# General > Doanalsin's Diary >  Fit's in 'e Coorier 'e day

## Nwicker60

Caithness Courier headlines for May 21, 2014

THE long-running wrangle over Tesco’s abortive plans for a new superstore in Thurso has taken a fresh twist.  The retail giant has been told to get on and build the store or be stripped of its planning consent.  The ultimatum comes in a letter from Highland Council which is understood to have lost patience with the lack of action at the former auction site off Ormlie Road.

A CAITHNESS-BORN undergraduate has won an award with her depiction of the blanket bogland in the far north.  Magi Sinclair (54) has won Edinburgh College of Art’s Astaire Prize with a carbon drawing entitled “Forsinard Flows”.

SAVING a species of bumblebee from becoming extinct, could also bring a new buzz to the Caithness tourism sector.  Thurso Gateway to the Great Yellow is a three-year project which has been launched to earn the town a reputation as the first Great Yellow Bumblebee Town and to promote the environment and wildlife in the far north.

HAVING a flag to call their own is something Orcadians take great pride in, according to its council convener Steven Heddle, who is urging people in Caithness to back our newly-launched Fly the Flag campaign.  In 2007, an island-wide competition was held when hundreds of people sent in designs for what they wanted the flag to look like.  Seven years on, the standard adopted has become a big success in the islands with it being flown from council buildings, hotels, boats and even people’s homes.

A CALL has been made for a “full, open and transparent debate” on nuclear security matters.  It comes after it was revealed there had been 398 security incidents at UK nuclear sites in the past four years.  The figures which emerged, following a Freedom of Information request, show there were 42 breaches recorded in 2013.

A BRONZE statue was unveiled at Wick John O’ Groats Airport on Friday to honour the contribution to Highland aviation made by Captain Ted Fresson.   The statue was a replica of the de Haviland Rapide aircraft which the airline used to fly passengers across the north of Scotland.  It was unveiled by Margaret Viscountess of Thurso who knew Capt Fresson when he began operating the airline.  His son, Richard Fresson , a former RAF pilot, was also present.

NOSTALGIE hung heavy in the air last Thursday as former pupils and teachers marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of Farr Junior secondary school.  Classroom memories were recalled as visitors browsed the impressive display of photographs and other memorabilia of days at the Bettyhill school.  It was opened by Lord Roborough the owner of Skelpick and Rhifall  Estates on the afternoon of May 18, 1964, at a ceremony attended by pupils, parents, staff and members and officials of Sutherland Council.

HIGHLAND MSP Rhoda Grant who has been campaigning for Caithness and part of Sutherland has seized on new figures by Royal Mail which show that the KW postcode performed less well than many other postcode areas located across Scotland.  She said: “The figures revealed today by Royal Mail, confirm what many people across Caithness and Sutherland are telling me – that they feel the postal service in the north Highlands is significantly below the nationwide standard.”

THE 100th anniversary of the death of a Thurso man who established one the longest-running youth organisations in the world, has been marked with a special memorial service.  Sir William Smith started the Boys Brigade in Glasgow in 1883, to help make a positive contribution to young people’s lives.

YOUNGSTERS, who will soon enter the world of work, are being encouraged to consider an apprenticeship.  Skills Development Scotland’s Apprenticeship Week is being supported by Thurso’s North Highland College and it is keen to highlight what can be achieved and the wide range of courses on offer.

SEVEN teams from the Caithness County League reached the second round of the Highland Amateur Cup at the weekend, with the shock of the day coming at Lower Bignold.  Wick Thistle pulled off another giant-killing act after knocking out Lybster in the preliminary round, this time beating Division One leaders Staxigoe Untied, 2-1.

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