LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 23 2023

North Skye urgent care under the spotlight

The provision of urgent for north Skye is set come under the spotlight at First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood today.

Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston will ask about the service which was expected to increase to seven days this month.

Since August this year, the urgent care service based at Portree Hospital has been operational from 8am until 8.30pm four days a week, on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Mr Halcro Johnstone will ask the cabinet secretary to tell him and his constituents in north Skye “when they will get this vital service back in Portree – for 7 days a week – as they have been promised?”

In an update in early November, a spokesperson for NHS Highland told Radio Skye that its team are continuing to work towards establishing a seven-day service.

However, they said that was dependent on a number of factors, including having sufficient staff who are able to deliver care at an advanced level.

Generation Game fundraiser to honour Harris

Emergency services personnel from across Skye and Lochalsh are joining forces to raise funds for a specialist piece of equipment to aid children living with cancer across the Highlands.

Workers from the local fire brigade, police, ambulance service and the local hospital are holding a Generation Game style event at Kyleakin village hall this Saturday to raise funds for a special pump which allows chemotherapy treatments to be administered out with hospital.

The emergency services members are holding the fundraising in honour of nine-year-old Harris Morrison who has been courageously fighting ill health all his life and was diagnosed with cancer towards the end of 2019.

Harris underwent intensive treatments at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital for close to two years before returning home to Skye in 2021.

Sadly, Harris has has a recurrence of his cancer. Unfortunately there are no treatment options and he is now receiving palliative care.

The organisers of the fundraisers said that Ruth and Peter, Harris’ parents, have been nothing but positive and incredible throughout what has to be the most difficult thing to face as parents.

The funds raised through the Generation Game night will be used to purchase a Computerised Ambulatory Delivery Device (CADD) pump which allows children to attend special occasions and have time at home whilst still receiving treatments via the pump.

It also enables symptom control to be administered at home during the last days of life.

The Generation Game event group are fundraising for Harris pumps that will be available in Raigmore Hospital for children with cancer in the Highland area so it does not have to be borrowed from Aberdeen hospital and will remain a legacy of this brave young boy.

The cost of one pump is £5000 and the group are also seeking donations to its raffle or auction which will be both be drawn on the night

The Generation Game Event will be held at 7pm on Saturday (25th November) at Kyleakin Hall.

Forbes calls for bespoke approach to tackle Highland housing crisis

Kate Forbes is calling for greater flexibility in housing policy rather than a one size fits all approach to tackle the challenges facing people in the Highlands

Speaking during a debate on the housing emergency in Scotland in Holyrood on Wednesday, Skye and Lochalsh’s MSP contended that bespoke solutions were needed to solve the distinct issues affecting people in her constituency.

Ms Forbes also argued that more attention should be paid to organisations like the Communities Housing Trust, which she described as exemplary.

Since being established in 1998, the Communities Housing Trust have worked on more than 120 community-led projects and seek to actively tackle repopulation.

The debate was led by Labour MSP Mark Griffin who has questioned the scale and speed of the Scottish Government’s plans for housing.

The Scottish Government has committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 – with at least 10 per cent in remote, rural and island areas.

However, Mr Griffin has asked that the government set an interim target for 5,500 houses to be completed in rural areas by 2026.

According to figures from the National Statistics Publication for Scotland, there were more than 39,000 homeless applications across the country from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.

The figures represented an increase of nine per cent on the previous year’s figures.

Of those applications more than 32,000 applications were assessed as homeless which accounted for more than 53,000 people – a 10 per cent increase on 2021-22.

Highland has ranked as the sixth highest local authority out of 32 in Scotland for homeless applications from 2019 to 2023.

Niteworks’ Farewell: 2024 gigs to band’s last shows

Skye band Niteworks has today announced that 2024 will be their final year as a band.

In a statement released today via its socials, the band said they had made the decision with a heavy heart but it had never been a full-time venture for them.

They described their time playing together since the age of 17 as a blast and said never in their wildest dreams could they imagine where the band would have taken them.

Band members Allan, Chris, Innes and Ruairidh, said they had now reached a point in their lives where they have a few more responsibilities than when we started.

Niteworks will perform a small run of select shows in 2024 and said they would love to see as many fans at them as possible for one more dance.

They added that they had a huge amount of people to thank, and without the incredible support of their fans, none of this would ever have been possible.

Attadale Gardens chosen as Scotland’s best

Attadale Gardens has been announced as Scotland best in a Royal Horticultural Society Competition.

Attadale was chosen as Scotland winner RHS Regional Partner Garden of the Year

Custodian Joanna MacPherson, whose family have lived at Attadale for three generations, said: “It’s wonderful to have the hard work of the entire gardening team recognised again by our enthusiastic visitors. We are so pleased to get their kind and enthusiastic feedback.

Photo: members of the Attadale Gardens team with the award.

New farming funding for women and young people

Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary has announced a new fund to help women and young people develop careers in the farming sector.

Mairi Gougeon, who announced the support on Wednesday, said the funding would provide successful applicants with £500 each to help pay for practical training courses relevant to farming and crofting.

Speaking at the Royal Highland Centre, the Rural Affairs secretary said that supporting the next generation of farmers was imperative for the agriculture sector to continue to innovate and thrive.

She added that the Government was committed to helping women and young people stay in rural communities by equipping them with the necessary skills to pursue careers in farming and crofting.

For more information on  The Next Generation and Women in Agriculture Practical Training Funds, click here.

Skye Mountain Rescue Team boosted by £1,200 brownies fund

The Isle of Skye Brownies have been commended by the Skye Mountain Rescue Team after raising more than £1,200 for the life-saving organisation.

The Skye brownies raised a total of £1,254 for the charity.

A spokesperson for Skye Mountain Rescue described the efforts as outstanding, adding that currently three out of every five rescues in Scotland are funded by donations from the public.

The said that without such generous support as that from the brownies the emergency service would not being able to exist.

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