Nwicker60
15-Nov-13, 15:30
John O’ Groat headlines for November 15
A PROPERTY owner has been left bewildered after being told by his insurance company that it classes part of Wick town centre as a high risk flood area. Pendragon Property Group managing director, Donald Clark, who owns the Curry King building on Bridge Street, has been insured with NFU for seven years. When he went to renew his policy, he was told he would be liable for a £5000 excess as it was in an area the insurer designated as at high risk of flooding. Mr Clark, of School House Dunnet, branded the designation as “crazy” and says he has no idea where they got it from.
A HOMEAID manager has claimed allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff were “a malicious attempt” to have him sacked. Stephen Lay, who lost his job at the charity’s Thurso shop a year ago, made the claim on the second day of his employment tribunal in Wick, on Wednesday. He maintains he was unfairly dismissed and said the allegations were made by a staff member and a volunteer who had a negative attitude towards him.
AN exciting discovery has been made among the herbarium sheets of the Robert Dick collection of Caithness Horizons in Thurso. A big name in the botany world, Sir William Jackson Hooker, was found as the team of volunteers looked carefully at each of the thousands of sheets which have all been photographed and are now being documented into the museum’s Mimsy XG Collections Management database. The team of Joanne Howdle, curator at the museum and three volunteers are aiming to record, electronically, as much as possible about each herbarium specimen of UK plants.
A CAMPAIGN against a proposed pharmacy in Castletown, is attracting public support on a scale not witnessed for many years, according to a local Highland councillor. “I have never seen so many representations on an issue in the last six years. I am getting e-mails and letters, daily, from people who are worried about this plan” said Landward Caithness member Willie Mackay. Many locals are concerned the proposal by Apples Pharmacy will put the local GP surgeries and dispensaries at Castletown and Canisbay at risk and result in the loss of 19 jobs.
CHEVRON UK is leaving the area and returning to Aberdeen as its contract with Wick John O’ Groats Airport is finally up. The company had been using the airport as a staging post for it Alba and Captain oil fields after a link was forged a year ago following the grounding of the Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma fleet because of safety fears.
HIGHLAND Licensing Board has agreed to introduce a new region-wide policy to control sales of alcohol. It has become one of the first in Scotland to adopt a presumption against granting off-sales licences for large displays of 40 sq m (430 sq ft) and over, in shops.
A FARMER has warned that any move to cut the amount of meat served to pupils in Highland schools could affect the nutrition of the region’s poorest children. Labour councillor Bet McAllister has claimed pupils could be eating six meat dishes a week and urged education bosses to reduce the amount of red meat dished up in canteens. She cited health fears about meat consumption but her calls were sparked after the cost of meat from Highland Council’s Ross-shire supplier shot up by 12% since September.
PRIMARY schoolchildren in Caithness turned out in force on Monday to mark Armistice Day which commemorates the end of hostilities on the Western Front during World War 1. Classes of pupils assembled at war memorials to mark the 95th anniversary at 11 in the morning. They scrupulously observed the two minutes silence, as did many households and workplaces.
AN army chaplain has called for local churches to recognise what he called “vulnerable leavers” from the forces in their communities and try to help them. At the latest meeting of Caithness Presbytery, the Rev. John Duncan, chaplain to 3rd Battalion The Black Watch, based at Fort George, gave a talk on how he helps the soldiers under his watch.
A PROPERTY owner has been left bewildered after being told by his insurance company that it classes part of Wick town centre as a high risk flood area. Pendragon Property Group managing director, Donald Clark, who owns the Curry King building on Bridge Street, has been insured with NFU for seven years. When he went to renew his policy, he was told he would be liable for a £5000 excess as it was in an area the insurer designated as at high risk of flooding. Mr Clark, of School House Dunnet, branded the designation as “crazy” and says he has no idea where they got it from.
A HOMEAID manager has claimed allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff were “a malicious attempt” to have him sacked. Stephen Lay, who lost his job at the charity’s Thurso shop a year ago, made the claim on the second day of his employment tribunal in Wick, on Wednesday. He maintains he was unfairly dismissed and said the allegations were made by a staff member and a volunteer who had a negative attitude towards him.
AN exciting discovery has been made among the herbarium sheets of the Robert Dick collection of Caithness Horizons in Thurso. A big name in the botany world, Sir William Jackson Hooker, was found as the team of volunteers looked carefully at each of the thousands of sheets which have all been photographed and are now being documented into the museum’s Mimsy XG Collections Management database. The team of Joanne Howdle, curator at the museum and three volunteers are aiming to record, electronically, as much as possible about each herbarium specimen of UK plants.
A CAMPAIGN against a proposed pharmacy in Castletown, is attracting public support on a scale not witnessed for many years, according to a local Highland councillor. “I have never seen so many representations on an issue in the last six years. I am getting e-mails and letters, daily, from people who are worried about this plan” said Landward Caithness member Willie Mackay. Many locals are concerned the proposal by Apples Pharmacy will put the local GP surgeries and dispensaries at Castletown and Canisbay at risk and result in the loss of 19 jobs.
CHEVRON UK is leaving the area and returning to Aberdeen as its contract with Wick John O’ Groats Airport is finally up. The company had been using the airport as a staging post for it Alba and Captain oil fields after a link was forged a year ago following the grounding of the Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma fleet because of safety fears.
HIGHLAND Licensing Board has agreed to introduce a new region-wide policy to control sales of alcohol. It has become one of the first in Scotland to adopt a presumption against granting off-sales licences for large displays of 40 sq m (430 sq ft) and over, in shops.
A FARMER has warned that any move to cut the amount of meat served to pupils in Highland schools could affect the nutrition of the region’s poorest children. Labour councillor Bet McAllister has claimed pupils could be eating six meat dishes a week and urged education bosses to reduce the amount of red meat dished up in canteens. She cited health fears about meat consumption but her calls were sparked after the cost of meat from Highland Council’s Ross-shire supplier shot up by 12% since September.
PRIMARY schoolchildren in Caithness turned out in force on Monday to mark Armistice Day which commemorates the end of hostilities on the Western Front during World War 1. Classes of pupils assembled at war memorials to mark the 95th anniversary at 11 in the morning. They scrupulously observed the two minutes silence, as did many households and workplaces.
AN army chaplain has called for local churches to recognise what he called “vulnerable leavers” from the forces in their communities and try to help them. At the latest meeting of Caithness Presbytery, the Rev. John Duncan, chaplain to 3rd Battalion The Black Watch, based at Fort George, gave a talk on how he helps the soldiers under his watch.