Friday, 11 June 2021

WELCOME CAROLINE TUCKER

Caroline Tucker started as Project Co-Ordinator this week.  Hello Caroline.  She will be here to support current projects and identified through the Community Action Plan, raising the capacity of the Trust to support organisations and volunteers as you progress your ideas.  Caroline will ensure timelines are in place and contractors are meeting agreed deadlines.

BETTER CONNECTIONS

This week I attended the first of the second round of Community Action Plan Working Groups – Better Connections.  Read more and watch the session here Workshop summary.

It was useful to see the combined knowledge of everyone working together and starting to focus on all the ideas and discussions of the last few months and planting the seeds for potential solutions and great initiatives.

The community members discussed:

High speed broadband for all households

A community transport initiative, for example a minibus owned by the community or a subsidy to a private operator.

Safer walking and cycling within villages so children, for example, can get to schools safely. 

Off-road access network between villages and up into the hills using forest roads and windfarm access tracks (this links strongly to the Outdoors and Nature theme)

Working with Highland Council more proactively and strategically on roads maintenance

Outdoors and Nature and Our Homes are next week – sign up here Roll up your sleeves, things are warming up! 

BETTER MINUTES

This week I learnt a valuable lesson on the importance and accuracy of minutes.  In relation to the point above about community transport initiatives in one set of Community Council minutes we found a commitment to providing a school minibus from the Red John Hydro Project that was granted this week.  This bus would then be left to our community.  The Trust and Community Council will investigate this further!

OVER 50 AND COUNTING – RIVERSIDE FIELD SURVEY

We currently have over 50 responses to the Riverside Field survey. This is already a substantial sample from the community that captures and represents your view on the project but please continue to let us know your views here before midnight on 21st June here.

We will publish the results and your comments will help guide the Community Steering Group who will take this forward if the project gets through planning.  The Trust has facilitated this survey to help capture the community view around the area and closest to the field TODAY, after several years of development work.

We think it is very important that people engage with the planning process planning if they have a positive or negative view.  Three people have taken the opportunity to do so. Before commenting do read the Design Statement in Documents as that tells the story of how the community got to this point, including the background of the site and all community consultations.  Make your views known to the Local Council Planning Department here.

Planning seems scary but it is a useful process.  It can clarify facts and highlight potential areas for change.  For example, the Flood Risk Management team do not object because of the proposed drainage arrangements.  However, Sports Scotland have suggested an alternative to a manned climbing wall and offered their help for a bouldering option which members of the community may prefer.  Other statutory consultees will give their view so we, as community members, get a sense what is and is not acceptable according to policy and planning regulations.

RISE UP

This week Wildside Caretaker Mark Henderson co-ordinated several individuals and groups to raise the roof on the marquee at the back of Wildside.  It is great to see our new staff, volunteers and Team SFCT work together to come to solutions on projects which, to many, may seem easy but aren’t without their challenges along the way. 

Wildside is becoming a hub of community activity and that is why it is wonderful to see the Summer Gala and Market has made its way to our grounds.  The event is one of many helping us get back to some sense of normality after an unusual year, bringing people together to continue to work together for each other and simply enjoy each other’s company that perhaps we all took for granted. 

I recently went to a Scottish Government event and people were asked what word sums up the last year for you within your community.  I will leave Five Things this week with words you might be living by….

Resilience

Hope

Partnership

Tired / Challenge

Community

Adaptability

Enthusiasm

Inspired

Fairness

And my personal favourite

Sausages

2025

February (12 stories)

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21 February Congratulations to Whitebridge Hotel

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19 February 📣 Youth Club returns this Thursday 📣

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19 February Communications 2025!

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13 February Mailing List Update

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12 February Next Sat 22nd February

Next Sat 22nd February   Inverfarigaig Forest School, Farigaig Forestry Carpark IV2 6XR - From 2pm   Come and speak to us about your thoughts fo...

11 February ⚠️ Update regarding the upcoming works taking place at The Wildside Centre ⚠️

We can now confirm that the scheduled works on upgrading the toilet facilities in the Wildside Centre is starting this Thursday – 13th February.   The Wi...

11 February 🙌 JOIN OUR TEAM 🙌

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8 February 📢 THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE 📢

Later today the Pathways Group are hosting their Community Engagement event at the Wildside Centre from 13.30pm.   For the past year, the Pathways Group has be...

6 February Errogie Church Statement

As you will be aware, an announcement was made by the Trust in mid December 2024 that we were unfortunately unable to host three events that were due to take place at Err...

6 February Wildside Wednesday Success!

🙌THANK YOU 🙌 We want to say a big thank you to those of you who popped along to our first Wildside Wednesday event yesterday! It was great to see you all 😃  ...

5 February !! WILDSIDE WEDNESDAY - TODAY !!

Join us TODAY at the Wildside Centre, between 9.30am – 12.30pm where the first Wildside Wednesday of 2025 will take place.  You can shop local, with local p...

January (22 stories)

31 January !! Next Saturday !!

On the 8th Feb The Pathways Group host their Community Engagement Day at the Wildside Centre from 13.30pm.   The group have setup a dedicated Facebook event pa...

30 January Refurbishments to toilets in The Wildside Centre

Following many months of work behind the scenes we are pleased to be able to share with you that work on upgrading the ladies toilets and creating a larger disabled toile...

30 January Fancy a sing song with Monadhliath?

The Monadhliath Choir invites all singers to a charity singing event on the 27.04.2025 at Stratherrick Public Hall. If you would be interested in join...

29 January February Newsletter

We are pleased to share that our Feb newsletter should be making its way through your door next week! 🙌   Please look out for the white envelope addressed to ...

25 January Do you use Instagram?

Did you know that Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust are on Instagram? If you too have an account, why not give our page a follow. We’re keen to build up ...

24 January Foyers Community Fire Station

🚒 Foyers Community Fire Station 🚒   Foyers Community Fire station has a competent crew of 7 personnel, but we are in real need of new recruits, to keep the s...

23 January Wildside Wednesday is returning!

Join us on the 5th February at the Wildside Centre, between 9.30am – 12.30pm.   Here is your chance to shop local, with local produce from Lyne Mhor Crof...

22 January Loch Ness Luvvies - Traditional Burns Supper

This Friday, 24th Jan the Loch Ness Luvvies are hosting their very own Traditional Burns Supper at Stratherrick Hall, Gorthleck at 7.30pm. Tickets are £20 per he...

22 January Timings have been announced!

As you may have recently seen, The Pathways Group are running a Community Engagement event on the 8th February from 1pm at The Wildside Centre. In our previous post, t...

21 January ** Mobile Library Update **

Mark, our local librarian has kindly sent over a full list of dates when he will be stopping in the area. You can find the full list here: https://www.stratherrickcommuni...

20 January Invitation to tender - Health & Safety Consultant required

We are looking for an experienced Health & Safety professional to carry out a comprehensive survey on Errogie Church to ensure that the building is fully compliant fo...

19 January Send in your dates for the Community Calendar!

Did you know we have an online Community Calendar? If not, you can find it here: https://www.stratherrickcommunity.org.uk/calendar/   We would love to inclu...

18 January What's the next step?

For the past year, the Pathways Group has been working hard to promote the local path network, paths that lead through rich landscapes, historical sites, and biodiversity...

15 January Community Engagement Day - 8th Feb

Over the last month you may have noticed that the Pathways Group are holding a Community Engagement Day on the 8th February. You can find out all about the event by follo...

14 January Mobile Library Update

Below you will find a list of updated Dates/Times where you can visit the Mobile Library at The Wildside Centre.   We will add these dates to the Online Commu...

14 January Indoor Carpet Bowls makes it return as of today!

** TODAY ** Indoor Carpet Bowls makes it return as of today! The group return to their weekly session after the Xmas break. Please note: The group will now ...

10 January Community Engagement Event - 8th Feb

The Pathways Group invites you to a community event that explores the potential development of a pathways based app. This is your opportunity to help shape an app which w...

9 January Deadline for Jan/Feb Newsletter Content!

The deadline to send in any content for the Jan/Feb Newsletter is Friday the 17th of January 2025. Please email marketingofficer@sfctrust.org.uk with your articles inclu...

9 January Send us in your photos from the Winter Festival

A HUGE thank you to those of you who have already uploaded photos to our shared community photo gallery during the festival.   If you have any wintery snaps th...

8 January Reverse Advent Calendar Success!

Santa's little helpers would like to thank everyone who contributed in any way to the overwhelming success of this project. The generosity shown by our community was ...

8 January ** MOBILE LIBRARY VISIT TODAY CANCELLED **

Sadly, due to the current road conditions, Mark who drives the local ‘Mobile Library’ will NOT be stopping at Wildside today. All books will be renewed, and h...

7 January Welcome Back

Hello, we hope you had a relaxing time during the festivities. As it’s now time to get back to work, we thought it would be a good idea to update our online communi...