Fibre 1 talks us through Fibre to the Premises

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) is becoming more widely available to companies across the UK with infrastructure being installed in more locations helping companies to have improved connectivity services in even some of the more remote locations.  FTTP replaces the more traditional copper based broadband like ADSL with the fibre connection running the entire way from the local exchange to the property.  This type of connection promises to deliver a more consistent, reliable and faster service removing the headache of drops in signal which you may be subject to when using a more traditional cooper line.  The delivery method of carrying light down the fibre optic cable ensures the speeds and overall performance are unaffected by the distance between your property and the exchange.

FTTP offers the highest transfer speeds available among all contended services.  FTTP is a shared contended service with other locations which can lead to speed fluctuations at peak times however users should still notice a considerable improvement in their service compared to copper based.  Upload and download speeds can differ, e.g. a higher download than upload.

An easy availability checker can confirm whether FTTP is available in your area.  If currently unavailable with the expansions continuing it may not be long before your company can benefit from a more reliable and faster connection.

to discuss further, get in touch with the Fibre 1 team today!

PENTLAND HOUSING ASSOCIATION ARE URGENTLY RECRUTING 3 NEW MEMBERS

Time-limited 1 year appointment

Following a strategic options review, Pentland Housing Association decided to seek a formal partnership with another housing association, and has entered into detailed discussions with Cairn Housing Association. If successful, partnership discussions should be completed in around 12 to 15 months. Pentland Housing Association need three new members to join their board, to support them through the process.

Whilst the offices are in Thurso, you don’t need to live in Caithness. Over the next year, board meetings will be held by video-conference, so you can beam in from your own home!

Ideally, governance experience, including entering into or overseeing formal partnership arrangements, would be especially helpful, as would financial management, business development or HR skills and experience.

But mostly they’re looking for people keen to join them, feel they have something to contribute to the wellbeing of the tenants and the local community, share their sense of purpose, and can give time and commitment for the coming year.

For more information please click here for the application form and for the board candidate information pack please click here.

To discuss, please contact Rachel MacGregor on rachel@pentlandhousing.co.uk or on 01847 807 112.

It’s been another strange month, not just for us but for all our members and businesses nationwide. We continue to do our very best for our members as things progress in these unprecedented times and are thrilled to welcome a new member this month, Lairg Learning Centre.

An independent, charitable learning centre based in Lairg and covering Sutherland, providing community learning and educating opportunities in person and digitally. The centre’s main aim is to provide or assist in providing local facilities and resources designed to support lifelong learning and skills development. They run a range of exciting and educational courses, events and workshops on a huge variety of subjects throughout Sutherland, you can browse though all forthcoming events on their website events section.

Lairg Learning Centre also offer various business services, such as room hire, PC Clinics and office services. Please note that these services will be reduced at the moment but could prove a valuable resource for fellow members as time progresses.

 

 

 

 

 

To learn about how Chamber membership could benefit your business, see the Membership benefits page or get in touch with Fiona Levack, Business Development Manager to arrange an informal chat. You can email fiona here Fiona@caithnesschamber.com The Chamber offers advice and support to businesses of all sizes, at all stages and in all sectors and we would be thrilled to hear from you.

In addition to chamber membership, many of our funded projects offer support and guidance to businesses in a range of ways. See the list of options, here.

On 29th October 2020 we’re hosting a Maximise Your Membership event which will allow chamber members to learn more about the benefits of their membership. The interactive session will allow members to ask questions and remind themselves of the opportunities chamber membership offers. Learn more about it and register to attend here.

Did you know that we offer a membership referral scheme? If you refer a business who joins the chamber, you could benefit from £50 off your next renewal. Read more here.

In a report being presented to The Highland Council’s Recovery Board on 24^th August, Steve Walsh, High Life Highland’s Chief Executive, has outlined the charity’s road to financial recovery thanks to its bounceback campaign.

Mr Walsh explained, “It now seems like an over-used phrase, but when the pandemic hit in March it was clear that High Life Highland, along with every other organisation was facing unprecedented challenges.

“I am pleased to be able to inform The Highland Council that our financial position continues to stabilise and improve, and we are now moving our main effort from mitigating the in-year impact of the pandemic, to strategic business planning to re-build as we look to the future.

“Our priority throughout has been to protect jobs and services. Given the importance of physical and mental health and wellbeing as we recover from the pandemic, HLH services have never been more important to Highland communities.

In March, our projected loss of income indicated a year-end deficit in the region of £11.4 million. However, I am pleased to report that through extensive mitigation measures we have managed this figure down to a reasonable worst-case scenario of £1.55 million. We will continue to pull out all the stops to improve this position.

The Chief Executive went on to explain how the gap had been bridged, “First of all, I would recognise and thank the many highlife members that continued to pay, either in full or in part, their monthly subscriptions to the charity. We will always be grateful for the contribution our members made to our bounceback and supporting us through the most challenging time since HLH was incorporated”.

“As a charity, we also welcomed the UK Government’s announcement of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and we moved immediately to access the fund to further mitigate our projected losses. Our ability to access the CJRS has enabled the charity to protect many, many jobs while at the same time maintaining the services we offer to communities across every corner of the Highlands for the future”.

“With obvious reductions and savings in other expenditure during the lockdown period, where our locations and services have not been in operation, we are projecting a financial mitigation of around 25% of the Charity’s overall turnover of £30.8 million”.

Steve Walsh continued, “High Life Highland’s report to the Council’s Recovery Board also focusses on the strong partnership working that has taken place between both organisations during the pandemic to help and support those most in need in communities across the Highlands”.

“The HLH services that support the most vulnerable in our communities; youth work, adult learning and music tuition, along with support for the local authority’s community hubs has continued throughout the pandemic. This has only been possible through close collaboration and partnership working with colleagues in The Highland Council and other partners”.

“We have been gradually re-opening our facilities to our customers and feedback has been fantastic. However, re-opening our leisure centres and swimming pools is crucially important to our financial security. We are ready to open our leisure facilities as soon as we get the go-ahead, the current date of 14 September represents a full six-months since we closed the doors”.

“We are really looking forward to playing our part and helping the people of the Highlands get fit and healthy”.

Concluding, Mr Walsh said, “Given the financial picture we were previously looking at, HLH is pleased to be able to present a substantially improved financial position to the members of the Highland Council’s Recovery Board. We look forward to welcoming our amazing customers and brilliant staff back to our facilities as we continue the Charity’s own bounceback.”

From Monday 10^th August, bus services across the Highlands will increase ahead of the return of school bus services. This will continue to play a part in connecting people with workplaces, the high street and other key services as they continue to re-open.

The frequency increase does not only affect school journeys but will also be seen in the communities of lifeline services such as the Inverness City network and key commuting services between the Black Isle and Inverness.

This timetable revision will help to maintain social distancing on board the network of almost 200 buses and coaches across the Highlands.

Stagecoach has a range of measures in place to help customers travel safely and easily. The “busy bus” indicator on the Stagecoach app uses data to provide information helping customers choose quieter bus services and maintain physical distancing. Face coverings continue to be mandatory when travelling on public transport.

David Beaton, Managing Director at Stagecoach Highland, said: “We have seen a slight increase in the number of people using our services as lockdown has eased and this timetable change will  continue to provide plenty space for those travelling by bus to socially distance on board. I have been proud of the way our team has worked together over the last 6 months and I know all of our customers will have a warm welcome on a clean bus as our team will continue with our new daily procedures providing safe bus connections right across the Highlands.”

The local bus operator has recommended that when travelling by bus you should use contactless payment for your journey, or alternatively purchase your ticket in advance using the Stagecoach mobile app.

A number of additional safety steps have also been taken by Stagecoach including:

• Continued enhanced cleaning which includes at least daily cleaning of all buses with a government-recommended sanitiser, with a particular focus on key touch points, and additional in service cleaning where possible.
• All buses will continue to have a protective screen to provide a physical barrier between the driver and passenger. In line with government advice, as drivers are behind a protective screen, they do not need to wear a face covering. However, should the driver need to leave their cab to assist a customer, they will wear a face covering.
• Physical distancing measures will be in place on all bus services, which means that each individual bus has around 50% of normal passenger capacity.

Printed timetable information in bus stop displays across the Highlands will be updated in due course.

New timetables are now available to download now.

COVID has shown how important it is to ensure you have a reliable connection and the flexibility to move to a remote solution if required.  With Openreach phasing out PSTN lines by 2025 and ISDN lines no longer available to purchase the world of VoIP will soon be the normality. Fibre 1 are urging all users to make the move to VoIP sooner rather than later.

Hosted VoIP is the future of telephony and comes with a range of benefits which can also help customers save money as the monthly costs include all local, national and mobile calls ensuring customers are not caught out by the addition of hefty call charges.  The VoIP system gives users greater control on how their calls are handled with a number of features as standard including caller display, hunt groups, voicemail (email alert can be sent to be played on any device with speakers), call redirect along with a number of others.

Fibre 1 can also offer the added benefit that we can fully integrate Microsoft Teams with our VoIP system allowing remote working to be available for employees.  Teams Integration will allow your users to make and receive calls wherever they are with the added collaboration benefits of: File Sharing, Screen Sharing, Video Calling and Instant Chat.  All that is required is an additional licence to enable Teams integration which complements our VoIP phones to provide users a physical desk phone whilst in the office and Teams softphone feature on a smartphone when out and about.

It’s been another strange month, not just for us but for all our members and businesses nationwide. We continue to do our very best for our members as things progress in these unprecedented times and are thrilled to welcome new members this month.

Caithness Osteopathic services started with one experienced Osteopath in 2004 and has grown into a six practitioner group. The team are all insured, qualified and registered practitioners dedicated to ensuring optimal physical and mental health for all of their patients and in order to achieve that they often combine knowledge and different skills.

The friendly team is dedicated to giving you the best possible care in a warm and relaxing environment. Practitioners will take the time to listen and discuss your condition, then fully assess and explain the best course of treatment tailor suited to you and your specific needs.

In order to achieve the best results, Caithness Osteopathic Services also like to work in conjunction with GP’s, Specialists and other Healthcare Providers. As a results-driven practice, Caithness Osteopathic Services ran an audit in 2018 in which patients expressed they were 92% highly satisfied with their treatment, with 95% experiencing good improvement and 80% feeling it was good value for money.

 

 

 

To learn about how Chamber membership could benefit your business, see the Membership benefits page or get in touch with Fiona Levack, Business Development Manager to arrange an informal chat. The Chamber offers advice and support to businesses of all sizes, at all stages and in all sectors and we would be thrilled to hear from you.

In addition to chamber membership, many of our funded projects offer support and guidance to businesses in a range of ways. See the list of options, here.

Did you know that we offer a membership referral scheme? If you refer a business who joins the chamber, you could benefit from £50 off your next renewal. Read more here.

The North West Highlands Geopark Limited is a community company limited by guarantee and a Scottish registered charity . There is a subsidiary trading company, NWHG Trading Ltd, also attached to the charity. The Treasurer will sit on the Board of both Companies. The Treasurer will have two levels of responsibility: as a member of the Board, and additionally, as Treasurer.

The Board of Trustees are responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of the charity, North West Highlands Geopark Ltd, and the subsidiary trading Company, NWHG Trading Ltd, developing the organisation’s aims, objectives and goals in accordance with the governing document, legal and regulatory guidelines.

Main Responsibilities of Trustees:

• To ensure that the charity and its representatives function within the legal and regulatory framework of the sector and in line with the organisations’ governing document, continually striving for best practice in governance
• To uphold the fiduciary duty invested in the position, undertaking such duties in a way that adds to public confidence and trust in the charity
• To determine the overall direction and development of the charity through good governance and a clear strategy.

Main responsibilities of Treasurer:

• Oversee the financial affairs of the organisation and ensure they are legal, constitutional and in keeping with generally accepted accounting practice.
• Ensure proper records are kept and that effective financial procedures are in place.
• Monitor and report on the financial health of the organisation.
  Oversee the production of necessary financial reports/returns, accounts and audits.

Specifically

• Liaise with relevant staff, trustees, working groups and/or volunteers to ensure the financial viability of the organisation.
• Make fellow trustees aware of their financial obligations and take a lead in interpreting financial data to them.
• Regularly report the financial position at Board meetings (balance sheet, cash flow, and fundraising performance).
• Oversee the production of an annual budget.
• Oversee the Administrator ensuring posting and bookkeeping is kept up-to-date.
• Oversee regular reconciliations by the administrator.
• Appraising the financial viability of plans, proposals and feasibility studies.
• Lead on appointing and liaising with auditors/an independent examiner.

Qualities

• Knowledge and experience of current and fundraising finance practice relevant to voluntary and community organisations, particularly regarding restricted and unrestricted funds, and Gift Aid.
• Knowledge of bookkeeping and financial management (as necessary).
• Good financial analysis skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly.

Applications welcomed from suitably qualified professionals. It is anticipated that the role requires a commitment for approximately 10 hours per month. This is a voluntary position.

Please contact admin@nwhgeopark.com for an application form or any further questions.

AREG and OGUK have signed a reciprocal membership agreement to reflect the aligned goals of supporting the energy industry to achieve net zero emissions.

AREG, the membership body for renewable energy in the north east of Scotland and OGUK, the leading trade body for the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry, will work closely on low carbon project opportunities and promote the work of members within their organisations. The agreement demonstrates the close and enduring relationship between the oil and gas supply chain and the renewables sector.

Jean Morrison, chair of AREG, and Deirdre Michie, chief executive OGUK vowed to share resources and market intelligence to deliver a sustainable transition to a lower carbon future.

Jean Morrison, chair of AREG said: “There has been a longstanding connection between AREG and OGUK and I am pleased that we have been able to formalise this relationship to work closer together. The agreement will allow us to promote the energy transition in the north-east and highlight market opportunities. With decades of expertise in energy and engineering, Aberdeen and the north-east is well placed to deliver the energy transition.”

Deirdre Michie, chief executive OGUK said: “This agreement underlines OGUK’s commitment to an inclusive, fair, and sustainable transition to a lower carbon future. We look forward to continuing our work with AREG which will help ensure that communities realise their potential through the energy transition.”