John O' Groat Journal headlines for September 9, 2016


CROFTERS believe a mysterious predator is roaming the fields of Bettyhill hunting down and killing lambs with one holding having had 15 victims in the space of eight weeks. Lorna Mackay says she lives in fear of her flosk at Invernaver to the west of the village, being attacked.

THE future of the Wick Carnegie library building is unclear after it was revealed the property has not been put up for sale despite the service being scheduled to relocate to the town's new high school campus. Highland Council confirmed the library, in Sinclair Terrace, was not on the open market and that it is considering the future of the building.

THE future of the twin town relationship between Wick and Klaksvik should be decided by the residents of the town and not by Highland councillors or anti-whaling campaigners acrosss the world. That is the view of Wick Community Council who are to explore different avenues to map out the future of the link between the Caithness and the Faroese town.

CAITHNESS Women Against State Pension Inequality is taking part in a national day of action to raise awareness of its cause. The group was set up as part of a UK campaign following changes to the state pension age which, it is claimed were made too quickly.


SUPPORT staff at North Highland college UHI are prepared to take strike action with other further education institutes across the country again unless they get an improved pay deal. Around 40 NHC support staff members involved with Unison took strike action on Tuesday over lecturers being offered a higher pay deal.

HIGHLAND HOSPICE is celebrating a successful summer of fundraising with its Project Build Appeal hitting the £4.1 million mark. The hospices's new inpatient unit in Inverness is set to open its doors to patients in November leaving a final two months of the appeal to run, and bring in £400,000 to achieve it £4.5 million target.

MORE than 60 volunteers have signed up to join a service which aims to help isolated eldery people living in the far north. Befriending Caithness was established four years ago in a bid to reduce isolation and loneliness by matching service users with volunteers for help carrying out tasks and giving company.