Wester Ross Radio wins funding, Badachro whisky and all the bonfires
Read to the end to watch a short film of a modern day Highland cattle drove.
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💷 There's good news for a number of Wester Ross groups after they were awarded council cash. Among them:
- Kyle and Lochalsh Community Trust - £63,839.32
- Wester Loch Ewe Trust - £40,000
- Torridon District Community Association - £ 35,000
- Wester Ross Radio - £30,000
- Applecross Community Company - £17,955
- Arctic Convoy Museum - £2,000
You can find out more about what each grant is for in this council press release.
The small print for the Wester Ross Radio application reveals that in addition to the council cash, local firm Badachro Hydro Ltd has also donated £4000 to the community media project. More: Highland.gov.uk (pdf)
🏛️ But that's not all! Aultbea Hall have won a £1500 "inspiration" prize in UK-wide competition run The Village Halls Podcast. And they're going to make a podcast about the hall too. More: Facebook
Isle View is a purpose-built nursing home, registered for up to 25 residents in Aultbea. We work with residents with a wide range of health conditions, including all forms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. See what we get up to via Facebook! We have various vacancies full-time / part-time. Contact us on 01445 731 500 or [email protected]k
🎆 Turning to bonfires and fireworks, a weather-proof indoor fireworks display is planned at the Aultbea Hub on Thursday November 6. More: Facebook
🎆 The Ullapool community celebration will take place on Friday November 7. The bonfire will be lit at 18:15 and the fireworks will start at 19:00. Hot food and drinks will be available. More: Facebook
🔥 There is also a bonfire night celebration planned at Shieldaig. Proceedings kick off at 18:30 on Friday November 7 at the sports ground. More: Facebook
🧨 And also on November 7, there will be a fireworks display at Applecross Community Hall. A bar, ping pong and hot dogs will also be on offer. Facebook
🍻 Congrats are due to everyone at the Applecross Inn, who were named in the top 100 pubs in the whole UK recently by The Good Food Guide. The Daily Record has published the full list. More: Chloe Dobinson | Daily Record.
🥃 In a sponsored article in the Ross-Shire Journal, Badachro Distillery reveal they are set to produce their own whisky for the first time by the end of 2025. The distillery will be the only whisky producer on the north-west coast north of Ardnamurchan. More: Federica Stefani | Ross-Shire Journal
🐟 And in Ullapool the folk at Deli-ca-sea Fish and Chip Shop are looking forward to finding out if they've won an award in this year's Scottish Fish & Chip Awards, where they are short-listed in no less than four different categories. More: Facebook. The business is also looking to hire a Head Fish Fryer. More: Facebook
🍟 More chips news: The Angry Seagull mobile chip van is to make a return to Gairloch for the first time in ages. It will be at the Farm and Garden car park between 16:30 and 20:00 on Saturday November 8. More: Facebook
🌳 Ever fancied planting more trees on your croft, but not sure about the best way to do it? This online event on November 11 may give you some inspiration. More: TicketTailor
🎄 Do you fancy getting crafty in the run up to Christmas? Ullapool Unpacked CIC are holding a couple of workshops on November 23, where you can learn how to make your own Christmas crackers and how to make an advent calendar. More: Facebook
🍪 GALE have also announced a series of "Craftmas" events in Gairloch too. More: GALE
🍛 Looking forward to December 19, Gairloch High Parent Council are planning a family social night and Asian Buffet fundraiser at The Shieling, Gairloch. Tickets from Eventbrite.
Issue 22 of the Gairloch and District Times comes out on Friday. It's packed with info on loads more groups and events - including Christmas ones - that we simply don't have space for in this email. You can buy a paper copy in these excellent places, or you can get a year's worth of electronic copies by signing up as a paid digital subscriber.
⛪ Aultbea Community Hub users could be enjoying a new heating system soon. Planners have given their blessing to a proposal for two new heat pumps. More: Highland Council
🛍️ Shieldaig General Stores shut for the winter this week. In a social media post the owners thanked their customers and said they plan to reopen in February. More: Facebook and Iona M.J MacDonald | Ross-Shire Journal (£)
🏘️ Council officials have calculated you need to earn more than £62,000 per year to be able to afford an average house in Ross and Cromarty West - and 71% of local residents can't afford that. Meanwhile, nearly a third (29%) of homes in the area are either empty, second homes or short-term lets.
These figures were shared as part of the slow journey towards implementing a Short-Term Let Control Area in Wester Ross. This week, councillors on the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Area Committee decided that they would "seek to progress with the process of considering the introduction of a Short Term Let Control Area." Eventually, this might bring house prices down and stop the further proliferation of Short Term Lets, but there are many bureaucratic hurdles to overcome before any new regulations can actually come into effect. In the meantime, this report (pdf) sets out the details, and this nice interactive map can show you the detailed numbers where you live.
🏠 And illustrating the impact of the local housing shortage on businesses, Judith Fish, proprietor of the Applecross Inn, says a shortage of local workers means that she has to pay for their accommodation and limit her opening hours. More: Alex Banks | The Press and Journal
🥂 UK Charity MySociety has compiled new information on the All Party Parliamentary Groups that MPs are a member of for the TheyWorkForYou.com service. Among other things, it reveals that Angus MacDonald MP is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on UK Spirits, whilst his colleague to the north, Jamie Stone MP is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Beer. Nice work if you can get it.
🅿️ The council has revealed how much cash "invitation to pay" car parks have raised for local projects in the area in the last year. In total the area committee has nearly £25,000 to dish out from this source, including £1229 from Gairloch Harbour car park, £1530 from Little Gruinard Car Park and a whopping £11,484 from the Latheron Car Park in Ullapool. More: Highland Council (pdf)
💰 But Highland Council also faces a £36.7 million budget shortfall over the next three years, prompting criticism and concerns over potential service cuts. Read more here: Scott MacLennan | Inverness Courier (£)
🐂 And lastly, here's a short film about a modern-day attempt to drove cattle from the west coast at Kintail to the east. And for some bonus historical content, it was reportedly inspired by this audio recording of Alexander Murdie, who recounted his experience of going on month-long droves from Loch Broom to Falkirk when he was 15. He was speaking as a 92 year old in 1956!
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