The (work)force is strong at ILM Highland this May the 4th, as they welcome three new team members to support their growing service provision.
The new recruits will join ILM Highland as part of the UK Government’s Kickstart Scheme, which provides funding and support to create new job opportunities for 16- to 24-year-olds.
Connor Brown, Martin Muir and Luke Kennedy will gain access to training and support to help them further their careers, as well as gaining experience in electrical recycling, repairs and sales teams. These operations support charitable services, providing support to the elderly and those living with a disability in the Highlands.
Martin Macleod, CEO of ILM Highland, said: “We’re excited to welcome Connor, Martin and Luke to the ILM Highland family, and look forward to working with them over the coming months. The job market over the last year has been particularly competitive, so to be in the position to be able to create new jobs to help young people get their feet on the career ladder after such uncertainty is fantastic.”
Connor’s role as a domestic engineer assistant will see him join the ILM Highland electrical repair team – working on refurbished appliances that will be sold in their shop in Alness and online.
Martin will take on the title of recycling operative assistant, working on extensive electrical recycling operations – which includes the collection of small and large electricals across the Highlands, as well as providing WEEE disposal services to businesses in the region.
And Luke’s new position as shop sales and admin assistant will allow him the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of running a successful social enterprise and support the organisation’s fundraising efforts in its Alness retail shop.
Martin Macleod added: “Throughout the pandemic, we are proud to have continued to be able to offer our Handyperson and Care & Repair services to support vulnerable people to live at home across the Highlands. These are funded by the hard work of the teams that Connor, Martin and Luke will be working in. We’re delighted to have them on board to help us continue to provide these lifeline services to those that need them the most in our community.”
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
The May Executive Magazine is out now!
You can read it online, this month includes our usual quarterly Caithness Chamber Newsletter.
Read the full magazine here and see the Caithness Chamber Newsletter from page 23.
The Newsletter includes updates from;
- Above and Beyond Tours
- John O’Groats Development Trust
- Dunnet Bay Distillers
- Scrabster Harbour Trust
- BBM Solicitors
- Superclean
- Morson Projects
- Norbloc Construction
- Fibre 1
- North Point Distillery
Reading through the magazine, you’ll spot even more members! Andrew Mackay from the Caithness Collection & Mackays Hotel, Wick discuss Staycations being a saviour for the hospitality industry and Sharon Wooller from Dava Dawn explains more about Health and Safety in our businesses.
Editorial inclusion in the quarterly Chamber Newsletter within Executive Magazine is free of charge while members also receive exclusive discounts on advertising within the magazine. To discuss including your next good news story or advert, please just get in touch. info@caithnesschamber.com
Sign up to have future Executive Magazines sent directly to your inbox using this link.
State-of-the-art robotic technology will be used as part of an innovative project led by Cavendish Nuclear, to transform the way nuclear waste material is sorted – more safely, quicker and at lower cost.
Cavendish Nuclear, a wholly owned subsidiary of Babcock International Group, has won funding for its new OptiSORT system, which will be carried as part of an industry-wide partnership including Bristol Robotics Laboratory.
The funding forms phase 1 of a 2 part competition awarded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), in partnership with Innovate UK1 to fund innovative ideas that will lead to cheaper, safer and faster ways of sorting and segregating radioactive waste. At the heart of the project is an innovative technology package, which will feature the integration of multiple sensors and real-time decision making, using machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms.
Tony Burnett, Head of Innovation and Technology for Cavendish Nuclear said,
“The use of this technology will be brand new and is not something currently carried out on nuclear sites.” Along with Bristol Robotics, the OptiSORT partnership includes Clifton Photonics Ltd., Imitec Ltd, Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, Structure Vision Ltd. and Acrovision Ltd.
The collaboration brings together extensive experience and capabilities in the selection and use of instrumentation for radiometric and chemical characterisation, spatial and visual identification and software tools for efficient packaging, and robotic/autonomous systems, to deliver a holistic and integrated solution to the challenge.
Tony added: “It’s the strength of this partnership along with the technology that is really bringing the innovation to life. Our goal is
to develop something that will save time, reduce risks and costs to make a significant contribution to achieving Nuclear Sector Deal2
objectives. OptiSORT is a significant technological leap forward and has the potential to transform the speed and efficiency at
which we can decommission complex redundant nuclear facilities.”
An initial £60,000 (including VAT) of funding has been provided to Cavendish Nuclear and to thirteen other consortia, to undertake the three month technical research and development feasibility study. Following conclusion of Phase 1 in late May, the consortia will compete for a number of contracts to take the concept to the next stage, which is to demonstrate system operation. This will involve developing and demonstrating a full scale prototype in a non-radioactive environment.
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
On Wednesday 23rd March, we were joined by Dr Debra Carr from The Defence & Security Accelerator (DASA).
DASA, which is part of the Ministry of Defence, finds, funds and fast-tracks ideas that are of interest to HM Armed Forces and UK Security. DASA’s Scottish based Innovation Partner, Dr Debra Carr briefed participants on the funding opportunities available and Gary Webster from Glic Ltd spoke about the success they’d had using the DASA service and being awarded funding.
Get an overview of DASA and the services they can offer with this quick bites video:
Learn more about DASA by contacting Dr Debra Carr direct or by navigating their website. You can also see previous projects which have been awarded funding through DASA here. Contact Debra by email on: djcarr@dasa.service.mod.uk.
See the presentation that was given as part of the event here and download a copy here.
Cavendish Nuclear, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Babcock International Group, has been awarded a £2.8m contract to deliver modifications to Dounreay’s existing processing facility, which will support the site’s strategy to safely decommission the site and reduce hazards.
The contract is to develop a scheme design and a Hazard and Operability Analysis 2 (HAZOP) study for an extension to the processing facility within the Fuel Cycle Area and to modify existing equipment to enable the safe extraction and packaging of nuclear material ready for export from the site.
Working in collaboration with Mott MacDonald and small-medium-enterprises Alpha Engineering and 3T Safety Consultants and with support from Frazer-Nash, the contract is expected to last around 13 months and forms part of the Decommissioning Services Framework.
Gary Ward, Cavendish Nuclear’s Business Unit Director, said, “Along with our partners, we are pleased to have secured another important contract. This builds on our ongoing commitment to supporting Dounreay’s overarching priority to safely reduce the hazards on the site.”
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.