Sunset 25th July 2019 Nairn Beach

Using your Highlife card elsewhere in Scotland

"The LeisureLink Partnership which includes High Life Highland today announced a new member to the partnership taking the total to five areas of Scotland that will see highlife members able to access free use of leisure facilities outside the Highland region at Live Borders facilities for the first time."

More on the Highland Highlife site. 

"Question Everything" graffiti vandals get questioned and then charged

Nairn Healthcare News - Summer 2019

Staffing

The past season has brought a lot of new faces to Nairn Healthcare Group. We have welcomed our new Nurse, Jeanne McComasky to the team. We have a new doctor joining us in August, Dr Callum Mitchell along with 2 trainee doctors, Dr Duncan Brown and Dr Marc MacMillan. Kate Benson, Healthcare Assistant and Nicola Thomson, Practice Nurse will soon be rejoining us from maternity leave in September. 

Our goodbyes and good lucks are extended to Dr Daniel Carolan, who finishes with us in August after a 6-month placement and Nurse Norma Strachan who finishes with us at the end of July following a year maternity cover. We wish both Dr Carolan and Norma all the best with their new ventures. 

Changing Contact Details

We would like to remind all patients to make sure you update us with new addresses/telephone numbers. Also, if you are waiting for a hospital appointment please contact the hospital and provide them with an update if your contact details change. 

For younger adults and teenagers who have their parents’ number recorded in their medical records, please inform the practice if you would like to change this. 

Sun Protection

Although Nairn hasn’t seen much of the sun so far this summer, on the odd occasion when the sun does comes out and for those who will be holidaying abroad, we need to protect our skin with suitable clothing, seeking shade and applying sunscreen. 

Sunscreen should be suitable for your skin type and block both UVA and UVB radiation, at least SPF15 should be applied and the product shouldn’t be applied if after its expiry date. 

Children and babies have more sensitive skin than adults so please take extra care to protect them. Children under 6 months should be kept out of direct strong sunlight. There are sunscreens available that are formulated for children and babies, these are less likely to irritate their skin. 

If you do happen to get sunburnt, paracetamol and ibuprofen will ease the pain by helping to reduce inflammation. Sponge the sore skin with cool water and apply aftersun lotion. If you feel unwell or the skin swells or blisters, please seek medical help and stay out of the sun until all redness has gone. 

For more information on sun protection, please visit www.nhs.uk/livewell/travelhealth/pages/sunsafetyqa.aspx

Hayfever

Hay fever is one of the most common allergic conditions affecting one in five people at some point in their life and unfortunately, it is during the summer months that it surfaces. It is an allergy to pollen and the symptoms include sneezing, a runny nose and itchy eyes. 

There is currently no cure for hay fever but most people are able to relieve symptoms with treatment to a certain extent. Treatment options include antihistamines which can help prevent an allergic reaction from occurring. Steroids are sometimes recommended to reduce inflammation and swelling. 

Most hay fever cases can be controlled with over-the-counter medication from the pharmacy, however if you feel your hay fever is more troublesome, it may be worth speaking to a GP as you may require prescribed medication. 

Some self-help tips:

Wearing sunglasses outdoors to stop pollen reaching your eyes 

Take a shower after being outdoors to remove unwanted pollen from your body 

Apply a small amount of Vaseline to the nasal opening to trap pollen grains. 

House of Care

Nairn Healthcare will soon be changing the way we recall patients for their annual routine health checks. So rather than booking numerous appointments if you have more than one condition, we are going to combine your checks to allow you to attend one to two appointments per year. Some patients may only need to attend for one appointment where they will have all of their checks done. This is the “House of Care” model that we are currently working on and will provide more information once available. To be continued..... 

Serial Prescribing

Nairn Healthcare Group is improving how we manage repeat prescriptions for certain patients whose medicines are stable, and who always come for their treatment checks when asked. 

For these patients, we are now providing a prescription which looks like a normal prescription but is called a serial prescription and lasts for up to 56 weeks (just over one year). Medicines on a serial prescription will be dispensed in instalments every 4 or 8 weeks, depending on what the prescriber feels is appropriate. 

If we feel that you meet the criteria for switching to the serial prescription service, we will prescribe your medicines in this way. Your community pharmacy will keep hold of your serial prescription and have your repeat medicines ready for you to collect when your medicines are due. For medicines prescribed on a serial prescription, this means you will no longer have to request these from your pharmacy or the GP practice. You will receive notification if you are one of these patients with a “Frequently Asked Questions” leaflet attached.

http://www.nairnhealthcaregroup.co.uk/

A few pages for all the local apple enthusiasts: nairnorchards.org

"Interest in Orchards and fruit trees has been growing in Nairn in recent years with new orchards established at the Sandown Allotments, with the Green Hive in Viewfield and with Nairn schools planting too. Many individuals have also planted trees in their own gardens in Nairn and beyond with trees that have been grown locally by the Nairn Allotments Orchard Group." 

More information here on Nairnorchards.org

Young musicians kick off summer of music in Nairn

Young musicians from Nairn will take to the road next week as the Fèis Inbhir Narainn Cèilidh Trail kick off their annual summer tour.

A group of five talented young musicians and singers will be entertaining audiences with traditional Gaelic music and song over the next couple of weeks at venues in Nairn and surrounding area.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Cèilidh Trail programme which was pioneered by Fèis Rois but has now been adopted by a number of other Fèisean. It gives young musicians and singers, aged 16 to 25, the opportunity to take part in a professional summer tour through their local Fèis with support from a team of musicians and specialist tutors. This unique opportunity offers participants training in the core skills required for a career in the creative industries, particularly music. Participants have the opportunity to gain a PDA in Performance or Sound Production, through a collaboration with West Highland College.

With support from Creative Scotland and HIE, Fèisean nan Gàidheal Cèilidh Trails help young musicians develop their performance skills and provide a widespread traditional music entertainment programme in the Highlands and beyond. This year there are Cèilidh Trails in Ross-shire, Lochaber, Paisley, Skye, Stirling & Trossachs and Argyll with this year being the fourth time a Cèilidh Trail has hit the road in Nairn.

Rhona MacDonald, ceilidh trail co-ordinator, said: “Our Fèis Inbhir Narainn Cèilidh Trail is absolutely raring to go and entertain audiences this summer! They’ve recently gone through a week of intensive training and preparation at Fèis Alba in Plockton with musicians from Cèilidh Trails around Scotland.”

“The Cèilidh Trail is a phenomenal opportunity for these young musicians to get a taste of what life as a professional touring musician can be like. Not only do they play the gigs but they are involved in the organisation, marketing and tech side of the tour – it’s hard work but great fun at the same time and I’m sure people who come along to the gigs won’t be disappointed. There is a mix of formal and informal concerts as well as family ceilidhs so there is something for everyone – you might even learn a song and dance or two!”

This year’s Fèis Inbhir Narainn Cèilidh Trail members are Beth Cain (keyboard), Lena Mckechnie (fiddle), Alix Aburn (Gaelic song), Hamish Drennan (bagpipes and whistle) and Ross Clark (fiddle).

Dates and venues for Fèis Inbhir Narainn Cèilidh Trail are:

Saturday 27th July – Community & Arts Centre, Nairn (launch night with Assynt, 7.30pm)

Monday 29th July – Croy Village Hall, Croy (supporting Saltfishforty, 7.30pm)

Tuesday 30th July – The Gellions, Inverness (session, 5-7pm)

Wednesday 31st July – Black Isle Show, Muir of Ord (concert, 5pm)

Thursday 1st August – Black Isle Show, Muir of Ord (concerts/sessions throughout the day)

Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd August – Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Beauly (workshops throughout the day

Monday 5th August – The Havelock, Nairn (session, 2.30-4pm)

Monday 5th August – The Gellions, Inverness (session, 7-9pm)

Tuesday 6th August – St Columba’s Church, Nairn (Afternoon tea and concert, 3.30pm)

Tuesday 6th August – MacGregors Bar, Inverness (session, 7.30pm)

Wednesday 7th August – Croy Village Hall, Croy (TMSA Young Trad Tour 2019, 7.30pm)

Thursday 8th August – James’s @ the Putting Green, Marine Road, Nairn (Busking, 11.30am)

Thursday 8th August – Nairn Museum, Nairn (concert, 2pm)

Friday 9th August – Glenurquhart Public Hall, Drumnadrochit (family ceilidh, 7.30pm)

Saturday 10th August – The Invernairne, Nairn (concert, 7.30pm)

For further details of all Cèilidh Trail events across Scotland, visit https://www.feisean.org/events/ceilidh-trails/

Police seeking help to find graffiti vandals

Riverside Fun Day! Saturday 20th July 12pm-3pm at Riverside Park, near the Jubilee Bridge

Green Hive, the Nairn and Nairnshire Community Partnership and other local community groups with an interest in the Riverside Park are joining together to provide a free and accessible afternoon of activities.

Green Hive’s recent survey in Queens Park highlighted that the Riverside Area, including the play spaces and football pitch, were of value to the local residents. It was apparent that people wanted to see more done to improve play spaces and promote a stronger sense of community. As part of the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative, working to reduce species such as giant hogweed from our riverbanks, Green Hive was already planning a volunteer day inviting members of the public to help clear Himalayan balsam plants from the woodland area along the riverside.

“The idea for a fun day was suggested in a few survey responses. So it seemed like a good idea to turn our volunteer day in to a family friendly activity and invite other groups to join us to make this day a riverside park community event. Other groups such as Nairn PLAY, the Mill Road allotments, the Forres and Nairn welfare football league and Highlife Highland have been keen to become part of it and we’ve developed a really good network of people that all have an interest in seeing a flourishing riverside environment that provides a safe space to play and explore nature.” 

– Kirsty Ellen, Green Hive Development Officer

The Nairn and Nairnshire Community Planning Partnership (NNCP) is made up of people from the local council, health, police, fire, voluntary and leisure/culture/wellbeing services, striving to improve access to public services and promote equality. 

“We believe that community members should play an active role in shaping the future development of services and spaces in Nairnshire. As a Partnership, we hope to see a great attendance on July 20th, with many people engaged with the activities and groups present. We hope to gather community perspectives on how the Park should be developed during the event and to feed these insights into our Partnership planning and future actions.” 

– Rhona McNicol, NNCP Community Engagement Officer

Support for resources for the day will come from the Boy’s Brigade, St Ninian’s Church and Highland TSI who are lending a marquee, tables and chairs and notice boards, the Highland Council with bins and extra park maintenance and Nairn BID to coordinate food vendors. 

“So it’s a real community effort for this day to take place.” – Kirsty Ellen, Green Hive Development Officer

Park development:

“The Riverside is Common Good Land administered by local members and The Highland Council. There is a need to improve the facilities in this area especially for the use of our citizens. We will be having some fun on the day but also seeking the views of locals concerning how they would wish to improve this area for the benefit of all. It would be good to develop a plan for the improvement of existing facilities and ensure they are maintained for the future.” – Cllr Tom Heggie

Engagement activity – The event is the first part of working together with the Places and Spaces group of the Nairn and Nairnshire Community Planning Partnership. We intend to help each other enhance the riverside area and gain support from the wider community to develop activities and possibly annual events. During the day there will be the chance to find out more about the plans by Nairn PLAY and the Welfare League. There will also be the opportunity to contribute your ideas and express what you hope to see happen at the riverside park. If you are part of a community group that uses this area get involved by contacting Cllr Tom Heggie

Parking is limited so please walk if you are able to. The car park by the Jubilee will be closed to vehicles and the car park by the football field will be open with preference for disabled users.

Activities:

Inflatable kick darts

River dipping and nature trails

Himalayan Balsam conservation activity

Bunting making

Bushcraft

Mill Road allotment’s open day and treasure hunt

Highland cycle ability bikes

Fire Scotland fire engine

Bouncy castle

Rodeo bull

Facepainting

Raffle

Youth led sports and games

There will also be food vendors where you can buy snacks and lunch

Street Markets - something we should have on a regular basis?

This observer was on the Golden Mile yesterday and noticed just how many Nairn folk were doing their shopping or dining or moving going through in that part of Snecky. As we sometimes do it prompted a tweet on our twitter account. That tweet generated an interesting response which you can also read below.

You can't, you've just got to provide enough incentive for people to do both. People will travel for price and choice whereas the high street should be more about the experience with competitive pricing and as much choice as possible with amazing people. #highstreets

— Michael (@mikeboy78) 13 July 2019

There has also been a bit of conversation on a Nairn social media page about the value of markets and the opportunities to trade etc and whether they are good for the town or not.  We, of course think they are, and market towns elsewhere seem to benefit from the extra folk the stall holders pull in. Witness Murray MacRae's image from July six years ago shows.

It's good to see Nairn High Street full of people at times like the Christmas Lights ceremony and the Fun Runs - maybe the powers that be and the new Nairn BID could bring back a street market or two? Could such a scenario make Nairn truly "more about the experience".

Highland Council survey becomes "mother of all complaints page" on Facebook

One of our regular readers sent us a link to a Highland Council Facebook page which links to a Survey site.

"We have set a vision for The Highland Council to be: - Ambitious, Sustainable and - Connected." They say but the entries on the wee embeded bittie below are a litany of what people across the Highlands think is wrong with the Council.   Click on the  "See more" link to see what Highlanders have to say 

Info on recent delays at Nairn traffic lights from MSP

@GurnNurn Clarification on why there were problems in Nairn with traffic in June. Power outage caused the traffic lights sequences to fail pic.twitter.com/qgRSceCqZZ

— Edward Mountain MSP (@1edmountain) 10 July 2019

Meeting to set up Nairn Extinction Rebellion Group - 6.30 pm Tuesday July 23rd in the Nairn Community and Arts Centre

On Monday evening (1st July) there was a talk in the Community Centre about the group Extinction Rebellion. The organisers were delighted with a turnout of about 40 people who came along wanting to do something to stop the climate emergency destroying our world. There will be another meeting on Tuesday 23rd of July in the Community and Arts Centre at 6.30 pm to form a Nairn group. 

Time to do what we can folks, if you are concerned about what we are doing to this planet and want to change things then please come along to the meeting.  

Thursday 18th July 7.30pm Mac McClure (piano), Juan Carlos Higuita (violin) Fort George Chapel, Ardersier Tickets at the door. £15 /2

On Thursday 18th July the exquisite and historic Garrison Chapel at Fort George will be a very special venue for the first concert of Music Nairn’s exciting and ambitious Outreach Programme which will provide the opportunity for locals and visitors alike to experience top quality live music in wonderful atmospheric venues.

The chapel was added to the Fort in 1763-7 and is perfect for such a musical performance.

Both performers, Juan Pablo Higuita (violin) and Mac McClure (piano) specialise in Spanish and South American music and an exciting and colourful programme including Albeniz, Piazzolla, Ginastera, Sarasate and Turina should be ideal for a summer evening.

Juan Pablo trained at Bogota and Vienna Conservatoires, has performed to critical acclaim throughout South America, and is currently professor of violin and chamber music at the University of Colombia, while US born Mac, who has worked extensively with Alicia de Larrocha on the Spanish and classical repertoire teaches and tours in Spain, the USA and South America.

Nairn Community Transport minibus is available from Forres or Nairn for those who do not wish or are unable to travel there by car. Advance booking is required at the Nairn Community & Arts Centre on 01667 453476. Pickup time will be advised on booking, and a £2 contribution is requested.

Once at Fort George, the buses will operate a shuttle service between outside car park and Chapel for those who don’t wish to walk, so prompt arrival is requested.

Removing the Courthouse steeple - Sunday 30th June 2019 - Pictures

Individual images here. 


Individual images here.