What’s Been Going On?
We’re pleased to share some exciting announcements and updates as we reach the midway point of 2023! The Strathdearn Hub’s shiny new website has launched, showcasing the positive work achieved by the community owning such a great facility www.thestrathdearn.org If you have any queries about anything mentioned in this update, please get in touch by emailing info@strathdearn.org or by phoning 07703 328333
Community-Led Housing
The SCD board is continuing to work through the available options following the new planning policy which has adversely affected the current project. Once we’ve assessed the options, a decision will be made on the future of the current project. We aim to conclude this by the end of July before providing a full announcement on the project.
Health and Well-being Projects
Summer Holiday Activities
School’s out for summer – hurrah! However, sometimes not so great for working families trying to juggle work commitments, childcare and the costs of keeping children entertained over the summer break. To support families, we’ve teamed up with High Life Highland and their School’s Out summer holiday programme, subsidising places by 50% and also providing free transport from Tomatin to allow kids to enjoy a fun-packed few days! We’re now full for the multi-sports camp, however, are looking forward to developing this further in the future.
Fitness Classes at The Strathdearn
We’re continuing to support the community by paying 50% of residents’ High Life Highland memberships. You can also attend classes on a pay-as-you-go basis. The Zumba, Core HIIT and Stretch&Flex classes require more people to participate to avoid them being cancelled.
Taking place every Wednesday, High Life Highland is offering first classes for free so you can ‘try before you buy’.
The Snug
The good weather has seen numbers at The Snug drop off slightly however it will continue to run throughout the summer on Tuesdays and Fridays. Please pop in between 10am and 4pm for free tea and coffee and a chinwag!
Community Computer Skills and Online Support Course
We’re delighted to be collaborating with Red Chair Highland to fund a four-week digital inclusion course from the health and wellbeing fund. The course will be available at The Strathdearn in August or September (exact date TBC) and will be free to Strathdearn residents. It will be held once a week for two hours, with one hour focusing on specific topics and the other being used as a drop-in service where any member of the community can bring their device for digital support. Access to the online portal ‘Learn My Way’ will also be provided for free so attendees can continue to improve their computing skills outwith the course. We’re currently collating the feedback from the recent digital questionnaire to ensure we can tailor the course to meet most needs. Watch this space for the start date!
Community E-bikes Event
We’re excited to be teaming up with Bikeability Instructor of the Year 2020, Iain Bamber from Cycling Scotland, who is joining us at The Strathdearn on Sunday, July 30th from 11am-3pm. Come along to The MUGA (next to The Strathdearn Hub) to enjoy a free session on an e-bike, funded by SCD, or bring along your own bike for small repairs! There will be a selection of e-bikes, a cargo bike and a trike for you to try out, along with a toddler seat so young children can get involved too. We look forward to seeing you there!
End of Summer Family Festival
Our events coordinator has been busy organising an end-of-summer community event! Join us on Saturday, August 12 from 4pm-10pm for live music from Tartan Paint and Blackrock Ceilidh, bouncy castles, face painting, a pop-up bar and a Highland rodeo bull, as well as delicious food from Ness Highland Catering, Auld Smokey Pizza and The Treat Trike, AND a special guest! We hope to see you all there!
Hazelbank Woods
We’re on track to complete the Scottish Land Fund application for the proposal to buy Hazelbank Woodland, subject to grant funding being awarded, with commercial discussions still ongoing with the owners. To progress the application, we’ve planned a community group walk followed by a discussion at The Strathdearn on Tuesday, July 25 at 6.30pm. Please save the date and look out for the invitation with further details!
Invereen Stone
We approached the Church of Scotland to enquire if the land where the Green Tin Church used to be was available to be leased or bought, allowing us to place the Invereen Stone there while also creating a peaceful spot for other uses. The Kirk Session liked the idea however, because of impending changes, all of the assets of the four churches are currently being assessed and amalgamated for the needs of the new united parish, including the piece of land. This means any decisions will need to be made by the new Kirk Session for the new parish. The Kirk Session has agreed to take it to the new Kirk Session and will come back to us in due course. For now, if anyone has any alternative ideas, please get in touch.
New Generator at The Strathdearn
Early in the morning on Saturday, June 24, most of you will be aware there was a power outage, thankfully something that rarely happens in the summer months. We’ve had a standby generator on hire for over a year, which we’re grateful has never been ‘called upon’. We’re pleased that our new community-owned generator automatically switched on when the power went off. This meant that there was no supply interruption to the shop and café’s fridges and freezers, and also that residents could be provided with that all-important first tea or coffee of the day! As this was the first time the generator had been tested in a real-time scenario, we’ll look at any learnings where we can improve to ensure we can provide the community with the most efficient way of this helping us through any future power cuts.
Tidy Up Tomatin
Our brilliant volunteers continue to bring Tomatin into bloom, as do the residents of Moy who equally fill and maintain their lovely tubs. They’ve arranged the outstanding flower baskets at The Strathdearn and continue to maintain the tubs dotted about the community.
