A beach clean of the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area coastline by North West Highland Beach Cleans and Scottish Coastal Clean Up took place over last weekend at Polbain taking 5 hours, during which 7 volunteers removed 243kg of plastic including a lost buoy from a fishing boat.
In total over three days, 28 volunteers completed 5 beach cleans removing over 1.1 tonnes of plastic from the coastline of the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area. Organisers thanked the volunteers for their efforts and gave particular thanks to the team from Scottish Coastal Clean Up and a representative from Scottish Islands Federation who travelled a long distance to take part.
BT has launched a consultation on the removal of 110 public payphones in Highland which they state are no longer needed including those at Laide, Gruinard, Applecross, Lochinver and Elphin.
The Highland Council is encouraging members of the public to look at BT’s proposals and to to comment prior to 15th July, giving as much information as possible. It says public comment will be taken into account before a final decision is reached and any questions should be directed to BT. The full list of potentially affected phones can be seen via a link on the Council’s website.
Work is in course for a new concept to be introduced to the food court at the Eastgate Centre, Inverness after the previous operation closed in February despite a £2 million pound investment just two years previously.
The new operator will be Cru Hospitality which already runs several successful venues in Inverness and Nairn. Its Chief Executive has promised to bring “fresh energy, exceptional service and a high quality dining experience” to the Centre with the project which could create up to 25 new jobs. It should be fully open before the end of the summer and as a first step, a new café known as Scran Café opened yesterday.
The organisers of the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival along with their partners at the Festival, the Co-op, are promoting a talent search which will give the opportunity for two lucky winners to perform this year on the Bella Bar stage or the Co-op stage.
The search is open to Co-op members whether they are solo acts or bands from across Scotland. A panel of judges will shortlist the most promising acts with one winner being selected internally and the other being decided through a public vote. Entries close on 10th May and more information is available on the Belladrum Festival website.
