Caithness Courier headlines for August 2016


A GROUP of pupils at Keiss school spent the last day of their holidays helping their parents to clean up overgrown vegetation which blighted the playground of the village primary. The grounds were dubbed a health and safety hazard as the the local education authority faced claims that the school has become neglected, compared to nearby Wick where there three new schools are opening this year.

MAKING child's play out of promoting local history an archaeology charity is hoping to build interest among youngsters about the county's iron age history using Lego. Caithness Broch Project has unveiled plans to build a broch out of Lego to give school pupils an understanding of broch construction and the county's iron-age past.

PLANS to build a switching station on the outskirts of Wick to allow renewable energy from Shetland to be transferred to the national grid, are to be unveiled today. Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission are putting its plans for a proposed electrical switching station on display at open events in Wick and Staxigoe over the next few days.

A CALL has been made for sleeping policemen to be installed on a busy road beside the newly-refurbished play park in Castletown. It comes from Landward Caithness Highland councillor Willie Mackay who was astonished at the speed traffic was travelling, in Traill Street during an observation when he dropped off his grandchild at the park.

FLY tippers have been blasted for dumping a caravan by the side of the A9 road in Caithness. A Swift Corniche 14/4 touring caravan was left for more than a week in a lay-by at a scenic spot on the outskirts of Spittal.

HEALTHY walking groups in Wick and Thurso are proving a huge success with plenty of people keen to get some exercise while enjoying the social side of taking part. Step it Up Highland has walking groups across Scotland and in June helped to launch groups in Caithness training four people from Wick, Thurso and Tongue to be walk leaders.

THE UK's first drystone-walling festival has left a permanent legacy in the form of an impressive circular seat in Thurso overlooking the Pentland firth. The Northstone 58 festival saw exponents of the craft travel from across Britain to take part in the three-day event organised by local man George Gunn.

A TOTAL of 23 probationary teachers held their first classes in Caithness and Sutherland yesterday as pupils returned after their summer holidays. They are among 130 new starts in the Highlands who came together in Inverness on Friday, for an induction course held in Highland Council's Glenurquhart Road headquarters.

THEY say cats have nine lives and there's certainly no kitten that an adopted young feline has enjoyed more than most pet moggies. Abandoned by the side of a road at Shrewsbury, John who is a female, was adopted by cyclists Edd Colbert and Steven Wilson from London who were en route from Lands End to John O' Groats. They decided to take the youngster on their marathon journey and she spent seven days on the back of their bikes before reaching the signposts last Thursday.