Galileo's Fan rock the Legion with launch of their debut album "I won't be found"

A huge turn-out in the Legion last night as Fi and Martin launched their debut album "I won't be found." For details on how to buy the album and more about the band head over to the Galileo's Fan Facebook page. 

A slideshow of images below, Individual images here

NICE AGM Thursday 11th of April - reports on BID, Team Hamish and Links, path restoration at East Beach and future projects to be presented

The Agenda for the NICE AGM reads

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the sixth ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the above company will be held at 7.00 pm on Thursday 11 April 2019 at the Nairn Community & Arts Centre for the purpose of the following business:

Welcome & Introduction.

Apologies for Absence.

Chairman’s Report.

Report on establishment of Business Improvement District.

Report on East Beach Path Restoration.

Report on #TeamHamish and Plans for the Links.

Presentation of Possible Future Projects

More information here

BID to take on Salty the Seagull and his town centre pals

This time of the year seagulls are moving back to their regular spots in the town centre and there will also soon  be competition for every ledge-like nook and cranny from last years young seagulls that survived the many dangers or being raised in the town centre. Will the gulls get a bit of a knock-back this year though? The BID are going to have a removal program for nests and eggs on the roofs of businesses in their patch. 

The BID's recent leaflet details the specifics of their anti-Salty campaign. The campaign starts in May and will entail three visits for egg and nest removals, the visits will take place once every twenty-one days to businesses in the BID area.  More details here. 

Good luck to this initiative it will certainly be labour intensive and how successful it will be will depend on the numbers on neighbouring properties that are not businesses. This observer remembers moving a nest every day for a fortnight and finally thinking that Salty had been defeated when he finally gave up the daily rebuild - one week later he was back and his lady friend was sitting on her eggs. 

Highland councillors agreed to spend up to £15,000 with a recruitment agency to help them find a depute chief executive with a salary of £119,000.

We hear that there is no money but....

The Press and Journal reported yesterday: "Highland councillors agreed to spend up to £15,000 with a recruitment agency to help them find a depute chief executive with a salary of £119,000.

Councillors agreed to look for a depute chief executive with responsibility for corporate resources, at a special meeting held yesterday.

Some councillors expressed concerns about the recruitment process and the job description, as it did not include the remit for finance, that the previous director had responsibility for."

More here. 

McDonalds reconsidering opening a restaurant and drive-thru in Nairn due to trading hours restrictions?

An application has appeared on the Highland Council e-planning pages listing a request for  amended opening hours for the proposed McDonalds restaurant and drive-thru. The application is from Sainsbury's but the documents available to the public include a letter from McDonalds (curiously dated 14th September 2018 but received by the Council on the 12th March). 

Screenshot of letter below - click to enlarge. Further details of application here. 

Pedestrian crossing - a fait accompli? Critical editorial in this week's Nairnshire Telegraph

"The announcement was accompanied by a statement from the Area Chairman that this new crossing was the result of consultation with the Nairn Access Panel. Everybody happy? We beg to differ."

More on the editorial page of this week's Leopold Street Thunderer.

Highland Council budget cuts – the impact on Additional Support Needs teachers and Pupil Support Assistants across Highland?

We would urge our readers to consider the articles and comments posted on the Facebook page “Highland Action Group for ASN & Education” Recent press coverage of the Highland Council's intentions has caused a degree of alarm among parents (BBC article here). 

A PSA who works in a Highland School told the Gurn: 

Highland Council hope to avoid redundancies as they ‘re-allocate’ resourcing of Pupil Support Assistants, these reductions are to be phased over the next three years. As a Pupil Support Assistant this is an extremely worrying time for our positions, the children and the parents who need these services. Hitting the most vulnerable group undermines civil society. The implications of these cuts are huge, these are the things that hold communities together. The Unions seem to be managing the process rather than fighting it. 

I don’t know what the Chief Executive’s vision is for the end of these three years, nor what schools in the Highlands and a new Nairn Academy will look like that do not address the needs of every child. 

The more I read the information we were given the more ‘doublespeak’ I find. Even the timing of the council's press release has given us little time to challenge or resist.” 

The Gurn understands that a meeting between our four local councillors and the Rector of Nairn Academy plus the primary heads from those schools in the Academy catchment area may take place this week to consider these issues. 

As we said in the first paragraph we would urge our readers to inform themselves on this topic, look at the worries and statement of the parents, the information provided by Highland Council, as reported by the BBC, and decide if something fundamentally unjust is about to be set in motion.

Keeping Nairnshire Colourful plant more snowdrops along the river

This weekend a hardy band of volunteers helped members of KNC to plant more snowdrops along the riverside and among the trees in the Cemetery field.

5.33% of voters in Inverness Nairn Badenoch and Strathspey sign the petition to revoke Article 50 within 48 hours of it appearing online.

A remarkable level of engagement being shown in the Brexit debate as over 5% of constituents in MP Drew Hendry's patch sign a petiton that has been online for about 48 hrs.

For further details click on image below. 

Works under way for new Nairn High Street crossing - Highland Council Press Release - crossing will be commissioned after Courthouse scaffolding removed

Interesting press release but is it outside the Courthouse? A 48 week wait then?

A new pedestrian crossing aims to provide a safer High Street for Nairn town centre as works progress on Nairn Courthouse renovations.

The Highland Council has commenced works to install a pedestrian crossing with lighting outside the Courthouse on Nairn High Street. Bollards will be installed and crossing lighting commissioned after scaffolding has been dismantled and removed from renovation works at the Courthouse building.

Councillor Tom Heggie, Chair of the Council’s Nairnshire Committee said: “Pedestrians will be given priority with the introduction of this new crossing. Nairnshire Councillors agreed to proceed with the crossing after consultation with the Nairn Access Panel. The members were delighted to work with the access panel to provide an additional safe crossing for people in the High Street. The crossing will be of benefit all year round for locals and visitors to Nairn.”

Cable ducting and poles for the crossing lights have already been installed, as have dropped kerbs. White lining and bollards will be completed as soon as the Courthouse scaffolding is removed.

Members were recently given an update at the Nairnshire Committee on the Courthouse renovation works including an overview focusing on the need to address structural integrity matters of the property; the acceleration of the project start to enable scaffolding to be erected early to address the structural works; and the 48 week programme including the removal of the spire which take place during July - August.

Members were advised that presentation boards about the renovations works would be made available for the public to view either in the Courthouse lobby or in the external entrance way formed by the scaffold.

A decision has yet to be made on whether the former flagpole will be reinstated, as the existing parapet stonework had been weakened by movement of the pole. The operation of raising and lowering flags via the narrow tower access ladder is also under review.

The Council is aware that the steeple clock has stopped and it will be removed by specialist contractors for protection, stored, serviced and restored at the end of the project. On completion of the Courthouse works, Members will review the best use of the building for future events.