Some Rosebank pupils to join worldwide Climate Strike this Friday 8.45 – 9.45 am at Academical Square opposite St Ninian's Church

Inspired by both Greta Thunberg, and the actions of the Nairn Academy pupils, some of the Rosebank Primary pupils will be holding their own Climate Strike this Friday at Academical Square (square at the back of Rosebank School, opposite St Ninian’s) from 8.45 – 9.45 as part of the Global Climate Strike 2. All pupils and teachers from both Rosebank and Milbank are welcome to attend, but will need to be supervised by a Parent / carer and let their school know.

David a P4 pupil – who helped to instigate the event, says “I don’t want to sit around anymore, I want to do something”.

Details of the Global Strike for Climate in the embeded facebook article below.  Since the first Global strike, which say a very good turnout in Nairn despite heavy rain, picture here, Nairn Academy pupils have continued with a Friday morning demonstration on the High Street every week and will no doubt be turning out for the Global Strike too this week.

Last ever ‘Run for Hamish’ event - Sunday 9th of June

Run for Hamish 

Sunday 9th of June. 

Last ever ‘Run for Hamish’ event.

You can pick up entry forms from the library, community & arts centre, swimming pool and sports club.

Fun Run is 5k, you can walk, jog, run. We welcome ALL! Buggies/prams, dogs on leads.

For the more serious runners, sign up for the 10 mile road race. You can enter online via our website.

If Hamish could do it, so can you! Let’s make it the best one yet.

Team Hamish told the Gurn:

"3 weeks yesterday is ‘Run for Hamish’ This is the last time we plan to hold this event. Six months before he died Hamish stood proudly for a photo, he was delightedly wearing pants on his head. Affectionately then referred to as Captain Underpants 👌🏻😂🦸🏼‍♂️

We would like 🌈EVERYONE 🌈on the day to wear a pair of pants on their head! As plain or as fancy as you wish! We are demonstrating below how it can be done! No excuses 😂 everyone owns pants!! That and as bright colours as you can find to wear!! Even Indie joined in, Bella was not so keen.

Thank you SO much to everyone for your continued support!

See you on the 9th of June wearing your pants on your head! 😂👌🏻💙🌈👌🏻🌈"

Living better with a long term condition - Nairn Group - next event Wednesday 5th of June 2 pm Nairn Dunbar Golf Club

Planet before Profit - Fridays for the Future - Nairn Academy Climate strikers continue their weekly action

Nairn Academy Climate Emergency demonstrators continue their weekly action. They were joined again this morning by mothers with pre-school age children. They told the Gurn that on Saturday the 25th the Nairn campaigners will be heading for Inverness and meeting up with others in Falcon Square at 12 noon.

Larger images here

Quite a lot going on in the Nairn twittersphere these days folks, we'll post anything interesting we see here via the Gurn twitter page

If there's not much being posted here it's worth having a look at the Gurn twitter account. Quite a lot happens in the Nairn twittersphere these days and you can scroll down the wee twitter boxie on the right hand side as far as you like to see what the latest craic is. You don't have to have an account to look at tweets either. 

Tweets by @GurnNurn

Yes Politics for parents - interesting concept for parents who find it hard to get to meetings in the evenings etc - tomorrow 10.30 am Nairn Community and Arts Centre

The launch of a new political group in Nairn tomorrow. The idea is to give a chance to those parents who find it too difficult to get to meetings in the evenings etc. This is for Yes minded parents but  the concept could equally apply to those the other way inclined who find their political life curtailed somewhat by parenthood. This initiative was reported in the National. 

Highland Council declaration of Climate and Ecological Emgergency - watch the debate

Here at the Gurn we believe Margaret Davidson showed remarkable leadership qualities yesterday at the regular monthly meeting of Highland Council at Glenurquhart Road in Invernessin changing her motion on climate change to include the words "Climate and Ecological Emergency". We would urge our readers to watch the section of the Highland Council webcast below where the motion was debated - it it a good insight into what has to be done and what we can do in the Highlands to help avoid the worst effects of accelerating climate change. 

Nairn Academy Climate strikers - Week 10 of their regular protest - further action planned for Saturday 25th of May in Inverness

The young people today were delighted with yesterday's decision of Highland Council to declare a Climate and Ecological emergency. They were joined by mothers with pre-school children who support their action. 

The Gurn understands that the Nairn youngsters are, with other young people in the Highlands, organising a march and rally in Inverness on Saturday the 25th of May. More details when we have them. 

More pictures here.

Green Hive River Nairn Invasive Species Project

Significant objection to development of 3 houses at top end of Mill Road from Highland Council Forestry Officer "contrary to Policy 51 of the Highland wide Local Development Plan"

Regular readers may recall a Gurn article from the 13th of March entitled "Trees and planning applications - another potential felling?  It's an article that looks at how perhaps we can ensure that as much of the fine environment we enjoy in and around Nairn can be preserved as future development of the town continues. We linked to the planning application and today we repost a picture of the site location below.

Anyway the Highland Council Forestry Officer has submitted his thoughts and they are against the development. Here's some of the content of his letter to the Planning Department:

"The applicant proposes separate accesses off Mill Road for each property with an almost fully paved frontage to each dwelling. The houses are proposed on the same build line as ‘Essbee’ and there are Side Elevations on drawing 18058.P02C which propose minimal cut and fill, but this is quite unrealistic when compared with the actual topography of the site which drops quite quickly down from Mill Road to the south-east.

Drawing 18058.P02C contains a Site Plan which shows trees with tag numbers and what appears to be root protection areas, but there is no tree schedule to accompany the application. In any case, it would appear that the majority of trees on site are proposed to be removed and some of those trees closest to Essbee appear to have already been removed. Drawing 18058.P02C identifies trees for removal and there is a suggestion that new trees would be planted, but there is no planting detail and no indication of where they would be planted. The drawing also identifies trees which are to be retained and a green line which appears to represent the line of a tree protection barrier, but it does not protect the roots of adjacent trees proposed for retention (904, 983 and 987). The Site Plan does not show any services nor indication of how surface water would be dealt with. I would be concerned that any requirement for surface water soakaway would need to be pushed into the woodland with additional adverse impact.

The Site Plan shows the houses in plot 1 and 2 around 8m away from retained trees 904 and 906 while in plot 3 there is less than 3m between retained trees 983 and 987 and the proposed house. This is inadequate separation which places the house in plot 3 in the root protection area of trees proposed for retention. This also leaves the properties with no amenity garden ground.

CONCLUSION

I am concerned that the level of tree felling proposed and the additional adverse impact on tree roots as a consequence of the significant infill that would be required to accommodate the access, car parking, three houses, amenity garden ground and site servicing would have a significant adverse impact on the existing woodland. The application does not promote significant protection to existing trees and woodlands on this site and does not provide adequate separation between established trees and any new development, so is contrary to Policy 51 of the Highland wide Local Development Plan."

Any readers wishing to see the full letter from the Forestry Officer and other documentation can head over to application file on the Highland Council e-planning site here. "