Football team revival and a Christmas tree offer
Read to the end to read a lovely post about the history of the Arctic Convoy Museum at Aultbea.
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🌬️ Batten down the hatches. A MET Office Yellow Warning for wind has been issued for The Highlands and Islands. Strong gales from Thursday afternoon until 11am on Friday morning are forecast. More: Matthew Fulton | STV
⚽ Locals are hoping to revive a local football team for the Gairloch and Aultbea area. Anyone interested in the idea, of any ability, is invited to meet at 19:00 at the Gairloch Astroturf pitch on Fridays. More: Facebook
🕺 This Saturday, November 29, there'll be a ceilidh in Lochcarron Village Hall from 19:30. More: Facebook
DTC is a trusted plant hire and contracting business based in Aultbea, serving the local community and surrounding areas. Whether you need reliable machinery for a project or experienced contracting services, DTC is here to help with a friendly and professional approach. Find us on Facebook by searching for DTC Plant Hire & Contractor or call 07796 500315.
🎭 Next week, three actors will take to the road for Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s annual Gaelic pantomime tour with Luchlann agus am Bonn Òir (Luchlann and the Gold Medal), a sparkling new adventure loosely based on the story of Dick Whittington. The show will visit Ullapool, Plockton and Lochcarron primary schools in Wester Ross and there is a public performance in Inverness on December 4. More: Fèisean nan Gàidheal
🎄Christmas trees can be expensive. So here's a good idea from the Laide and Aultbea Community Woodland. If you pitch in a bit of time to help them remove non-native lodgepole pines from the woodland on December 6, you can take one home to use as your Christmas tree for free. More in the flyer below.
❓Also on December 6, there's a dinner and festive quiz night planned at Kinlochewe Village Hall. Let them know you plan on coming in advance if you'd like food. More: Facebook
🐾 The Wester Ross Biosphere are holding their AGM on December 9 at 19:00. It's an online only affair. Existing members are encouraged to check their email for details. If you would like to attend but are not a member already, you can join for free. If you think you are already a member but didn’t receive the AGM notice, contact [email protected] so they can double-check the register.
🛍️ The Torridon Thursday Christmas Market has a new date after the last one was postponed by snow. The market will now take place at the Loch Torridon Community Centre on December 11. More: Facebook
🍽️ The Applecross Seniors Christmas Dinner will take place in the local hall on Friday December 12. If you'd like to go you need to let organisers know by December 1. Menu, costs and contact details: Facebook
🏛️ Gairloch Community Hall are looking for more volunteer helpers and committee members. If interested in getting involved call Dennis on 01445 771 322 or drop in to the AGM on Wednesday 17th December, 14:00 in the Annexe at the Hall. "All welcome especially new faces!"
We're putting the penultimate issue of the Gairloch and District Times together for 2025 right now. Do you have an event, announcement or report you'd like us to include in it? The deadline for submissions is 10:00 on November 28. Email us on [email protected] or send stuff to us using this form.
🏔️ The company that promotes the NC500 is looking for a new Executive Chairperson. Experience in tourism is essential, and detailed knowledge of the North Highlands is considered a significant advantage. The post is paid, part-time (three days per week) and based on a hybrid working model. Potential candidates should email [email protected] for more.
🦋 Martin Hughes, Operations Manager for Inverewe and Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve, has revealed the results of moth surveys at the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) sites. More: NTS
🍻 Ewebrew's plans to open a tap room in the annexe at Poolewe Village Hall have been put "on hold" for "operational reasons," according to a social media post from the firm. More: Facebook
🎵 James, The Human League and Callum Beattie have been announced as the headliners for the 2026 Belladrum festival. Lots of other acts have been confirmed too. More: tartanheartfestival.com
🛠️ The Lochcarron Men's Shed officially opened recently, with an event that celebrated community support and local business contributions that helped to get the project off the ground. More: Hector Mackenzie | Ross-Shire Journal (£)
🏨 The Torridon Hotel is one of just three Scottish hotels to join an exclusive international association of hoteliers called Relais & Châteaux. More: Eamonn Crowe | Boutique Hotelier
💰 In a social media video, Local MP Angus MacDonald has welcomed the cut in electricity bills that was announced in Rachel Reeves' budget. He has campaigned on the issue since he got elected in the last General Election. The budget takes levies off energy bills to save households £150 on average next year, and up to £300 for some poorer households. More: Facebook
💊 According to the latest minutes from Aultbea Community Council, Gairloch Pharmacy is conducting a review to determine if the Aultbea prescription delivery service is still fit for purpose, including potential alternative arrangements. No changes will happen before the New Year and notice of any change will be given.
🚦Garve Community Council have revealed that there has been yet more delay to the road repairs at "Check Rail Corner" on the A835. This means temporary traffic lights will have been operating at the site for more than two years. More: Garve Community Council
🛤️ Plans to introduce hi-tech hydrogen and battery powered trains on rural rail routes such as the Kyle Line have been shelved by ministers. Instead, the Kyle Line is to be given hand-me-down diesel trains from other lines. More: Alastair Dalton | The Scotsman
🦠 NHS Highland have warned that an outbreak of Legionella at UHI House in Inverness means that routine dental appointments at the Inverness Dental Centre have been cancelled. Emergency dental care remains available. Diabetes Centre appointments are being relocated or rescheduled. More: Facebook
🐄 The Crofting Commission have put a shout out for anyone who might have copies of their annual reports from the years 1886 to 1911 because they don't have them. More: Facebook
👨👩👧👦 A new academic report looking into solutions to rural depopulation in Scotland concludes that a combination of targeted infrastructure investment and special visas that would allow migrants to move to rural areas could improve things. More: SRUC and Sandra Dick | The Herald (£)
🐑 And finally, Karen Buchanan, Curator at the Arctic Convoy Museum, has been modelling new patterns for a hat and cowl that have been produced specially for the museum by Kate Davies Designs. The pattern will be available for sale in the museum shop, and proceeds will go to the museum. Karen has also written an interesting short history on the museum for the designer's website. More: Kate Davies Designs
Thanks to Mark Littlejohn for letting us share the photo he took of a rainbow over Gairloch this week. If you have a photo you'd like us to share with our readers send it to us here.
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