Ash spotters unable to reach consensus

Somebody joked yesterday that the Icelanders had already ruined the banking system and that now they were out to wreck world air travel. Last night a Gurn photographer joined a few others that were out volcanic ash-spotting. There was too much cloud around really but some thought that there were indeed more parts of the sky reflecting the sun than is normally to be seen at this time of year. Perhaps there will be another chance this evening.

Nairn Swimming Pool - Letter from SNP candidate to constituents

This in from a Fishertown Gurnite, click on the picture to enlarge. Please confine any comments to the Swimming Pool issue and the Highland Council cuts in general please.

Nairn Swimming Pool - Labour Candidate 'hugely concerned about the consultation process'

Mike Robb the Labour Party Candidate has blogged about the Nairn Swimming Pool situation. He writes: 

'Since the start of the week, the local news has been dominated by Highland Council’s proposed programme of cuts to local services, including the Nairn Swimming Pool. There is a Facebook campaign to save the pool here.

As I have no direct connection with Nairn, I’ll avoid the easy option of signing up for the campaign as if the Nairn pool is a facility I have used and loved. I do however, fully support what local community campaigners are trying to achieve.

The Labour party is making the case at this election for protecting front-line services whilst we secure the recovery. That’s not easy, but local services, and the jobs that depend on them, should not be paying the price for the excesses of the banking system. And if a much-used local swimming pool is not a front line service, I don’t know what is!

I am hugely concerned about the consultation process currently being undertaken by Highland Council. We face difficult financial times, but asking communities to compete with each other about what services should be cut and which should be saved is not how I think things should be done.

Earlier this week I visited Hilton Community Centre, in Inverness, who are also on the list of potential closures. Should they have to argue why they should be saved rather than Nairn’s pool? Setting community against community is no way to do things. It’s an invidious process.

Elected politicians are there to make the difficult decisions, not absolve themselves through a flawed process of consultation.' 

Read the rest on Mike Robb's blog.

UPDATE: if you don't normally read comments on the Gurn, we'd recommend the one received so far on this article.

Nairn 3 Fort William 2

Read Kenny MacLeod's Match report here.

Co-op now says plans for Nairn to be revealed later this month

The Inverness Courier states:

'SUPERMARKET chain the Co-op will announce plans for its Nairn Store later this month. '

The Courier details that the Co-op halted the plans until the outcome of the Sainsbury's inquiry. The Courier goes on to say:

'...It continues to take time to consider, despite stating it would come to a conclusion last month.

"We anticipate being able to make an announcement by the end of April," said a Co-op spokeswoman.'

Firhall Bridge - the redundant water pipe, cracked and exposed to the air - is it asbestos?

Regular river walkers will have seen the exposed part of the redundant pipe on the Crook side of the Firhall Bridge. At last night's Community Council meeting Mike Henderson told the meeting that he'd heard the pipes were asbestos. He asked Murd (the Firhall Bridge better access campaigner) for his opinion. Murd was of the opinion that they were definitely asbestos.

The concrete cover on top of the redundant pipe is cracked in several places and as was raised at the meeting, some of it is now missing. Councillor Graham Marsden promised to get the matter investigated quickly. Perhaps this might bring the issue of removal of the pipe to a head if the pipe is definitely asbestos. Would would be the cheaper option, complete removal or repair of the coverings?

Fergus Ewing MSP writes to Highland Council in support of Save Nairn Swimming Pool Campaign

Nairnshire Constituency MSP, Fergus Ewing, has written to Highland Council Chief Executive, Alastair Dodds, asking for an urgent briefing on the rational behind officials placing the pool on a list for review leading to possible closure.

Fergus is to hold his regular monthly surgery in Nairn this coming Saturday (17th April) at the Community Centre, King street between 1pm and 2pm when he is expected to meet with some of the campaigners. Here's an extract from the letter.

'I would welcome an urgent briefing from officials as to their rational for making this suggestion to the Council members.
I met with constituents on this subject last Saturday and expect to do so again this Saturday during and after my regular monthly surgery in Nairn, I would hope to be able to tell my constituents that this outlandish suggestion will not be taken forward by Highland Council.'

Read Fergus Ewing's letter in full here.

Tory support for Nairn Swimming Pool

Jim Ferguson the Conservative candidate has added his support to the 'Save Nairn Swimming Pool' campaign. This morning he posted the following message on Fiona's pages:

'I learnt to swim in Nairn Swimming pool and also my children. Its a well run pool and has a long history serving the people of Nairn. Not happy to see how this is going. One thing is certain Nairn swimming pool is a well loved and popular place and brings great enjoyment to not only the people of Nairn but the surrounding area. You can be certain that I will do anything to help keep it open.'

Any Gurnites wishing to contact the election candidates on the Nairn Swimming Pool issue can e-mail  them through this page on yourNextMP.com. There are contact details for all of them apart from the Solidarity candidate.

Rock 4 Life - a one day festival only now

Bad news for Hospice fund-raising hopes. The Press and Journal quotes:

'But just 477 of the 20,000 tickets for the day two of the festival at Whiteness, near Nairn, were sold, forcing the cancellation of the entire day’s programme.
Pop acts McFly and the Sugababes and R&B singer Lemar had been due to top the bill at the event on May 2 at the former oil rig fabrication yard venue.'

More details on the Press and Journal site.

Lack of Election Fever in Nairn?

One of our regular readers commented on the lack of election  posters in Nairn this time round. Has anyone seen any posters anywhere in Nairnshire yet. Please send in pictures if you spot a poster.