Tourism workshops getting under way in Thurso

A SERIES of tourism information workshops will be delivered in Thurso during March.

The events are being run by Thurso Community Development Trust with subject areas ranging from slow tourism to information sharing.

Last year, under the Discover Thurso project, more than 100 tourism providers attended successful workshops aimed at improving tourism knowledge, increasing partnership working and helping to turn Thurso into a visitor destination.

Prior to the start of the 2020 tourist season a series of four workshops will take place.

Joan Lawrie, development manager for the trust, said: “These workshops last year received really good feedback. The aim is to increase the knowledge of those working in tourism with a series of key speakers and of course to provide networking and build on new and existing partnerships.

“It is demonstrated clearly throughout successful visitor destinations that partnership working is the key to success.”

Each of the events has a theme. The first, on Monday, March 9, at Thurso Youth Club, is on the theme of Activities: Night Skies, Walking and Water, and will have guest speakers from Caithness Astronomy Group and North Coast Watersports as well as Caithness and Sutherland countryside rangers.

In addition to this, as one of the first cohort of community leaders in tourism – a course delivered by the Social Enterprise Academy and devised by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Tourism Alliance – Joan will be taking these skills and knowledge back to those who attend and discussing key tourism trends and sharing of information.

Further events are planned on the themes of Slow Tourism, Heritage and Culture and finally Tourism Promotion and Information Sharing.

In addition to these events, throughout March the trust is also offering mentoring sessions to local businesses and organisations in social media and promotion, with training to hotel staff in tourism information also on offer.

Joan added: “We’re really excited to be able to offer these sessions as we build the Discover Thurso project to benefit all working in tourism, from the shops and accommodation providers through to our local community organisations who play a role in the visitor experience.

“The more we can work together and support each other, the stronger Thurso becomes.”

Future workshops:

• Slow Tourism – March 17
• Heritage and Culture – March 24
• Tourism Promotion and Information Sharing – March 31

To contact Thurso Community Development Trust regarding workshops, mentoring or training opportunities, email Joan on joan@thursocdt.co.uk or call 01847 867050.

Source: John O’Groat Journal

Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent accountancy and business advisory firm, also a UK top 20 firm, has been recognised as Large Firm of the Year at the Xero Awards 2020 – the ‘Oscars’ of the cloud accounting world.

The UK and Ireland awards, held this year in London’s Electric Brixton venue, were established to celebrate excellence in cloud accounting. Xero is the leading cloud accounting app provider, and Johnston Carmichael is a Xero platinum partner – the highest level of Xero knowledge and expertise.

Judges praised Johnston Carmichael for utilising Xero’s automation power, “freeing up precious time to spend helping their clients beyond the figures” and noted that the firm had introduced an internal app advisory programme, working closely with a number of Xero app partners.

The firm has invested heavily in its cloud accounting offering in recent years as part of preparations for Making Tax Digital, introduced by HMRC in April 2019. However, the increased focus is also part of a wider strategy to realise the benefits of cloud accounting, which delivers real time data and enables businesses to monitor performance and drive improvement much more effectively.

To support its drive, the firm created new leadership roles with Ewan Bolt, director in Johnston Carmichael’s Inverness office, becoming Head of Digital Solutions, in 2018. Meanwhile, Lynne Walker, partner in the Elgin office, was promoted to Head of Business Advisory, which incorporates Digital Solutions, to steer the expansion of digital expertise in the business advisory team.

In addition to boosting its people resource and skillset, Johnston Carmichael has also developed its technical capacity. The firm recently launched a bespoke online App Hub, thought to be the first of its kind in the industry, to help clients search for apps that will enhance their Xero software and address their needs as a business. There are more than 800 apps that are compatible with the Xero software, all offering enhanced insight into their business performance or easing the process of reporting.

Ewan Bolt, Head of Digital Solutions at Johnston Carmichael, said: “Winning Large Firm at the Xero Awards is highly significant for us. The awards are the pinnacle of the cloud accounting sector so to be recognised by them is a major achievement. It is also an important acknowledgement of the journey we have been on as a business to grow our digital expertise and deliver the best possible service for our clients.

“Previously the level of data analytics delivered by cloud accounting was only available to big businesses with big budgets. Now organisations of all sizes can benefit from transparent and real time insight and our experience is that once businesses have converted onto digital platforms, there is a strong appetite to utilise the available data and create even greater insight.

“Importantly, the information delivered by cloud accounting also allows us as advisors to engage early with clients and offer pro-active real time business advice designed to improve their results.”

Glen Foster, Director of Accounting Partners at Xero, commented: “The Xero Awards are a great opportunity to recognise the achievements of our accounting and app partners, and shine a light on the work they are doing to support small businesses. They are at the forefront of change, helping SMEs transform the way they do business.”

To support businesses and help them maximise the benefits delivered by their digital platforms, Johnston Carmichael is set to offer a series of Xero events with app partners, across Scotland this year.

For further information about Johnston Carmichael visit https://johnstoncarmichael.com.

North Lands Creative has just completed a successful run at Collect, the international art and craft fair. This year, the Caithness-based arts organisation was selected to show with 40 other galleries from the UK and around the world at Somerset House in London to show a breadth of work made in the studio in Lybster by the visiting residency and associate artists.

The contemporary craft and design fair brings together work by makers and artists from more than 25 countries around the globe, and is a big draw for museums and galleries seeking to acquire the latest in ceramics, glass, metal, wood and textiles.

North Lands Creative at Collect 2020 celebrated the outstanding Scottish and International creativity in glass.

All the exhibiting artists have a connection to our Alastair Pilkington Studio and the work has been inspired by their immersive time on our artist in residence programme or as a collaborative process with our associate artist projects. Our 2020 Collect artists are Emma Baker (UK), Alberto Lago (Italy), James Maskrey (UK), Alexandra Mureșan (Romania), Laura Quinn (Ireland) and Martin Janecký (Czech).

North Lands Creative at Collect 2020 was supported by Creative Scotland and included the Origin project sponsored by Salviati Furnace and Scuola Del Vetro Abate Zanetti, Murano and British Council Scotland.

The Centre for Excellence for Glass, which will celebrate its 25^th anniversary next year, also gathered interest from international collectors and buyers with Victorian Obscura: High Society – A Ghost Appears Near Woolwich by James Maskrey being acquired by Sotheby’s London. All six artists were offered substantial new opportunities and sales from international curators and collectors.

Karen Phillips, Director, said ‘We are just delighted to showcase the work being made in our studio. It is a real achievement and testament to all the hard work that our fabulous team and artists put in. We’re really lucky to have such brilliant local support, and we have had huge international press coverage– it is amazing to be able to tell the many stories of this wonderful part of the North East of Scotland which is a huge draw and inspiration to artists and our cause to build a stronger glass community for the benefit of the local economy’.

Caroline Dinenage, Minister for State for Digital and Culture visited the stand and met with the staff and listened to artists explain their passion for the material and its application to sustainability and innovation in the craft sector.

North Lands Creative, which has seen huge growth with collaborations worldwide, was praised for its commitment to sustainable business practices, community engagement and investment in people as a key employer in the area.

Material innovation and co-production are two ways we see craft evolving over the coming years and we want North Lands Creative to be at the heart of this research. Co-production is becoming more common across the creative industries and craft is no exception, with more makers working in collaboration. We currently have EU Creative Europe and British Council Scotland projects running involving international partners in Italy, Japan, Germany, Latvia and Ireland. We are looking to how we can reinvigorate local skills in glass making and provide a number of opportunities in our 2020 programme through skills training, scholarship and training opportunities.

We plan to showcase some of the work later in the year at our Alastair Pilkington Studio and Gallery in Lybster but for those who cannot wait all the work of the artists can be viewed on North Lands Creative new online gallery by visiting landshttps://northlandscreative.co.uk/collect-2020-gallery/.

         

Aspiring engineers in the north highlands will benefit from a new apprenticeship pathway developed by North Highland College UHI and JGC Engineering. The new pathway has been created to promote the value of employer engagement and the benefit of the skills, learning and experience gained at college.

The pathway will allow JGC Engineering to recruit up to four apprentices from one of North Highland College UHI’s full time courses in an engineering discipline. Once completed the students will be invited to apply for an apprenticeship with JGC Engineering and if successful, will enter directly into year two of an apprenticeship programme in an engineering speciality within the firm.

John Campbell from JGC Engineering said, “Collaborating with North Highland College UHI allows for prospective JGC apprentice applicants to achieve applicable training and experience through their SVQ level 2 courses and thus suitably prepare on a level basis for the JGC recruitment process. Giving opportunities for work experience placements during the course also allows students and JGC to both engage and consider future possibilities.”

Debbie Murray, Director of Business Development at North Highland College UHI, supported the initiative and said, “This is another excellent initiative to help support employer engagement, reduce administration burdens for both parties and ensure a continued supply of work ready young people to support a key industry”.

Students will be based at the Engineering, Technology and Energy Centre (ETEC) at the Thurso campus and will develop their practical skills with the facility’s industry-based workshops. The students will also complete core employability, enterprise and citizenship modules to help prepare them for the world of work, interviews and work placements in semester two.

North Highland College UHI, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands offers further and higher education across the north Highlands at campuses in Thurso, Halkirk, Dornoch and Alness.

Source: Caithness.org

Planning applications for SpaceHub Sutherland are currently open for comment until 12 March 2020 and if any businesses are interested in commenting they can do so by clicking here.

SpaceHub Sutherland is a priority project in the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership (CNSRP) programme and, as a partner in CNSRP, the Chamber is supportive of the project and the potential economic benefits it will bring to the region.

Further information about the project, and an opportunity to register for updates, can be found on the HIE website.

It’s been another busy month for us and we’re thrilled to have welcomed another two businesses to enjoy the benefits of being in our Chamber network.

• The Ulbster Arms Hotel is situated in Halkirk, on the banks of the river Thurso. It boasts comfortable rooms and lodges and they’re currently refurbishing the dining room ahead of its sold out grand reopening in March.
• Miller Coffee is a new business with a passion for supplying quality coffee to shops and coffee shops around the UK.

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.

Norscot are very excited to announce the launch of their newly designed Timber Frame Kit Home and Windows & Doors and websites!

After many months of hard work and dedication, Norscot are delighted to officially announce the launch of their new websites.

The aim while designing the sites was to make the new websites faster, easier to navigate, and more user-friendly, and it the company’s belief that through innovative ideas and forward-thinking design they have achieved this!

The goal with the new website is to provide visitors with a relaxed and pain-free navigation experience. The website’s new streamlined design allows users to access the appropriate information quickly and effectively, maximising the quality of each visit.

To find out more, click here to visit the Norscot website!

The latest generation of small communications satellites could be launched into Earth orbit from the northern Highlands of Scotland within the next two years.

Development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has submitted a planning application for a vertical launch site, Space Hub Sutherland, that it plans to construct on the A’ Mhoine peninsula, Melness, near Tongue.

If the application is approved, construction on Europe’s first vertical launch site could begin later this year, with launches starting as early as 2022.

In time, up to 12 launches a year could be made from Sutherland, carrying small, commercial satellites that will typically be used for Earth observation.

An economic impact assessment submitted with the planning application estimates that developing the space hub would create around 61 high quality jobs in Caithness and Sutherland, an area where the population is falling and unemployment levels are above average.

Forty-four of these jobs would be in Melness and Tongue. Skills required on-site will include mechanical and electrical engineering, weather monitoring, control room operations, ground services, security, management and marketing.

A total of around 250 well-paid jobs are expected to be generated across the region and at national level, including through manufacturing and supply chain opportunities.

HIE has approved up to £17.3m to design and build the space hub, made up of funding from HIE itself (£9.8m), the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (£5m), and the UKSA (£2.5m).

Designed by NORR Architects, the facility would comprise a launch control centre, a single launch pad and associated infrastructure, including roadways, fuel storage, office premises, and antennas. A temporary lightning tower would also be installed at the launch pad around flight days.

The planning application includes measures to address and minimise impacts on the land and marine environments. HIE aims to make the project carbon neutral and has spent two years gathering data and assessing potential effects on wildlife and the local habitat which is characterised by large areas of peatland. Levels of light and noise that could be generated, especially around launch times, are also examined.

Artist impression of the proposed Space Hub Sutherland. Credit NORR Architects

David Oxley, director of business growth with HIE, believes that establishing vertical launch capability will mark a major advance for Scotland’s growing space sector.

“This is a truly unique and innovative venture that aims to create the first launch site of its kind in Europe,” said Mr Oxley.

“Space presents a huge economic opportunity for Scotland, and the Highlands and Islands is well placed to benefit substantially.

“Even before the space hub is built, we’ve already received a huge vote of confidence from launch company Orbex, who established a manufacturing facility in Forres just over a year ago.

“That’s an indication of the wider economic benefits that will be generated by establishing a launch facility, and there is great potential for more to follow in other parts of our region.

“We’re very mindful of the need to respect the natural environment and have been diligent in designing measures that will minimise the environmental impact of construction and operations.

“We’ve also held numerous public events and the current shape of the project has been informed by the views of local people and statutory consultees.

“Now that the application is in, we very much hope that people will take the time to study our plans carefully and look forward to the council making a decision in due course.”

Emma Floyd, commercial spaceflight director with the UK Space Agency, said:

“Satellite launch from the UK is due to take another giant leap forward with the progress at Sutherland and other sites across the UK.

“We’re committed to backing our growing space sector, which generates an income of £14.8 billion and creates thousands of high skilled jobs.”

VIEW THE PLANNING APPLICATION

You can view the planning application on the Highland Council website.