News for March 1999
Lochaber LEC head is named........March 31st 1999
A WOMAN who has been a leading light in the economic and social development of Lochaber, in the West Highlands of Scotland, is to head the area's local enterprise company.
Mrs Jackie Wright (40), an honours graduate of Newcastle University who worked for store companies like Marks and Spencer and Mothercare - she was that firm's Scots area manager when she moved to Lochaber in 1981 - joined Lochaber Limited in 1991 as a development officer.
She held several posts before becoming depute chief executive, and was selected for the top job from 24 applicants across the United Kingdom.
She succeeds Douglas MacDiarmid, who takes on a new role as head of inward investment for the whole Highlands and Islands Enterprise network on Monday, April 5, 1999.
Lochaber Limited chairman Andy Rogers said her appointment would build firmly on the successes achieved by the organisation under Mr MacDiarmid, being highly knowledgeable of the area and the local economy and already having the trust and confidence of staff and board members.
"She is well placed to lead the enterprise company in a fundamental review of its structure, building on our accountability and appointability through openness policies to create a greater transparency in the work of the LEC and maintain and enhance our professional approach."
Mrs Wright, who lives with her husband and son at Muirshearlich, near Banavie, said: "I am delighted to be taking Lochaber Limited forward into the new millennium. We have many challenges and uncertainties ahead of us, not least ensuring that Lochaber gets its share of resources and support from the incoming Scottish Parliament.
"We will also face many local issues, helping the communities of Knoydart and Eigg to grow, completing the work well under way at Kinlochleven and consolidating the work of Lochaber College.
"One of my first duties will be to consult widely with local businesses, agencies and communities to set a new agenda so that, together, Lochaber can move into the new millennium with confidence."
Orkney burnishes its food quality image........March 31st 1999
A FOOD expert has been appointed in the Orkney islands north of Scotland to review quality as food and drink companies there combine as Orkney Quality Food and Drink to ensure their products remain of the highest standard.
Brennan Greene, of Worcester, in England's Midlands, who has worked for 22 years in the food industry, said: "The quality of Orkney's products is well recognised by leading retailers and restaurants around the world. The consultancy will allow ground research on how further improvements can be made to ensure Orkney can build on its quality image.
"This appointment will meet the demands of the industry and it makes economic sense for firms to pool their resources and employ one person on a full-time basis to service their manufacturing bases."
Depending on his findings, the appointment could lead to recruitment of a permanent food technologist.
It followed talks with Howie Firth, Orkney Islands Council; Chris Gilbert Wood, agricultural and livestock manager with leading British retailers Marks and Spencer, and Orkney Enterprise, in which the need for expert guidance on procedures for quality control were highlighted.
Chris Wood said his firm had sold a number of Orcadian products for many years. "Quality has always been synonymous with the St Michael brand and these products have clearly played their part. It has been rewarding for Marks and Spencer to give something back to the local industry that has our own commitment to excellence."
The islands council and the LEC are each putting £14,500 into the project, and OE's marketing executive, John Clarke, said it would allow them to identify the needs of a broad range of markets.
"It has been invaluable having Chris's expertise and support. As demand for Orkney's food and drink products increases, this project is seen as an important step in underpinning the quality image on which our marketing is firmly based."
His words were echoed by Kirsty McCallum, chairman of Orkney Food and Drink, who said: "This project underlines and supports the 'Quality' aspect of our group for customers and will help members develop strategies based around quality raw materials and production methods."
North Scotland benefits from surgical expansion........March 31st 1999
INCREASED ability of a hospital in North-east Scotland to carry out major surgery is to benefit patients in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and Tayside.
Cash has been granted to double the size of the intensive therapy unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary's main Foresterhill site and its annual upkeep.
The number of general ITU beds will increase from eight to 16, one or even two beds will be added to its unit of four cardiac intensive-care beds, and 50 nursing jobs will be created.
The result, said Scottish Office Health Minister Sam Galbraith, would be an increase in the hospital's capacity to carry out heart bypass surgery.
He said Scotland had a poor legacy of coronary heart disease and he was determined to make a difference to this and future generations of Scots by "tackling one of our major killers".
The extra beds would reduce the need for patients to travel long distances, even to Glasgow or Edinburgh, for intensive care.
The extra money is part of a Scots push to increase the number of heart bypass operations carried out every year and to incr4ease prevention work to reduce heart disease in Scotland.
The Highlands are also sharing in a £2.7million Scottish Office increase for mental health services.
They are getting £200,000 - £154,000 to develop a centralised team of doctors, nurses and social workers to care for elderly with mental health problems, including dementia, and £58,000 for a psychiatric nurse service at the accident and emergency unit at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.
The Western Isles is getting £100,000 so that services can be extended there.
Both Highland services will mean speedier assessment of patients, and specialist advice will be channeled throughout the North by video link.
Screen Machine back on road........March 31st 1999
THE HIGHLANDS of Scotland's mobile cinema, the Screen Machine, is going back on the road from Monday, April 5, 1999.
After playing 64 films to packed houses in the Island of Skye during the Celtic International Television and Film Festival the 18metre articulated trailer, which unfolds into an ultra-modern 110-seat auditorium, takes the latest film releases to communities across the area in a three-month tour.
HI Arts development director Robert Livingstone said: "Although 370,000 people live across the Highlands and Islands only six communities have access to a permanent cinema. The Screen Machine means that people throughout the area will be able to view films as they were intended to be viewed.
"There were a few teething problems to begin with but the Screen Machine will now embark on a tour that will visit more than 30 destinations including Stornoway, in the Western Isles."
Tickets can be obtained through Eden Court Theatre box office in Inverness on 01463 234234.
The full list of Screen Machine dates and venues is:
April 5-6 - Inverinate Community Centre;
7-8 - Lochcarron Shinty Field Car Park;
9-10 - Gairloch High School;
12-13 - Ullapool Leisure Centre;
14-15 - Lochinver Main Street;
16-17 - Kinlochbervie High School;
19-20 - Durness Balnakeil Craft Village;
21-22 - Bettyhill;
23-24 - Thurso Riverside Lorry Park;
26-27 - Wick Riverside Car Park;
28-29 - Helmsdale Football club;
30-May 1 - Brora Lorry Park;
3-4 - Lairg Car Park beside school;
5-6 - Dornoch Academy;
7-8 - Tain TRACC;
10-11 - Kinlochleven High School;
12-13 - Furnace Quarry Point Car Park;
14-15 - Port Ellen, Islay;
17-18 - Tarbet An Tairbeart Heritage Centre;
19-20 - Lochgilphead Resource Centre;
21-22 - Tighnabruaich Kyle of Bute Hotel;
24-25 - Tobermory Ledaig Car Park;
27-28 - Castle Bay Primary School;
May 31-June 1 - Daliburgh Borrodale Hotel;
2-3 - Lochmaddy Slipway Car Park;
7-8 - Tarbert TIC, Otternish;
9-10 - Stornoway former Mitchell's garage;
12 - Ullapool Leisure Centre;
14-15 - Lairg Car Park beside school;
16-17 - Dornoch Academy;
18-19 - Balintore opposite Community Centre.
Training tour guides........March 31st 1999
TOUR guides in the islands of Shetland, to the north of Scotland, are getting further training to allow them to reach a national standard and be accredited by the Scottish Tour Guides Association.
Successful completion of a six-day course studying subjects like customer care, microphone usage and itinerary planning allows guides to earn professional fees and counts towards a national tourism qualification.
STGA trainer Rosalind Newlands said there was a wealth of culture and history in Shetland to attract visitors from all over the world.
"Training will encourage guides to make the most of their personal strengths while ensuring that every visitor receives a consistent quality of interpretation and service delivery."
The course was supported by a £6,250 grant from Shetland Enterprise, part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network, and Shetland Islands Tourism.
SE's assistant development manager, Linda Coutts, said: "This programme will benefit existing guides and encourage others to join."
Farmer chairs Orkney Enterprise........March 30th 1999
A FARMER is taking the chair at Orkney Enterprise, part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network.
Ken Watson, of Rennibister Farm, Firth, who has been on the board since 1991 and deputy chairman since May, 1998, succeeds Eric Green, who is retiring after three years in the chair but remains a director.
Mr Watson, who has run Rennibister, just outside Kirkwall, for many years, is closely involved in farming issues and is a former president of the National Farmers' Union in Orkney.
He has been involved in advisory work for the North of Scotland College of Agriculture in Aberdeenshire and in Orkney, and before moving to the islands he managed two farming estates in Fife.
He is also a former chairman of Orkney Rugby Club.
Priorities in 1999-2000 will be to stimulate business start-up and expansion and to encourage greater uptake of training.
Mr Watson's appointment completes a year of change for the enterprise board - Stephen Hagan, councillor for Papa Westray, joining in May, 98; George Kirkpatrick, of James Wilson's Wholesalers, Stromness, in June; Andrew Wilson, deputy chairman, of A.H. Wilson Ltd., Kirkwall, and Tim Hartmann, Environment & Resource Technology Ltd., Stromness, in September, and then Rognvald Johnson, senior manager of the Royal Bank of Scotland in Orkney.
Directors, who are unpaid, are elected from the membership and applications are welcomed from people with a sound knowledge of Orkney's economy and culture and a keen interest in the development of the islands, whose most southern tip is about 25 miles to the north of the Scots mainland.
Plans for North Scotland cattle health database........March 30th 1999
AN INDUSTRY-LED initiative aims to improve the quality and health of the 410,000 head of beef and dairy cattle in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and create a comprehensive herd health database allowing complete traceability of cattle from the area.
The £760,000 scheme is being supported by the British government's Scottish Office, with £370,000 of funding. The remainder is being provided by participating beef and dairy producers.
The programme will be run by Hi Health Ltd., a partnership of representatives from the industry and the HIE chaired by retired East Ross dairy farmer Peter Cheyne, who said:
"Throughout the United Kingdom, a great deal of time and money is spent nursing sick animals and disposing of losses through disease, much of which could be reduced or eradicated through use of best practices.
"Here in the Highlands and Islands the industry is taking action. This programme not only ensures customers get the finest quality product available but will allow farmers to reduce costs by improving the already high standard of health found in our herds."
Hi Health hopes to attract 2,500 producers to the programme over five years.
It will be run through a series of local and sectoral groups which participating farmers can join at one of two levels.
Level One would include a producer developing and implementing a veterinary health plan, the ability to tap into Hi Health's marketing activities and inclusion in the central database.
Level Two would see the healthiest herds achieving disease-free accreditation.
The initiative is expected to be in place by the end of summer, 1999.
HIE marketing executive Rob Clarke said: "The beef and dairy industry is worth about £165million or 55% of the area's agricultural output. Health scares over the past few years have done a lot to shake confidence in the industry and it is vital that we demonstrate to consumers the quality of product we have in this area.
"Reaction from producers has so far been very positive, with a large number interested in joining. The next step is to set up a technical committee to oversee development of the rules and recruit a co-ordinator, who will be in post by June, 1999."
Partnership paves way for new houses........March 30th 1999
SIX new homes, providing much-needed affordable accommodation, are being brought back into active use in a remote Highlands of Scotland community
. . . thanks to the endeavours of a local company working in partnership with key public agencies.
The Laggan Trading Company in Badenoch, which owns and runs the village shop and is involved in a forest initiative, has bought and renovated six derelict cottages on nearby Strathmashie Estate
in a £259,000 project.
It is hoped internal improvements to the cottages and environmental works roundabout will be completed by the third week of April, 1999.
The Highland Council's housing service in Badenoch and Strathspey will manage the properties on the trading company's behalf. Tenants should be
chosen soon.
Funding has come from the Government's Empty Homes
Initiative (£102,3000), a grant from Highland Council (£56,700), a grant from Moray, Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise (£15,000) and a loan of £85,000 from the Triodos Bank, Bristol.
Area housing chairman Councillor Angus Gordon said: "The Empty Homes Initiative at Strathmashie has highlighted the successful working of various partners to provide much-needed affordable housing in this remote community. It will ensure the viability of the area, with its strong community involvement and participation.
"The local trading company is to be congratulated for its enterprise in promoting another important community project."
With Rural Forum and the trading company, the council funded a feasibility study into the potential for community purchase and renovation three years ago. Support came from a number of local estates and organisations.
The six houses, among 11 which were built by the Forestry Commission in 1954, have been empty for a number of years and needed extensive work to bring them up to an acceptable standard.
Island town-centre site being developed........March 30th 1999
DEVELOPMENT of a derelict site in the "capital" of the Orkney Islands, off the North of Scotland, will aid the island economy.
The £1.4million project in the heart of Kirkwall, Orkney's main town, is expected to create 22 new homes, and 5,000ft. of advance offices, for rent and shared ownership.
Demolition work has begun following the grant of planning permission to the Kiln Corner Partnership, made up of the islands council, the local enterprise company, the island housing association and Scottish Homes.
Delighted that its proposals for the site had been accepted, Orkney Housing Association director David Murdoch said they would provide "much-needed housing and office accommodation".
Funding was being given by Scottish Homes, Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Enterprise and "we would like to thank each of our partners for their support".
The enterprise company's chief execuitive, Ken Grant, said research had shown there was a demand for business and private accommodation in Kirkwall town centre.
"Building sustainable communities requires not only access to trade premises but affordable quality housing, both of which are addressed by this partnership project."
It would also help the development company to attract new investors to the area.
Director of finance and housing at the Orkney Council, David Robertson, said the project would further enhance the area around Kirkwall's waterfront, focus of a number of improvements in recent years.
The council was delighted to be involved and he had no doubt the project would serve as a good example of what could be achieved by co-operation between key local and national agencies.
This point was emphasised by Scottish Homes' managing director in the Highlands and Islands, Richard Burn, who said they were very pleased to play a part. "This is a very good example of how public, private and voluntary sectors can work together to support the economic development and meet the housing needs of the local community."
Integrated transport advised for North ........March 30th 1999
A NEW transport authority for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland could provide a major boost to development efforts and quality of life, according to the area's development agency.
Outline proposals from the Scottish Office for some of its strategic transport responsibilities to be devolved to a dedicated authority for the area are supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in commenting on a government consultation document.
HIE transport specialist Roy Pedersen says: "It is now well recognised that the Highlands and Islands have special transport needs.
"Our sparsity of population, lack of adequate public transport, high car dependency and distances to market and service present a range of very special problems.
"The idea of a single transport authority for the area, with the necessary powers and funding, has been gathering support at all levels.
"We believe such a body and the co-ordinated transport benefits it would bring would be a major contributor to the economic and social regeneration of this area."
The authority should get four main roles:
*Stragic planning and development of an integrated transport network;
*Contracting and regulating transport operators;
*Promoting better integration between operators;
*Providing a better link between transport needs and the work of various agencies and local authorities in the area.
HIE has suggested the authority should be controlled by a partnership including local authorities, the HIE network, Northern Constabulary and business representatives.
Mr Pedersen said: "Investment in transport equipment and infrastructure often has long-term consequences, but at times it seems that decisions have been based on short-term criteria with less than optimal results.
"Lack of standardisation of ferries and terminals - preventing easy substitution of vessels; sale of railway land without consideration to future development, and air terminals inconveniently placed for public transport access are just some of the examples of poor strategic transport linkages to be found in the Highlands.
"What is lacking is a holistic, strategic approach to plan for the long-term transport needs of the communities and the economy of the Highlands and Islands, putting what limited resources exist to the most effective, efficient and equitable use."
Plea to investigate fuel pricing........March 30th 1999
A PLEA has been made for Britain's Office of Fair Trading to investigate why motorists in some parts of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland are paying so much more for fuel than other rural areas of the country.
Evidence on fuel pricing was taken by OFT representatives from a delegation of council representatives at meetings in late March, 1999, in Stornoway and Inverness.
The plea was put by the Highlands and Islands Action Group on Hydrocarbons, which has been trying for three years to win a better deal for motorists.
The chairman, Highland Councillor Alison Magee, Lairg, Sutherland, said she was anxious to work with the OFT to identify the reasons for the price
differential.
It was preposterous that residents in Wick were paying 100% more on the net cost of unleaded fuel (fuel price less the tax burden) than residents in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, another rural town of similar size.
"Given that the cost of delivery is 1.5p per litre at the very most, I am at a loss to know how the differential can be justified.
"We really want the OFT to investigate whether major oil companies are able to distort or control market competition and thereby maximise their
profits at the expense of motorists in the Highlands and Islands.
"We feel we have made a huge amount of progress in recent times and now strongly request that the OFT takes on board our evidence and uses its
powers to conduct a rigorous investigation."
Glenmore debate begins on management plan........March 30th 1999
MORE THAN 50 representatives from recreational and environmental groups attended a seminar at Glenmore Lodge, in Scotland's Cairngorms, on Saturday, March 27, 1999, on the management of the Rothiemurchus and Glenmore area near Aviemore.
They had been invited by the Rothiemurchus and
Glenmore Working Group comprising the main public agencies and landowning interests in the area chaired by Highland Councillor Basil Dunlop.
It was the first of a series of meetings to be held to gauge public opinion about the future management of popular access routes and recreational provision for the low ground. Afterwards, Councillor Dunlop said: "This is the start of a process from which we wish to build
a consensus. We wish the process to be one where people feel they really do have a say in the future."
He said the seminar was a demonstration of
that intention and an effort to try to avoid the polarisation of opinion that in recent years had been so damaging and wasteful of energy and resources.
"However, that does require all parties to examine their position. No one has a monopoly of the right answers.
"It is hoped that a strategy will be prepared by the end of the year and there will be further public involvement in this process. What we wish to do is to lead the agenda, particularly in the light of a possible National Park for the
Cairngorms. "
Mountain rescuers get aid........March 29th 1999
AFTER a weekend in which the dangers of venturing without proper equipment on to the Scottish mountains were once again realised, a mountain rescue team in the West Highlands of Scotland spoke about a new climbing aid in their new headquarters.
The state-of-the-art climbing and bouldering wall allows members of the 28-strong Glencoe team, one of the busiest in Scotland and costing about £30,000 a year to run, to simulate very real mountain experience.
Designed to fit into the new HQ, it is one of only three in the country and has all the crevices, moveable foot and hand holds and other "rock" features needed to satisfy the team's very exacting requirements.
Team member Tony Sykes described the wall as absolutely tremendous and said it was a very useful training and fitness aid. "It can be used all year round, regardless of the prevailing weather conditions."
The wall's fully-fitted cost of £23,000 was helped by Lochaber Limited, part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network, which gave a £5,800 community action grant towards it.
Mr Sykes said that without that they either would not have gone ahead or would have gone for a less capable type of wall.
Lochaber Limited investment manager Helen Cameron said: "More and more people are using the hills around Glencoe and we know how busy the rescue team is. Special training is a key element in both the safety of their members and visitors."
It is such training that is behind the perennial call for would-be walkers and climbers to ensure they have basic equipment before tackling the hills.
A party of four from Fife - a man, his brother and two teenage sons - had set off on Saturday, March 27, 1999, up Ben Nevis intending to spend a night in their tents but were caught out by a rapid change in the weather.
One tent was blown away, the other flattened by thick snow. The elder boy plummeted into a gulley while trying to glissade, his uncle was hurt in a rescue effort and the father called on his mobile phone for help.
It was only the arrival of two other climbers and then Lochaber mountain rescue team that prevented utter disaster.
The four were taken to hospital at Fort William after a five-hour operation by the rescue team and a Royal Navy helicopter from Prestwick, Ayrshire. The uncle was transferred to a Glasgow hospital with a suspected skull fracture.
Mountaineering and hill-walking in the Highlands contribute £34million in cash and 4,000 jobs to the area but mountain-rescue work is all voluntary.
There have been attempts to have statutory teams or to have insurance cover for climbers and walkers but mountain-rescue teams maintain nothing beats voluntary effort.
There has been growth, however, in providing eating and overnight facilities, footpath trusts, heritage and interpretation bodies, visitor management and environmental protection.
Long-serving fireman steps down........March 29th 1999
THE longst-serving retained fireman in the Highlands of Scotland, Roger Jagger, of Skeabost, Portree, Isle of Skye, has retired from the Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade.
A butcher to trade, he followed his father, a fire-fighter for more than 20 years, and an uncle when he joined in March, 1963, just after his 19th birthday.
He has had to step down now as fire-fighters must retire once they reach the age of 55.
However, the family connection is not entirely lost. His son-in-law, Steve Pirie, from Portree, is a member of the brigade.
When Mr Jagger joined the fire brigade there was one engine for the whole of the island. Now there are fire stations and machines at Broadford and Dunvegan as well as in Portree.
It was a fiery weekend for the brigade . . . a major annual exercise was carried out on Saturday so that fire personnel and members of the public could be made aware of the perils of hill and forest fires and how helicopters could be used to advantage in fighting them.
A total of 80 personnel was involved from the Island of Skye to Kinlochbervie, in North-west Sutherland - 40 in the morning and another 40 in the afternoon.
An annual appeal was made to beware of starting fires near peat-based soil, watch where discarding smoking materials and ensure camp fires are extinguished and that broken glass and bottles cannot act as magnifying lenses.
On Saturday evening, some 150 acres of grouse moor on South Uist, in the Western Isles, were destroyed by an out-of-control fire.
*The last serious fire in the Highlands occurred in 1995 when 100 acres of moorland were burned at Daviot and Leys, near Inverness, costing the brigade £35,000 in using six fire appliances, two helicopters and a support aircraft.
New Euro-aid deal won for North Scotland ........March 26th 1999
THE RESHAPING of the European Union's finances at a "summit" meeting in Berlin near the end of March, 1999, turned out better for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland than really had been expected.
The area, as expected, is to lose in 1999 the highest European funding criteria of Objective 1, which has amounted to £242million since 1994, having just outgrown the statistics applied.
However, a one-off transition aid deal was agreed in talks that went on until 6a.m. and the North of Scotland is to receive £210million for further development until the year 2,006.
The outcome was hailed on all sides, and praise was heaped on the United Kingdom Government for ensuring the North Scotland arguments were put forward forcefully.
It had been feared that because a larger number of countries would be involved with enlargement of the European Union and there would be a reduced number of funding categories the area would be largely excluded but, in fact, even parts of Scotland with lesser criteria - such as the North-east and the Borders - came well out of the talks.
The new aid programme is expected to help particularly more remote parts of the Highlands and Islands, focusing largely on transport and jobs development.
Iain Robertson, chief executive of development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said: "This deal gives us vital European cash back-up by which we can move on to help cement some of the fragile signs of potential recovery in this area - after two centuries of depopulation and decline."
He said the prospect of large-scale funding had been in serious doubt "up to the last minutes of the 11th hour in Berlin last night".
He praised the final efforts of the UK Government, right up to Prime Minister Tony Blair, for proving conclusive after many months of hard bargaining by HIE, the area's local authorities and other partners.
Their twin arguments, based on the fact that the area was a hair's-breadth from the regional poverty ceiling and on its sparsity of population, had proved realistic and compelling.
"Our task now will be to ensure the best possible value to our area - and particularly to its more remote and fragile parts - from this level of funding and also from our own collective resources and the private-sector investment we can lever in."
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Highlands and Islands art in spotlight........March 25th 1999
THE WEALTH of talent available in the visual arts scene in the northern half of Scotland, made clear in a comprehensive guide published in March, 1999, will be further highlighted by a weekend of open days and workshops being organised for later in the year.
It is being put together by HI Arts, the area's arts development body funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Arts Council, which created the 52-page guide detailing galleries, artists' studios and workshops in the North of Scotland.
HI Arts development director Robert Livingston said the weekend, on Friday-Saturday, May 7-8, "will help involve locals and visitors more deeply in the artistic experiences that exist in the area".
The full-colour guide, listing more than 90 art venues from Campbeltown to Shetland, is a companion to another for the craft industry of the Highlands and Islands, compiled and produced by Inverness gallery art tm.
Mr Livingston said the guides represented the first major effort to draw together as many strands of the art world in the Highlands and Islands as possible to draw the attention of visitors and locals to the wealth of artistic talent, experience and expertise in the area.
"Since the creation 20 years ago of the first dedicated gallery, the Pier Gallery in Stromness, Orkney, this important cultural industry has blossomed.
"Now it has an important role to play, enriching the quality of life for those living here and acting as an additional draw for the many millions of visitors who come to enjoy the scenic and cultural beauty of the area.
"This guide not only acts as a valuable tool but also as a celebration of the growth we have seen over the past two decades in the confidence and ability of the area and its artists."
Internationally renowned Scottish art historian and exhibition organiser Professor Duncan MacMillan states in a foreward to the guide:
"The landscape and people of the Highlands and Islands have been celebrated by artists and poets since at least the 18th century. Long before the age of mass tourism, Turner was a frequent visitor and many other artists followed in his footsteps.
"Today, there is a wealth of established up and coming artists actually living and working within the area. Even 10 years ago, a guide like this one would have seemed quixotic.
"It is not that there would have been far less to put into it; it is that the sense of possibility that has produced all this was then confined to the few visionaries who created institutions like An Lanntair (Stornoway, Lewis) and the Pier Gallery.
"Their vision has grown into the kind of can-do optimism whose practical reflection is the diversity of the group of galleries and organisations listed in the guide."
Celtic Film Festival in Skye........March 25th 1999
THE IMPACT of such as devolution, the new Scottish Parliament and digital television were among items discussed during the 20th Celtic Film and Television Festival, which was held in 1999 in the West Highlands of Scotland.
The four-day event, featuring community involvement, was staged in the Isle of Skye, first at the Aros Centre in Portree, the island "capital", and then at the Gaelic College, Sabhal Mor Ostaig, at Ardvasar, in the south-east of the island.
The festival was opened by Scots actor Ian Bannen and a gala screening of the new British film, Walking Ned.
Other topics of discussion included the relative success of British film-making in recent years.
During the event, attended by members of the British Film Institute and the Directors' Guild of Great Britain, 12 Torc awards were adjudged from 62 nominations.
Masterclasses were given and seminars held on drama, young film-makers, company development and public-service and digital television.
Ice broken by dancer........March 25th 1999
A RUSSIAN dancer on skates literally broke the ice during his first performance in the Highlands of Scotland.
Ioure Kouprine was in the middle of a performance of Cinderella on Ice on a special stage at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, when he dug his heel into the surface as part of a move, according to morning newspaper the Press and Journal.
The blade went through the ice and punctured a pipe containing antifreeze. The liquid burst out, starting to melt the ice, and the show had to be halted for technicians to repair the leak.
Tony Mercer, of Wild Rose Theatre Productions, responsible for the week-long show, was quoted as saying that everything happened so quickly he did not think many in the audience had realised.
More teachers for North schools........March 24th 1999
MORE teachers are to be allowed for in Highland Council's spending plans for the year from April, 1999.
The council's education service is to reinstate a 2% cut in secondary staffing and give head teachers in 60 of its smallest primaries more management time by injecting £400,000 into its budget.
The appointment of 12 additional secondary teachers to restore staffing levels is being treated as a priority.
Seven primary teachers are being appointed to give heads of one/two-teacher schools an additional half-day management time, bringing it up to one-day per week.
The staffing issues emerged as the main concern of parents and school boards during a recent series of meetings held by the education service.
The council has received £400,000 to buy books, equating to £9 per pupil with a minimum of £900 per school and including £22,388 for pre-school children.
The council has also received £200,000 to promote community schooling - £150,000 going to Inverness High School and £50,000 to Alness Academy.
Power firms get together........March 24th 1999
THE FIRM of Highland Power Cabling, Muir of Ord, Ross, which specialises in overhead transmission and distribution systems in the North of Scotland - it installs, repairs, maintains and develops them, mainly for Scottish Hydro-Electric - has been bought for £5million.
New owner is a Central Scotland company, Semple Cochrane, of Paisley, near Glasgow, whose main field of operation is in underground power systems.
Semple Cochrane has also bought, for £3.3million, C & C Electrical Engineering, of Cardiff, one of the largest firms of its kind in South Wales.
The new combine, according to a report in the Press and Journal of Wednesday, March 24, 1999, is expected to attract more work inside and outside the United Kingdom and to create more jobs.
The 25-year-old Ross firm, which employs 60 in a 100,000sq.ft. factory, began life in Fortrose and expanded across the Black Isle as work increased, moving to Muir of Ord in 1989.
It has had its own training school for five years and is committed to quality, according to chairman Alistair Matheson, one of the founders in 1974.
He is joining the board of Semple Cochrane, which he described as a company similarly committed to quality.
Gaelic official's stance questioned........March 24th 1999
CRITICISM of the Highland Council in a report to the Scottish Office has led to the management committee of an organisation promoting Gaelic
pre-school education being asked if it shares the views of its chief executive, Finlay MacLeod.
The query comes from the council's education chairman, Councillor Val MacIver, who is critical of Mr MacLeod for an "ill-informed and hostile attitude which spreads alarm and confusion among parents".
She is also asking the Scottish Office, which funds the organisation, CNSA, if it is satisfied with the leadership given by Mr MacLeod, who had accused the council of discriminating against Gaelic by not giving it "a level playing-field" with English.
His report said the council was more interested in setting up English-medium nurseries than Gaelic ones and expressed concern about the future of Gaelic playgroups.
CNSA has 140 pre-school groups serving about 2,000 children across Scotland, compared with 2,600 in 1998, and Mr MacLeod said the decline was caused by an upsurge in the number of council Gaelic-medium nurseries and CNSA lacking funding to provide a nationwide development officer support system.
He claimed there was prejudice against the CNSA but that was rejected by Councillor MacIver, who said: "My main concern is that Mr MacLeod is not serving the best interests of the Gaelic community through his confrontational style and the inaccurate nature of his attacks on the council."
Councillor Farquhar MacLennan, chairman of the council's committee on Gaelic culture and language, agreed that Mr MacLeod's persistent criticism of the council was seriously damaging relations between it and CNSA.
He said: "I have to say that very often Mr MacLeod's criticism is without foundation and the information he presents is simply inaccurate. I would urge CNSA to work with us and not against us and ensure its chief executive accurately represents its views."
Councillor MacIver maintained that the council was committed to providing pre-school places for all three/four-year-olds and this applied equally to Gaelic- and English-medium nurseries.
As far as playgroups were concerned, the council had made it clear that it wants to do all it can to sustain playgroups by commissioning places from them for three-year-olds over the next few years. "However, if parents tell us - as they did with four-year-olds - that they prefer a school nursery class, we will do our best to meet their wishes."
She reported that in August, 1998, the council opened 12 new Gaelic nursery classes and another three were planned. Places were commissioned from
four Gaelic playgroups.
The council provided Gaelic-medium places for 142 pre-school four-year-olds.
In August, 1999, that would be extended to provide 70 places for three-year-olds. A bid was with the Scottish Office to employ a full-time Gaelic pre-school development officer.
"These are hardly actions of a council which is sabotaging the Gaelic education."
Nuclear dump furore starts again........March 24th 1999
A REPORT by the British Government's House of Lords says nuclear dumps could be created underground, and that searches for possible sites, as carried out by the nuclear agency NIREX, should be taken over by a new body with a more overall mission.
Environmental groups have been quick to sound alarms over the report, from the Lords committee on science and technology, which will form the basis of a government policy to be decided later in 1999.
The waste is caused by nuclear power stations mainly in creating electricity and making isotopes for medical use.
The report is of particular significance for the Highlands of Scotland where there has been an almost continuous furore in recent years over the 43-year-old station at Dounreay, in Caithness.
Highland Council convener Peter Peacock, who led the No NIREX campaign when he was vice-convener of Highland Regional Council, was quick to rebut suggestions that the nuclear dumping debate might be re-opened.
He said: "When it was suggested that NIREX should come to the Highlands - and Dounreay in particular - there was overwhelming opposition to the proposal the length and breadth of the Highlands. I would expect the same to occur again if there was any serious suggestion that the issue should be revisited.
"Indeed, given that NIREX dropped their proposals for Dounreay because the site and geological conditions were unsuitable, I can't see how they
could now say any different.
"Even then, however, there would be likely to be huge and sustained opposition, particularly in the context of a Scottish Parliament, which would be highly unlikely to want the new Scotland seen as a nuclear dumping ground."
He emphasised the council's policy was to oppose the importation of any wastes into the Highlands and he re-emphasised that the Highlands depended on its reputation as a place with a clean
environment for its economic success and could not afford to have that reputation sullied.
"Just at the time when Dounreay is set on its task of safely and cleanly decommissioning the site, with strong and long-term government support, the last thing they need is this issue being
re-opened."
Councillor Peacock said he was entirely confident that any proposals to dump nuclear waste in the Highlands, if it ever emerged as even a possibility, would be successfully defeated.
Company set up to maximise Highland golf benefits........March 23rd 1999
A COMPANY has been formed to drive forward the pioneering work of the Highland Golf Development Group to maximise the benefits of the game for clubs in the area and the tourism industry.
Golf Highland Ltd is an independent company limited by guarantee, whose board will be drawn from representatives of golf clubs, tourism businesses, Highland Council, Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board (HOST) and the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network of local enterprise companies.
Three specialist groups are being set up to help Golf Highland work up and implement projects, looking at research and development, quality and customer care and marketing.
Aided by Highland Council and the European Union's Leader II Programme, a two-year golf development officer post with Golf Highland is being funded. This officer will be responsible for co-ordinating implementation of the strategy and providing advice and practical support to golf clubs which want to increase visitor numbers.
The initiatives were announced in Nairn at the launch of a Highland golf strategy before more than 100 delegates.
Highland Council convener Peter Peacock said: "Just as we hope the Highlands will be recognised as 'the place to be' in coming years, we also have the opportunity to establish our area world-wide as 'the place to play golf'. This launch is an important step on the way to achieving this."
Mr Grant Sword, chairman of Inverness and Nairn Enterprise, said the initiatives would "place the Highlands firmly on the map as a world-class golfing destination and help us make sure that we seize the opportunities on offer to us".
The groundwork for the strategy was carried out over 15 months by a Highland Golf Development Group and club officials and tourism operators were urged to put it into practice.
It was hoped that clubs would benefit through increased visitors which would help ensure future investment in facilities and keep down costs for members.
Tourism should also benefit through safeguarding jobs and creating new ones by attracting more golfing visitors, increasing visitor spend and
helping disperse visitors around the Highlands.
Golf Development Group chairman Andy Machen Young, Nairn, stressed that the strategy recognised the vital importance of members' golf clubs; the
need to put quality and value for money at the heart of the initiative to ensure repeat business, and the need to aim for the widest possible
geographical spread of benefits and involvement of golf clubs in Highland.
Historic homes' restoration welcomed........March 23rd 1999
A COMPLEX of Victorian nurse's homes which has lain empty in the Highlands of Scotland for more than a decade is being brought back to life.
The properties in School Lane, Conon Bridge, Ross, are being restored in a £290,000 project by the Highland Council and Albyn Housing Society, which should be completed in August.
A time capsule with details of their history and documents from the council and the society has been placed in the foundations.
The houses - four one-bedroom homes in one block and two two-bedroom homes nearby - were built as a memorial to Sir Kenneth MacKenzie of Gairloch.
They were then used as accommodation for community nurses but became vacant in the early 1980s and fell into increasing disrepair and subject to vandalism.
In 1996, the owning trust decided to sell them for a nominal price to the council, which in March, 1998, sought £113,000 from the Scottish Office under an initiative to help to bring empty houses back into use.
The council is adding almost £65,500 and the Albyn Society £113,000 in private funding. The houses will be owned by the Albyn Society, and the first tenants taken from the council's waiting list.
Local Highland Councillor David Philip said: "I am absolutely delighted that new life is being breathed into this historic site."
The houses' restoration at the entrance to the village would provide much-needed affordable housing into the new millennium and improve significantly the site's appearance.
Highland community plan welcomed........March 23rd 1999
A DOCUMENT setting out a vision for a prosperous and dynamic future of the Highlands of Scotland and its people was launched on Monday, March 22, 1999. And it was stated that people living and working in the area would get a chance to put forward their own views.
Highland was chosen as one of five "pathfinder" areas in Scotland for Community Planning, a new process placing responsibilities on key public agencies to work in partnership to get the best possible value from total public investment in an area.
The Community Plan for Highland - The Natural Place To Be - identifies challenges the area must meet if it is to emerge as the place in which to live, learn, work and relax over the next 20 years.
Priorities identified by the six partners - Highland Council, Scottish Homes, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Health Board, Northern Constabulary and Scottish Natural Heritage, whose existing strategies have contributed to the thinking behind the plan - are to:
*Meet the needs of a growing and ageing population without damaging the quality of life;
*Increase average incomes;
*Tackle the causes of rural disadvantage and inequalities in the area;
*Achieve more sustainable development.
The council, which also commissioned a 'thinkpiece' document, Looking Ahead for the Highlands, and took soundings from key private-sector representatives and community and voluntary groups, is the lead authority in the partnership.
Convener Councillor Peter Peacock said at the launch in Skye that they were united by a shared interest in the area's potential and well-being.
"We firmly believe that Highland can have a prosperous and dynamic future. Our aim is to work together to ensure it is a place with a wonderful natural environment, which is healthy and safe; an area which provides high-quality services, and has a strong sense of identity and cultural heritage.
"Over the past few months, we have identified a number of strategic themes and shared priorities around which we will take action to realise our vision.
"This is, however, very much a draft plan and we now want to listen to the views of people who live and work in Highland as to whether the vision we have set out is one that they share."
Caroline Thomson, chairman of Highland Health Board, said: "Community Planning provides an excellent framework for taking forward, in partnership, initiatives to tackle inequalities in health and to promote positive good health across Highland.
"I am delighted that we were given the opportunity to be a 'pathfinder' area and look forward to seeing the benefits of close partnership working in respect of improving health."
HIE chairman James Hunter said: "There is a direct recognition that working to create more capable and confident communities creates the conditions in which businesses can thrive and to which firms can be attracted.
"The people of the Highlands and Islands prosper when their communities have a clear sense of identity and are empowered to take forward their own development. By working together in partnership with the people who live and work here, this alliance of public-sector organisations is establishing the Highlands as a vibrant and exciting place in which to live and work."
Superintendent Norman MacLeod, Northern Constabulary's area commander for Ross, Cromarty and Skye, said: "The Highlands are already considered to be a safe place in which to live, work or visit and for businesses to locate. The Community Planning process will allow all partners to build upon this positive image and to work even closer to sustain and develop the Community Safety approach, which underpins the social, economic and environmental well-being of the Highlands."
Richard Burn, managing director of Scottish Homes in the Highlands and Islands, said: "We share our partners' vision of the Highlands as a prosperous and dynamic place where people can live, learn, work and relax. We recognise that the provision of good quality, affordable housing is essential to support economic growth and improve the quality of life of people in the Highlands. We are committed to working closely with our partners and with local communities to help to realise the vision outlined in the Community Plan."
Jeff Watson, SNH North Area's director, said: "SNH welcomes the commitment to Community Planning in the Highlands and the contribution it makes to linking the strategies of different organisations on economic, environmental and social benefits.
"It is very timely and we are particularly pleased to see commitment to sustainable development that recognises the exceptional environmental qualities of the Highlands."
Tanker emergency tribute paid........March 23rd 1999
A TRIBUTE to all involved in the Pentland Firth burning tanker emergency situation has been paid by Highland Council convener Peter Peacock. Councillor Peacock, who broke off from a meeting in Aberdeen to fly to Caithness on hearing of the incident, said it had been very serious, with the potential for devastating effects.
"I believe all the emergency services, the local community, the voluntary sector (WRVS) and the council staff who attended to the emergency situation acted decisively in an exemplary manner. "Everyone involved showed a high degree of training, co-ordinated action, commitment and concern and are to be congratulated on their efforts."
Councillor Peacock, who visited Dunnet Village Hall with Transport Minister John Reid and Scottish Transport Minister Calum MacDonald and council staff at an emergency centre in Wick, has written to council area manager Brian Whitelaw congratulating staff on their efforts and drawing attention to the excellent work of all involved and to the good humour and co-operation of the local community.
He said that Mr Reid had privately paid a huge tribute to everyone involved in the incident and the way it was handled so professionally.
He also revealed that the question of year-round stationing of a fire-fighting and ocean-going tug at Stornoway, the potential closure of Pentland Coastguard Station and the compulsory registration of vessels passing through the Pentland Firth had all been raised with the Minister during his visit.
He said: "Clearly, the Minister's first concern while here during the emergency was for the safety of the local community. The fact he visited indicated the seriousness with which the Government viewed the incident, their desire to help and to gain first-hand knowledge of what was happening.
"The fact that the Minister could link the arguments about tugs, registration of vessels and the Pentland Coastguard Station to a real emergency situation will, I am quite sure, have a strong bearing on future policy.
"The Minister made it clear that the potential closure of the Pentland and Oban coastguard stations could be subject to review by `a fresh pair of eyes' before a final decision was taken by Ministers."
The convener, who is due to meet Mr Reid again soon, added: "I will obviously take the opportunity to restate the council's concern at any change to the status of the Pentland Coastguard Station and the questions of registration and the siting of a tug all year round."
Chefs cook up a good-eating scheme........March 22nd 1999
PLANS for a wide-ranging organisation to promote good eating in the West Highlands of Scotland are being put together by a group of chefs.
They have joined forces through Lochaber Tourism Focus to promote and develop the area's food industry.
Margaret Cameron, a tourism training adviser at Lochaber College, Fort William, said: "Lochaber Chefs already represents a wide range of large and small businesses in the area but it is hoping to increase numbers further by regular meetings in Lochaber College and at members' own eating establishments."
She said the group wanted to cook up a strategy that could prove irresistible to everyone producing food for sale. The intention was to exchange ideas and co-operate to raise the quality of service being offered to diners.
The group believed that by this, and greater use of local produce, more permanent jobs in the industry would be created, giving more opportunity for young people in the area to choose catering as a career.
"The Focus Group exists to influence the growth and development of our tourism industry and this initiative by Lochaber Chefs fits in very well with these aims."
Martyn Calam, of MacTavishes Kitchen, said: "We chefs never get to meet each other as we are always working the same hours so it's great to have the chance to get together and discuss things. It can only benefit Lochaber as a whole, not just the chefs and the visitors."
Bruce Taylor, of Glen Nevis Restaurant, said: "If we can persuade people to use more local produce and bring in the B&Bs to help raise the standards, visitors may stay longer and everyone will gain from keeping more money in the area."
Anyone in the food industry is welcome to join, from bed-and-breakfast operators with a few guests to restaurants catering for hunderdds per day.
Lochaber Chefs will be holding its next meeting in The Old Pines, Spean Bridge, on Tuesday, April 13, 1999.
Row over tax on hauliers........March 22nd 1999
HAULAGE firms from the Highlands and North-east of Scotland were among many which protested at United Kingdom taxes which they claimed were much more than paid in Europe.
Increases in the Government's 1999 Budget on diesel fuel and vehicle excise duty were said to have made the UK's road tax on 40-tonne five-axle lorries £5,250 against, for instance, £338 in Luxembourg and £876 in Belgium.
The Scottish National Party blame Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown but UK Transport Minister John Reid, while offering to hear the industry's concerns, claimed it was cheaper overall to run a fleet of lorries in Britain than in Europe.
A spokesman for Grampian and Highlands Road Haulage Association welcomed the offer and said Mr Reid's claims would be hotly debated.
Tanker fire causes North Scotland threat........March 22nd 1999
SALVAGE experts were called to assess the situation after a chemical tanker, carrying a cargo of vinyl acetate from the River Mersey round Scotland's north coast bound for Teeside, in North-east England, caught fire in the early hours of March 19, 1999, in the Pentland Firth.
A five-kilometre zone was evacuated when the burning 3,000-ton Ascania threatened to beach at Scarfskerry, in North Caithness, causing some 150 people, including many children, to have to go to emergency accommodation.
The danger, however, eventually abated as the fire died down and the vessel was towed into the Orkney Islands' Scapa Flow anchorage. There Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade established that the fire was out.
The evacuees were able to return home after midday on March 20.
The tanker was reported to be the 18-year-old Ascania; owned by a German company, Tankreederei Ahrenkiel GMBH & Co. of Hamburg; managed by a Dutch firm; registered in the Pacific; sailed under a Cypriot flag, and manned mainly by Eastern Europeans.
The cargo, said to have a low-temperatue flashpoint, is used in making paint. At one point it was feared it could be touched off by the engineroom fire and cause a large explosion.
Coastguards and lifeboats in Caithness and Orkney stood by, one Longhope lifeboatman receiving a broken leg as they went to the rescue.
It was reckoned the emergency could influence the future of two closure-threatened coastguard stations in Scotland, including the one co-ordinating the Pentland operation.
Calls were also made for large vessels to be barred from the Minch channel through the Hebrides until more safety measures were in place.
The Ascania's 14 crew were lifted to safety by a helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth and the German master, named as Guenter Schoel, who stayed on board to try to contain the outbreak, was eventually also helicoptered off.
The crew had managed to drop anchor when the fire alarm sounded but the galeforce winds and heavy seas caused the anchor to snap.
Maritime experts, British Government ministers, Highland Council officials and an ocean-going tug all arrived on the scene of an incident which affected, among many others, the Queen Mother's North Scotland home at the Castle of Mey, on the North Caithness coast.
~0D
Golf development strategy planned........March 18th 1999
THE FIRST golf development strategy for the Highlands of Scotland is planned for Monday, March 22, 1999.
A conference has been arranged at Nairn of golfers, club representatives and tourism operators to look at a wide range of issues relating to the development of the game in the area.
An address by Irish professional golfer Ronan Rafferty, a regular visitor to the Highlands, is planned after an introduction by Highland Council convener Peter Peacock and details given of a "Golf Highland" body.
There will also be presentations on the results of recent market research surveys, the experiences of local clubs who have invested in their facilities and marketing, feedback from golf tour operators who bring their golfing clients to the Highlands, 'green' golf initiatives and details of how golf and golf-related tourism are being developed at Scottish level.
In addition, special workshop sessions on golf development and marketing in the Highlands will look at drawing up practical short, medium and long-term projects to implement the strategy's recommendations.
Revenue from visiting golfers is currently estimated to be worth over £20million a year to the Highland economy (5% of the area's overall tourism income) but there has so far been little co-ordinated development and marketing.
Secretary to the Highland Golf Development Group, Helen Smith, the Highland Council's tourism development and marketing manager, said: "The new strategy is the result of almost 15 months of input from people across the Highlands who are interested in trying to maximise the game's
potential benefits for local communities.
"On the one hand, there are opportunities for golf clubs to benefit by increasing their income from visitors, which will allow investment in club facilities and keep costs down for members.
"On the other hand, there is scope for tourism businesses to develop their golf-related markets, which should, in turn, lead to an increase in local golf-related employment and income."
The strategy's action list includes:
*Working with interested North golf clubs to help them increase their income from visiting golfers;
*Researching and developing marketing campaigns aimed at encouraging golfers to visit not just the championship courses at Nairn and Dornoch but also the 40-plus other courses in the area;
*Developing training programmes for staff in golf clubs, tourist information centres and accommodation establishments with the aim of enhancing the service for visiting golfers.
Attendance at the launch in Nairn is open to anyone interested in the development of the game in the Highlands and is free.
Bookings will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and booking forms are available from the Highland Council's tourism and film
unit on Inverness (01463) 710221.
Highland Council tax pegged at 2./9%........March 18th 1999
MEMBERS of the Highland Council have pegged the Council Tax increase to 2.9% for the new financial year from April 1, 1999.
The Band D charge will be £799, representing an increase of £22.53.
In fixing the tax, the council agreed a budget of £311million. The sum to be met from Council Tax and balances is £61,257,000. The balance of
£249,750,000 is met from the Government by way of specific grants and Aggregate External Finance.
Convener Peter Peacock said the council had been able to contain the tax increase through a more generous grant settlement from the government
and through hard budgetary decisions taken in the early years of the council.
Prudent housekeeping had enabled the council to accumulate balances of £5million and use £2million to contain the tax increase.
He was pleased that the budget showed a growth of £24million and that this would enable an extra £8million to be allocated to schools and an
extra £4million to services for the elderly and children.
On top of this, the council would be allocating extra funding to police and fire services, meeting the implications of Year 2000 Millennium
compliance, structural road and bridge maintenance, grounds maintenance, the library book fund and public conveniences.
The Council Tax for all properties is uniform across the Highlands and is:
Band A: £ 532.67;
Band B: £ 621.44;
Band C: £ 710.22;
Band D: £ 799.00;
Band E: £ 976.56;
Band F: £1,154.11;
Band G: £1,331.67;
Band H: £1,598.00.
The Secretary of State for Scotland has declared that the Non-Domestic Rate Poundage for the new financial year will be 48.9p, which is a 3.2%
increase over the current rate of 47.4p.
The council is required to collect this rate from non-domestic properties in the Highlands.
Highland mission does well in New York........March 18th 1999
THE FIRST foreign trade mission run by the North of Scotland's development agency, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, won significant orders or promises in New York for the eight firms which took part.
A major contract to supply fabric for American designer Ralph Lauren's Year 2000 Spring Collection was gained by East Sutherland textile firm Hunters of Brora.
Photographer Sue Anderson, of Taynuilt, near Oban, Argyll, won an order to supply the British Tourist Authority bookshop on Fifth Avenue with 130 calendars.
Judith Miller's Judane Knitwear, of Gremista, Shetland, firmed up ties with an existing client to distribute its products to the major stores of Macy's and Bloomingdales, according to HIE export development manager Sandra MacInnes.
She also said an order with upmarket delicatessen Jefferson Market Inc. was confirmed by Osprey Seafoods, of Inverness, which had also received strong interest from Slaven & Sons, a company owning a large number of seafood restaurants throughout Manhatten.
She expected to hear of further successes and deals from the other mission firms - Ortak Jewellery, of Kirkwall, Orkney; Anta Scotland, of Fearn, East Ross; Orkney Salmon, Hatson, Kirkwall, and JU Seafoods Ltd., of Dingwall, Ross.
HIE's head of food and exports, Murdina Macdonald, said the idea behind the visit was to introduce New Yorkers to the best of Highland textiles, jewellery and food.
"Britain's commercial attache, Robert Armstrong, had been very impressed with the quality of goods he saw on a visit to Scotland last year. We decided to cash in on this and take the idea one step further to the Highlands and Islands Trade and Export Partnership (13 bodies including the HIE network, local authorities, Highland Export Club and the Scottish Council Development and Industry).
"We went to New York knowing it was going to be a hard market to crack but we have shown that we can do it."
Highland point made to Finns........March 18th 1999
A GROUP of 17 local government representatives from Finland visited the Highlands and Islands of Scotland in early March, 1999, to find out how the area had benefited from a £250million Objective 1 spending programme over the last five years.
The North of Scotland hopes that a review of the funding in 1999 will result in it some continuation of the funding.
The visitors from Saarijarvi and Viitarsaari in Central Finland visited the headquarters in Inverness of development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Highland Council's offices, where convener Peter Peacock expressed delight at being able to exchange information and experiences about delivering essential services to a scattered and sparse population.
"It is remarkable just how similar our circumstances are," he said. "It seems likely that the Northern Rim areas in Finland and Sweden will
qualify for Objective 1 funding from the year 2000. Our argument is that our circumstances are so similar to those in rural Finland and Sweden
that we should be treated in the same way.
"We have very clearly made our case known in the corridors of power in the European Commission and Parliament and must now just wait for the
outcome."
He said the visit had allowed him to make several points about the need for the support of Finland in the coming negotiations in Europe.
More cash for children's services........March 18th 1999
MORE resources for young people and their families are being provided by the Highland Council's social work committee following
a major review of social work provision for children in the Highlands.
The committee fully accepted the need to meet increased duties and responsibilities placed on local authorities by the Children (Scotland)
Act 1995 and agreed to spend £351,000 more in appointing 15 personnel on a wide range of children's services.
It was also agreed to appoint a head of children's service later in 1999 to co-ordinate the increased emphasis on services to children and families and to review current staffing.
The senior officer would work closely with the independent sector to promote more specialist
residential care in the Highlands and with the education service in providing social work in community schools and promoting policies on
absenteeism and truancy.
The committee also decided to: -
*Appoint two social workers (children and families) in both Inverness and Ross and Cromarty; one in Lochaber; one senior social worker (reviewing) in Caithness and Sutherland, and two half-time children's resource social workers serving Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey.
* Appoint two additional training officers and two quality assurance officers.
*Reopen Ferintosh House, Conon Bridge, for a temporary period, having no more than six beds and an increased staffing ratio.
Social work chairman Councillor Jimmy MacDonald said: "The action we have agreed takes account of an internal and external review of the way
we currently provide services to children, young people and their families.
"It has clearly identified how we can improve and enhance the service we provide and at the same time cope with the great number of new government initiatives which have had a major effect on the social work service.
"I hope we can go forward from here today positively and provide the level of service the public wants and deserves."
Earlier, in opening the social work committee meeting, Councillor MacDonald had paid
tribute to the service provided by director James Dick, who was attending his last meeting before retiring at the end of May.
The committee also paid tribute to the work carried out by social work staff, often in difficult circumstances.
Another plea for Minches safety........March 18th 1999
A RENEWED call for decisive action by the British Government to safeguard the environment from a shipping accident in the Minches has gone out from
two senior Highland councillors.
Dr Michael Foxley, chairman of the Highland Council's land and enviroment select committee, and Bill Fulton, chairman of the protective services committee, have written to Transport Minister Dr John Reid formally asking that the International Maritime Organisation be urged to support the
removal of the Right of Innocent Passage through the Minches until a range of safety measures are in place.
In the autumn of 1998, the councillors were members of a deputation from the council and the Western Isles Council which went to Dr Reid seeking help in controlling and managing shipping movements in the Minches. They were asked to provide data on fish stocks and bird populations and that has now been done.
Dr Foxley said: "Now we are looking for prompt and effective action. Time is passing and the potential danger still exists in the Minches, especially when you consider that, out of every 100 movements, at least 12 go north on the south lane and as many heading south go on the north lane.
"At present, the coastguards do not have the powers to prevent this madness."
Councillor Fulton said: "Our prime target is to control oil tankers but we also need to control smaller vessels carrying all sorts of hazardous
cargoes - from nuclear waste to sulphuric acid. "Our request is to control shipping movements by suspension of the Right of Innocent Passage. Control of shipping movements would then be actively policed by the coastguards."
Mechanisms of control would include:
*All vessels to travel to the west of the Western Hebrides:
*All vessels to carry transponders;
*Radar to monitor all shipping movements through the Minches;
*Compulsory coastguard reporting for all shipping;
*Pilotage of vessels in the Minches;
*Automatic release towing pennants to be fitted to all vessels.
The council also want funding to stockpile booms and develop emergency plans to cope with an incident.
It says that an arrangement for winter stand-by of a tug, which is on its fourth winter, should be extended to all-year-round.
Four schools benefit from wins........March 18th 1999
FOUR Highland schools have won a total of £1,500-worth of office equipment and stationery through the success of pupils in a design competition, which attracted more than 300 entries.
Top prize in a contest to design the cover of Highland Council's 1999 Office International catalogue was won by Gillian Smith
(11), Muirtown Primary, Inverness, who received a midi hi-fi system. Muirtown will get £500-worth of material from the company.
School chum Sara Spence (9), who won one of four age-group categories, also won a portable CD player and speakers, whereby £250-worth of stationery goes to Muirtown Primary.
Other category winners were Lee Murray (11), Caol Primary; Alison
Bell (12), Tore Primary, and Shona Carr (14), Kinlochleven High.
The awards were handed over by education committee chairman Councillor Val MacIver.
Allan Law, sales manager with Office International Ltd., co-sponsors of the competition with BIC, said his firm would be organising a further contest for the millennium catalogue, with even bigger and better prizes.
Local views sought on ben future........March 18th 1999
BRITAIN'S highest mountain, Ben Nevis, is coming under almost continuous visitor pressure and a long-term vision for the area will take in the views of the local people, including those of young people and specialist interests.
A number of agencies have formed a Nevis Working Party to consider development and management of the environment, tourism and recreation on the mountain and in neighbouring Glen Nevis.
It is estimated that Ben Nevis attracts
60,000 - 80,000 hill walkers each year and that 500,000 people visit Glen Nevis annually to access the most accessible "wild country" scenery in Britain.
Concerns surround erosion of paths, peak-period
parking problems, wild camping, mountain safety, potential developments and events involving large numbers of people.
Working Group chairman Councillor Neil Clark said formation of the Nevis Working Party represented the first step towards an integrated management approach to this very special area.
They wanted to find ways of ensuring access which protected the heritage and scenery and offered a quality experience for visitors and mountain users, and they meant to get as many views as possible in preparing a management strategy and action programme.
Funding to build Small Isles jetties........March 18th 1999
JETTIES and a new vehicle ferry are to be built, hopefully by the end of the year 2001, for the islands of Eigg, Muck and Rum in the West Highlands of Scotland.
The British government is giving £2.3million to the £5million cost of the new slipways on Eigg and Muck, for which the Highland Council has gained £1.13million in European Objective 1 funding.
The Rum slipway is
being financed separately by owners Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Office, again with Objective 1 funding assistance.
The council will act as agents for the three slipways and will let the work as one contract at the end of 1999.
The project also involves
construction of a stern-loading vehicle ferry for the island communities, again with European Objective 1 funding.
The council's roads and transport committee chairman, Councillor John Farquhar Munro, said: "It has taken a huge amount of time and
effort by a great many people to get this far and I now look forward to
this project getting under way.
"This is a long-awaited investment which
will greatly benefit these rural Inner Hebridean island communities,
some of the most vulnerable in Europe."
Councillor Charlie King, who represents the Small Isles, said: "I am delighted the government has recognised the need for this
major investment in providing what is a lifeline service."
Councillor Michael Foxley, who for many years represented the Small
Isles, said he, too, was pleased to hear of the financial support for the construction of the slipways.
However, he said he was extremely disappointed that the government could
not support the funding of a replacement vessel at Corran Ferry, a
service provided by the council.
"This decision is likely to jeopardise
our European Objective 1 bid. We desperately need to replace old and
failing ferries, which are restricting the economic and social
development of the remote Ardnamurchan and Morvern peninsulas."
Breakthrough in bid for Knoydart estate........March 2nd 1999
THE 17,500-acre Knoydart Estate in the West Highlands of Scotland has been bought for
£750,000 by the Knoydart Foundation.
Missives have been concluded with receivers Iain Bennet and John Laurie of PricewaterhouseCoopers, who were appointed by the Bank of Scotland, the secured creditor of Knoydart Peninsula Ltd.
Foundation directors expressed delight that their bid had been successful, after five months of intensive discussions with the receivers and
the bank.
But they stressed that it was just the first round in the battle to save the estate, which lies at the heart of the Knoydart Peninsula and has been a focus of controversy with seven owners since 1945.
Most of the foundation funds have been used on the purchase and directors were anxious to renew the public appeal, setting a new target of £300,000 to implement the key initiatives of the draft business plan.
Foundation chairman Charlie King, the local Highland Councillor from Mallaig, praised the receivers and Bank of Scotland for their co-operation throughout the negotiations.
He also thanked the public at large for their donations, as well as the John Muir Trust; the Chris Brasher Trust; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; Sir Cameron Mackintosh, owner of the adjoining North Morar Estate, and Scottish
Natural Heritage for contributing towards the purchase price.
The John Muir Trust gave £250,000, including £100,000 from the estate of the late Mrs Elizabeth Muriel Gladstone, a supporter of the trust, and the Chris Brasher Trust £200,000.
Sir Cameron, the millionaire London West End theatre impresario, whose offer to buy the estate then lease it back to the community was turned down late in 1998 because a timescale was involved, matched the government's contribution through Highlands and Islands Enterprise of £75,000, and SNH gave £50,000.
The balance was met by the public appeal, which was recently boosted by a large anonymous donation.
Councillor King said: "This is a day I thought would never come to fruition. There have been so many ups and downs and twists and turns. But
we have made it and I am absolutely delighted.
"We have a community buy-out and we can now begin the hard work of community management. The
community have a fresh impetus to step up the public appeal and call in all the pledges of donations from around the world.
"This money is vital to arrest the deterioration and bring about much-needed change on the estate."
He said it was appropriate that the deal should be concluded so soon after the 50th anniversary of the Seven Men of Knoydart laying claim to the estate.
"It has taken a long time but we have finally concluded the work started by these pioneers in 1948."
He said the Highland Council's development company, Highland Prospect, were considering a loan facility towards working capital.
"This is one of the crucial steps that gave us the confidence to make the offer. I am delighted that the council has been able to demonstrate community leadership on this project."
Bernie Evemy, the longest serving of the three community directors on the foundation, said: "We are eternally grateful to all those people and
organisations who have given so much of their time and resources to ensure this venture is successful.
"However, this is only the first stage in our struggle. Having used almost all available funds to secure purchase, we urgently require further help to ensure that Knoydart has a viable future.
"The Knoydart Estate offers huge potential. To convert this potential into reality we require the continuing goodwill of the public and all those who love the Rough Bounds.
"We in Knoydart have created for ourselves a new chieftain, neither man nor woman. The body of that chieftain is the people. The people of Knoydart are now free from the threat of suffering and injustice, which was once so brutally inflicted by its owners during the clearances of 1853 and at the time of
the Land Raiders in 1948.
"This is a time for cautious celebration. We have won the first stage, but our struggle must continue if we are once again to establish Knoydart as a thriving community, for residents and visitors alike."
Nigel Hawkins, director of the John Muir Trust, said: "Many people talk about partnerships but here in Knoydart we are at the sharp end in delivering a partnership which is very much in tune with the times and which offers the very best hope for one of the most wild and beautiful places in the country and its local community. "Bringing together community and conservation interests in ownership and management of areas like Knoydart is the best possible way of securing their long-term future.
"We are delighted to have played our part as the conservation partner in this historic initiative and to have helped guide the project to this successful outcome, to have provided major funding towards the purchase and to have supported the local community.
"We are now helping to develop strategies for managing the considerable natural and human heritage interest in Knoydart Estate."
Chris Brasher said: "Since 1982, I have watched the decline of Knoydart with growing anxiety - a decline caused by the neglect of the entire fabric of the estate. As that physical decline has deepened so has the spirit and will of the community strengthened.
"The community buy-out has only happened because the people of Knoydart have been united in their desire to be masters of their own future - a desire which has been backed wholeheartedly by my own trust and hundreds of people, whether they have contributed £10 or £100,000."
Highlands and Islands Enterprise chief executive Iain Robertson said: "The purchase of Knoydart represents the largest single investment made by HIE's Community Land Unit, and brings about an end to the uncertainty over the future of this community and the land on which it lives. A great deal of hard work has been put in by local people and all of the agencies involved.
"Now the task of creating a viable economic future for the people living here begins. The local enterprise company, Lochaber Limited, and the HIE network stand ready to assist in this task."
Jeff Watson, SNH North Area's director, said: "We have always been strong supporters of the Foundation's proposals for the purchase and management of Knoydart Estate and are delighted to be able to step in to grant aid the final £50,000.
"Our contribution is very substantial in terms of SNH grant aid, particularly for a purchase, but it recognises that the natural heritage of Knoydart stands to benefit considerably under the foundation's ownership and management."
David Stewart, Labour M.P. for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, said: "This announcement represents a huge leap forward for land rights in
Scotland. It is a proud moment for the Knoydart Foundation, and a tribute to the courage and determination of the people of Knoydart. It has been a long, tortuous struggle, but their efforts have finally paid off.."
He will formally pay tribute to the foundation by tabling an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons.
Iain Bennet, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: "We are very pleased that a positive outcome has been achieved. This has been an atypical receivership and has taken some time to come to fruition, but it is very satisfying to reach a successful conclusion."
*Donations to the new public appeal can be made by sending cheques to The Knoydart Foundation, Knoydart, by Mallaig, Scotland PH41 4PL.
Further information can be found on the Internet at www.firecraft.com/knoydart or by contacting the appeal office on 01687 462906.
Herring heyday recalled as hut reopened........March 2nd 1999
A BUILDING formerly used to house herring workers employed in the heyday of the fishing industry in the North of Scotland was officially reopened on Tuesday, March 2, 1999.
The historic Gutters Hut in Lerwick, Shetland, now a listed building, had been renovated as part of a £1.75million redevelopment project at the North Ness in the island town, which was once one of Scotland's busiest fishing ports.
The property was donated for offices by Shetland Islands Council along with £156,000 of land, and £180,000 of property was contributed by Shetland Leasing and Property.
Shetland Enterprise, part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network, gave £1.4million for the redevelopment, which was reopened officially by HIE chairman James Hunter.
SE chief executive David Finch said: "This has been a remarkable project. In little under a year, the land and old warehouse buildings at North Ness have been turned into a landscaped site ready to house new companies and help local firms expand."
He paid tribute to the co-operation of property owners John Fleming and Co., owners of Hay and Company; Shetland Islands Council; Shetland Leasing and Property Development Ltd., and Crown Estates Commission.
"The restoration of the Gutters Hut has been a major success which will bring even more visitors to the area. We were delighted that Jim was able to lead the opening."
Mr Hunter, accompanied by HIE chief executive Iain Robertson, also presented Investors in People awards for staff development to five island firms - Shetland Amenity Trust, a conservation group dedicated to preserving archaelogical and environmental heritage; Sportwise; professional divers C & R Diving Group; trawl and fish-cage manufacturers Oceansafe (Shetland) Ltd., and Shetland Fish Processors Organisation.
He was also shown the islands' most recent oil-drilling project by Shetland Offshore and Environmental Services; visited Shetland College at Gremista Industrial Estate which will provide business administration, computing and outreach courses for the University of the Highlands and Islands, and met Shetland Islands Council convener Lewis Smith to discuss development issues and potential partnership projects.
Bike riders aid Middle East hospital........March 2nd 1999
RIDING a bicycle to help a hospital in Israel seems an unlikely idea, especially for sober churchmen in the Highlands of Scotland. Yet that is just what at least two have done, raising large amounts of cash for a Christian hospital with patients of all races and religions.
The Nazareth Hospital, hoping to re-equip its emergency department with portable ventilators, external pacemakers, ECG machines, X-ray machine, trauma beds and such-like, is the only 24-hour hospital in Galilee.
Owned and maintained by the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society, it is a vital testimony to the teaching of Jesus Christ, states Donnie Maclean, of Inverness East Church of Scotland, who took part in the bike ride from Mount Carmel - close to where the prophet Elijah set up his altar, as related in 1st Kings (v18:16ff) of the Old Testament.
The 86 cyclists pedalled northwards alongside the Mediterranean to the border with South Lebanon; eastwards towards the hills of Galilee, then southwards to the Galilean Sea, which is fed by the River Jordan.
On its northern shores they saw the Biblical villages of Capernaum - mainly ruins now but for the Church of the Multiplication of the loaves and fishes at Tabgha or a chapel on the Mount of the Beatitudes. . .
On to Geneserat (now Ginnosar), where a 1st Century boat uncovered in a drought in 1986 has been preserved for exhibition; across the Sea of Galilee by ferryboat after a lake-side Communion, with a stop halfway for a special service; then southwards along the river past Bet Shean and a huge archaeological site and Mount Gilboa to Sakne Springs, whose comfortably warm temperature makes for swimming all year round.
The last day meant an hour's cycle up Mount Tabor, traditional site of the Transfiguration - Donnie Maclean relates that his friend from Avoch, 68-year-old Bill Martin, was with him and often ahead of him - and a nine-minute cycle back down. . .
At the foot, huge chunks of beef, tons of salads and fruit were provided by the village of Daburya (Deborah, who judged Israel, Judges 4/5. Then came the final lap into Nazareth through the Churchill forest to a huge welcome from a large crowd and a teenage pipe and drum band.
On the Saturday, the party were shown some of the hospital facilities - the emergency department, said Mr Maclean, was very small compared to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and in urgent need of re-equipping, despite handling 48,000 cases a year with the very best of care.
He also visited Quemran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found; the Dead Sea and Herod's fortress at Masada, and Jerusalem, with the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the reputed site of the Ascension, the Garden Tomb and the Wailing Wall where could be seen the Dome of the Rock, the Muslim shrine built on the site of Christ's Crucifixion.
The last visit was to Yad VaShem, a Holocaust memorial on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
Then it was back to Tel Aviv airport and home.
His final note: Nazareth Hospital is in desperate need of support, in finance and in prayer. He commended either or both.
Highland Council wins funds to aid young people........March 2nd 1999
A PARTNERSHIP led by the local authority for the Highlands of Scotland has been awarded major funding to introduce a social inclusion programme aiming to improve the lot of people aged 14 to 25 in fragile and disadvantaged communities.
Pilot projects are proposed at Ardnamurchan, North Sutherland, Ormlie (Thurso), Milnafua and Westford (Alness), Merkinch (Inverness),
Upper Fort William and Kinlochleven.
The Highland Council's successful bid for £2,159,000 over three years includes projects within Initiative at the Edge areas in Orkney and the Western Isles.
An early priority will be to involve young people in these communities in decisions concerning projects and activities to be funded.
The bid was made under the auspices of the Highland Wellbeing Alliance, a partnership of the council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise,
Northern Constabulary, Highland Health Board and Scottish Homes, all of whom hope to improve the quality of life for the people of the Highlands.
Council convener Councillor Peter Peacock said:
"Making the transition to adulthood is difficult enough at the best of time. Young people in rural communites face particular disadvantages. Their choices about jobs, training and leisure activities are constrained. As a result they may be obliged to leave or have to find ways of adapting their ambitions. Low income, unemployment, poor housing and health problems can combine to exclude young people from a decent
quality of living in rural areas as well as in our towns.
"The aim of this partnership is to give all young people in Highland the best possible start in life. Projects such as the Highland Youth
Parliament will ensure the alliance agencies understand the needs of young people, thus making our services more effective. The funds will
also provide much-needed facilities for young people in rural areas and increase their access to jobs, education, training, health, housing and
leisure services."
Co-ordinator sought for Initiative at Edge........March 1st 1999
A NATIONAL co-ordinator is being sought to oversee and encourage community-led social and economic development in the remotest areas of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
Whoever is appointed will take reponsibility for the day-to-day management of the Iomart aig an Oir (Initiative at the Edge) project.
It was set up by the Scottish Office in 1998 to encourage greater co-operation between public bodies, local authorities and the government, to pool resources in helping Scotland's most fragile communities.
Pilot areas include four in the Western Isles - Uig and Berneray, the Bays area of Harris, Eriskay and Lochboisdale.
Others are Westray and Papa Westray in Orkney, North Sutherland, Ardnamurchan and the Island of Colonsay.
The national co-ordinator will be based in one of the Western Isles pilot areas, and local development officers will be employed part-time in each of the four areas.
Lorne MacLeod, director of the strengthening communities division of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which is involved in the funding with LEADER II, Western Isles Council and Western Isles Enterprise, said: "Despite an overall improvement in the economies of many areas throughout the Highlands and Islands, some of the most remote communities are still suffering from long-term, persistent population decline, with all the associated economic and social problems.
"Initiative at the Edge is already proving to be successful but we need additional help to ensure that all the areas involved are working together to ensure community involvement and development action. The national co-ordinator will play a key role in implementing effective networking systems between all agencies and communities and in encouraging ideas."
Shetland prepares for sea invasion........March 1st 1999
THE PORT Lerwick in Shetland, the island group north-east of the Scots mainland, is getting ready to welcome in the summer of 1999 the Cutty Sark Tall Ships sailing extravaganza organised by the International Sail Training Association.
The town, with a population of 7,000, expects some 20,000 visitors a day during the four-day spectacular from August 9 to 12.
Local organisers Sail Shetland anticipate about 3,000 visitors on board the Tall Ships arriving from the previous port of call, Greenock, in Central Scotland. The race begins at St Malo, France, and after the Shetland stop-off, the ships leave for Aalborg, in Denmark.
The race was last in Scotland in 1997 when some 100 vessels of all sizes visited Aberdeen on July 12-15. The city had previously hosted the festival of sea, ships and youth in 1991, and both occasions had been a huge draw for spectators and cash right up to the finale Parade of Sail, after which the vessels set of across the North Sea for Trondheim, 644 miles away in Norway. That race had finished at Gothenburg, in Sweden.
The first Tall Ships race was staged in 1956 from Torbay, South-west England, to Lisbon, in Portugal, with 21 vessels from 11 countries.
The event has been sponsored since 1972 by Cutty Sark Scotch Whisky, whose name is a memorial to the 19th Century Scots clipper renowned for having outraced a steamship in 1894.
The race became so big that it was turned into two per year, one in Northern Europe and one in Southern Europe. Any ship longer than 30ft. at the waterline can participate so long as at least half the people on board are between 16 and 25.
The Cutty Sark Trophy, a silver model of the legendary clipper, goes to the vessel deemed to have given the most to international understanding and friendship.
*This Lerwick arrival is expected to be the port's biggest sea event to date. Previously, it has been "invaded" by crowds of Vikings in Norway's largest ocean sailing event, the Shetland Race, and by thousands of passengers from multi-national and ultra-modern cruise liners.
Council short-listed for excellence awards........March 1st 1999
THE Highland Council is in the running to win two top awards in a national competition which rewards excellence in local government.
It is one of five short-listed in the public/private partnership of the year for its ground-breaking deal with ICL to provide its information technology services.
It is also one of five councils bidding to become IT Team of the Year.
The awards are run by Local Government Chronicle, which is staging the awards ceremony in London on Tuesday, March 9, 1999.
Both short-listings result from the 10-year partnership agreed last July between the council and ICL for the provision of information systems/information technology services.
The £48million deal includes £14million of Government funding, through a private finance initiative.
The arrangement brings a radical improvement
to the quality of IT systems and services, through new finance and housing systems and 2,000 new computers.
Cost reductions of 20% have also been achieved through the partnership.
Councillor Andy Anderson, chairman of the council's information systems
board, said: "The Local Government Chronicle Awards for Excellence is a prestigious event, representing the very best in local government. We are delighted to be short-listed in two categories and it would be the icing on the cake for our pioneering work with ICL if we were to pick up an award."