Head over to Halkirk and go to Crescent Street, Halkirk for FREE Health Check before winter gets worse. J & G Sutherland has highly trained mechanics ready to check your vehicle and carry out any work to make sure you are not caught out.
The Highland Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) has been successful in securing further funding to support coastal communities as part of the European Fisheries Fund Axis 4 programme. There is now over £200,000 still available to assist projects which contribute to the sustainable development of fisheries areas around the Highlands.
SERCO NORTHLINK FERRIES PUBLISHES 2014 TIMETABLES, FARES AND DRY DOCK ARRANGEMENTS. - Rolling dry dock to commence in early January 2014, final vessel complete by 15 March 2014 - Alternative travel arrangements in place - Revised Scrabster–Stromness timetable will see three return trips per day for most of August 2014 to meet perceived demand Serco NorthLink Ferries has opened bookings for 2014 with the publication of timetables and fares for the year.
TIME FOR THE TRUTH ON DEFENCE SAYS SCOTTISH AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: “CONSPIRACY OF OPTIMISM” IS NOT ENOUGH. In a report published today, Saturday 23 November 2013, the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee says that the time for "vague generalities" and unchallenged optimistic assumptions on the national defence of a separate Scotland is over.
Scotland's Independence Day would be 24 March 2016. Scotland will become an independent country on Thursday 24th March 2016 in the event of a vote for independence in next year’s referendum.
Week Commencing 18th November 2013 Energy/ Business Services: This week saw the latest in a series of annual Information Days on the Pentland Firth & Orkney Waters wave and tidal programme. The event brought together staff and displays from key developers in the sector (Meygen, SSE Renewables/ Open Hydro, Pelamis Wave Power) as well as organisations such as The Crown Estate, HIE, Highland Council, Skills Development Scotland, Caithness Chamber of Commerce, Interface, Scrabster Harbour Trust, Wick Harbour Authority and the Moray Firth/ North Coast Inshore Fisheries Group.
The last batch of higher activity liquid waste produced during Dounreay’s Materials Test Reactor (MTR) research reactor reprocessing history was cemented into a drum on 7 November 2013. It is an important milestone in the processing of the historic liquid waste created during the operation of Dounreay’s three reactors.
The Scottish Climate and Energy Forum is an association for climate sceptics and have issued the following statement - As the latest climate talks come to an end with green groups walk out, a sceptic group has demanded those "lying about climate models should face jail sentences" as a key prediction by the Met Office proves to be wrong In 2007 a team of climate scientists from the UK Met Office led by Doug Smith made predictions for the decade 2004-2014. They said that the world would be 0.3°C warmer over the decade and that at least half of the years after 2009 would be warmer than the record year of 1998.
Marine energy leader buys out MeyGen JV partners following award of offshore planning approval. International tidal technology and project developer Atlantis Resources Limited has today announced its acquisition of MeyGen, Europe’s largest tidal power project.
Businesses in the Highlands and Islands interested in hearing more about exporting opportunities to one of the UK's largest markets - Japan - are invited to attend a free event in Inverness next week. On Wednesday 27 November Scottish Development International’s (SDI) Country Head in Japan, Stephen Baker and Highland businessman Gilpin Bradley from Wester Ross Fisheries will be available to share their advice on doing business in Japan.
STORNOWAY, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (November, 20th ) sold 9 prime cattle at its Christmas Show & Sale kindly sponsored by the Lewis and Harris Auction Mart and judged by J M Matheson, 30 Gravir, South Lochs. Prime bullocks (8) sold to 330p per kg for a 635kg Limousin cross, (Supreme Champion), from 1B Breasclete Park, Callanish, and £2,100.00 gross for a 700kg Aberdeen Angus cross (Reserve Champion), from 1 Gress, Back and averaged 256.6p.
Rhoda Grant MSP has joined with members of the retail union Usdaw to campaign for respect for shopworkers as part of the Freedom From Fear Campaign, which seeks to prevent violence, threats and abuse directed at retail staff. The campaign event took place on Wednesday 13 November, in the middle of Usdaw's Respect for Shopworkers Week, at the Scottish Parliament.
A key piece of work to maximise the onshore benefits in Caithness and North Sutherland from the anticipated upsurge of marine renewables has been updated to highlight progress already made and to set new targets for the year ahead. The North Highland Onshore Vision was produced by The Highland Council in 2011 to support the development of marine renewable energy developments.
This week is the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) and this year The Highland Council’s Waste Aware Team are getting involved. Staff will be on hand at various Recycling Centres across the region, raising the profile of the furniture re-use skips at the sites, and encouraging householders to think before they throw away, and consider whether an item can be reused.
“The North Highlands are ready for winter” was the message given at the Caithness and Sutherland Area Committee yesterday (18 November 2014) with staff, vehicles and a plentiful supply of salt in place to treat roads and footpaths over the coming winter months. The Highland Council has increased its winter maintenance budget to £5.6 million this year and has introducing an improved service with 45,500 tonnes of salt in storage in readiness for winter.
At yesterday’s (Monday 18 November 2014) Caithness and Sutherland Area Committee, members heard about the work been done by the North Highland Initiative to develop tourism in the Area with Tom Campbell, Chief Executive outlining some of the exciting destination development projects planned over the next 12 months. The North Highland Initiative (NHI) was launched in August 2005 to promote and develop the economy and to support the rural communities of the North Highlands bringing together the farming community, local businesses and the tourism industry to try to address some of the challenges facing rural communities in the far north of Scotland by creating a powerful regional identity for the area through marketing.
The Highland Council has re-launched its Deprived Area Fund to help create employment opportunities and tackle poverty, with £100,000 of funding is available for parts of Caithness over the next three years. The Deprived Area Fund has disbursed a total of £1.248m to deprived areas across the Highlands over the last 3 years.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (November, 19th) sold 47 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (19) averaged 235.3p (+2.7p) and sold to 245p per kg, twice and £1,663.80 gross.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSPs, David Stewart and Rhoda Grant, have called on NHS Highland to suspend the Castletown pharmacy application with immediate effect. The Labour MSPs had previously called on the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Alex Neil, to sanction a moratorium on the granting of community pharmacy applications after concerns with previous applications were raised with them.
Highlands and Islands (Scottish Labour) MSP Rhoda Grant, has been leading the fight against pay day lenders across the region was “Shocked” to learn that the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Parliamentary area has the second highest level of Payday Loan debt in Scotland averaging at around £2418.50, whilst the Scotland wide average is £1398.07. Rhoda Grant MSP last month launched her anti pay day loan campaign “Debtbusters” at the Citizens Advice Bureau in Wick.