Poolewe ceilidh dates and pods given green light
Read to the end for a nice video from the Loch Carron sea floor.
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⚽ It seems like there's lots of good news to share this week so let's kick things off with some good news from Wester Loch Ewe Community Council. Thanks to a grant from Highland Council, topped up by local firm EweBrew, there are now new nets for the large football goals at Poolewe, some junior goals, targets and a host of other kit. A community councillor said: "Our hope is to leave the goals and targets out for the kids (young and old) to use at all times. Can we ask that everyone takes care of the equipment." Other kit will be made available to Bombers football training sessions and community groups on request. More: Facebook.
Come browse the Button Bothy & Ron's Book Bothy in Poolewe - a treasure trove of local crafts, gifts, cards, buttons and secondhand books. Open Monday - Wednesday 10am-4pm at Poolewe Village Hall.
🍛 The fundraising curry night at Crumbs takeaway in Gairloch served up more than 100 curries and raised a remarkable £1200 for cancer care charity Macmillan. More: Facebook.
🛝 A recent Babies to Bairns session in Aultbea Hall was a success, and more dates are likely to follow soon. More: Facebook.
🕺 Poolewe Cèilidh Partnership have announced their dates for this summer. Details in the flyer below.
⛰️ The Beinn Eighe Ranger team are putting on a Dragon Fly walk on Saturday July 5. More: Eventbrite.
🚶Also, The National Trust for Scotland Torridon Ranger team are running weekly wellbeing walks every Tuesday, starting at 11am. Each walk is about 30 minutes long and ends with free tea and cake. To find out more contact Rory Shannon on 07596564142 or email [email protected].
🐴 Gairloch Trekking Centre have announced their summer pony camp will take place on July 7-11. More: Facebook.
💡 Don't forget! You can find a comprehensive guide to local clubs, meet-ups and events in every issue of the Gairloch and District Times. If you have something you'd like us to include, let us know here. To get access online, become a paying subscriber by hitting the button below.
🏕️ Controversial glamping pods have been approved in Laide, despite nearly 60 objections from residents, the local community council, and opposition from constituency councillor Liz Kraft. Highland councillors on the planning committee opted "not to intervene in community disputes," and voted to give the proposal the green light. More: Will Angus | Press and Journal (£)
🚁 Paul Holywood of Bake Off TV fame has said that he wants to fly to Poolewe in a helicopter after he passed several pilot exams and discovering he has family ties to the area. “I am a Mackenzie of Gairloch and Poolewe. My family are Highlanders who went down to Glasgow in the 1800s,” he told Sally MacDonald of the Sunday Post.
🦆 Animal news: ducks at Gairloch Harbour decided the rain wasn't for them recently, and took shelter in the Gairloch Marine Wildlife Centre during a recent downpour (See cover photo). Separately, locals have been urged to look out for ducklings and goslings around the harbour, as they seem to be born with no road sense whatsoever. More: Facebook.
🏊 Poolewe Swimming Pool has unfortunately been closed by a technical fault again. It will be closed on June 11-12.
🖥️ If you work from home and need a change of scene, or simply need a temporary workspace, The Old School House at Inverasdale is now offering co-working facilities. A half-day at the venue is £10 and you get self-serve tea and coffee thrown in. More: Facebook.
🚫 The Bealach na Bà will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am, Monday - Thursday for four weeks, from June 16. More: Facebook.
⚓ Kishorn Port are recruiting for a new Office and Accomodation Manager, as well as cleaners. More: Ferguson Transport.
🚨 An information session has been organised for anyone in the Gairloch area that is interested in becoming a Community First Responder. The session will take place on June 16 at 7pm in the Gairloch Community Hall. More details in the flyer below.
⚡A short film highlighting the weakness - or complete absence - of the national grid on Applecross and in the Balgy Gap by Lesley Riddoch has been veiwed more than 15,000 times. More: YouTube.
💡Meanwhile, a controversial 160km upgrade to a grid link between Loch Ness and Skye has been approved by The Scottish Government despite objections from Highland Council. More: Alasdair Macleod and Cameron Angus-Mackay | BBC.
🌄 MP Jamie Stone has raised concerns in Westminster regarding the rapid development of multibillion-pound renewable energy projects in the Highlands, calling for greater community involvement and a discussion on the implications for local residents ahead of a Highland-wide convention in Beauly set to take place this Saturday. More: Scott MacLennan | Ross-shire Journal (£).
💷 If you know a young person aged 16-19 who will be in school or college from August 2025 tell them they may be eligible for a £30 a week Educational Maintenance Allowance. The Allowance provides an incentive for young people aged 16-19 from lower income families to continue with their post-16 education, either in school or college. More: Highland Council.
🚜 The Crofting Commission has announced that it will no longer print and laminate signs related to new croft registrations or other regulatory updates. "The responsibility for these signs has always rested with the applying crofter," they said in a statement. More: Facebook.
🌊 And lastly, NatureScot's marine survey team has been working with members of the Ross, Sutherland, Skye and Lochalsh Fisherman's Association (RSSLA) this week. They have been surveying areas of the seabed in the Inner Sound, between Applecross and the Isle of Skye, using a drop-down video camera towed from a fishing boat to survey habitats, including maerl and flame shell beds. They shared some fascinating video footage from the Loch Carron Marine Protected Area earlier. Watch on Facebook.
BECAUSE NO NEWS IS BAD NEWS...
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