As part of their eco-school activities pupils at Melvich Primary School in north Sutherland spent their last day of term on Friday 4 April 2014 taking part in a litter pick around their village. Many hands make light work so in just a short space of time the young litter pickers were able to fill lots of black bags with discarded items that ranged from crisp packets to glass and plastic bottles.
The Highland Council’s Trading Standards Officers are warning sun-lovers bound for Turkey not to be caught out by a new visa system which requires for a visa to be applied for before travel. Britons have always been issued with a visa stamp in their passports on arrival for a £10 fee, but this will begin to come to an end from 11 April 2014, meaning visitors will have to apply online for an electronic visa (e-Visa) before travel.
Highland Councillors are united in their support for proposed new legislation aimed at cutting accidents on our roads involving young drivers. Leaders of all political groupings on the Council back the introduction of a Graduated Driver Licensing system for new drivers in Scotland, which would restrict their permissions in driving unsupervised until they have gained adequate experience.
The village of Helmsdale today (Friday 28 March 2014) celebrates the start of construction on its own social housing project, which will see the first affordable housing to be built in the village for 35 years. Rob Gibson MSP will perform the opening ceremony for the project, led on behalf of the community by Helmsdale and District Development Trust (HDDT).
The second phase of the main Kessock Bridge upgrade started on 10 February 2014. The works represent an investment of £13.2m from Transport Scotland.
Pupils, parents and carers are being informed that the price of school meals will increase in Highland primary and secondary schools from Tuesday 22 April 2014 when pupils return from the Easter holidays and the new spring-summer menu starts. The price of a primary school two course traditional lunch will increase to £1.95 and for secondary schools to £2.15.
An action plan and vision of what a low carbon Highlands would be like by 2025 was welcomed by members of The Highland Council - Thursday 13 March 2014. The vision supports an earlier statement of Inverness as a Carbon CLEVER City by 2025 which was recently approved by the Council’s City of Inverness Area Committee on 4 March 2014.
Around 40 young people from Highland secondary schools attended a careers event in Inverness College UHI today (Thursday 13 March 2014) to learn more about career opportunities in the IT (Information Technology) sector. The event “Your Future in IT?” is a partnership between The Highland Council, e-skills Scotland, and the business community, supported by the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
team from The Highland Council’s Planning and Development service has come out tops after winning the Strong and Sustainable Communities category in the 2014 COSLA Excellence Awards. The Create and Employ project, a partnership with the council, Highland Opportunity and Business Gateway, was put forward after winning the Working Together for the Economy category in The Highland Council’s Quality Awards.
Highland Councillors has agreed to dedicate significant additional funding for services to older people and the vulnerable. The Council has agreed an extra £13.5 million over the next three financial years for NHS Highland to deliver adult care services on its behalf.
The Highland Council has agreed plans to implement a review of Customer Services. The Council has agreed to spend £68,500 from the Strategic Change and Development Fund to enhance the Council’s web site so that the public can conduct more transactions online and the Service Centre, which handles phone queries from customers.
The Highland Council has unanimously supported reducing the minimum age for voting in all elections to 16. The Council is also backing Highland Youth Voice’s “Votes[AT]16” campaign which calls for 16 and 17 year olds to get the vote.
The public is being urged to comment on The Highland Council’s first green transport strategy. The deadline for responses is 30 April.
It is the opportunity to forge a career somewhere unique. Skills Development Scotland, the national skills body supporting the people and businesses of Scotland, is holding an exciting careers event in Duthac Centre, Tain.
Highlands & Islands Food & Drink: A cause for celebration as 2014 awards open for entry. Closing Date for entries - Wednesday, 23rd April 2014 Organisers of the Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards (HIFDA) are starting 2014 on an upbeat and positive note as they prepare to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the prestigious awards.
Up to 25 job opportunities will be available to young Gaels over the summer months as a result of a longstanding partnership between Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Comunn na Gàidhlig (CnaG). The job opportunities will be available through the Students Summer Placement Scheme, which offers Gaelic-speaking students placements with businesses and organisations where Gaelic is the language of the workplace.
The initial success of an advertising campaign to recruit supply teachers for Highland Council schools has resulted in the local authority running a second recruitment campaign. Members of the Council’s Adult and Children’s Services committee were today (19 February) informed that a recruitment campaign using advertorials in local and national newspapers in December 2013 attracted expressions of interest from 52 teachers.
Highland parents and families are to benefit from the introduction of 600 hours funded early learning and childcare from August this year. The Highland Council’s Adult and Children’s Services Committee have approved a suite of measures to enable the Council’s delivery of 600 hours on early learning and childcare by August 2014.
In a speech to the Scottish Parliament , Highlands & Islands Regional MSP, David Stewart highlighted the importance of EU funding to the economic and cultural development of the Highlands and Islands. “European funding is not a paternalistic sop from Eurocrats:, said Mr Stewart, “but a crucial economic tool.
Issued by NHS Highland The Health Protection Team at NHS Highland is working with Highland Council Education Service following the recent confirmation of a case of Tuberculosis (TB) in a child who attends the nursery at Helmsdale Primary School, Sutherland. The affected child did not catch the infection at school and remains well.
