe problem. The Thurso river
burst its banks with flooding problems being created.
Lidl's Supermarket At Wick Loses Roof Tiles With Dangerous Metal
Sheeting Flying Around
With
extremely high wind speeds over night inevitably some roofs have
suffered. Lidl's supermarket at Wick has been badly damaged and
police were advising people not to use the car park in case more
sheeting blew off this morning. Some pieces of sheet metal were
found down the main street heading into Wick.
Caithness Scouting Area Climbing Wall Re-opened
A climbing wall had been installed in the Wick Scout Hall and was
occasionally used until 3 or 4 years ago. Not many other scouting groups
in the area knew about the facility and weren�t using it. It was decided
to get the climbing wall reinstated so that the young scouts could get
some experience of climbing in a safe warm environment.
Thurso Branch Of
British Legion Fund Raiser For Tsunami Disaster
The Royal British
Legion in Thurso is undertaking various activities over the next
month to raise funds for the Asian Disaster Appeal
www.dec.org.uk
On Friday the 21st
January at the Legion Club in Thurso we are holding a prize bingo with all
profits going towards the cause admission �1
On Friday the 4th
February at the Legion Club in Thurso we are holding a 60s, 70s, & 80s
School Disco Revival for all adults 18 or over, tickets �5 available from
the club.
We are also organising
a raffle with a first prize of TWO TICKETS TO BRYAN ADAMS at the SECC on
Saturday 14th May plus various other prizes which will be
advertised. The draw will take place at the School Disco Revival on the 4th
February.