Friday, 11 June 2021
WELCOME CAROLINE TUCKER
Caroline Tucker started as Project Co-Ordinator this week. Hello Caroline. She will be here to support current projects and identified through the Community Action Plan, raising the capacity of the Trust to support organisations and volunteers as you progress your ideas. Caroline will ensure timelines are in place and contractors are meeting agreed deadlines.
BETTER CONNECTIONS
This week I attended the first of the second round of Community Action Plan Working Groups – Better Connections. Read more and watch the session here Workshop summary.
It was useful to see the combined knowledge of everyone working together and starting to focus on all the ideas and discussions of the last few months and planting the seeds for potential solutions and great initiatives.
The community members discussed:
High speed broadband for all households
A community transport initiative, for example a minibus owned by the community or a subsidy to a private operator.
Safer walking and cycling within villages so children, for example, can get to schools safely.
Off-road access network between villages and up into the hills using forest roads and windfarm access tracks (this links strongly to the Outdoors and Nature theme)
Working with Highland Council more proactively and strategically on roads maintenance
Outdoors and Nature and Our Homes are next week – sign up here Roll up your sleeves, things are warming up!
BETTER MINUTES
This week I learnt a valuable lesson on the importance and accuracy of minutes. In relation to the point above about community transport initiatives in one set of Community Council minutes we found a commitment to providing a school minibus from the Red John Hydro Project that was granted this week. This bus would then be left to our community. The Trust and Community Council will investigate this further!
OVER 50 AND COUNTING – RIVERSIDE FIELD SURVEY
We currently have over 50 responses to the Riverside Field survey. This is already a substantial sample from the community that captures and represents your view on the project but please continue to let us know your views here before midnight on 21st June here.
We will publish the results and your comments will help guide the Community Steering Group who will take this forward if the project gets through planning. The Trust has facilitated this survey to help capture the community view around the area and closest to the field TODAY, after several years of development work.
We think it is very important that people engage with the planning process planning if they have a positive or negative view. Three people have taken the opportunity to do so. Before commenting do read the Design Statement in Documents as that tells the story of how the community got to this point, including the background of the site and all community consultations. Make your views known to the Local Council Planning Department here.
Planning seems scary but it is a useful process. It can clarify facts and highlight potential areas for change. For example, the Flood Risk Management team do not object because of the proposed drainage arrangements. However, Sports Scotland have suggested an alternative to a manned climbing wall and offered their help for a bouldering option which members of the community may prefer. Other statutory consultees will give their view so we, as community members, get a sense what is and is not acceptable according to policy and planning regulations.
RISE UP
This week Wildside Caretaker Mark Henderson co-ordinated several individuals and groups to raise the roof on the marquee at the back of Wildside. It is great to see our new staff, volunteers and Team SFCT work together to come to solutions on projects which, to many, may seem easy but aren’t without their challenges along the way.
Wildside is becoming a hub of community activity and that is why it is wonderful to see the Summer Gala and Market has made its way to our grounds. The event is one of many helping us get back to some sense of normality after an unusual year, bringing people together to continue to work together for each other and simply enjoy each other’s company that perhaps we all took for granted.
I recently went to a Scottish Government event and people were asked what word sums up the last year for you within your community. I will leave Five Things this week with words you might be living by….
Resilience
Hope
Partnership
Tired / Challenge
Community
Adaptability
Enthusiasm
Inspired
Fairness
And my personal favourite
Sausages
- 2025
- July (5 stories)
- June (14 stories)
- May (14 stories)
- April (21 stories)
- March (17 stories)
- February (18 stories)
- January (22 stories)
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Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust,The Wildside Centre, Whitebridge,
Inverness IV2 6UN
admin@sfctrust.org.uk
07300 562443