Staycations don’t mean compromising.
Head to Scotland this Summer or early Autumn where Dunnet Bay Distillers is opening its doors for a gin and vodka tasting experience in its newly refurbished, coastal-themed Tasting Room.
The coastal themed venue features Boat Shed booths, each of which seats 2 people, enabling guests to maintain a safe distance from the other booths whilst sipping delectable, award-winning spirits and hearing stories to celebrate Scotland’s coastlines and waters.
You will taste three fine spirits. Each session costs £20 per booth. There are only 10 Boat Shed booths within the Tasting Room and Summer is predicted to be particularly busy, so booking is essential. For more details about the tastings and to book visit: https://www.dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk/shop/visitor-experience/
The venue is part of the Distillery where Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka are produced. The spirits, which are the brainchild of husband-and-wife team, Claire and Martin Murray, use locally foraged botanicals including Rhodiola Rosea (rose of the rock) and plants grown in the Distillery’s own garden. The site is on the most northly tip of mainland Scotland and is part of the renowned North Coast 500 route – a route of exceptional scenic beauty.
Co-founder and director of Dunnet Bay Distillers, Claire Murray, says: “We want visitors to see Caithness at its very best and to experience it as we do – its wide-open spaces, vastness and glorious tranquillity. We will be running our North Coast Stories with Tasting experience all year so free to book a place later in the year when it is less congested. Be assured that no matter when you visit you will always receive a warm welcome from us here at Dunnet Bay Distillery!”
Recently, the Distillery launched an exceptional new expression of its gin: Rock Rose Gin Citrus Coastal Edition. The citrus comes, not from imported lemons, but from home-grown lemon verbena. If you want to take home a memory of this pristine Scottish coastline, this should definitely be on the list when you visit the VIP shop which has been launched for those taking part in tastings.
If you want to continue to explore Rock Rose Gins and Holy Grass Vodka, you can join the Refill Rewards Club, a sustainable subscription box delivering these gins in sustainable, recyclable pouches.
You can buy these products and more at the online shop:
Strathnaver Museum has received additional funding to help the organisation realise its vision to create a world class visitor attraction on the north Sutherland coast after securing £41,178 from Museum Galleries Scotland’s Recovery and Resilience Fund.
As well as supporting the future aspirations and recovery of the popular visitor attraction the funding will help cover operational costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. This award follows a grant of £113,157 in January from the first round of the Fund.
The funding already granted enabled Strathnaver Museum to undertake crucial survey work to progress plans for the refurbishment and repair of Strathnaver Museum. The development project will make much needed repairs, improve access to the site and its collection, create additional spaces for community projects and help the Trust to improve its sustainability.
Project Manager, Fiona Mackenzie said “The award from MGS enabled us to take a significant leap forward in our refurbishment project. The funding allowed us to undertake key surveys on our historic building and site, submit our Building Warrant application and firm up costs.
Since January a lot of activity has been going on behind the scenes as we carefully recorded and packed away the collection ready for physical work to begin on site. All being well with securing the remaining funding we aim to be in a position to begin work in late summer”.
During the archaeological survey work the team found some evidence of Iron Age activity which has warranted further investigation. The second round of MGS funding will help towards the costs of a more detailed archaeological survey due to begin in June.
Strathnaver Museum Chair, Tommy Mackay said “It’s believed the site has been an ecclesiastical centre for over a thousand years and we are looking forward to seeing what the archaeological dig might uncover. It is hoped it will further our knowledge and understanding of the site and perhaps we might even uncover some new objects to add to the collection”.
Lucy Casot, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland said:
“We are pleased to further support Strathnaver Museum in their refurbishment project. It is fantastic to see this ambitious project already well underway and the evidence of Iron Age activity in the recent archaeological survey highlights the importance of developing access to this historic site for the local area and visitors. We are delighted to be part of the museum’s journey to become a hub for regional heritage and look forward to the project developments over the next few years.”
Strathnaver Museum will be closed while the works are ongoing and the group plan to reopen the existing building and new annex in early 2023. During the closure the group will have a temporary office and exhibition space in Naver Telecentre, Bettyhill as well as pop up exhibitions and events at venues across north west Sutherland. An information service and gift shop will be operational from the end of May at the Bettyhill Tourist Information Centre beside Clachan Café.
Strathnaver Museum have secured £1.66 million of the £2.08 million capital funding costs which will secure the building, create a new agricultural annex and see new interpretation installed across the site. If you would like to contribute to Strathnaver Museum’s refurbishment appeal you can do so at https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/StrathnaverMuseumRefurbishment
North Highland College UHI is a partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands and a leading college of further and higher education offering training, education and skills development opportunities from access to PhD level. The college has gone through major expansion over recent years and we are proud to have four campuses serving the north of Scotland.
The Board of Management of the North Highland College Board sets the overall strategic direction of the College and is responsible for its corporate governance. Membership of the College Board is an excellent way to share your knowledge and expertise to help the Board address the needs of students, employers and other stakeholders.
The Board seeks to appoint up to four independent members from a broad range of backgrounds and a range of sectors who can demonstrate:
- experience and knowledge in areas of relevance to the College such as Accountancy, Audit, ICT, Law, Estates Management, SMEs, the third sector, renewable energy, industry, and General Executive Management. However, applications from other disciplines are welcomed.
- a willingness to give time and energy to assist with the effective governance of the College.
- a commitment of around 120 hours per academic year for Full Board and Committee duties.
Membership of the Board is unremunerated, however, reasonable expenses incurred for Board business will be reimbursed.
In line with our Equality and Diversity policy, North Highland College UHI is committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated on the basis of their merits and abilities, and that unfair and unlawful discrimination is eliminated. The Board positively welcomes applications from all sections of the community and is committed to reflecting the community it serves.
All Board positions are subject to Enhanced Disclosure checks with Disclosure Scotland upon appointment. Members are also asked to sign up to a Code of Conduct, and to formally register any interests which may have a bearing on their work for the Board.
If you would like to be considered for membership, please send your CV and a covering letter outlining the qualities you could bring to the North Highland College Board of Management, to Fiona Sinclair, Secretary to the Board of Management by email: Fiona.sinclair@uhi.ac.uk
For an informal discussion about the role, please also contact Fiona.sinclair@uhi.ac.uk
Closing date: Friday 23rd April 2021
Scottish Government are working on their new long-term Road Safety focus, which is on speed.
The campaign was launched on TV and Radio on 25th February and you can view the TV advertisement here.
Government are keen to engage with businesses across Scotland to amplify the campaign message to reach the audience of 22-25 year olds in Scotland who use private vehicles to get to their place of work, and also those who drive vehicles as part of their job.
The campaign assets, which can be found on the Speed Hub, can be used by businesses to engage employees to raise awareness around the dangers of speeding, with the ultimate goal of changing behaviour and a reduction in serious collisions on Scotland’s roads.
Why do Scottish Government want to partner with businesses?
Driving is the most dangerous work activity that most people do, and it contributes to far more work-related accidental deaths and serious injuries than all other work activities.
How can you help?
The Speed Hub on roadsafety.scot has a host of useful information, resources and ready to use assets that can be utilised by businesses to amplify the campaign message on internal and external channels.
- Digital assets for the intranet to engage employees and on external social media channels to show support for the campaign
- Static assets (posters) that can be printed in-house and placed in staff areas
To find out more about this campaign, visit www.roadsafety.scot
GD Energy Services Ltd based in Caithness have donated seven brand new Lenovo Chromebooks to Budding Engineers CIC along with some used IT equipment for refurbishment.
The new devices along with the refurbished items will be issued to families in need in Caithness to allow the children to participate in their schools current and future online learning programmes.
Picture above showing GDES team handing over one of the new devices to Dave & Liz Kerr of Budding Engineers.
An historic mill on the outskirts of Castletown could be transformed after it was bought by a Caithness business.
Martin Murray, the co-founder of Dunnet Bay Distillery, says it offers “exciting potential” for the award-winning firm – though he stressed there was much work to do to bring the plans to fruition.
Mr Murray confirmed that the business had bought the 200-year-old mill building and surrounding land opposite the Castletown beach.
He said the company, which owns the Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka brands, is considering applying for planning permission for the site, which would include refurbishment of the dilapidated, listed mill building.
The aim is to create “further resources” for the expanding business. The distillery products sell strongly across Scotland and the rest of the UK and are also being exported to around 24 countries across the world.
Mr Murray, who started the company with his wife Claire in 2014, said:”We are at the early stages of this particular development, which offers exciting potential for our business and for the local community, not least as our future development plans include the employment of more staff. However, there is much work to do before we will be in a position to make any announcement.”
Dunnet Bay Distillers has gone from strength to strength over the past seven years, winning a number of awards.
A year after they started up Rock Rose gin it took the award for the best new business at the Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards.
The same year Dunnet Bay Distillers was also featured among the prize-winners at the Great Taste Awards and the Global Gin Masters, while Rock Rose was chosen as the best new launch design at the World Gin Awards.
In 2016, the company won the new product category at the Highlands & Islands Food & Drinks awards, this time for its Holy Grass vodka.
The three-storey mill dates from the early 1800s but has been lying empty for a long time. Over the years, a few plans have been mooted for the building and did not materialise – but that could be about to change.
Cavendish Nuclear has donated funds totalling £12,000 to charities in the communities surrounding six of its offices across the UK.
Cavendish Nuclear is committed to making a positive impact and a long lasting sustainable legacy in the communities where we operate and where our workforce work and reside. Recognising the unprecedented year we have had and the challenging time that Christmas poses for some, Cavendish Nuclear is pleased to be able to donate to six charities/community groups supporting vulnerable/homeless people in our local communities.
Donations have been made to following six charities/community groups to enable them to provide extra support this Christmas:
• Bristol – The Bristol Soup Run Trust
• Dounreay – Thurso Development Community Trust
• Newbury – Loose Ends
• Leicester – b-inspired
• Warrington – Warrington Open Door at Christmas
• West Cumbria – Phoenix Enterprise Centre Fare Share Food Pantry
Dominic Kieran, Managing Director, “The communities we live and work in are incredibly important to us. This has been an especially challenging year and I am pleased that we have been able to provide support to those most in need in the local communities near a number of our sites.”
Martyn Jones, Trustee/Director, The Bristol Soup Run Trust, “On behalf of everyone at the Bristol Soup Run Trust I want to say a huge thank you to Cavendish Nuclear for supporting us. We have continued to operate a nightly soup run in Bristol city centre every day in 2020 and this has only been possible thanks to the dedication of our amazing volunteers and the support of our generous donors.”
Joan Lawrie, Development Manager, Thurso Community Development Trust, “We operate a
community larder called ‘The Sharing Shed.’ The aim of the larder is to redistribute surplus food to assist people who are in need, as well as ensuring that they are given advice on cooking, budgeting and maximising their income. The donation from Cavendish Nuclear will assist the Trust to deliver these services.”
Linda Fergusson, Chair of Trustees, Loose Ends Newbury, “Loose Ends is a drop-in centre run solely by volunteers in Newbury serving food to the homeless and vulnerable five days a week. The preparation and serving of healthy, hot meals is our main function but we also offer mini food parcels, toiletries and clean clothes and we work with other agencies and charities and signpost people to those who can provide help. Thank you to Cavendish Nuclear for supporting us.”
Catherine Derwent, Communication and Project Support Worker, Binspired Braunstone Foodshare, Leicester, “The Foodshare scheme was set up in January 2011 to help reduce food waste from supermarkets but now the scheme works to tackle food poverty in the local area. We are overwhelmed with the generosity shown by Cavendish Nuclear this Christmas. Thank you for supporting our cause after such a difficult year, where the need for our services has increased by 37% over the past few months.”
Andy Willis, Chairman, Warrington Open Door at Christmas (WODAC) On Christmas Day, “Run entirely by volunteers over the eight day Christmas period, WODAC offers take away food and drinks with additional focus on delivering food parcels and Christmas gifts to the residents of Warrington who are less fortunate. WODAC would like to thank Cavendish Nuclear for its very generous donation.”
Joanne Crowe, Ops Manager, Phoenix Enterprise Centre, Cumbria, “Phoenix Enterprise Centre is very grateful for the generous donation from Cavendish Nuclear. These funds will support the delivery of food and essentials (and a selection box for children) to some of the most vulnerable families across Copeland this Christmas time. Thank you so much.”
A national conference will hear today how digital technology has the potential to enable a sustainable future for the civil nuclear sector over the coming years, bringing with it new opportunities and ways of working that will transform asset management.
Cavendish Nuclear, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Babcock International, is speaking at the Nuclear Industry Association’s Nuclear2020, which will be attended by delegates from across the nuclear industry.
Tony Burnett, Cavendish Nuclear’s Head of Innovation and Technology and Steve Penver, Babcock Group’s Head of Data and Analytics, will share insight on how ‘digital twins’ of nuclear assets can transform asset management and performance.
Digital technology has a fundamental role to play in the transition of ageing assets to a more sustainable future, and the impact on nuclear will be significant. They will explain the benefits of using applications such as digital twinning, to enable the nuclear industry to transition to a more sustainable future and be an essential, efficient element of the wider Net Zero 2050 Challenge.
Steve said, “Digital technology has a critical role to play in enabling a sustainable future for our business; whether that’s using a digital thread, digital twin or artificial intelligence. It’s also about working in close collaboration with our customer and having a clear mandate and a plan for how that transition will take place.
“We’re already deploying digital technology in the defence and marine industries and these proven applications mean that we can better understand the critical assets we are managing, develop better training solutions for our people to deliver, and ultimately improve availability by optimising maintenance and predicting failures.” Tony said, “A digital twin for storing data relating to the design, construction and operation of an asset, provides a deeper, real-time, long-term understanding of an asset’s performance and enables timely and effective asset management decisions
to be made throughout its life. “Application of this technology in the civil nuclear industry has significant potential in supporting ageing assets and in ensuring that new nuclear projects enable a more sustainable future.”
The presentation and Q&A is being held 10:00-11:00 and 14:00-15:00 in the Cavendish Nuclear breakout room at the Nuclear 2020 event. For more information on the conference and to register for free click here.
New electrical waste collection containers in Highland will aim to collect 24,000 unwanted small electrical items providing 1,200 of refurbished affordable electricals for local residents.
Householders in Highland will be able to easily declutter their unwanted small electricals via a new service providing 10 new collection containers funded by Material Focus to support ILM Highland and help save the environment. ILM Highland has been operating across Highland for over 26 years, providing Electrical Waste Recycling and Reuse services, refurbished retail and funded home improvement support for the vulnerable.
The service aims to collect 24,000 unwanted electricals of which 1,200 will be refurbished and sold at affordable prices to local residents. The project will help to reduce electrical waste, boost the local economy by providing a new dedicated Recycling Operative job and help combat climate change by saving 6,888 kg CO2 too.
Recent research, by the new not for profit Material Focus, has found that UK householders are hoarding 527 million small electrical items, an average of nearly 20 per household. And the problem is set to get worse as waste electricals are one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world and the UK. Instead, the majority of electricals can either be re-used or the materials contained in them recycled by being turned into anything from life-saving equipment to children’s playgrounds.*
In a concerted effort to tackle this growing challenge, Material Focus have funded ILM Highland to set up the new collection scheme, as part of the Recycle Your Electricals Campaign. The scheme will collect all items of small electrical waste including kettles, toasters, phones, techno gadgets, electrical toys, hair dryers, DIY power tools, electrical garden equipment – anything small with a plug, battery, or cable can be reused or recycled. The new Small Electrical Waste containers are to be sited in 10 key locations to encourage greater responsible disposal of small electrical waste instead of discarding these items in the green bin. The new container locations currently include Fortrose, Muir of Ord, Conon Bridge, Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon, Bonar Bridge and Dornoch.
Martin Macleod, CEO at ILM Highland, said: “We were keen to get behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign and make it easier for Highland residents to de-clutter, donate to a local good cause and do their bit to save the planet. It’s estimated that every household in the UK has around £620 worth of electronics sitting unused. These could provide a lifeline for someone unable to buy new, and for those who are looking to buy second hand to protect our environment. Even broken items can be utilised in unexpected ways, with components being recycled in various ways.”
Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, said: “This project is vital to ensuring that we make good use of our old electricals. Whether they are re-used or recycled – these items contain valuable materials that will otherwise be lost forever. Our research has shown that in the UK we are hoarding over 527 million small electrical items, an average of 20 per household, which is why we have recently launched our Recycle Your Electricals campaign. We are delighted to be working with ILM Highland, who is one of a number of new re-use projects that we are funding in the UK. So whether you are at home or work, please hunt out your old electricals and donate them to benefit your community.”
The scheme will ensure that all items are safe, with ILM Highland securely collecting discarded small electrical waste items from the containers, cleaning and testing equipment before making it available in their shop for locals to purchase. Householders can be completely reassured that all data-bearing devices will be securely wiped by ILM Highland – who offer a complete and secure hard drive data destruction service. Other electrical goods not suitable for reuse will be recycled. The profits from the sale of the refurbished electricals will support the provision of ILM’s Handyperson and Home Improvement services to the elderly and disabled including veterans across the Ross-shire and Sutherland community.