Other Services News
A new report launched (Wednesday 29th September 2021), commissioned by Caithness Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the Caithness & North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership, demonstrates the economic benefits that Space Hub Sutherland will bring to the North Highland and Moray areas. Space Hub Sutherland - a new satellite launch site - will bring huge employment and tourism benefits to the Scottish Highlands.
The Caithness & North Sutherland Fund has recently awarded two grants that will help to create new facilities to enhance outdoor recreation and learning activities. Wick Golf Club has been granted £30,000 towards the costs of creating a new workshop and coaching facility at the Wick Golf Club grounds.
Come along to this drop-in information session to find out about the Volunteer Friendly Quality Assurance Award. A brief presentation will be followed by Q&A session where you can ask about the benefits of this award for your group.
Nine businesses from the Highlands will start the latest edition of the Pathfinder Accelerator programme today (9 September 2021), which aims to put them on the fast track to success. Developed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the established support programme nurtures growth in life science and technology and helps bring new business ideas to market quicker.
Pentland Housing Association tenants are to be formally consulted on a proposed transfer to Cairn Housing Association, which will bring new investment to homes and a locked-in affordable rent guarantee, from a new combined Cairn and Pentland team in Caithness. Detailed information leaflets are being posted out and members of staff from Pentland and Cairn are aiming to personally visit every household to try and speak to residents and answer any questions they might have.
Thousands of hours contributed to national programme. Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has thanked volunteers who have now contributed more than 25,000 hours to help deliver the national vaccination programme.
CAITHNESS AND NORTH SUTHERLAND FUND DIRECTOR VACANCY (unremunerated) Deadline for applications: Monday 14th of June. The Caithness & North Sutherland Fund is a community fund established by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd to distribute a £4M funding package to community projects that will increase the attractiveness of Caithness & North Sutherland as a place to live, work and invest.
Twice as many low income families (under £16,000 p.a.) are not optimistic about life after lockdown compared with those earning more (over £30,000 p.a.) 57% parents are concerned about their own wellbeing or mental health in the year ahead. 65 % of parents are particularly worried about their children's social development.
The CNSFund has committed over £79k to community groups in Caithness & North Sutherland in its recent grant rounds. Funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, a wide range of community-led projects throughout the Dounreay travel to work area are to benefit from the grant support.
HTSI are very excited to bring you a series of Monday Masterclasses, training centred around supporting community groups. Set up a new group recently? Working to support your community? Want an update on current best practice in supporting community groups? Then HTSI's FREE Monday masterclasses are for you! Julie at Caithness Voluntary Group is doing two of these classes that are open to everyone in the Highlands and are free.
Seven community projects are to benefit from over £150k of funding following the Caithness & North Sutherland Fund's latest grant awards. CNSFund Chairperson David Glass said "Our latest grant investments will enable community groups to deliver a wide range of improvements to benefit people living in Caithness & North Sutherland.
Highland Housing partners are asking their tenants to have their say on proposed changes to the mutual exchange policy. Mutual Exchanges help tenants to move by swapping their homes with other tenants.
Caithness Chamber of Commerce's new Test and Protect service, #ProtectNorthHighlands, goes live today (26 August) across Caithness and Sutherland. Offering a simple, secure way for businesses to store customer data in line with Scottish Government's requirements for Test and Protect, the service is free to all businesses across the region thanks to the generous support of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Caithness Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce that, thanks to the generous support of Highlands & Islands Enterprise, it will be launching a free, simple online service to allow hospitality businesses across the North Highlands to safely collect and store customer data in line with official guidelines to support the Scottish Government's Test & Protect Programme. This new service, #ProtectNorthHighlands, will be launching on 26 August and will be free for any business in Caithness and Sutherland to access.
Commenting on the publication of Scottish Government GDP statistics for Q2 2020, Dr Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce said: "The collapse in Scotland's GDP in the second quarter sets alarm bells ringing even if the fall was expected. The 19.7% decline from April to June makes Scotland’s and the UK’s economies among the worst performing in Europe.
Eleven community organisations in the Highlands and Islands have been awarded a total of £1.5m to develop and deliver long-term solutions to tackle poverty based on local priorities and needs The Aspiring Communities Fund, which levers in European Social Funds, was launched by the Scottish Government in 2017 to help reduce poverty and enable inclusive growth in disadvantaged and fragile communities across Scotland. Regional development agency, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), helped community organisations in the region to apply to this recent round of funding.
The First Minster is to ask the Scottish Government Finance Secretary, Kate Forbes, to have direct discussion with the insurance sector about companies who are "wriggling out of their obligations" to Scottish businesses. Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, David Stewart, asked Nicola Sturgeon today at First Minister's Questions about the problems firms were having claiming their business interruption insurance.
Six community projects are to benefit from over £85k of funding following the Caithness & North Sutherland Fund's latest grant awards. CNSFund Chairperson David Glass said "Our latest grant awards helps to support a wide range of projects including initiatives that focus on delivering social improvements.
Scottish Chambers of Commerce reacts to mixed results of Holyrood rates vote. Whilst welcoming the Scottish Parliament's decision to retain the Uniform Business Rate, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) has urged the Scottish Parliament to reconsider what it believes is a major barrier to a more flexible, responsive rates system outside of the revaluation cycle following voting on the Non Domestic Rates Bill (Scotland) today.
Scottish Provincial Press, one of Scotland's largest publishers of local newspapers is under new ownership after briefly going into administration. Administrators were called in by Scottish Provincial Press (SPP) on Tuesday morning.