Alistair Noble speaking at the Highland Council Consultation on Cuts - Rosebank School Wednesday night

There are challenging times ahead but also opportunities, perhaps, to change the way things are done in Nairn. Maybe the sound file should be listened to  in conjunction with this video.

listen to ‘Alistair Noble at the Consultation meeting - a point about locality planning’ on Audioboo

Begonias always seem at their best just before the end of the season

Here's the display at the top of Harbour Street just before last week's stormy weather

A regular gurnite poses the following questions.

Where have all the seagulls gone?  In the town centre at the moment you can probably count on one hand how many are about.  In the places where they normally gather such as the bus station, the town centre and the roofs of Royal Walk there are none to be seen. Have the West CC gone ahead with their threatened extermination?

Where have the Dolphins gone from the top of Harbour Street and the Golfer out on the A96 near Sainsburys?  They seemed to disappear months ago and have never returned.

New Bikebug owners settling in at Falconers Lane

I had to go over to the cycle shop recently with a couple of problems and they were promptly sorted out by David Brownless who introduced me to the couple that will be taking over from him and Alison shortly, that's Steve and Alyson Beales.    

Steve told the Gurn: “We originate from Suffolk in England but have travelled widely and have already spent 15 years living and working in Scotland.

We are lifelong cyclists, both leisure and competitive although now only the former, and have previously owned cycle shops in Wick and Thurso.

Our love of the great outdoors took us to live in Northern Sweden where we could also enjoy cross country skiing, kayaking and a relaxed lifestyle closer to nature.

We have now returned to the best part of the UK and look forward to continuing the fine service and maintaining the excellent reputation which the departing owners David and Alison have built up over their 20 years in Nairn.

We look forward to meeting both new and existing customers and helping them with all their cycling needs.”

I asked Steve for a couple of pictures so gurnites would know who the newcomers are. Best of luck with the shop  Steve, it's a good asset for Nairn and it's nice not to have to travel out of town to get your bike fixed.

And the winners of the County bunnies were...

 - the Winners of the Nairn County Bunnies were as follows, Heather of Uncle Bob's won the Female Bunny wearing the Home Strip.  Ken of 24/7 Taxies won the Male Bunny wearing the Away Strip. A  a total of £365.00 was raised for Nairn County Youth Football. 

Well done the indefatiguable Ian Gordon for this fundraising effort. Ian runs a wee County shop during all home cames. You can see the lines here. 

Immigration crime at Nickel and Dime

"Acting on intelligence, officers from the agency paid a series of unannounced visits to Nickel and Dime shops in Naim, Keith, Dundee, Forfar and Arbroath yesterday.

A total of four illegal workers from Pakistan were arrested and one escorted from the premises - including the man from Nairn."

More on the Inverness Courier site. Thanks to the regular gurnite who sent the link in.

Postcode lottery winners the video

Video of the Nairn winners earlier this month.

Broadwood Bound

UPDATE 16.39 Friday - Colin Barron reports that the County supporters bus is now full!

Tomorrow a strong County support will be heading down the A9 towards Clyde's stadium. Que sera, sera but a great day beckons. If the County continue with their current flair tomorrow then Clyde will have a task on their hands, even with the home side artificial surface advantage. For Les Fridge who played 68 games for the Bully Wee it will be a return to the ground where he was on duty for the inaugural game in 1994. The Gurn understands that Clyde have interviewed Les for the match programme. Here's one of their recent tweets.

We've kept 100 clean sheets in Scottish Cup ties. Nairn County manager and ex-Bully Wee 'keeper Les Fridge is responsible for two of those.
— The Clyde Archive (@TheClydeArchive) September 27, 2012

Here's Les talking to Bob Manson after the Brora game about the 6-0 win and the forthcoming Scottish Cup outing.

Shock River CC resignation

Sources close to River Community Council indicate that one of the long-standing co-opted members submitted their resignation yesterday. We may be able to publish the name of the Councillor involved later today once we have official confirmation.

UPDATE: The Gurn understands that John Dolan has submitted a letter of resignation to the River CC. This observer anticipates no further information coming into the public domain until the next meeting of the organisation. 

A comfortable cuts consultation for Drew Hendry, Dave Fallows, Liz and the high heid yins

The previous administration’s cuts consultation in June 2010 was an ill-tempered business with the town’s antipathy towards Highland Council being displayed by many citizens who heckled the top table. Looking back on it this observer is tempted to subscribes to the school of thought that the idea that the swimming pool might close was nothing but a red herring. 

No smoke and mirrors this time round though. Last night was a very calm affair compared with 2010. Everything up front with Liz, Dave Fallows and the Leader of the Council Drew Hendry. A few pictures of the consultation here.  

Those present got a chance for one to ones with the high heid yins and they were in genuine listening mode. Drew Hendry particularly seemed cognisant of the ill-feeling between the community here and the Highland Council in the past and he genuinely wants to offer us and other communities a better deal. It’s all to the backdrop of cuts however, how do we get the best from a diminishing pot? Will the new area comprising Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey deliver us a better deal than being in the clutches of Inverness? Let’s hope so.

There’s also the Scottish Government’s agenda of localism looming on the horizon as we’ve heard recently from Alistair Noble, who was at the consultation last night and threw that into the Q&A session at the end.

Also present the Nairn Youth Forum, the only youth forum to turn up at a consultation so far according to Drew Hendry. There was a willingness to listen and a respect shown from those present that simply wasn’t there back in June 2010 when a cuts consultation roadshow last hit town. And cuts there will be, about £30 million’s worth to find and it could continue for many years like this. It is sobering to be faced with a form asking you where you would like to see cuts made. Which finger do you cut off? Where will the damage done by the collective decision go? Are there ways of doing this by hitting further the management layers at Glenurquhart Road and not front line services? If genuinely moving to give power to the periphery again why do you need such a big centre?

A thought provoking meeting and although there will be cuts, this observer came away feeling less nervous about it all, it seemed a lot more competent than the debacle of 2010.

If you wish to take part in the consultation, you can do so here on line.