Plans to spend £33 million on new school projects in the Highlands were welcomed today by members of The Highland Council's Education, Culture and Sport (ECS) Committee. The unprecedented spending on seven major school building projects is underway or due for completion in either this financial year or during the first half of financial year 2012/13.
Two drop-in sessions for those interested in developing small-scale or single wind turbine projects in Caithness are being run by Scottish Natural Heritage and charity Community Energy Scotland. The sessions in Halkirk will see staff on-hand to provide advice on potential impacts on nature and landscapes and the feasibility of individual projects.
Highland Councillors this week welcomed the early boost to the county's tourist season provided by the first cruise ships to visit Scrabster in what will be its busiest season yet for visits by cruise ships. The visits of the Ocean Countess and the Quest attracted hundreds of passengers to key sites in the county, with The Highland Council-funded shuttle bus service between Scrabster and Thurso town centre in particularly heavy demand.
Highland Council and NHS Highland take lead on Fairtrade and Health Promoting Schools guidance Guidance on the sale of Fairtrade food items in Highlands Schools has been endorsed by members of the Council's Education, Culture and Sport Committee. The sale or provision of Fairtrade chocolate as part of pupil education about global trade was one of the drivers in the production of the guidance.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the community and economic development agency for north and west Scotland, is ramping up its drive to help the region become a world centre for the renewable energy industry. The development agency has created a new senior post to spearhead its efforts to capitalise on the region's natural resources and secure economic benefits which could be worth billions to Scotland?s economy.
Highland Councillors have agreed in principle to build 750 new council houses over the next five years. Members of The Highland Council's Housing and Social Work Committee have agreed to submit a bid for a programme of 101 new build homes for 2011/12 under the Scottish Government's Innovation and Investment Fund.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 18th) sold 59 pedigree and commercial Luing cattle at their third annual spring breeding sale sponsored by W & A Geddes and Harbro Ltd. Pedigree bulling heifers (52) averaged £1,343.39 and sold to 1750gns (£1,837.50) for a pair of 25 month old heifers from Messrs A L & A C McCall, Culmailly Farm, Golspie, to the judge, Mr Philip Simmers, Backmuir Trading Ltd, Keith.
A number of ambitious Caithness companies are heading to Aberdeen this week to target new business at the UK's largest renewable energy event. The All-Energy Exhibition & Conference this year has attracted over 500 exhibitors from 20 countries across the world.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the community and economic development agency for north and west Scotland, is ramping up its drive to help the region become a world centre for the renewable energy industry. The development agency has created a new senior post to spearhead its efforts to capitalise on the region's natural resources and secure economic benefits which could be worth billions to Scotland's economy.
The hunt for Scotland's best nature pictures is on, as part of a Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) contest to celebrate Scottish Biodiversity Week. The fifth annual Nature Photography Competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers.
'Vulnerability index' ranking the 32 local authority areas shows great variation among rural districts Rural Scotland will share the pain of public sector funding cuts with the rest of the country - but some rural areas are much more vulnerable than others, according to new research from SAC's Rural Policy Centre (RPC). In a new RPC report on the implications of changing public sector budgets, each of Scotland's local authority areas is ranked according to its vulnerability to further economic downturn following reduced public spending.
The 242 households in Wick which receive their heat and hot water from Caithness Heat and Power (CHaP) have been told that attempts by The Highland Council to find a private operator to take over the district heating system have been unsuccessful and that the Council will now work with residents to reinstate domestic heating systems in their homes. In a letter hand delivered to their homes earlier today (Friday), CHaP Company Secretary, Michelle Morris, Assistant Chief Executive of The Highland Council, advised households that the Council and the directors of CHAP have been striving over a long period to find an operator from the private sector to take over the district heating system The Council was initially involved in discussions with a company called Clearpower.
Motorists in the Highlands are being alerted by The Highland Council that Monday 16 - Friday 20 May is National Walk to School Week and over 11,000 pupils at 89 primary schools throughout the region could create an increase of pedestrians around schools. Walk to School Week is a national campaign with a simple aim - to encourage all parents and children to make walking to school part of their daily routine.
Almost 2,500 Primary 7 pupils from Highland schools will be immersed in the challenging issues of community safety and crime prevention when they attend Safe Highlanders and Islanders events in Inverness and four satelite locations including Fort William, Portree, Lairg and Wick. The Inverness event will take place in Cameron Barracks between 11 and 20 May 2011.
An opportunity has arisen for people with an interest in community learning and leisure services in Highland communities to become involved as Directors of the board of High Life Highland and its trading subsidiary to deliver these services on behalf of The Highland Council. The Council has agreed to establish High Life Highland as a company limited by guarantee (with charitable status) with the Council as the sole member and with a wholly owned trading subsidiary.
The Highland Council's Adult Basic Education Co-ordinator for Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey is seeking volunteers to help locals with their learning. Mohamed Hamada, ABE Co-ordinator is looking for people who might be interested in becoming voluntary tutors.
Go ahead for health, education and social care integration project Members of The Highland Council and directors of NHS Highland have unanimously confirmed their intention to progress far-reaching plans to integrate health, education and social care services in the Highlands. The target date for implementation is April 2012, using a lead agency model that would see NHS Highland provide services for adult community care and the Council providing services for children.
Caithness and Sutherland biodiversity groups join forces to record bats (11/05/11) People in Caithness and Sutherland are being invited to join a survey of bats in the north which is being organised by the Caithness and Sutherland Biodiversity Groups and Highland Council's Countryside Rangers. Very little is known about bats in the area and there are large gaps in records of bat numbers, roosting sites and even species of bats.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts, (May, 12th) sold 1,115 store, breeding and feeding sheep. Lambs (219) averaged £70.35 and sold to £103.00 gross for Crosses from Tullochgribban, Dulnain Bridge.
After all the months of planning, wondering if the idea would work, and waiting for stallholders to come forward, it was a great boost yesterday to see so many locals and visitors coming in to see us. We already have a waiting list of potential stallholders but we are fully booked for the whole season at the present time.
