Month: May 2026 (Page 1 of 2)

With this glorious sunshine, there were some lovely little finds in Hazelbank today – greater stitchwort, chickweed wintergreen, bog cotton and speedwell. 

We are absolutely delighted to share that our Community Fun Run held on Saturday 23rd May 2026 raised an amazing £1,530.00 for MND Scotland through our raffle and donations – thank you so much to everyone who contributed!

Your generosity truly means the world, and we are so grateful for the incredible support shown towards such an important cause.

We are also completely overwhelmed to say that over the past three years, through our fun runs, we have now raised a fantastic £5,266.00 for some truly special and deserving causes:

🏃‍♀️ 2024 – Maggie’s Highland

🏃‍♂️ 2025 – Gamekeepers Welfare Trust

🏃‍♀️ 2026 – MND Scotland 

This is an amazing achievement, and it simply wouldn’t have been possible without each and every one of you who has taken part, donated, sponsored, or supported us along the way 💛

📢 A quick note: There was a technical error with the running times displayed on the system, but this has now been resolved – thank you for your patience and understanding.

📅 Save the date! Our next fun run will take place on

Saturday 22nd May 2027 – we hope to see you all there!

Thanks 

Tracy Campbell 

[received by SCC from Bear Scotland]

Dear Sir/Madam,

BEAR SCOTLAND Our Ref: 26-NW-0319-44 Date: 25/05/2026

TERM CONTRACT FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF THE SCOTTISH TRUNK ROAD NETWORK – NORTH-WEST UNIT

A9 TOMATIN, NIGHT-TIME RESURFACING WORKS LANE CLOSURE WITH CONVOY INFORMATION LETTER

BEAR Scotland, on behalf of Transport Scotland, will be undertaking essential carriageway resurfacing works on the A9 at Tomatin & A9 at Moy.

Please find enclosed a location plan, which details the works extents.

Due to the nature of the works, it will be necessary to implement two-way temporary traffic lights and convoy to ensure the safety of our workforce and members of the public, which is of paramount importance. The works will commence on the evening of Monday the 8th of June and end on the morning of Thursday the 11th of June for a total of 3 nights. The works will be carried out between the hours of 8pm and 6am each night.

The convoy will be removed out-with working times, however a 30mph speed limit and warning signs will remain in place, as traffic will be travelling over a temporary road surface.

Access through the works site for emergency services will be always maintained.

BEAR Scotland and Transport Scotland wish to thank the local community in advance for their patience during these essential works.

Should you wish to make comment or require further information, please contact David Bert via email at NWConsultation@bearscotland.co.uk.

Yours faithfully,

David Bert Assistant Planned Maintenance Manager (North) For and on behalf of BEAR Scotland

 This beautiful blossom comes from our heritage varieties: Tom Putt and Ellison’s Orange. Tom Putt is a wonderfully versatile apple – great for eating as a dessert apple and ideal for cider-making too, as well as being a reliable cropper. Ellison’s Orange is another dependable dessert variety, producing apples with yellowish-green skin flushed with red, developing a distinctive aniseed flavour in storage.

Pupils from Strathdearn Primary school helped with the planting and we’re all looking forward to eating the fruits of their labours!

It’s well worth a wee wander through our newly planted Fruit and Nut area over the next few weeks, as the blossom continues across the other tree varieties.

In the woodland just now, you’ll notice

lovely pockets of wildflowers coming through – wood sorrel, violets and wood anemone brightening the ground beneath the trees. These early blooms play an important role in supporting nature, providing an early vital source of nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinators emerging after winter. 

It will be interesting to see how our newly planted wildflower beds do over the next few months, and it will be lovely to increase the variety with native wildflower and mixed grasses that we’ve added. It’s a small but important reminder of how much life is supported by letting these natural spaces thrive.

Strathdearn Community Council is pleased to announce the launch of its 31-day consultation period for the Proposed Strathdearn Local Place Plan.

The Local Place Plan will guide community action relating to services, facilities, and the development and/or use of land and buildings in Strathdearn over the next five-years. It is important that as many members of the community as possible tell us if they agree with key parts of the Proposed Plan. And if not, to explain why, so we can make necessary changes before submitting it to the Council.

Our Proposed Plan

You can read the Proposed Plan at our Local Place Plan webpage: https://strathdearn.org/local-place-plan/

There is a colour-coded ‘Guide to contents’ at the start of the Proposed Plan to help guide readers to key parts of the Proposed Plan.

How to comment

Our online feedback form asks if you agree with four key parts of the Proposed Plan:

• Our proposed VISION FOR THE FUTURE 
• Our proposed COMMUNITY ACTIONS 
• Our proposed PROPOSALS
• Our proposed list of LAND AND BUILDINGS OF SIGNIFICANCE to our local area

Plus, there is an opportunity for you to give us any other comments you have about the Proposed Plan.

You can see printed information and pick up a paper copy of the feedback form at our Local Place Plan display from this evening, 12 May, at The Strathdearn.

Helen Bailey will be at the hall from 6.30pm on 12 May to answer any questions and receive feedback in person, before the Community Council meeting. Helen will also be at the hall to take feedback in person between 1-2pm on Thursday 14 May.  

Respond by paper form to The Strathdearn by 4pm on 12/06/2026 or online by 23:59 on 12/06/2026.

We look forward to receiving your response!

A gentle reminder to everyone enjoying Hazelbank Community Wood 🌳

We are very lucky to have so many people using and enjoying our community woodland — from walkers and families to local groups and the school’s outdoor learning sessions. Children have been heavily involved in planting, learning about nature, and helping to care for the wood, which has been wonderful to see.

Unfortunately, dog mess within the wood has become an increasing issue. While many responsible owners do clear up after their dogs, too many bags, or mess itself are still being left behind. With so many different users sharing the space, including nursery and school groups, we kindly ask everyone to help keep Hazelbank Wood clean and safe for all.

Dog waste bins We have explored options such as installing dog waste bins, but these carry ongoing costs and only work if used properly. There are already bins located close to the woodland entrances:

· Two bins near the Old Mill Road entrance

· One bin near Ard Park

· Additional bins by the Hub

Wildlife reminder : At this time of year, Hazelbank Wood is home to ground‑nesting birds. Please keep dogs under close control, and on leads where appropriate, to help protect wildlife and other woodland users.

Sharing the space kindly A little courtesy goes a long way when approaching other walkers, families, or education groups. The school uses pop‑out signs on either side of their learning area to give dog owners time to put dogs on leads or choose an alternative route. The wood is currently used by the school on Tuesday afternoons and Fridays, as well as on an ad‑hoc basis.

We would love everyone to continue following the Countryside Code within Hazelbank Wood:

🌱 Respect others 🌱 Protect wildlife 🌱 Leave no trace where possible

Thank you to everyone helping care for this wonderful shared space.

[from Louise Ramsay]

Some of you may have noticed sheep’s wool tied around some of our recently planted tree saplings in Hazelbank Wood.

We’re currently testing a few different ideas to help deter deer from browsing on them, this is part of one of our trials. The method behind it is deer tend to dislike both the smell and taste of the fleece.

We have also been using sheep dags as a mulch around our newly planted heritage apple trees, this helps suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil.

It’s a simple, natural, and environmentally friendly method, and we’re keen to see how effective it is over time. We’ll keep you updated on the results!

Following their recent visit to last month’s community council meeting, where they outlined revisions to the Balnespick Wind Farm proposal, representatives from the project team have announced a public drop-in event at The Strathdearn on 11 May. Local residents will have the opportunity to learn more about the updated plans and ask questions.

The revised plans include fewer and lower turbines, reflecting feedback from the earlier consultation.

• Reduction in turbine numbers from 9 to 7
• Reduction in tip height from 200m to 180m
• Reduction in generating capacity from 64.8MW to 50.4MW
• Visual impact minimised due to repositioning of remaining turbines
• Reduced impact on peat

Strathdearn Community Council, Tuesday 12^th May @ 7.00pm in The Strathdearn

This meeting will also be available on MS Teams
Meeting ID: 331 494 608 625 553
Passcode: CJ2RR3hE
Join the meeting HERE

(NB: Meeting will be recorded to ensure the minutes are true and accurate)

1. Apologies
2. Declarations of interest
3. Balfour Beatty
4. Minutes of the last meeting (View them here)
5. Financial report
6. Law and Order
7. Road Safety
8. Applications to the SCCT
   • The Tomatin Children’s Entertainment Committee- Farm Ness
   • The Tomatin Children’s Entertainment Committee- Loch Insh
   • Highland Field Sports Fair Ltd T/A Moy Country Fair
9. Planning Matters

1. Local Place Plan
2. Windfarms – Update from SWIAG

10. Update from SCD
11. Correspondence
12. AOCB

Date of next meeting Tuesday 9^th June 2026