Sunshine comes to Glendoe Terrace

THE weather this summer may not have been too bright, but residents in Glendoe Terrace wake up each morning to a tropical beach scene guaranteed to put a shine on the dullest day. This project which was organised by the Glendoe Residents Association and funded by Inverness Youth Bank, mp33, Merkinch Youth Matters and Central Ward discretionary budget - saw graffiti artist Marc Delahaye (pictured above) lead local youngsters in creating the mural.

And now… in glorious colour!

THIS month sees your News & Views transformed, with the front and back pages in glorious colour, thanks to the Merkinch Partnership who are funding the upgrade. We hope readers will feel that this does justice to our photographs and enjoy them even more than ever.

Of course, full colour high-resolution versions of our photographs have been available for some time on the merkinch.info website - but now all our readers, not only those who have access to the web, can enjoy the improved quality of the entire newsletter, which is now being printed commercially.

"We are grateful to the Partnership for their support," says Newspaper Co-ordinator Bette McArdle, "and we hope that readers will continue to enjoy News & Views." Already some of our sponsors have asked whether they can have a notice in full colour. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate such requests at the moment.
It's very strange not to be printing, folding and collating the newsletter, something that the Enterprise staff have done since the first regular newsletter way back in 1995.
The earlier issues were mostly eight pages and many of the first issues were the smaller A5 version.

In our 137 issues we've used the equivalent of 1,750,000 sheets of A4 paper and this does not include any monthly inserts!
"Having the printing, folding and collating done for us is a welcome break for the staff and volunteers who carry out this task every month," said Merkinch Enterprise Chief Executive Colin Downie. "We still have to prepare the newsletter for distribution and of course, it still has to be delivered, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all who do this task willingly, for the community."
News & Views is published by Merkinch Enterprise on a monthly basis 11 times a year and is distributed by volunteers to 2500 homes and businesses in the area.

From Brisbane to Simpson's Lane...

WHEN Steven Rogers came all the way from Australia last Hogmanay to visit friends to Inverness, he couldn't have guessed it was going to turn out to be something of a busman's holiday.
For the kindergarten teacher from down under liked the Highlands so much he decided to stay - and since earlier this summer has been working in Fliperz! "I like Inverness," he said, "it's so laid back."
Steven has taken the opportunity in his time off to visit other parts of Scotland, such as Perth and Edinburgh, and he has also gone further afield, to Ireland and Portugal.
He has dual nationality and so can stay here as long as he likes. No doubt he has been mourning the lack of sunshine and cricket, but at least he hasn't missed out on barbies-he looks after the barbecues at Johnny Foxes, weather permitting.

Right: Play can be a serious business… Steven with some of the Fliperz youngsters.

Merkinch model focus

OLDER readers may remember Maisie Burnside who ran a second-hand clothes shop in Madras Street many years ago. Now her grandson Mark has opened the Inverness Model Shop on Grant Street in the former Action for Jobs premises.

A plumber, painter and decorator to trade, Mark has always been a keen model-maker.
So when the model shop in the Victorian Market closed 18 months ago, Mark saw an opportunity to fill the gap.

His shop is an Aladdin's cave of goodies for the enthusiastic model-maker: there is everything from enamels and glues, kits and collectors' items to military vehicles and remote control cars, helicopters and rally cars. In short, trains and boats and planes… and everything else in between.

And if you fancy flying a kite, Mark has quite a selection!
Since the shop opened in June Mark has been pleased with the response from customers. He has started a Christmas Club which is proving very popular. Currently he is looking for premises where he could run a Model Club.

A Merkincher and proud of it, Mark is keen on golf and also is an RAF Reservist. Visit his model shop website here: Inverness Model Shop

briefs…

• MARK the last week in October in your diary, for that is when Merkinch Primary pupils are taking over the theatre at the Community Centre to put on an all-singing, all-dancing version of Macbeth. More details next month.

 

• THE Friendship Club programme for September is as follows:
  5th-Gentle exercise with Vikki Webster; 12th-Fun with photographs; make a picture using photos taken on trips over the past few months; 19th-Lunch at the Clachnaharry Inn followed by a visit to Moniack Winery where visitors can have a taste, a tour, or sit and enjoy a DVD. The month finishes with Prize Bingo on the 26th.


 

• Two artists from the Merkinch Art Group, who won the public vote at the Merkinch Festival Exhibition last month, have received a further boost to the confidence and artistic reputation. Both the winners, Lizzie Bennett and Daisy Fixmore, were invited to show their work at the Art Society of Inverness annual show in the Eastgate and both sold their prize pictures. Well done, both!

 

• VOLUNTEER stewards are wanted for the new theatre at the Community Centre. Anyone willing to offer a few hours per month to help with stewarding tasks will be made very welcome. It would involve: helping to move chairs, taking tickets on the door, supervising queues and serving refreshments. There is to be a free training night on Thursday 4th October 7.30pm for those interested. The Centre is also planning to have training for Sound/ Lighting Technicians. If you are interested, contact Elsie Normington on 01463 239563 or email elsie.merkinch@uwclub.net.

 

• YOU'VE heard of the X-Factor. Well the next big community event is the ABBA FACTOR NIGHT on Friday 28th September at 7.30pm. Auditions on 6th September-for further details ring 239563.

Janny's Hoose not beat yet!

WHAT a cold and wet summer we've had. It's fairly put a damper on the spirits.
We're not deterred though. We've been plotting and scheming a whole new raft of activities to cheer everyone up.
We're very aware that we are a small venue, so we have decided to programme more activities so that we can appeal to a wider audience.
We've restricted coffee mornings to Mondays so that we can fit more things in. See the enclosed Janny's Hoose Journal for details.
If you've never been in before why not come in and see what we're up to? If you've not been in for a while, why not come in and see how we've changed?

We're holding open sessions especially for new and infrequent visitors every Thursday morning between 9 -11.30am, or Wednesday afternoon between 12.30 and 3pm throughout September. We'll have tasty food on offer so why not pop in and taste some.

We believe that it is important to remain positive, so although our lottery funding is shortly to finish we ARE going to continue to do our best to serve the people of Merkinch with the funds that are available to us.

Jean Mackay
The Janny's Hoose
(01463 226348)

Pic garden with Robbie

THE Green Gym is set to take place this month on Wednesday 19th September, from 1-4pm at the Corbett Centre Garden.
Anyone interested in keeping fit and doing something useful at the same time, should ring Anne Sutherland on 718989.

She is pictured here, second left, at last month's meeting along with the then Community Warden Liz Murray, right, and some of the other participants.
Robbie Dyce (second right) for many years one of our most active volunteer newsletter distributors, just happened along and offered to give them some advice.

Helping protect your kids from the danger of drugs

IN THIS day and age, no parent can afford to be complacent about drugs. Merkinch is no worse than any other place, with regard to drugs, for their presence is everywhere, it seems, and parents have to know the dangers their children face in the modern world.

Merkinch Partnership has approved funding for a course called "Drug Proof your Kids", to be held in Merkinch Community Centre.

Drug and alcohol misuse is a community issue, and Drug Proof Your Kids educates parents, and other carers, about drugs and gives them the information and skills they need to help their children make informed choices about drug use.

How to Drug Proof Your Kids is an education, prevention and intervention programme developed by the national charity Care for the Family, in association with Hope UK, specialists in drugs education. The course provides a place where parents can discuss challenges and learn from each others' experiences. More information on DPYK can be found on their website.

An Accredited Trainer will deliver the course, which will consist of six sessions run over a six-week period, starting Tuesday 11th September from 7pm to 9pm. The course is free, and there are 15 places - priority will be given to parents resident in Merkinch. Anyone wishing to book a place should contact Anne Sutherland on 01463 718989.

Partnership boosts Rock School follow-on

MERKINCH Partnership held a meeting on 26th July in the new Albyn Housing office in MacLennan Crescent. The Partnership is keen to work more closely with the Housing Association and has invited Donald Lockhart, Albyn Housing Development Officer, to do a presentation at their next meeting on 23rd August.

Lucy Morrison, Merkinch Development Ventures Project Manager, gave a very upbeat and positive report on Ness Soaps. The Social Firm has received further orders for its soaps from Inverness Airport and Tulloch Homes and has been successful in gaining further funding from Communities Scotland.

Ness Soaps is looking to recruit a part-time production assistant to help in the Corbett Centre workshop. For further information have a look at the advert in this issue of News and Views. Merkinch Partnership approved an application for funding from Merkinch Community Centre for music workshops to follow up the Rock School held in July.

The Rock School provided sessions to widen musical participation offering jamming sessions, training on working as a team when playing in a band, writing and composing songs and melodies, performing effectively, recording and using software programmes.

The Rock School culminated in a showcase with all bands performing and was a great success.

The Community Plan update leaflet has now been printed and over the next few weeks will be circulated to every household in Merkinch.

Merkinch Partnership will be holding a "Celebration Day" in the Community Centre on Friday 5th October.

The event will bring together all the groups which have been supported by the Partnership and will highlight the diverse and exciting projects happening in the Merkinch area. The Partnership will be sending out invitations to the event in the next few weeks.

Anne Sutherland, Merkinch Partnership Officer, is organising the Celebration Day in conjunction with Elsie Normington from the Community Centre and Community Arts Worker Annie Marrs. Ms Sutherland says "Merkinch Partnership is keen to bring all the local groups and projects together to celebrate what is happening in Merkinch. They also want to highlight all that has been achieved in the last two years with the Community Regeneration Funding and also the exciting plans which are afoot for the future."

Albyn outline their plans for both Kessock Courts

THE "eight streets" of South Kessock have been six for some years, but now eight homes in Kessock Court South, which were started this spring, are nearing completion and are due to be ready in November. Of these eight, two are amenity houses for the elderly.

These homes will not be for rent but for sale under a scheme called Homestake.
This is a shared equity scheme which Albyn - in conjunction with Cairn Housing - aims to help lower income households, including first-time buyers, housing association and council tenants get on the housing ladder.

Homestake enables people to purchase up to 60% or even 80% of their homes, though never own them completely as with previous mixed ownership systems.
In some cases local authority and housing association tenants may be eligible to purchase a home for as little as £43,350 for a 2-bedroom semi-detached cottage suitable for up to three persons. Kessock Court North, which has soon to see three pensioners' houses demolished also featured at a recent session at Merkinch Community Centre. All these will be allocated under the standard allocation policy.
Here there will be 20 houses with five of them being amenity housing.

Anyone wanting more information about Homestake, or the houses in Kessock Court North should contact Albyn on 01349 855 991.

Local Councillor Bet McAllister was one of those who came along to examine the plans for Kessock Court North.

The lay-out at Kessock Court North.

Kessock Court South, likely to be called Mill Court, is set to be complete in November.

Friendship Club members go on Fort George visit

ALL the nice girls love a sailor-but they are happy to be shown around by a soldier, as members of the Friendship Club discovered when they visited Fort George recently. Dressed in a First World War uniform, their guide told visitors about his life in the army 90 years ago.

Left: "THE bells, the bells!" cries Madge. Right: Thornbush Cottage residents are pictured in the chapel.

Girls - fancy a walk on the Wild side?

WILDWALKS is a walking project which encourages women who take little or no exercise to meet and walk together one day a week. WildWalks takes you into some wild, beautiful places, with breath-taking scenery.
You will be able to feel the sun, or the rain, on your face, meet new people, have time for yourself, and get fitter, healthier and happier along the way. What's more there is no charge for taking part. WildWalks Inverness is looking for young women, aged 16 to 24 years, to come along to a meeting in the Old High Church Hall, next to Farm Foods in Academy Street, on Thursday 6th September starting at 10am until 12 noon. Those needing crèche facilities should ring 01479 861 365.
It doesn't matter if you are single or married or a mother - childcare is provided. As long as you are able to come along on Thursdays.
The project is run by White Mountain Dreams near Aviemore and you can get further information by ring the above number, or contacting Roni Smith (remember her from mp33) on 0791 856 347, or Issie Inglis on 077 6605 7799.
So why not give it a go and come along to the meeting. It could change your life, and make you healthier and happier and give you a tremendous sense of achievement.

Out of school

ALL the pupils at Merkinch Primary School took part in a sponsored Walk for Life in the school grounds last term. As a result the magnificent sum of £2749 has been raised from family and friends. Some of the money will go to school funds, but the biggest share will go to the Highland Hospice.

• The school reopened on Tuesday 14th August and there have been a few staff changes: Miss Dick and Mrs Ross have left while Mrs Campbell and Mrs Wallace have joined the staff. Mrs Black is back, full-time, and Mr Aitchison joins Mrs Cruden and Mrs Bruce in the Support for Learning team.

 

• Merkinch School already has Health Promoting status, and this year they are aiming to gain Green ECO Flag status. This will involve addressing the issues of: Litter, Waste, Water use, Transport, Health and well-being, and School Grounds.

Said MPS Head Mrs Sheena Morrison, "To achieve our target we need the whole community to be actively involved. We have already made a good start with most of them."

Platform for parents

MPS School Board has been disbanded and its replacement, the Parent Forum, is in the process of being formed.
The idea is that all parents make up the Forum and that all will be represented on a Parents Council.
Last term a Parents Council constitution was approved and the first meeting of the Parents Council will be organised soon. Members will all be free to volunteer to be on the Parents Council. As many parents as possible are being encouraged to take part.
One of the new body's roles will be to be involved in choosing new head teachers.

What a difference a few years can make!

HAVE you noticed the Merkinch Primary School garden recently? A lot of effort has gone into transforming it over the last few years and it is looking particularly lush this year.

August Fete at the Rectory

The weather at St Michael's annual Fete may not have been entirely kind, but everyone enjoyed themselves nevertheless.

FACE -painting, like a bouncy castle, is vital to any fun event nowadays. This young man looked like a little ray of sunshine by the time he'd finished, or was it jaundice?

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