SATURDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2024, OPEN TO PUBLIC 2:30PM
Want a chance to win great prizes? All monies raised will help “Tomatin Children’s Entertainment Committee”
Prizes:
~BOTTLE OF TOMATIN 12 YEAR OLD WHISKY ~AFTERNOON TEA FOR 2 – KINGSMILLS HOTEL ~FAMILY TICKET EDINBURGH ZOO / HIGHLAND WILDLIFE PARK (2AD&3CH) ~FAMILY ROUND OF CRAZY GOLF ~FAMILY PASS TO CAIRNGORM REINDEER CENTRE ~GEL OVERLAYS WITH POLISH ME PRETTY ~FAMILY PASSES FOR FUNHOUSE COYLUMBRIDGE ~£80 VOUCHER KJI CASTLES & ENTERTAINMENT
Raffle books will be available at the shop/cafe, hall office or by contacting the events team (events@strathdearn.org)
[The following letter was received by SCC from Tracey Urry, Highland Council Head of Roads & Infrastructure. The letter is in PDF format which cannot be easily displayed on a webpage. You can download the original letter at the bottom of this page]
Dear Ms Falconer
SCHOOL TRANSPORT TO STRATHDEARN PRIMARY
I write to inform you of our decision following the meeting which your Community Council and Cllr Ken Gowans had with David Summers and Lisa MacKellaich on 25 June.
I note that your concerns were primarily over whether transport should be provided in the winter months. The main issues raised in relation to the nature of the route were availability of step-offs when there is snow on the ground, and icicles hanging from the railway viaduct. The visit reconfirmed that there are suitable step-offs along Station Road and the unadopted stretch of road, and as the verges are reasonably flat, there are no hazards which would be likely to be hidden by snow. In addition, as the traffic levels are extremely low, and the visibility is good, there is adequate time for pedestrians to step off the road and for drivers to adapt to the presence of pedestrians.
Regarding hanging icicles, as this is a feature which is well known to you, it would be the responsibility of any adult accompanying the children to look out for melting icicles (it should be obvious if there is significant melting) and to avoid walking directly underneath them.
Weather aspects had already been raised in correspondence which was included with the report made to the Education Transport Entitlement Review Sub-Committee when they considered the route.
In short, the meeting and site visit did not add any new information which would affect the assessment of the route.
The approach we take in assessing walking routes is similar to that of most other authorities. Weather and lighting conditions affect any rural route, and do not of themselves justify provision of transport.
In the meeting you raised the matter of one family’s additional support needs. The walking route assessment relates to the nature of the route; any additional support needs are assessed on an individual basis, so I would ask you to pass details to our Transport Officer for the area, Caro Munro, who can discuss the case with our Education colleagues. Decisions on eligibility due to additional support needs are made by Education.
Finally, we will assess the safety of the new bus stop site you requested at the Community Hub and respond to you separately on that matter.
[Police Scotland issue this newsletter as a pdf which is best viewed after downloading to your device. Click the link below to download it]
Introduction:
We are pleased to present the latest edition of our community newsletter, designed to keep you up to date about the activities and initiatives of our local police officers. This newsletter serves as your window into the ongoing work of officers in your area, featuring insights from the City Centre Policing Team and the Community Beats team.
Our goal is to provide you with a closer look at the dedicated efforts of our police officers to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your communities. We understand the importance of keeping our community members informed and appreciate your continued support as we work together to make our streets even safer and more welcoming.
Thank you for being engaged and informed members of our community. Together we can continue to create a better and safer place for all.
[This email was received by SCC from Scott Dalgarno, Development Plans Manager, Highland Council]
Dear Community Council
LAUNCH OF LOCAL LIVING IN HIGHLAND CONSULTATION
On Monday 17 June 2024, The Highland Council launched the ‘Local Living in Highland’ consultation to the public.
What is Local Living?
The ‘local living’ concept is promoted by the Scottish Government. The concept aims to provide people with the opportunity to meet the majority of their daily needs within a reasonable distance of their home.
What is the Local Living Tool?
To shape our approach in Highland the Development Plans Team has developed a tool which helps assess how well Highland places meet the principles of local living. The tool plots the location of a variety of services for example shops, greenspace, leisure and learning and the accessibility to these services within a 10 minute walking distance.
Using geographic information systems (GIS) mapping, Highland was split up into hundreds of small hexagonal ‘cells’ within which services within a 10 minute walk were counted. The scores for each service were then calculated to give an overall ‘weighted’ score for each cell. The number in each cell indicates how well that part of a settlement scores in terms of local living. Ahead of the consultation going live the graphic below provides an illustration of the local living tool.
What is the consultation about?
We recognise that communities and businesses have an important role to play in informing local living. At this stage we are not seeking views on the results of the Local Living Tool – we are simply seeking views on its methodology and accuracy. We want to know what people think about it in terms of the services included, the level of importance given to each service, accuracy and what approaches we could take to rural areas. A graphic that is included in the consultation document that shows the services included and scoring given is shown below:
Responses will help us finalise our local living tool for publication. The tool will then form an important part of the evidence base for our new Highland Local Development Plan (HLDP). It will help us prepare a settlement hierarchy for Highland, consider which areas may be suitable for new development, and the kinds of services and infrastructure needed to support them. It can also help inform the appropriateness of new development proposals and may be used by other Council services to inform future infrastructure investment decisions.
Is this consultation related to the Place Standard Consultation?
Yes – this consultation is being run alongside our Highland Place Standard Survey consultation, which has been ongoing since 20 March 2024. The Place Standard survey is gathering feedback on people’s lived experiences of Highland and what makes for a good place to live, work, play and visit. The Place Standard and Local Living consultations are complementary to each other – the outputs of both consultations will help to inform the evidence base for our new HLDP. The deadline for responses to both consultations is 16 August 2024 (as recently announced, the Place Standard survey has been extended to that date).
Where can questions about Local Living consultation be directed to?
Questions can be directed to the Council’s Development Plans Team on hldp@highland.gov.uk or by phone through the Service Centre on 01349 886608.
Kind regards
Sent on behalf of Scott Dalgarno, Development Plans Manager
We are pleased to share the news of our exciting community projects and events! For latest news on the community purchase of Dalarossie Church, announcements regarding Tastes of Tomatin café and shop, and information about upcoming community events and more, read on!
Community Affordable Housing
The building warrant and tender package are currently being compiled, with a view to submission by the end of July 2024.
Electric Vehicle Upgraded Charges
It was great to see work commence on 1st July to upgrade our EV charging stations. The timescale for completion is around 3 weeks for them to be all up and running, providing the community and visitors with excellent EV charging facilities.
Hazelbank Woods
Work continues on the legal conveyancing.
Dalarossie Church
The SCD Board have considered the draft feasibility study and business plan, along with the feedback which members expressed at the EGM. A proposal based on option 1 within the business plan is now being written for the next Board meeting with a view to approving a version which will then be submitted for SCD members and a wider community decision.
Community Computer Skills course
SCD are currently conducting a survey to establish the computer skills the community would like to be included in the proposed course, how, and when the course would best suit.
The café and shop are both now operating and we welcome the team and wish them the best for the new venture. There will be a reduced menu to start with while staff find their feet which will gradually increase.
SCD continues to subsidise both High Life Highland and Bannatyne health club memberships for residents with IV13 postcodes, giving the opportunity to stay healthy and well.
We are delighted that we are able to support community health & wellbeing by subsidising 113 memberships in Strathdearn. That is in the region of 240 residents benefitting from this scheme (assuming highlife family membership is for 2 adults and 2 children).
High Life Highland Membership over 50% discount for families and individuals
SCD are currently subsiding 50% of the cost for 42 family and 20 individual highlife memberships for Strathdearn residents.
A highlife membership offers you and your family access to a range of health and fitness opportunities in leisure centres throughout the Highlands. In addition to swimming pools and gyms, your membership allows access to court activities, swimming lessons and a huge range of group exercise classes for people of all abilities and interests.
Your membership also secures access to a great range of local benefits as well as accessing libraries and other facilities.
Looking for activities for the kids this summer holiday?
Included in the highlife membership there are so many activities to choose from!
Go swimming, trampolining, play badminton, athletics or spend the morning at the soft play circuit with a bouncy castle!
If you are interested in a highlife membership or would like further information, please contact helengerlings@strathdearn.org
Please note all membership addresses will need to be verified as IV13 postcodes (i.e with driving licence, recent mail with name and address) to benefit from SCD subsidy
Bannatyne Health Club membership
IV13 residents can enjoy over 50% off for Bannatyne Health Club all-inclusive membership! SCD are now subsiding 51 individual Strathdearn subscriptions.
An all-inclusive membership with Bannatyne provides the opportunity for you to take advantage of their extensive health club facilities including swimming pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. There are several personalised services, including access to expert personal trainers and complimentary fitness evaluations when you join. Further discounts include:
10% discount in the spa (Spa Days, Products and Treatments)
10% discount in the café
10% discount on retail products
50% off the first spa treatment
Price: £20 / month (discounted from £46.99 / month + no joining fee)
Please note all membership addresses will need to be verified as IV13 postcodes (i.e with driving licence, recent mail with name and address) to benefit from SCD subsidy
High Life Highland classes available at The Strathdearn Hub
Highlife have given their sincerest apologies for the recent cancellations of the Wednesday exercise classes at The Strathdearn – this is unfortunately due to staffing issues. They are doing everything they can to support the continuation of the classes and have new staff members currently completing the necessary training for the activities to help with instructor sickness / leave.
Wednesday evenings at The Strathdearn Hub:
18:30 – 19.15 Zumba
Dance your worries away with instructor led dance programmes! These classes will have upbeat music with dance moves to match.
19:20 – 20.00 Stretch and Flex
Stretching and mobility-based session to help improve functional capacity, better recovery and injury prevention.
High Life Highland have also offered a FREE class so you can ‘try before you buy’. The more residents that join the scheme the more activities we will be able to bring to The Strathdearn! It’s an incredible offer as there is so much included in the highlife membership.
Strathdearn Community Kids Club
We are delighted to announce that for the new school term (21st August – 9th October) High Life Highland have agreed to allow 30 children to participate in the club – this should mean no more waiting list!
And that’s a wrap for another term! The club finished on a high on Wednesday the 26th of June with some water sports where the coaches got absolutely soaked by the children!
Keep an eye on our social media and emails from High Life Highland for news on when the next term sign ups will begin.
Community E-Bikes
We are currently developing eBike route cards to showcase some of the beautiful local bikes trails we have for day trips in Strathdearn.
To see the proposed routes click on the following links:
If you have any comments or suggestions on what you would like to see included in the route cards, please let us know by emailing helengerlings@strathdearn.org
FREE E BIKE HIRE FOR RESIDENTS OF IV13 FOR UP TO 2 WEEKS
Through our colleagues at The Strathdearn, we continue to fund the 2-week free trial for locals – now summer is here, pop into the Hub and take out an eBike for a spin!
We have already had 16 children from Strathdearn sign up – make sure to book to not miss out on the fun!
Spaces have been reserved for Strathdearn children to attend these activities – if you would like to sign up or for more information, please call 07703328333 or email: helengerlings@strathdearn.org
The SCD Snug hosted at The Strathdearn Hub
We will continue to provide free tea, coffee and biscuits and the day’s newspapers. Pop in to relax and chat with the locals!
Tuesdays and Fridays: 10am – 4pm
If you, or someone you know would like to come along to The Snug but struggle with transport please email enquiries@strathdearn.org and we will do our best to assist.
Badenoch & Strathspey Community ConneXions
SCD team have collaborated with Badenoch & Strathspey Community ConneXions (BSCX) to help support this important service which extends to the people of Strathdearn. Local volunteers are required for BSCX to be able to accept referrals within our area. If you think you could spare an hour or two to help your community who may need just a chat or a call to say hello, please contact the BSCX office on 01479 810004.
SCD COMMUNITY EVENTS UPDATE
END OF SUMMER PARTY – Saturday 31st August 2024
The Strathdearn, Tomatin 2pm – 10:30pm
FREE ENTRY for IV13 residents
Family entertainment (2pm – 5pm)
Inflatables, facepainting, circus skills workshop, reptile handling, Mieles Ice Cream and street food.
Live music entertainment (6pm – 10:30pm)
We are so excited to bring back The Shire for our live music act, licenced bar by Bars2U and street food.
There will also be a bus available for pick up and returning from/to the following points: –
Visit Document Library if you are looking for any of the following: Newsletters; Minutes of meetings; Application forms; Accounts, projects and other info on SCD and SCCT.
We are excited to screen our 2-minute film showcasing our local attractions and The Strathdearn Complex. Journey from the wild high glens and their wonderful nature, along the River Findhorn, to the Tomatin Distillery on to Loch Moy and the excitement of the Moy Games.
Walk-through and aerial footage of The Strathdearn Hub
