A new GP and a new owner for Inverbroom

Welcome to the latest installment of the Wester Ross Round-up. This week our newsletter is landing in 770 inboxes. If some kind soul forwarded this email to you and you'd like to get this newsletter every week, then hit the button below to sign-up. It's free!

⛰️ The Scottish Wildlife Trust has taken ownership of the 7,618-hectare Inverbroom Estate, following a record donation from an anoymous donor. An announcement about the £17.5m acquisition can be found on the trust website. The Guardian reports that the conservation charity plans to end all deer stalking and grouse shooting with a view to making the estate "a model for rewilding in north-western Scotland."

A spokesperson added: "The Trust intends to engage closely with the local community. It will be holding a public drop-in session from 6-7pm on Thursday 13 March at Braemore Village Hall, where residents can meet Trust staff to discuss the acquisition and future plans for the site."

👩‍⚕️ The Aultbea and Gairloch Medical Practice has confirmed that it has recruited a new doctor. A short statement on their website said: "We are happy to announce that we have a new GP Partner joining us at The Aultbea and Gairloch Medical Practice, Dr. Sally Gray."

🍲 Locals are invited to Poolewe Primary School's soup lunch in Poolewe Village Hall on Saturday 8th March 11.30 - 14:00. All funds raised go towards the P6 and P7 residential trip to Loch Eil.

🍲 The last Warm Mondays event of the winter has now taken place in Gairloch Community Hall. In a statement posted to social media organisers said: "That is Warm Monday's over for this winter. Thanks so much to the many volunteers who provide soup and baking every week, help in the kitchen and serve at table, organise Bingo and provide prizes etc. It has been wonderful to see so many of the Community come along for the Craic as well as delicious food!"

🎸 BUT - Music Mondays are kicking off in Poolewe Village Hall. Details in the flyer below.

🎵 Poolewe Village Hall is also host to the first of the 2025 West Coast Arts events. Adam Holmes is playing on Saturday March 8 at 19.30.

🦌 Lots of places are starting to open up again for the 2025 season. A recent announcement that caught our eyes was from The Old Inn. The business is back with a new menu for 2025.

🌷The Garden Cottage Nursery is also back. They're now open 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

🚣 The Lochewe Community Skiff Group are gearing up for the 2025 rowing season. Whether you are an old hand or just skiff-curious you are invited to a lauch event at 11am on March 15 in the Pool House Cafe.

🐚 On March 26, the Ross-shire Countryside Rangers are inviting volunteers to come and help with the annual sand clearing of the boardwalk leading to Mellon Udrigle beach. You'll be rewarded with biscuits and cake. Details on this social media page.

🏋️ The Gym at Gairloch Leisure Centre has been stocked up with new weights. Will we see more toned local folk as a result? The centre is also promoting Saturday archery sessions in March.

🧑‍🍳 Gairloch Museum is recruiting part-time serving, clearing and support staff to join the team in the Museum Cafe, Am Bàrd. More in this Facebook post. The visitor attraction is also looking for donations of spare tree guards.

🏫 Speaking of donations, Gairloch High School has thanked everyone that supported last weekends bring and buy sale. It raised a whopping £2273 that will be put towards school activities.

🏨 Shieldaig Lodge are looking to recruit a Housekeeper. Details in this Facebook post.

🧑‍💼 Whilst we're on the subject of work, the UK Government is set to pass a bill that will improve workers rights in Scotland - especially for those on seasonal or zero hours contracts. More in The Guardian.

🚗 Shieldaig Community Council is calling for new speed restrictions and campervan parking restrictions in the village. There's more in this West Highland Free Press report.

🌱 The Wester Ross Fisheries Trust is part of a new national project to rejuvinate 14 hectares of seagrass meadows around Scotland's coasts. The BBC report on the £2.4m marine conservation project makes interesting reading.

🚋 Scotrail have announced improvements to the "Highland rail card" offer for travellers with kids. The discount card already gives holders 50% off the price of all rail fares on the Kyle of Lochalsh route to local residents for just £15 per year. Now you can take up to four kids for a quid with you too.

🗳️ Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain has said that he plans to step down at the next Holyrood election. He was first elected in 2016. More on the STV website.

🛠️ Highland Community Justice Partnership find and supervise the projects that people serving community sentences work on. They are looking for local jobs and work placements in the area. Details in the flyer below.

⛏️ Community groups are also being invited to apply for Community Regeneration Funding by the council. Capital funding of between £5000 and £100,000 is available for "shovel ready" projects. Initial applications must be in by March 28. More information here.

💷 Highland Council budget plans include a 7% council tax rise, the re-introduction of an 18-strong seasonal countryside ranger service, investment in more teachers and additional support for learning staff, as well as millions for buses and renewable energy. Notably, £6m transport investment is earmarked for expanding council-owned bus services to more communities across the Highlands, according to this Ross-shire Journal story.

🧑‍🏫 On education, Highland Council celebrated a "significant increase in positive destinations for school leavers," recently. But critics have spotted that Government statistics also show that far fewer Highland pupils are likely to go on to university or further education courses than the national average. Opposition councillors say official reports are "desperately, unconvincingly positive," according to a story in the Inverness Courier. Local Liberal Democrats think a "super school" in Inverness that would serve senior pupils throughout the Highlands could be the fix.

👪 11,770 children in the Highlands have benefited from the Scottish Child Payment, since it launched in 2021, according to a recent Scottish Government press release. Nevertheless, council officials say around £70 million worth of benefits still go unclaimed in the Highlands, including £6.9 million unclaimed pension credits. To find out whether you might be missing out call the council advice team on 0800 090 1004.

🐳 And lastly STV have some video of the 15m sperm whale that sadly died this week after it stranded on the coast of Raasay. It is the third whale to get tangled in fishing gear in the area since January, but it is the only one that rescuers have been unable to save. The council must now figure out how to dispose of the body. Hopefully they won't try to blow it up.

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PS - If you voted in our recent poll on proposed changes to speed limits - thanks! We'll be publishing the results - and a selection of your views - in the next issue of the paper.