The Caithness Broch Centre opens to the public on Saturday 25 July with a day of activities and talks. The centre, based in Auckengill Old School, takes over where the Northlands Viking Centre left off some three years ago.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd, (July, 15th) sold 1,249 store cattle at the Anniversary show and sale. The Judge, Mr Tom Stevenson of Balmacolly Farm, Bankfoot, chose a 435kg junior Limousin cross bullock from Messrs Smallburn Farms Ltd, Duffus, Elgin, which realised £1,050, as his Overall Champion in the T.S.H.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (July, 14th) sold 90 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (49) averaged 166.3p (-4.1p) and sold to 180p per kg and £1,192.80 gross.
The Highland Council is seeking tenders from contractors to build the first two phases of the South-West Inverness Flood Relief Channel, having obtained the necessary Flood Prevention Order and planning consent for the £10 million project. To be completed over five years in phases, the scheme will divert flood water from the south side of Inverness away from residential housing in Hilton, Lochardil and Holm, picking up overflow water from the south side burns and leading this to the River Ness at Holm Mains.
(LONDON, UK) Xtrakter, the market utility, released the following figures today: Fixed income new issuance was valued at USD 1 trillion for Q2 2009 representing a 15% (USD 180 billion) drop on Q2 2008 figures. During the same period asset backed new issuance accounted for USD 100.6 billion of all issues down by 54.1% (USD 118.7 billion) and the overall size of the international capital market rose by 10.3% (USD 1.3 trillion) to a total value of USD 14.1 trillion.
Businesses are reminded to be vigilant with regards to scam e-mails for accommodation bookings as there seems to be a few about at the moment. Providers have let us know about what looks like a scam requesting accommodation for six priests from Greece.
Following a comprehensive tender exercise, The Highland Council has entered into contracts with three independent sector providers, to deliver additional care at home services across the Highlands, which will supplement the services provided by the Council's in-house team of home carers and services already purchased from the independent sector. The successful bidders, British Red Cross, Independent Living Services and Crossroads Caring Scotland, will collectively deliver an extra 117,000 hours per annum of care at home in the Highlands.
Team TIC from Wick High school were among the finalists in a Highlands and Islands-wide information and communications technology competition. The inventiveness and marketing skills of TIC saw them reach the last six of the 2009 ICT Youth Challenge and win the Microsoft-sponsored award for the project with the best commercial potential.
Properties in the Caithness village of Castletown that have experienced flooding in recent years are benefiting from the completion of a £136,000 Scottish Water project to upgrade the local sewer system. An investigation showed that a section of pipe under Main Street struggled to cope during downpours of heavy rain, causing water and sewage to back up and flood nearby properties.
Despite these recession times Caithness businesses are banding together to put on one of the biggest Wedding Shows ever seen in the county. The Wedding Show will be a chance for everyone getting married in the next couple of years to see what is on offer locally.
The Highland Council has signed and sealed a formal agreement with the National Archives of Scotland and the Church of Scotland to secure the transfer of historical documents from Highland Presbyteries and Kirk Sessions to Inverness. These important historical records, currently preserved in Edinburgh by the National Archives of Scotland, are to be transferred later this year to the new Highland Archive Centre currently in the final stages of construction at the Bught, Inverness.
The work of STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - Ambassadors in the Caithness area was recognised this week in a celebration event hosted by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in Lybster. The ambassadors, all from a STEM backgrounds, work with schools to inspire the next generation to consider their future in areas which use science, technology engineering and mathematics every day.
Changes to the determination of local planning applications will be introduced later in the year to speed up the decision-making process and encourage inward investment. The Highland Council has agreed a Scheme of Delegation and establishment of a Review Body, which it has presented to the Scottish Government for approval and implementation by 3 August.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (July, 1st) sold 60 store cattle and 34 OTM cattle. Bullocks (27) averaged 159.2p and sold to 177.7p per kg and £735 gross.
The Highland Council is seeking the views of the public in shaping its policy on allotment gardening. The Council is keen to promote allotments and the purpose of the policy is to establish the principles which will guide its partnership with community groups and other organisations in establishing and managing allotments.
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE APPRENTICESHIPS WILL MORE THAN DOUBLE Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Fiona Hyslop, today announced that she would more than double the number of Modern Apprenticeships in Health and Social Care by opening them to all ages of applicants. The decision to open this Modern Apprenticeship Framework to adults is part of ScotAction - the Scottish Government's skills support package to help support Scotland's economy out of recession and back to economic growth.
The Assembly Rooms in Wick will be the venue for the 3rd Caithness Conference which will take place on 1st October 2009. The conference will outline the progress being made by the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership and workshops will be held to help define a vision document and key messages for inward investors.
A recent sunny Sunday (21 June) saw a strong team of Countryside volunteers turn out to help provide habitat for one of the small blue butterfly colonies in Caithness. The most northerly colonies of small blues are located within the dune system at Dunnet Bay and also along the coast at Scrabster.
Today (Thursday 2 July) sees the launch of the new Blog for the Highland wide Local Development Plan. The Blog will be updated regularly with information on meetings and events hosted and attended by the Development Plans team at The Highland Council.
