High Street should be reopening tomorrow - things return to normal until 5th January 2016

Michale Boylan of the Association of Nairn Businesses tells the Gurn that the original plan was that was that we would have two clear weeks in the High St and now we have four. He said:

"I’m just off the phone to SGN who have confirmed that they are finished with the High street works for this year recommencing 5th January 2016. I’ve asked for the signage to be removed and this should be done by tomorrow! No disruption for the last month of the year! Great news"

Riverside Walkers Christmas Tree to be decorated 9.30 Sunday morning (6th December)

Murd tells the Gurn that, weather permitting, he will be in situ on Sunday morning from 9.30 am to decorate both the traditional spots on the left and right bank, starting on the left side just past the Whinieknowe pool. Murd doesn't know if carol singers will be available like on a previous year when several ladies stopped by on their annual walk to lunch at Cawdor but he promises good craic regardless. 

Murd welcomes all, including local dignitaries and celebrities if they are available. Gurn photographers will be present to record one of the riverside's social highlights of 2015. Murd also tells us that, at present, no fireworks are planned for this event.

Christmas tree looking very seasonal as snow attempts to lie on Nairn High Street - short video

Update, the snow started to thaw and then froze before dawn. It was a bit crispy down the Links and on the beach - video here. 

Foodbank collection by local SNP members sees a large quantity of food donated plus £370 cash raised.

Local MP Drew Hendry assisted at a foodbank donation stall set up outside the Courthouse yesterday morning. A large quantity of food was collected along with £370 donated by those who visited the stall between 10 am and midday. The food and the cash were later taken to the local Blythswood shop in Leopold Street. More images here. 

Blythswood administer the Highland Foodbank and you can find information about how you can help on their website here. 

Councillor Liz MacDonald was also present and she spoke for a few moments at the end of the two hour collection about the increasing numbers who are going to the foodbank for help throughout the Highlands. She also outlined her worries about how further changes to welfare could impact on Highland residents. She thanked those party members that had organised the stall and also praised the ongoing work by foodbank volunteers across the Highlands to meet the sadly growing demand. 

Earlier this week the Gurn reported on figures that Highland Council had published recently in an agenda document. Here they are again, they illustrate the gravity of the situation in the Highlands:

""Local figures show that, in the first 8 months (Jan-Aug) of 2015, 3,652 people, including 1,097 children have been provided with three day’s emergency food by Trussell Trust food banks in the Highlands. The number of people referred during the 12 month period in 2013 was 4,056 (inc 1,103 children) and in 2014 was 5,254 (inc 1,340 children); an increase of 30% in demand."

The report also states:

"The Scottish Welfare Fund, administered by the Council, also provides assistance to applicants for food when awarding Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants. Since the implementation of the fund on 1st April 2013, £335,860 has been award specifically for food:

• 01/04/2013 – 31/12/2013: £47,156 

• 01/01/2014 – 31/12/2014: £174,202

• 01/01/2015 – 30/09/2015: £114,502"

Nairn 3 Deveronvale 2 Pictures from Donald Matheson, Kenny MacLeod and Mashy Young

Click the read more tab to see the County paparrazi's record of yesterday's struggle against Deveronvale.

And then there were fireworks...

at the Christmas Lights switch on celebrations.



and then came the Penguin's Tuxedo band

Well done all the volunteers and performers who made this possible, both the familiar faces who contributed to the event and the new wave of Nairn's social media based activists - "a Volunteer Army" is a phrase used by Cllr Michael Green to describe this community activism.

Cutter Photography have posted some images from last night, they are available on Facebook here. When time permits this weekend we will have a browse of the pictures we took last night and see if any of them are decent enough to put online. 

Nairn Healthcare closed from 1.30 pm on Thursday 3rd December until 8.30 am on Friday 4th December

"Nairn Healthcare will be closed from 1.30pm on Thursday 3rd December for a staff training afternoon. Ardersier branch surgery will close at 1pm. The surgery will re-open at 8.30am on Friday 4th December.

If you require urgent medical attention after 1.30pm, please call 01667 452096 and a member of the Out of Hours team will be available to take your call."

Overnight works start Monday 30 November for two nights on A96 in Nairn

BEAR Scotland state on their website:

"Overnight investigation and maintenance works will be carried out on the A96 through Nairn to help plan for future road maintenance schemes and to carry out essential repairs to the road surface. 

The work will take place over two nights and will be split into two phases. The first phase will involve investigation works planned to take place between Grants Garage and the road bridge over the River Nairn on Monday 30 November for one night, starting at 7.30pm until 6.30am the following morning. 

Phase two will see essential maintenance improvements carried out between Tradespark and the Nairn Showfield overnight on Tuesday 1 December, starting at 7.30pm until 2.00am the following morning.

Due to the nature of the schemes, there will be an element of loud working which need to finish by a certain time to minimise noise disruption, as required by The Highland Council. Therefore, whilst undertaking night-time works to have less effect on the community and businesses using the A96, work needs to start at 7.30pm each night to ensure that the loud operations are finished by the set timescales."

More here. 

Volunteers decorate Nairn's Christmas trees with materials donated by the public

Delightful scenes outside the Royal Bank and in Castle Lane as volunteers decorated the trees this afternoon. Individual images here.  Full screen slideshow here. 

Some Highland Councillors still getting free dinners

A front page spread in the P&J by local journalist Iain Ramage states that a whistle blower has called for a root and branch overhaul of councillors' expenses and monthly publication of their spending. 

"Lochaber member Andrew Baxter made the call after revealing that only 17 of his colleagues had acted on a pledge to voluntarily pay for £4.70 canteen lunches when attending meetings at the local authority's Inverness HQ" 

Another councillor claimed: "There are excellent people out there who would love to be councillors, but they cannot afford to give up their jobs to work for £16,000 a year." More in the Press and Journal today.

UPDATE 15.04 

Cllr Michael Green tells the Gurn: "Just for the avoidance of doubt. I pay for every meal and this is deducted automatically every month."

The Gurn would be delighted to hear from Liz, Laurie and Stephen as to how their lunch arrangements are organised when at Glenurquhart Road.

UPDATE 20.14  

Liz tells us: "I sometimes use the members canteen and I often use the staff canteen which you pay for at the time of purchase. Currently I do not claim travel expenses which would cost the council far more than paying for the dinners. If I begin filling in expenses claim forms then I will happily pay for dinners.

Lot's of councillors do not use the canteen, but sometimes there are time restrictions to get between meetings and it is convenient. I thought councillors talking over an hour on lunches was rediculous, there were far more important items on the agenda yesterday.

I knew of the intention to bring in volunteering to pay for lunch, but I haven't completed an expenses form so haven't seen then new format."

Gurn Comment:

It is just not on that councillors are getting free dinners while many Highlanders 

are having to go to foodbanks for their own food. We published some details of numbers going hungry yesterday and the figures are very depressing. 

Income is all relative and many people would indeed have trouble living on £16,000 but there are others that would be happy to see their income rise to that level.