High Points Issue 8
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The Highland Council’s Magazine Autumn 2017 Highpoints Issue 8 Sàr Phuingean Local Voices, Exploring Highland Highland Choices history and heritage Council Programme pg3 Archaeology Festival pg4 Friday 13th October to Saturday 21st October Read about the Mòd on page 7 Lost dogs return homee to Town Housee pg244 www.highland.gov.uk Contents 3 Council Programme 4 Highland Archaeology Festival 6 Praise for world beaters 7 Royal National Mòd 2017 8 LEADER funding secured Welcome Fàilte 10 250th Youth Trainee Welcome to the latest edition twinning programme. 11 Apprentice Star of our magazine Highpoints A place to thrive: Pages 8 12 Archimedes Screw (Sàr Phuingean). and 9 describe a number of 13 Scottish Award recognises In this issue you can read about projects which have benefi ted Council a wide variety of initiatives and from LEADER funding which developments across Highland. enables applicants to invest in 13 It’s yours, Claim it! These help to illustrate each of community projects their area. 14 Augsburg Apprentices the fi ve themes in our Council A welcoming place: Lochaber is 16 Bulky Uplift service Programme, ‘Local Voices, preparing to welcome the 2017 17 Civic Inverness Medal Highland Choices’. Royal National Mòd, promoting 18 West Link A place to live: The Archaeology our region and celebrating the festival highlights the wealth of Gaelic language and culture with 19 Rugby Club history and heritage we have in an international audience. 20 Muir of Ord Rail Bridge the Highlands and will hopefully A redesigned council: Our staff 20 Top Planning award inspire young and old to explore have redesigned the bulky uplift and fi nd out more about the 21 Beat Doorstep Crime service bringing improvements place in which we live. in service as well as releasing 22 River Connections A place to learn: Pictures from £57,000 of savings. This is just 23 Sculptural Destination Wick Campus and the Caol one of the many redesign 24 Lost dogs return home Joint Campus show off some of projects that are underway in the 26 New Wick Campus the fabulous new educational council. facilities we are creating in 26 Top brass tuition These are just a few stories Highland for our young people. about the work of The Highland 27 Caol Joint Campus You can also read about the Council. Why not follow us on impressions of Augsburg twitter @highlandcouncil to Contact us exchange students who visited fi nd out more about what is this summer as part of our Write to: happening in your area. Corporate Communications Enjoy reading! The Highland Council HQ Glenurquhart Road Inverness IV3 5NX Email: corporate.communications @highland.gov.uk Phone: 01463 702020 Highpoints will be published online and some hard copies will be made available in service points and libraries. The magazine is produced in-house by our Corporate Communications Team and printing costs are sponsored by advertising. Cover photo by John Paul Peebles Bill Lobban Highland Council Convener Listening ~ Open ~ Valuing ~ Improving ~ Supporting ~ Partnering ~ Delivering 2 Council Programme agreed - Local Voices, Highland Choices The Highland Council has is crucial for our future and we She continued: must plan to grow our own skilled agreed a fi ve-year Programme There are many risks, mostly which sets out a number workforce to meet the needs fi scal, to the successful outcome of tomorrow, with early years of our Programme, but never of strategic goals across 5 provision, support for schools, themes: a place to live, a place better opportunities. This modern apprenticeships, and programme must have cross- to learn, a place to thrive, supporting and growing job chamber support and the next a welcoming place and a creation and opportunities across step is to discuss the detail with redesigned council. the region. members and engage with our Council Leader, Margaret In tandem with growing jobs communities and partners in Davidson said: and opportunities we need to order to deliver the best we can ensure we have places for people for Highland. Our Programme builds on to live and thrive. We have an The agreed priorities will form the the foundations of localism that acute housing need and we will we have been establishing over basis of the Council’s corporate be ambitious with our targets for and service plans. recent months. We are committed new homes and encouraging the to devolving more power to areas private sector to join with us in to make democracy work better our ambition. for communities. This is an exciting and energetic region full of entrepreneurs and we need to build on the 74 new and returning elected members undoubted strengths in our together with Chief Executive Steve Barron, communities. Workforce planning Leader Margaret Davidson, Convener Bill Lobban and former Depute Chief Executive Michelle Morris Photo by Ewen Weatherspoon 3 Celebrating Highland Archaeology, Highland Archaeology Festival History and Heritage Fèis Arc-eòlais na Gàidhealtachd Archaeology Festival to showcase Highland’s historic past The high point of the year for hands-on workshop afternoon There are several activities to celebrating the local heritage at Highland Council. We’re tempt people to explore further of the Highlands started on particularly pleased to have two afi eld. Sixteen museums have high profi le lectures, one by chosen a special object in th Friday 29 September. For Cecily Spall focusing on medieval their collections. A passport is two weeks, the Highland excavations at Portmahomack available in the festival brochure Archaeology Festival off ers, and Eilean Donan Castle and or from the website where throughout the Highlands, one by Dr Alison Sheridan of the participating museums will a range of walks, talks, National Museum of Scotland record the visit – and the person workshops, exhibitions, the discussing how DNA analysis is with the most stamps will win a changing our understanding of prize. New this year is a HAF2017 annual conference special Highland prehistory. geocache trail, where special children’s activities and other Chair of The Highland Council’s geocaches have been hidden at events for all ages. Environment, Development sites related to Highland heritage. Now in its 24th year, the festival and Infrastructure Committee, A special afternoon at the features over 80 events, special Councillor Allan Henderson said: Highland Council headquarters th exhibitions at museums in Inverness on the 13 October The Highland Archaeology provides an opportunity to learn throughout the Highlands, Festival is the premier event of a Museums Trail with 16 new skills, from photography its kind in Scotland, and attracts to building survey, and how to participating museums and a people from a wide area. We live geocache trail exploring our rich use the Council’s database of in an area where the heritage all known heritage, the Historic heritage from prehistoric times is so accessible, and many local th Environment Record. through to the 20 century. societies and museums promote The Highland Council’s their local area and projects. The annual Recent Archaeological Archaeologist Kirsty Cameron Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy Discoveries and Research said: notes that archaeology is for conference, also at Council everyone, contributing to our Headquarters in Inverness, has a We’re delighted that so many fascinating series of talks ranging organisations and museums wellbeing and knowledge, and to our economic growth and from prehistory to modern have again off ered such a range remains, as well as lots of displays of activities which celebrate quality of life. What better way to showcase this than by a festival from local groups and museums. archaeology, and history from A special round-table discussion earliest settlers to modern times. stretching across the Highlands and celebrating the range and session will explore dating Walks to special places in the methods in archaeology. Highlands and talks describing diversity of Highland heritage. I particularly would like to thank The festival website: aspects of our heritage are always www.highlandarchaeologyfestival.org popular. But this year we also all the event organisers for their time, imagination and eff ort, as provides information on all the have a range of unusual activities activities. showing how our local heritage the festival would not be links to many other aspects of possible without them. the Highlands. Back by popular demand is an archaeology pub quiz, craft activities and a 4 Photo: Pictured getting ready to hunt for treasure using the Geo-cache are Denis Fyfe from Avoch Primary School and Cllr Allan Henderson. Photo by Ewen Weatherspoon 5 Praise for world beaters Lochalsh Junior Pipe Band Ross and Cromarty Pipes & Mr Bolton said: The World Pipe Band Drums School and Lochalsh Winning a competition at this Championships were held at Junior Pipe Band achieved level is a huge achievement, not Glasgow Green. This year 219 only from a playing perspective Pipe Bands and 8,000 pipers and the ultimate accolade by drummers competed. Around becoming World Pipe but also in overcoming the additional geographical 35,000 people attended the event Band Champions in their challenges associated with over 2 days. respective grades (Novice A living in the Highlands, while Winning the World Pipe Band and Novice B) in Glasgow in competing in a largely central Championships is the ultimate August. belt based activity. The bands’ piper and drummers’ dream. successes are also testament to Highland Council Piping The Worlds competition is the support of local communities, Instructors Niall Matheson and adjudicated by the Royal Scottish parents and the pupils who Niall Stewart, and drumming Pipe Band Association. choose to participate in addition Instructor Drew Caldwell were to their weekly lessons. congratulated and thanked for all the additional time they spend working with these groups by the Council’s Music Development Offi cer, Norman Bolton.