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News Archive


CASE Approvals List - November 2004
The following are funds approved up to the last day of the month.   Please note that the sums relate to approvals, not payments.  
New Directors For CASE
The chairman of Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE), Pat Buchanan, long with chief executive Carroll Buxton, welcomed three new directors to the local enterprise company's board yesterday (Tuesday 14th December).   The three new members are David Halpin, who lives in Dornoch; Willie Calder from Thurso and Nick Gorton, based in Lochinver.  
Fathoms Dive Into Training
A sub sea services company specialising in the offshore and onshore monitoring and removal of radiological contamination is training two of its key staff in health physics with assistance from Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE).   Fathoms Ltd, which operates from Wick harbour, has received a training and development scheme grant from the local enterprise company to allow the two members of staff to undertake City and Guilds levels one and two in radiation safety practice.  
Highlands & Islands Leading Environmentally-Positive Firms Announced
Companies go through to Scotland-wide final of VIBES awards next week The Highlands and Islands most environmentally-positive companies have been announced by judges of Scotland's leading environmental awards for businesses.   Global provider of total subsea solutions, Wick-based Subsea 7, has won the Highlands and Islands large company category, salmon farming specialist Loch Duart, based in Scourie, has won the Highlands and Islands medium-sized company category while Shetland-based recycling project Enviroglass came top in the Highlands and Islands category for small companies.  
30/11/2004
Highland Childcare Company Introduces New Service To Fill Gaps In Provision
Parents of young children in the Highlands, who currently have difficulty finding childcare provision to meet their needs, are being offered a more flexible service by Direct Childcare.   The Inverness-based company, which currently serves much of the Highland area, is in the process of recruiting and training sitters who will take care of children outside of normal working hours within the child's home.  
CASE Approvals List - October 2004
The following are funds approved up to the last day of the month.   Please note that the sums relate to approvals, not payments.  
20/10/2004
NDA Confirms Scottish Regional Base Will Be In Caithness
The Convener of The Highland Council's Caithness area Committee, Councillor David Flear has welcomed confirmation that the NDA (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) will establish its Scottish Regional Headquarters in Caithness.   The NDA, who will take over responsibility for decommissioning of the Dounreay site on 1 April next year, confirmed at a stakeholder workshop in Thurso today (Thursday) that they are currently looking at properties in the county for their new regional base.  
CASE Monthly Report for September 2004
Overall, the number of people unemployed in Caithness and Sutherland fell from 745 last month to 742.   The revised unemployment rates in the Sutherland, Wick and Thurso 'Travel to Work Areas' respectively are as follows (corresponding figures for last month are in brackets): 3.1% (3.3%), 4.4% (4.3%) and 2.5% (2.5%).  
Five Consortia Short-listed For 100 Million Contract
Five consortia have been short-listed by UKAEA for the largest single construction project yet in the Dounreay Site Restoration Plan.   Subject to formal Ministerial approval, they will be invited to tender for the construction of a plant to condition and store a variety of liquid and solid intermediate-level wastes that are a legacy of Dounreays role as an experimental reactor establishment.  
New Park awards key electrical contract to local firm
Part of the final phase of re-development of Forss Business & Technology Park.   New Park Management recognises local expertise by awarding the contract for upgrading the Forss site electrical switchgear to JGC Engineering & Technical Services Ltd.  
Ukaea Awards £3 Million Reactor Clean-up Contract
The UK Atomic Energy Authority has awarded a contract to ALSTEC Ltd for the construction of a new plant to clean up radioactive effluent that will arise during the next phase of decommissioning the Prototype Fast Reactor at Dounreay.   The effluent will be produced during cleaning of components and facilities that are coated with sodium liquid metal which was used as a reactor coolant.  
10/10/2004
Dial-Up Internet Users Be Warned
After the last few days of frantic phone calls from friends and friends of friends, I thought I'd better put out a warning to everyone who is still using a dial-up connection to the internet.   Back by unpopular demand are "dialers" which once your PC has one can cause your PC to dial premium rate numbers instead of your usual dial-up number.  
1/10/2004
Contact Us Page Repaired and Working
With all of the recent changes to the site, the contact us page has been neglected.   It was only today the discovery was made that enquiries being sent via that page were disappearing into the ether.  
20/9/2004
Wick Engraver Makes His Mark
A former employee of Caithness Glass has just set up his own engraving business, with assistance from his local enterprise company Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE).   Willie Bain was employed by Caithness Glass in Wick for over 30 years as a glass engraver and was also involved in the design and development of new products until he was made redundant in March 2004 when the company went into receivership.  
CASE Monthly Report For August 2004
Overall, the number of people unemployed in Caithness and Sutherland fell from 755 last month to 745.   The revised unemployment rates in the Sutherland, Wick and Thurso 'Travel to Work Areas' respectively are as follows (corresponding figures for last month are in brackets): 3.3% (3.4%), 4.3% (4.4%) and 2.5% (2.4%).  
15/9/2004
Caithness Wins Major Grant For £3.5 Million District Heating Scheme
Highland Councillors in Caithness are delighted with the success of a major funding application to promote the first wood-waste fuelled Combined Heat and Power system in Scotland at Wick.  The Energy Saving Trust has announced a £1.54 million grant today (Wednesday 16 September 2004) which is fundamental to the success of the £3.5 million first phase of this project.  
26/8/2004
DTI Director Visits North Companies
Claire Durkin, director of energy, innovation and business support with responsibility for oil and gas, renewables, nuclear and clean coal recently (18-20 Aug) visited a range of organisations and met representatives from companies based in Orkney and Caithness.   In Orkney Ms Durkin visited the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) before going to Caithness where she visited the Causeymire wind farm, UKAEA Dounreay, RWE Nukem, Kongsberg Maritime, Norfrost and Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE).  
CASE Monthly Report for July 2004
Overall, the number of people unemployed in Caithness and Sutherland fell from 808 last month to 755.   The revised unemployment rates in the Sutherland, Wick and Thurso 'Travel to Work Areas' respectively are as follows (corresponding figures for last month are in brackets): 3.4% (3.7%), 4.4% (4.4%) and 2.4% (2.8%).  
Positive Development for Caithness Photographer
An award winning Caithness photographer has taken the decision to develop his hobby into a full time business.   John Baikie, along with his wife Michelle, will run Caithness Photographic from their home in Castletown.  
15/7/2004
Major Refit : Update
After many weeks of pacing about, much pulling out of hair, writing and rewriting 1000's of lines of code, the main part of the Business Index refit is now complete.  These changes cover the page for every business in every category.  Our submissions system has also changed, adding new submissions directly into the database for approval.  This should remove the "bounced e-mail" problems some people have encountered.  All that remains to be rebuilt is the news section, which should be finished soon.  So...  other than that and a few wee bits to tidy up, we're almost there :) Please note that all e-mails received regarding changes to business details and new submissions have now been dealt with, so if you find that your business information has not been updated, it means that we never received your information, please use the contact page, for the moment, to send updated information..