The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall today opened a visitor's centre built in memory of The Late Queen Mother. The £900,000 centre is based at The Castle of Mey, The Queen Mother's former summer residence.
Highland Council have announced the local food supplies they wish to take for catering in its schools, care homes and canteens. In May, Highlands and Islands Local Food Network (HILFN) submitted a combined bid to the Council to provide 76 conventional and 55 organic products, all from local farms and crofts in Highland.
QUOYBRAE, Aberdeen & Northern Marts (31ST July) sold 48 Cattle and 281 Sheep at their Special Sale. Prime bullocks to 126p and £825.30 gross for a 655kg Limousin from D A Budge, Brae-edge, Castletown.
The annual report on progress to decommission the former experimental reactor site at Dounreay is published today by UKAEA, which is responsible for carrying out the safe clean-up and demolition of the site on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). It covers the 12-month period from 1st April 2006.
The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay announces new initiative to enhance use of heritage buildings in the North Highlands The third phase of the North Highland Initiative, which works to promote and develop the economy and support the rural communities of the North Highlands, was officially unveiled by The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay when he visited Castletown in Caithness today. The NHI's Built Environment Programme brings the Initiative together with The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment and The Prince's Regeneration Trust, to help breathe new life into the North Highlands' valuable built heritage of historic buildings, finding new uses for those that are now redundant.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (July, 31st ) sold 45 prime cattle and 144 prime sheep. Prime bullocks (18) averaged 128.9p (-1.6p) and sold to 145p per kg for a 505kg Belgian Blue cross from Castlecraig Farms, Nigg, to Ness Foods, Inverness, and £878.40 gross for a 720kg Limousin from Dochcarty Farm, Dingwall, to Woodhead brothers, Turriff.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (July, 24th) sold 47 prime cattle and 208 prime sheep. Prime bullocks (11) averaged 130.5p (+2.6p) and sold to 140p per kg for a for a 575kg Aberdeen Angus cross from Bridgend, Dingwall, and £831.85 gross for a 635kg Charolais cross from Pithogarty, Tain, both to Woodhead Brothers, Turriff.
Highland Council's new leadership team visited Dounreay on July 20 to see how Scotland's biggest nuclear clean-up project is changing the face of the north Highlands. Recently-elected convener Councillor Sandy Park was accompanied by the authority's new chief executive Alistair Dodds on a tour of the £2.9 billion project to decommission the fast reactor experiment.
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY BEING CONDUCTED FOR PROPOSED NEW LOW LEVEL WASTE FACILITIES Site characterisation work for the proposed new low-level waste facilities at Dounreay continues this week with a geophysical survey being conducted on the old runway area to the east of the site. The survey will use techniques such as seismic and ground penetrating radar to build up a picture of the rock and soils underlying the proposed low-level waste facilities site.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd, (July 18th) sold 1,384 store cattle in the Anniversary show and sale. The Judge, Mr Alan Turnbull of Meadowend, Clackmannan, chose a 510kg senior Limousin heifer from J Munro & Son, Invercharron, Ardgay, which realised £760 to D Morrison, No.
Scottish Ministers have today published a £3.6 billion rail blueprint aimed at cutting journey times, increasing capacity and meeting rising passenger demand up to 2014. The plan details what Ministers want the rail industry to deliver between 2009 and 2014 - and the money from the existing transport budget to deliver it.
A unique training course that educates participants in all aspects of the seafood industry is to be piloted in Inverness in August. A small Highland training company, the Fish Industry Training Association (FITA), has partnered with fisheries colleges in several EU nations to develop a new opportunity that is a first for the UK: the Mare Nostrum Project.
Improvements have been made to the UKAEA's procedures for temporary waste storage following shortcomings identified by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate. Speaking outside Wick Sheriff Court, where UKAEA was fined £15,000 after pleading guilty to the charge, Simon Middlemas, Dounreay's site director said "We accept some mistakes were made in the Marshall Lab at the beginning of last year resulting in a worker receiving a very minimal plutonium intake.
Roy Kirk has been appointed to the post of inward investment manager by the Caithness Regeneration Partnership. The role has been created to assist Caithness and North Sutherland's economy through the effects of the Dounreay nuclear plant's run-down.
It's not always easy for people who are away from home or for family or friends who are abroad to find a local florist, especially with so many companies now sending "boxed flowers". Amanda's are making life easier to reach out across the miles by adding a web site to show what they offer.
Caithness Glass has made comeback in Caithness. Riverside Replicas the well-known furniture and gift shop at Riverside Road, Thurso has acquired a quantity of stock made at the Wick factory.
Local Farmer and chairman of Mey Selections Danny Miller was once again beating the trail to Sainsbury's in London to highlight the growing range of high quality food products from the north of Scotland that willbe available for stores in time for Christmas. Suppliers from Mey Selections brought Christmas to Sainsburys HQ in July.
LOCAL COMMUNITIES BENEFIT FROM DOUNREAY COMMUNITIES FUND Dounreay Communities Fund has started well with over £13,000 already being donated to fifty-seven local charities and organisations. The fund, launched on 1st April is provided by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and is supplemented by UKAEA through a workforce safety dividend at Dounreay.
One of Wick's longest-established businesses has proved it has its ear to the ground by introducing a ground-breaking, high-tech computerised system that automatically guides staff to the right area of its warehouse. The system at Sutherland Brothers Ltd has been assisted with a £24,000 grant from HIE Caithness and Sutherland and allows staff to hear instructions through headphones which help them select the correct item to add to customer orders.
Councillor Bill Fernie, Highland Councillor for Wick, was recently elected as Chair of the Board of Directors of Highland Opportunity Limited and Councillor Helen Carmichael who represents the Aird and Loch Ness Ward was elected as Vice-Chair. Highland Opportunity Limited is a Highland Council company, limited by guarantee, with a Board of Directors drawn from the Council's elected members.
