Merkinch to get dedicated panda plus two new bobbies on the beat

THE Inverness Area Commander, David O' Connor outlined to Merkinch Community Council how he intended to deal with the area's problems when he spoke at their October meeting.

Crime and drugs could not be separated, he said, and drugs and the organized crime that goes along with them were the biggest threat to the community.

There were major dealers working out of the area, particularly in the Glendoe Terrace and Benula Road area. The one thing the public could do was to use the Crimestoppers number (0800555111) to ring the Police to give them any information they had. Police radios are now TOTALLY SECURE he reminded them.

The question was raised of calls to the Police going unanswered and C.S. O'Connor said that a new call management system was in place which might be causing the problem. At busy weekend times, calls might have to be prioritized.
He also said he appreciated the value of visible police presence, though of course there were other officers undercover. So, besides CBO McMorran, he would be appointing two more beat officers dedicated to the Merkinch area, plus a panda car. He hoped this would lead to increased public confidence, trust and reassurance.

He said Merkinch is not the worst area in the city for anti-social behaviour and South Kessock is no longer an area with major policing problems; they were more concerned with the drugs problems.

They will be working closely with other agencies, such as housing.

Among other facts to come from the meeting were:

• There are more mini-motos and motorbikes seized in the Westfield than in any other area in the city.

 

• In the last 6 months 404 more drugs cases were reported to the Procurator Fiscal and Class A drugs (heroin and ecstasy) worth six-figure sums were taken out of Merkinch.

David is determined in the war against drugs for, he said, they destroy families, communities and societies.

ARTS worker Annie Marrs made the draw run by Jim Smith of Clach Shoe Repairs in aid of Raigmore's Oncology Unit. Winners were: G Rodgers, Grant Street; I Williamson, Madras St; and J Wilson, Grantown. Jim wishes to thank those who donated prizes: Whisky - Ali Williamson and also Colin at the Innes bar; Jim himself donated the wine prize. In total £101 was raised.

Merkinch Enterprise in good fettle

AT THE recent AGM, Colin Downie, Chief Executive of Merkinch Enterprise, was able to report to the members present that the company had had a very successful year - a year in which they have generated a profit compared to the loss during the previous reporting period.

"The organisation is going from strength to strength, working as it does as a community business with commercial aims and objectives that have long established the business in its own right," said Colin. "This is, as always, thanks to the dedicated staff and volunteers who make the organisation what it is today, a successful community business, working for you, the community."

New face at Community Centre

MEET Gail Smith, the new part-time co-ordinator at Merkinch Community Centre where she works 12 hours a week.
Gail first came to Merkinch as a temporary relief covering Rose when she went to New Zealand. "So when the co-ordinator's job came up, I was keen to get it," said Gail.

Currently she is drawing up a programme of interesting trips and speakers for the Friendship Club (see page 4) and is looking forward to working closely with Alan Michael of Contact the Elderly, a regular at the Wednesday lunch-time meetings. She is also in the process of getting her minibus licence.

Originally from Derbyshire, Gail has lived at Farr, just south of Inverness for the past 24 years. She has a strong administrative background in the community and voluntary sector and organisations she has been involved with over the years range from Meals on Wheels, Playgroups and the Cubs to the Highland Dyslexia Association and the Strathnairn Community Woodland Project.

Gail has three children, two dogs and a cat. Her oldest son is a gamekeeper- even though Gail herself is a vegetarian! "I've come to Merkinch at a very exciting time and I'm looking forward to working with the Centre's management committee and local groups," she said.

St Michael's celebrates 120th anniversary

THE Scottish Episcopal Church of St Michael's and All Angels has a long and fascinating history - almost 130 years of it. For it was in 1877 that a Sunday School was set up in a thatched cottage on Maggot Green that led to the building of the church in 1886.

Around the turn of the century the problems of flooding in that part of town were so bad that much of the congregation were moving over to Merkinch and it was decided that the church should de-camp to its present site in Abban Street. Between 1903 and 1904 they moved the building stone by stone across the river by boat!

St Michael's is appreciated today as one of the architectural gems of Inverness and many took advantage of the Open Weekend, held last month.

Included was an exhibition of church vestments-one display is shown, right. There was also some historic church embroidery from the collection of one of Canon Len Black's predecessors. And of course there was a nice cup of tea!

Pyramid success

A PROGRAMME of activities held at the Community Centre over five mornings of the October holidays proved popular with local youngsters.

Entitled the Pyramid Rock Club, the fun included drawing, games, singing and dance-all on the theme of Joseph and Egypt.
There was a DVD about Joseph, daily competitions and on the Friday parents came along to see what the children had been learning.

The week was organised by Elsie Normington of the Inverness Christian Fellowship. Pictured are, from left: Elsie replete with black wig, Richard Syred as Captain Ketchup, and Liz Syred as an Egyptian.

briefs…

• THE Friendship Lunch Club, which meets at the Community Centre on Wednesdays is to expand to include all Over-50s, whether fit, fragile or disabled. A programme of events is being drawn up to cover a wide range of interests. November's programme includes:

  1st - A talk on the Caledonian Canal
  8th - The work of Crossroads which provides relief for Carers
  15th - Hearing Dogs for the Deaf
  22nd - Healthy Living with Beryl Campbell
  29th - Food First with Cath Findlay

• Find the gym boring? Can't be bothered with the usual exercises? Why not try the new Dance-er-cise Class which has started up on Thursday evenings from 7pm to 8pm in the Community Centre. Designed for all ages and all states of fitness-you just move your body to disco, rock, hip-hop or whatever. They say it uses muscles that other aerobics can't reach!

 

• THERE is to be a CCTV facility installed at the Friars' Bridge underpass - the location causing many complaints due to public drinking and associated incidents. Area police chief David O'Connor appreciates the need for such a facility, but currently all his extra financial resources are being focused on recruiting more police officers. Councillor Chrissie Cumming, who raised the matter at the October meeting of the Merkinch Community Council, said she is in the process of putting a funding package together to install CCTV in the underpass.

 

• AT the AGM of Arts in Merkinch, former arts worker Catherine MacNeil was appointed vice-chairman and minutes secretary. Arts worker Annie Marrs was voted secretary while Bette McArdle and Colin Downie remain chairman and treasurer respectively.

Keeping the winter blues away

THE nights are fairly drawing in now and the weather getting decidedly wintry. Here are a few tips to help you survive the winter:

• Keep active. The more you move about the warmer you will keep and the healthier you will be. You'll help keep colds at bay and if you walk outside during daylight hours you'll help keep away the blues that come with longer winter nights. The Janny's Hoose has a light box you can try out on days when the sun doesn't shine. We also have exercise on the menu-it's a lot more fun when there is more than one of you.

 

• Eat well. The better fuel you give your body, the better it will run. Try and have five bits of fruit and veg a day. Soups are a tasty way of eating veg and they are very warming too. We have lots of recipes for quick and easy tasty food. Dave the dietician will be running sessions about food and mood so we can find out what best to eat to keep happy.

 

• Take time for yourself. In the run-up to Christmas we tend to rush about and get stressed out. Pace yourself. Even a few minutes relaxing in a bath can make all the difference to the way you feel. We have sessions in the Janny's Hoose to help you cope with the bustle.

 

• Look after the money. Spread the cost of Christmas shopping as much as possible. You don't need to spend the earth on presents; my most precious memories are of spending time with mum and dad playing games. The credit union have a collection point in the Janny's Hoose and you can pay small amounts in and also make use of their low cost loans.

The Janny's Hoose can help you survive the winter-why not drop in and see what we have to offer.

Jean Mackay
The Janny's Hoose Healthy
Living Centre
(01463 226348)

Corbett artists enjoy visit to Edinburgh to see Van Gogh exhibition

STUDENTS from Studi'03, part of the Corbett Centre Outreach Programme, recently visited the "Van Gogh and Britain" exhibition at the Dean Gallery in Edinburgh.

The students, who have been studying the work of the Dutch-born artist Vincent Van Gogh, were delighted to see actual works by the artist himself instead of prints and reproductions.

Some comments were: "I liked the colours used."
"I liked the colours and the technique."
"I liked the colours in the background."
"It's always good to have trips to exhibitions."

Waterfront Centre gets go-ahead

The new Waterfront Centre should provide more space for all the exhibits, including this lovely willow and paper dolphin made by local children currently packed into the "Tardis" that the former ferry ticket office has become.

THE eagerly-awaited new visitor attraction at South Kessock, located on the site of the former ferry slipway, is on course - if all goes smoothly - to open next summer.

The South Kessock Environmental Company has approved the design of the new Waterfront Centre, and tenders will be sought soon for the £300,000 project.

The Waterfront Centre will be home for the current successful environmental and heritage exhibition occupying the former ticket office on the slipway and will provide a base from which locals and visitors can share the panoramic views and better understand the local environment.

Clair Pieraccini, vice-chairman of the group, said: "Agreeing the design of the building is a big step forward and the Centre is on course to open next year.

"With everyone's support we can provide a high quality Centre for everyone to appreciate our natural heritage. The community have fully supported this development and will be kept fully posted on how the plans develop and how the Centre will be operated."

Peter Corbett, local Highland Councillor, praised the work of those local people who had supported the project. He said: "A Centre has been needed at this site for a long time and I am sure everyone will support this initiative. It's a credit to all the hard work of so many local people that we have reached this important stage. "I look forward to the centre opening next year and am sure it will prove to be very popular with everyone from the local community and further afield."

Graham Strachan, Area Development Manager with Highland Council, was enthusiastic: "Everyone has worked hard to get to this stage and with a funding package in place we just need to pull out all the stops to get the Waterfront Centre built and open for next year.
"This will be a great boost for the area."

Stuart Black, chief executive of HIE-Inverness & East Highland, said: "South Kessock has been a priority for the Local Enterprise Company for a number of years.
"We are delighted that the project has now progressed to design stage.
"Inverness waterfront is one of our most important assets and this visitor centre should provide a welcome addition to our tourism infrastructure."

Sporting Nooz

Portland aim for nine in a row

INVERNESS darts winter league got underway on Thursday 12th Oct with a full schedule of league matches. There are three leagues with eight teams in the A and C Leagues and seven in the B. In the A League, Portland A are going for nine titles in a row and City Taxis will be the main contenders to stop them. The promoted teams in the B League are Brockie's Lodge and Smithton, however the relegated Dow's don't have a team this year so the B is reduced to seven teams.
There are two new teams in the C League-Finlay's and Monty's.

Results Thursday 12 October 2006:

A League - Portland B 8 Portland E 4, Portland A 10 Fluke 2, Tarradale 6 Oscars 6, Uncle Bob's 9 City Taxis 3.
B League - Legion A 11 Brockie's Lodge 1, Culloden Moor Inn 10 Caley Club 2, Deeno's 7 Smithton 5.
C League - The Drover 4 Legion B 8, Mojo's 4 Finlay's 8, Raigmore 9 Thistle 3.
The A League is not renowned for producing shock results but last week proved the exception.
The fact that Uncle Bob's took both points from City Taxis could not be classed as a major upset but the margin of victory certainly could.
The Nairn team won all eight singles with only one of them going to five legs, and it was the second double before Taxis got a win on the score card.
Eight times A League champions Portland A took full points as did Portland B whilst the Ross-shire derby ended in a draw. Last year's B League runners up Caley Club lost to Culloden and Legion A and Deeno's beat the newly promoted teams. Two former C League Champions Raigmore and Legion B started this campaign with wins as did newcomers Finlay's who beat relegated Mojo's.

Barry Maclean of Portland A hit three 180s and Bomber Godsman (City Taxis) hit two and others on the mark were Alex Fraser (Portland E), Andy Davidson (Mojos), Peter Macdonald (Portland A), Jim McNair (Uncle Bobs) and Shane Wharton (Portland B). Don Maclean of Portland A recorded a 177 score and the top finishers were Evan Macdonald (City Taxis) 126, Jim Hunter (Portland B) 120, Donnie Mackenzie (Tarradale) 118, Garry Gunn (Portland A) 101 and Paul Clark (Fluke) 100.

Results for Thursday 19 October

A League - City Taxis 6 Portland B 6, Oscar's 5 Uncle Bob's 7, Tarradale 5 Fluke 7, Portland E 2 Portland A 10.
B League - Keppoch 7 Legion A 5, Caley Club 5 Deeno's 7, Brockie's Lodge 1 Culloden Moor Inn 11.
C League - Thistle 6 Drover 6, Portland X 5 Raigmore 7, Finlay's 6 Monty's 6, Legion B 4 Mojo's 8.
Allan MacKinnon of City Taxis hit three 180s with Wayne Ridgers (Legion B) and Shane Wharton (Portland B) hitting two apiece and one each came from Brian Sutherland (Mojo's), Steve Mitchell (City Taxis) and Drew McNeil (Portland B). Peter MacDonald (Portland A) hit a 14 dart leg and Gary Henderson (Culloden Moor Inn) a 15.
A 147 check out was achieved by Sam Borthwick (Deeno's) and Charlie MacPherson (Monty's), Allan MacKinnon (City Taxis) finished 115 and Jim MacNeil (Keppoch) 106.
Portland A and Uncle Bob's are the early leaders in the A League.
City Taxis seemed to have recovered from last week's reverse and went into a 6-2 lead against Portland B but then lost all four doubles and had to share the points.
Deeno's and Culloden Moor are the pace setters in the B League and Raigmore are on their own at the top of the C League. The League singles took place at the Clach Club on Thursday 26th.
Robert MacKenzie is the defending A League Champion but there has not been a successful defence of this title since 1992. But this should not deter Robert as he is the only one to do three in a row.
The current B League holder is Jim MacNeil and he will be going for a unique record as no one has won the B League Singles on more than one occasion and as an added twist he is also the holder of the Summer B League singles.
The C League champion Fraser Gallagher won't be defending his title as he is out of the country at the moment.

This project is being part-financed by the European Union under the Inverness and Nairn CED programme.